Choices And Rights Disability Coalition recognises that we have a responsibility in the protection of adults with care and support needs. We aim to understand and recognise signs of abuse and follow guidelines and procedures in the reporting of suspected abuse of adults with care and support needs.  

Choices and Rights has a responsibility to protect and safeguard the welfare of Adults they come into contact with. The need for guidelines and procedures is important to ensure that this is done with understanding and clarity.  

The person with lead responsibility for safeguarding within the organisation is: the manager – Mark Baggley. 

All Trustees, staff and volunteers should be made aware of this policy and be able to demonstrate an understanding of their responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of Adults, including how to respond to any Adult Safeguarding concerns and how to make a referral to local authority Adults Safeguarding Team or the police if necessary.  The Safeguarding Adults Policy has been disseminated to all Trustees, staff and volunteers and is held on Choices and Rights server. 

1. Responsibilities of agencies 

1. Definitions 

3a Adults with care and support needs 

3b Types of abuse 

3c Predisposing factors 

     4.     Procedure on reporting suspected abuse or neglect 

5.     Action to be taken 

6.    Flow chart of action to be followed if someone discloses/reports suspected abuse   of an adult with care and support needs 

All agencies working with adults with care and support needs have responsibilities, either statutory (Social Services, NHS Trust and the Police) or contractually (the independent sector) or have a duty of care (the voluntary sector). 

The adult safeguarding duties apply to an adult who:  

• needs care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those needs)  

• is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, and  

• as a result of those care and support needs, is unable to protect themselves from either the risk, or the experience of, abuse and neglect  

When working with adults with care and support needs the six safeguarding principles should be followed which will ensure the person is at the centre of any actions or decisions at every stage. The six safeguarding principles are:  

• Empowerment  

“I am asked what I want as the outcomes from the safeguarding process, and these directly inform what happens.”  

• Prevention  

“I receive clear and simple information about what abuse is, how to recognise the signs and what I can do to seek help.”  

• Proportionate  

“I am sure that the professionals will work in my interest, as I see them, and they will only get involved as much as needed.”  

• Protection  

“I get help and support to report abuse and neglect. I get help so that I can take part in the safeguarding process to the extent I want.”  

• Partnership  

“I know that staff treat any personal and sensitive information in confidence, only sharing what is helpful and necessary. I am confident that professionals will work together and with me to get the best result for me.”  

• Accountability  

“I understand the role of everyone involved in my life and so do they.” 

3a. Adult with care and support needs 

An adult with care and support needs may be 

 An older person, 

 A person with a physical or learning disability or a sensory impairment, 

 Someone with mental health needs, including dementia or a personality disorder, 

 A person with a long-term health condition, 

 Someone who misuses substances or alcohol to the extent that it affects their ability to 

manage day-to-day living, 

 A carer, providing unpaid care to a family member or friend. 

3b. Types of abuse and neglect  

 This section considers the different types and patterns of abuse and neglect and the different circumstances in which they may take place. This is not an exhaustive list but a guide to different types of abuse and the sort of behaviour which could give rise to a safeguarding concern. Abuse and neglect includes:  

• Physical abuse – for example, assault, hitting, slapping, pushing, misuse of medication, and unlawful restraint.  

• Psychological abuse – for example, threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, cyber bullying, isolation, and unreasonable and unjustified withdrawal of services or supportive networks.  

• Sexual abuse – for example, rape, indecent exposure, sexual harassment, inappropriate looking or touching, sexual teasing or innuendo, sexual photography, subjection to pornography or witnessing sexual acts, indecent exposure, and sexual assault.  

• Financial or material abuse – for example, theft, fraud, internet scamming, coercion in relation to an adult’s financial affairs or arrangements (including in connection with wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions), and the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits.  

• Domestic abuse – this can include physical, psychological, sexual and financial abuse. It can also include emotional abuse, Female Genital Mutilation and so-called ‘honour-based’ violence.  

• Modern slavery – this includes slavery, human trafficking, forced labour, and domestic servitude. Modern slavery is characterised by traffickers and slave masters using whatever means they have at their disposal to coerce, deceive and force individuals into a life of abuse, servitude and inhumane treatment.  

• Discriminatory abuse – for example, harassment, slurs or other mistreatment because of race, gender, gender identity, age, disability, or sexual orientation.  

• Organisational abuse – this can include neglect and poor care practice within an institution or specific care setting such as a hospital or care home, or in relation to care provided in a person’s own home. This may range from one off incidents to on-going ill-treatment. It can be through neglect or poor professional practice as a result of the structure, policies, processes and practices within an organisation.  

• Neglect and acts of omission – for example, ignoring medical, emotional or physical care needs. It can also include the failure to provide access to appropriate health, care and support or educational services, and the withholding of the necessities of life, such as medication, adequate nutrition and heating.  

• Self-neglect – for example, a person neglecting to care for their own personal hygiene, health or surroundings, including behaviour such as hoarding. It should be noted that self-neglect may not prompt a section 42 enquiry. An assessment should be made on a case-by-case basis. A decision on whether a response is required under safeguarding will depend on the adult’s ability to protect themselves by controlling their own behaviour. There may come a point when they are no longer able to do this, without external support.  

Incidents of abuse may be one-off or multiple and affect one person or more. Professionals and others should look beyond single incidents or individuals to identify patterns of harm, just as the Clinical Commissioning Group, as the regulator of service quality, does when it looks at the quality of care in health and care services. Repeated instances of poor care may be an indication of more serious problems and of what we now describe as organisational abuse. In order to see these patterns, it is important that information is recorded and appropriately shared 

3c Predisposing Factors 

Abuse occurs for many reasons and the causes are not always understood. 

Some risk factors have been identified, to include: 

• environmental problems – overcrowding, poor housing, lack of facilities 

•  financial problems – low income, dependent vulnerable adult adding to financial problems, person unable to work due to caring role, debt arrears, low uptake on benefits 

• social Isolation (those abused usually have fewer social outlets than those who are not) 

• history of a poor quality long term relationship between abused and abuser, a pattern of family violence may exist 

• high levels of stress due to dependency issues e.g. increased dependency of the vulnerable adult, changes in personality and behaviour, unwanted changes in lifestyle for carer, lack of practical and emotional support to carer, multiple dependents to care for, lack of free time and space for carer, personal problems of carer, role reversal where for example domineering parent becomes dependent 

• person who abuses has a history of mental health problems or a personality disorder or a drug or alcohol problem 

• care settings where staff are inadequately trained or supervised, work in isolation or have little support from managers, where there is high staff turnover, or where staff do not interact with other professionals. 

Patterns of abuse vary greatly, and may include the following: 

• Serial abuse where perpetrator seeks out and grooms – sexual abuse and some forms of financial abuse fall into this pattern 

• Long term abuse in context of family relationships e.g. domestic violence 

• Opportunist abuse e.g. theft of property left lying about 

• Situational abuse resulting from build-up of stress or because of challenging behaviour 

• Neglect if carer cannot respond to care needs 

• Organisational abuse (see above ‘abuse in care settings’) 

• Unacceptable `treatments` or programmes which may include sanctions or punishments such as withholding food and drink, seclusion, inappropriate use of control and restraint, misuse of medication 

• Failure of agencies to ensure staff receive appropriate training and guidance on anti-discriminatory and anti-racist practice 

• Misappropriation of benefits or misuse of vulnerable adult’s money, fraud or intimidation with respect to finance, property, wills etc 

All staff have a duty to recognise abusive situations and should report concerns to their relevant manager, to allow a discussion to take place around whether a safeguarding referral should be made and by whom.  

The first priority is to ensure the safety and protection of adult with care and support needs. It is the responsibility of all staff to act on any suspicion or evidence of abuse or neglect and to pass on concerns. 

Staff should; 

• Know and recognise signs of abuse 

• Be alert to and aware of signs of abuse at all times 

• Inform their line manager immediately if they suspect abuse has taken place 

• Inform another senior manager immediately if they suspect the abuser is their line manager 

• Use the whistle blowing procedure in section 29, Whistleblowing Section, of the Choices & Rights Employment Policies & Procedures document. 

If a member of staff at Choices and Rights Disability Coalition suspects or is informed of an incident or incidents of adult abuse, they should consult with the office manager, Mark Baggley, and decide whether a referral be made to the Police or Social Services. Dependant on the circumstances there may be issues about the adult consenting to a referral and what to do if the person does not consent. If unsure, staff should discuss with their line manager, who should consult with the Safeguarding Team for advice. Advice maybe sought without giving any details of the person that would breach confidentiality. 

The person making the referral should gain as much information as possible using the alerter form and follow up any verbal referrals in writing. The referring agency will be informed as to the decision and outcome of the referral.