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Abuse & Neglect

a girl with her hand over her mouth with Help written on itHow to get help

Identifying individuals who are at risk of abuse or neglect and understanding how to safeguard them is crucial for their protection and safety. It is important to define what constitutes abuse, recognise when someone may be at risk of experiencing it, and identify who might be an abuser.

Abuse

Abuse is defined as any behaviour towards a person that intentionally or unintentionally causes harm, endangers their life, or violates their rights.

There are many forms of abuse and neglect:

Domestic abuse is sometimes also referred to as domestic violence and can be defined as an incident or a pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse.

Financial abuse is the theft or misuse of money or personal possessions, which involves an individual’s resources being used to the advantage of another person.

Modern slavery is when a person is forced to work through mental or physical threat and are owned or controlled by an ’employer’.

Neglect is defined as not providing reasonable, appropriate or agreed care or a failure to act in a way that any reasonable person would act.

Organisational or institutional abuse is the mistreatment of people typically in their workplace brought about by poor or inadequate care or support, or systematic poor practice that affects the whole care setting.

Physical abuse can be defined as non-accidental harm to the body. Physical abuse can also occur when people are not provided with adequate care or support, causing them unjustifiable discomfort.

Psychological or emotional abuse is any action which has an adverse effect on an individual’s mental well-being.

Sexual abuse is the involvement of people in sexual activities which they do not understand, they have not given consent to, or violate the sexual taboos of the individual, family customs or usual practices.

Self-neglect covers a wide range of behaviours, where a person isn’t attending to their basic care and support needs. It includes issues such as personal hygiene, appropriate clothing, and feeding.

Discriminatory abuse may manifest itself as any of the other categories of abuse previously stated. What is distinctive, however, is that it is motivated by oppressive and discriminatory attitudes.

Adults most at risk of abuse are individuals aged 18 and over who may be unable to protect themselves from harm or exploitation, advocate for themselves, or care for their own needs.

An adult at risk

To define an adult at risk, we can say they are someone who:

  • has needs for care and support (regardless of whether the local authority is meeting those needs),
  • is experiencing or at risk of abuse or neglect, and
  • is unable, due to those care and support needs, to protect themselves from the risk of or the experience of abuse or neglect

Please remember that abuse can:

  • consist of a single act or repeated acts
  • be intentional or unintentional or result from a lack of knowledge
  • be an act of neglect, an omission or a failure to act
  • cause harm temporarily or over a period of time
  • occur in any relationship
  • be perpetrated by anyone, individually or as part of a group or organisation
  • often constitute a crime, i.e. physical, sexual or sexual abuse
  • adults living with other family members who are financially dependent on them

If you or someone you know is suffering abuse, harm or exploitation, then please don’t keep silent. Reporting your concerns may help to protect an adult at risk from further abuse. It could ultimately save their life.

Report abuse by calling the Safeguarding Adults services team:

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