Safeguarding adults (Protection of vulnerable adults)
What should you do?
If you, or another vulnerable adult you know is being harmed in any way by another person, please do not ignore it. You should:
- Tel: 020 8359 2000 or Text: 07781 473279 (SMS) and ask to speak to the Adult Social Services Duty Team
- contact your local adult social services office.
- contact the police or call an ambulance (999) if the person is in immediate danger, or needs medical treatment.
Safeguarding adults means making sure that vulnerable adults are protected from abuse. The information below explains what can make a person vulnerable, what abuse is and who abuses. You can also read the easy read booklet, Say 'no' to abuse (April 2009) 
(PDF: 861KB) which explains about the different types of abuse and how to report them.
- Who is a vulnerable adult?
- What is abuse?
- Where can abuse happen?
- Who abuses?
- What you should not do?
- What will happen next?
- Publications
This information aims to help you recognise abuse and know what to do should you be concerned that a vulnerable adult you know is being abused.
Who is a vulnerable adult?
A vulnerable adult is any person aged 18 or over who is or may be in need of community care services because of disability, age or illness, and who:
- is or may be unable to take care of themselves, or
- is unable to protect themselves from significant harm or exploitation.
Vulnerable adults could include:
- older people
- people with a visual or hearing impairment, physical disability
- learning disabilities or
- mental health problem
- and people living with HIV or AIDS.
In some cases, vulnerable adults may lack the capacity to make certain decisions for themselves. The Mental Capacity Act helps to protect vulnerable people where this is the case and makes clear who can make decisions, in which circumstances and how they should go about doing this.
From 1 April 2009 the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, which have been introduced into the Mental Capacity Act through the Mental Health Act 2007, come into force. These safeguards are to protect people who have a mental health problem, learning disability or lack the capacity to give consent to arrangements made for their care from being unnecessarily deprived of their liberty.
What is abuse?
Abuse is a violation of an individual’s human and civil rights by another person or persons. It may consist of a single act or repeated acts. It may be planned or unplanned. It may be the result of deliberate intent, negligence or ignorance. It may happen when a vulnerable adult is persuaded to enter into a transaction to which they have not consented or cannot consent.
Abuse can take many forms:
- physical abuse - for example, hitting, pushing, shaking, over medicating or otherwise causing physical harm
- sexual abuse - for example, unwanted touching, kissing or sexual activity. Or where the vulnerable adult cannot or does not give their consent
- emotional abuse - including verbal abuse, humiliation, bullying or the use of threats.
- financial abuse - the illegal or improper use of a person’s money, property, pension book, bank account or other belongings.
- neglect - the repeated deprivation of help that a vulnerable adult needs which, if withdrawn, will cause them to suffer.
- discriminatory abuse - including racist or sexist abuse, and abuse based on a person's disability, and other forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment. This is also known as hate crime.
Where can abuse happen?
Abuse can take place in any setting:
- in your own home
- in someone else’s home (relatives or friend)
- in a residential or nursing home
- in a day centre, adult education centre or other establishment
- in a hospital or GP surgery
- at work
- in a public place.
Who abuses?
The person responsible for the abuse is often well known to the adult being abused. They may be:
- a relative, friend or neighbour
- a paid or volunteer carer
- a professional worker
- another resident or service user
- an occasional visitor or service provider
What you should 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 will happen next?
What happens next will depend on the wishes of the person and the seriousness of the situation. If they are in physical danger, ensuring their safety will be most important.
In response to your referral, trained staff will carry out a careful and sensitive enquiry. Information and advice will be offered so that the person and their family can make an informed choice, care will be taken to support and protect them.
Publications
- Safeguarding adults from abuse in Barnet (Easy Read booklet) (PDF: 861KB) is about the different kinds of abuse and how to report abuse.
- Multi-Agency Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedures - updated April 2009 (full version) (PDF: 4MB Large file)
Want a printed copy posted to your address?
Please contact:
- Tel: 020 8359 4579 (Information Officer) or 020 8492 5470 (Safeguarding Adults Coordinator)
- Email: adultsocialservices@barnet.gov.uk
Safeguarding Adults Board
The Safeguarding Adults Board is a Multi-Agency board which has been established to improve safeguarding (protection) practices for vulnerable adults in Barnet.
Training for Professionals
See our Safeguarding training page for details of courses on safeguarding issues for people who work with vulnerable adults.
Independence, Choice and Wellbeing Inspection
The Care Quality Commission (CQC), the national body that monitors councils’ performance relating to social care, visited Barnet Council in May this year to assess standards of adult social care in the borough. As well as speaking to the council, the commission spoke to users of services including older people and carers. One of the two main areas that the inspection focused on was safeguarding practice in the borough, and the report found that Barnet was 'good' at protecting people at risk from abuse.
- Full inspection report - August 2009 (PDF: 230KB)
- Easy-read inspection report - August 2009 (PDF: 1MB)
The Independent Safeguarding Authority
From 12 October 2009, new measures are being introduced to help prevent unsuitable people undertaking paid or volunteer work with children or vulnerable adults.
It’s called the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) (external link) has been set up to help implement the Scheme and make decisions over who should be barred from working with vulnerable people. Those decisions are legally binding too. Failing to comply could result in both the employer and the employee or volunteer being prosecuted, or even going to prison.
From July 2010 all new employees, those moving jobs and volunteers who want to work with children or vulnerable adults can register with the ISA. From November 2010, they must be ISA-registered. From then on it will be illegal to employ new people who are not ISA-registered.
Other useful documents
In 2004, the Protection of Vulnerable Adults scheme was introduced by the Department of Health. Through this scheme, individuals who have abused, neglected or otherwise harmed vulnerable adults in their care or placed vulnerable adults in their care at risk of harm should be referred to, and included on, the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) list.
- Protection of vulnerable adults scheme guidance (PDF: 277KB)
- Referrals to the protection of vulnerable adults list (PDF: 369KB)
- Protection of vulnerable adults list referral form (PDF: 91KB)
- Presentation on the Vetting and Barring Scheme and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (PDF:202KB)
Comments, Compliments and Complaints
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Email this pageLast modified by: Emily Bowler on 03/02/2010