Worried that someone you know is being harmed or neglected?

If you see/are told something or it doesn’t seem right, report it to Adult Social Care on:

024 7683 3003 or email ascdirect@coventry.gov.uk
Out of office hours: Emergency Duty Team on 024 7683 2222
In an emergency always call the emergency services on 999

Telling us about harm or mistreatment if you are a provider or professional

What is Safeguarding Adults?

Safeguarding means protecting the health and wellbeing of adults at risk and enabling them to live safely, free from abuse and neglect. It is about people and organisations working together to prevent and reduce both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect.

An adult is anyone over the age of 18. Abuse of adults who need care and support is where someone hurts, harms or causes them distress. Abuse is unacceptable; everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect and to live free of abuse or mistreatment, whether they live on their own, live with others, live in a care/nursing care home, attend a day centre or are in hospital.

What is an adult at risk?

Adults at risk could include:

• Those with learning/physical disabilities, mental health needs including dementia, long-term illness/condition and those lacking the mental capacity to make decisions
• Older people who are frail due to ill health or disability

The adults may be perceived as an easy target and may be less likely to identify abuse themselves or to report it. People with communication difficulties can be particularly at risk because they may not be able to alert others. Sometimes people may not even be aware that they are being abused and abusers may try to prevent access to the person they abuse.

See the CSAB introductory guide aimed at volunteers and members of our communities.

What is abuse?

Abuse can be:  (For more information and examples please click on the link)

• Physical: This includes hitting, slapping, kicking, misuse of medication, restraint and force feeding.
• Domestic violence – including psychological, physical, sexual, financial, emotional abuse; so called ‘honour’ based violence.
• Financial or material: This includes theft, fraud or using a person's money, possessions or property without consent.
• Psychological/emotional: This includes threats of harm or abandonment, isolation, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, harassment, verbal abuse, threats or bribes.
• Sexual: This includes sexual assault, rape or sexual acts to which the vulnerable adult has not consented, could not consent, or was pressurised into consenting.
• Neglect or acts of omission: A failure to provide appropriate care (such as food, clothing, medication, heating, cleanliness, hygiene) and denying religious or cultural needs.
• Discriminatory abuse: This includes racism, sexism, ageism and discrimination based on a person's disability or sexual orientation. Some abuse in this category might also be classed as a hate crime.
• Modern slavery – encompasses slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude. Traffickers and slave masters use whatever means they have at their disposal to coerce, deceive and force individuals into a life of abuse, servitude and inhumane treatment.
• Self-neglect – this covers a wide range of behaviour around neglecting to care for personal hygiene, health or surroundings and includes behaviour such as hoarding.
• Organisational abuse: Includes neglect and poor care practice within an institution or specific care setting; where the routines, systems and regimes of that setting result in poor or inadequate standards of care and poor practice which affect the whole setting and deny, restrict or curtail the dignity, privacy, choice, independence or fulfilment of the people using that service.

The CSAB have also produced a range of One Minute Guides on various topics

What to do if you want to share a concern

If you see/are told something or it doesn’t seem right, report it to Adult Social Care on:

024 7683 3003 or email ascdirect@coventry.gov.uk
Out of office hours: Emergency Duty Team on 024 7683 2222
In an emergency always call the emergency services on 999

Telling us about harm or mistreatment if you are a provider or professional

Don't worry if you are not sure. All reports will be looked into and no action will be taken unless it is needed.

What will I be asked?

We will ask you for some information about;

• yourself (unless you wish to remain anonymous)
• the person you are concerned about
• the alleged abuser
• what you have seen or heard

We will let you know who needs to be told.

What will happen next?

We will make sure the vulnerable adult is safe and we will contact anyone we need information from. An important part is talking to the adult concerned, unless it would put them at risk. A decision will be made within 48 hours about what action is needed. Further enquiries would then be made to look into the issue. The length of time this takes will depend on the issues involved and the person’s wishes. Depending on the nature of the concern and the person affected we may refer you to someone else for help. We will tell you what is happening as soon as possible

My Safeguarding Experience

Information about how you will be involved in the safeguarding process.