Safeguarding adults
Tackling abuse of adults
All services in Hammersmith and Fulham are committed to preventing abuse of adults and responding promptly when abuse is suspected.
The following tells you what to do and who to contact if you or someone you know is a person who is at risk of being abused.
Use the links below to jump to the relevant section of this page:
- Who is an adult at risk of abuse?
- What is abuse?
- Forms of abuse
- Who might be causing the abuse?
- What should you do if you are being abused or you suspect that someone is being abused?
- What should you not do?
- What if the abuse is also a crime?
- What will happen if abuse is reported?
- Contact numbers
- Publications
- More information
- Annual Report 2009/10
- Questions
- Related services offered by the council
Who is an adult at risk of abuse?
An adult at risk( previously termed as a 'vulnerable adult') is "a person aged 18 years or over who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is or may be unable to take care of himself or herself, or unable ot protect himself or herself against significant harm or exploitation" ( 'Who Decides', Lord Chancellors Department, 1997)
What is abuse?
Abuse can be defined as the mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group, often resulting in a violation of human and civil rights. The abuse can vary from treating someone in a disrespectful way which significantly affects the person’s quality of life, to causing actual physical suffering.
Abuse can happen anywhere – in a person’s home, in a residential or nursing home, a hospital, in the workplace, at a day centre or educational establishment, in supported housing or in the street.
- Physical abuse: this is usually the use of force to cause pain such as hitting, pushing, pinching, shaking, misusing medication, scalding, restraint, hair pulling.
- Sexual abuse such as rape, sexual assault, or sexual acts to which the vulnerable adult has not or could not have consented, or to which they were pressurised into consenting.
- Psychological or emotional abuse such as threats of harm or abandonment, being deprived of social or any other form of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, being prevented from receiving services or support.
- Financial or material abuse such as theft, fraud or exploitation, pressure in connection with wills, property, or inheritance, misuse of property, possessions or benefits.
- Neglect such as ignoring medical or physical care needs and preventing access to health, social care or educational services or withholding the necessities of life such as food, drink and heating.
- Discriminatory abuse such as that based on race or sexuality or a person’s disability and other forms of harassment or slurs.
- Institutional abuse can sometimes happen in residential homes, nursing homes or hospitals when people are mistreated because of poor or inadequate care, neglect and poor practice that affect the whole of that service.
Any of these forms of abuse can be either deliberate or be the result of ignorance, or lack of training, knowledge or understanding. Often if a person is being abused in one way they are also being abused in other ways.
Who might be causing the abuse?
- The person who is responsible for the abuse is very often well known to the person being mistreated or exploited and could be:
- A paid carer or volunteer
- A health worker, social care or other worker
- A relative, friend or neighbour
- Another resident or service user
- An occasional visitor or someone who is providing a service
- People who exploit adults at risk
- An unpaid carer
- Another adult at risk.
What should you do if you are being abused or you suspect that someone is being abused?
You should contact one of the numbers below as soon as possible.
Your concerns will be taken seriously and will receive prompt attention.
Click here for details of telephone numbers you can contact.
What should you not do?
Do not confront the person you think is responsible for the abuse.
Do not destroy the evidence.
Do not start to investigate the situation.
What if the abuse is also a crime?
If the abuse is also a crime such as assault, racial harassment, rape or theft you should involve the police to prevent someone else from being abused. If the police are involved we will work with them and with you to support you.
If you are worried about contacting the police you can contact social services to talk things over first, but if the person is immediate danger you should call the emergency services by dialing 999.
What will happen if abuse is reported?
If you have contacted h&f advice (tel: 0845 313 3935)or a community mental health team because you are being abused or mistreated, a member of staff will come and talk to you as quickly as possible.
If you are contacting us about someone else, we will contact them as soon as possible.
Your concerns will be taken seriously. This may involve other agencies.
- If there is immediate danger we will aim to visit you or the person about whom you are concerned straight away.
- If there is a significant risk of harm we will aim to visit within 24 hours.
- For other reports of abuse we will normally visit within five working days.
The person dealing with the report will work with you, or the person about whom you contacted us, to help make any decisions. They will provide help and support in taking action to try to end the abuse and ensure that it does not happen again.
You may want someone to contact us on your behalf and to nominate someone to speak and act for you.
Usually, we will not do anything or share information with other people without the permission of the person who is being abused. The only exception to this is in situations where others may be at risk of abuse or the person is not able to make their own decisions because of mental disability.
| If you or the person you are concerned about lives in Hammersmith and Fulham call: | |
| Community services | Contact Number |
| H&F Advice | Tel: 0845 313 3935 Fax: 020 8753 5880
h&fadvice.care@lbhf.gov.uk |
| Out of hours service | Emergency Duty Team: 020 8753 8588 |
| If you know that the person about whom you are concerned is known to have a social worker or is in hospital, contact the social work teams directly: | |
| Community and hospital assessment service | 020 3311 1811 |
| Community social work team | 0845 313 3935 |
| Learning disability team | 020 8383 6464 |
| Mental health teams | Contact Number |
| Mental health assessment team | 020 7386 1111/1113 |
| Recovery team North | 020 8483 1750 |
| Recovery team South | 020 7386 1275 |
| 020 3311 1844 | |
| Older people mental health team | |
| Local police | Contact Number |
| Hammersmith Police Station | 03001 231212 (24 hours) |
| Fulham Police Station | 03001 231212 (24 hours) |
| Community Safety Unit | 020 8753 2816 |
| If your concern is about someone who is in a residential or nursing home: | |
| Service | Contact Number |
|
Care Quality Commission (previously known as Commission for Social Care Inspection) |
03000 616161 |
| Health agencies | Contact Number |
| Hammersmith and Fulham Primary Care Trust | 020 8846 6767 |
| Action on Elder Abuse: Response line available Monday-Friday 10am-4.30pm | 0808 808 8141 |
| RESPOND Help Line for people with learning disabilities | 0808 808 0700 |
| IN AN EMERGENCY CALL 999 | |
» What to do if you suspect an adult is being abused 
(pdf, 496kB) Oct 2011
» How to recognise adult abuse and what to do about it (pdf,387kB) Oct 2011
» Multi agency Pan London policy and procedures for protecting adults at risk of abuse (pdf, 911kB) Oct 2011
» Safeguarding adults practitioner guide (pdf, 259kB) Jan 2012
» Staff: Reporting abuse - vulnerable adults flowchart (pdf, 470kB) Oct 2011
» Poster: adults at risk Oct 2011
» Whistleblowing policy (pdf, 43kB) May 2006
» Domestic violence - where to go booklet (pdf, 564kB) Nov 2011
More information
All the links below take you to external websites and open in a new window:
» Office of Fair Trading
Scams awareness.
» Action on Elder Abuse
Action on Elder Abuse run the national, freephone helpline for anyone concerned in any way about the abuse of older people. The helpline is confidential and provides information and assistance across the four nations of the UK.
Helpline: 0808 808 8141 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
Email: enquiries@elderabuse.org.uk
» Advocacy - Independent mental capacity advocacy service
» The Care Quality Commission
Registers, inspects and reports on social care services in England.
Helpline: 03000 616161. Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk
» MASCOT telecare website. Tel: 020 8540 0355 (24 hours).
» MENCAP website. Tel: 020 8646 0965.
Office of the Public Guardian (OPI)
Supports and promotes decision making for those who lack capacity or woudl liketo plan for their future within the framework of the Mental CapacityAct 2005 www.publicguardian.gov.uk
» Public Concern at Work
A whistle blowing charity and a legal advice centre. Lawyers provide confidential advice, free of charge, to people concerned about wrongdoing at work but who are not sure whether or how to raise the concern. Public Concern at Work.
Helpline: 020 7404 6609. Email: helpline@pcaw.co.uk
» Rape Crisis website. Tel: 0137 5381 322.
Independent Safeguarding Authority:
The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) has been created to help prevent unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults. Since 31 March 2008, the ISA has been providing advice on barring decisions for List 99, the Protection of Children Act (PoCA) list and the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) list to the Secretaries of State for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) and Department of Health (DH). For up to date information and developments see : www.isa-gov.org
» Victim Support website (opens new window). Tel: 020 7268 0200.
» Voice UK
Supports people with learning disabilities and other vulnerable people, including adults at risk,who have experienced crime or abuse.
Helpline: 0845 122 8695. Email: voice@voiceuk.org.uk
Download the Safeguarding Adults Committee Annual Report 2009/10 (178KB)
Questions
If you have any questions about the policy and procedures please email the Safeguarding Adults Co-ordinator at safeguardingadults@lbhf.gov.uk.
Related services offered by the council
» Child protection
» Domestic violence - preventing homelessness
Page last updated: 08/02/2012
