Safeguarding - Adult Protection

What is abuse?

Some forms of abuse are very obvious such as:

• Being hit
• Shouted at
• Having your money stolen

However other forms of abuse are more difficult to see such as:

• Bullying
• People with a disability being bullied in the street just because they are different
• Someone touching you in a way that makes you feel bad
• People, even friends and family put you under pressure to buy them things
• People who are paid to care for you not looking after you as well as they should

Some people are not able to protect themselves as wells as others. Below are some examples (names and details have been changed).

Financial abuse

Mrs Rose is an 86 year old woman who used to live at home and manage her own finances. When her health got worse, she moved in to a care home. She was no longer able to make decisions herself about her financial affairs. Social Services Deputyship team were appointed to manage her money. The team discovered that £10,000 was missing from her account. They reported this to the Multi-agency Safeguarding Team. They provided details of the misuse of Mrs Rose’s bank account. The police investigated and arrested a care worker for theft. The care worker was found guilty and sentenced to 18 months in prison. The agency who employed the care worker reviewed their policy about how carers support people with their money, to try and avoid abuse in the future.

Physical abuse

Mrs Lily is a 73 year old woman who lived totally independently at home with her husband of 50 years. She broke her hip and was admitted to hospital. Before being discharged from hospital, she told a social worker that her husband had pushed her down the stairs. The social worker reported this to the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Team. A plan was made with Lily for her to be discharged to a care home to give her more time to think about what she wanted to happen next. Lily met with the police and decided not to make a criminal complaint against her husband and decided to return home to live with her husband. She still meets regularly with her social worker and the Plymouth Domestic Abuse Team. They have organised a safe place for her to go should she feel the need. This is called a protection plan. Her GP has also been told about the plan.

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