Adult Safeguarding
Who Adult Safeguarding Support
Who adult safeguarding support
Adult safeguarding supports and protects the following:
- Adults who have needs for care and support (whether or not Swindon Borough Council is meeting any of those needs)
- Adults who are experiencing, or are at risk of, abuse or neglect
- Adults who are unable to protect themselves against the abuse, neglect or the risk of it.
Types of abuse
Abuse is a violation of an individual's human and civil rights by any other person or persons. It can take many forms.
While the list below is not exhaustive, examples are:
- Physical Abuse: This can include such things as hitting, slapping, pushing, kicking, misuse of medication, inappropriate restraint or inappropriate sanctions.
- Discriminatory Abuse: This might include abuse based on a person's ethnic origin, religion, language, age, sexuality, gender or disability.
- Domestic Abuse: Examples are psychological, physical, sexual, financial, emotional abuse or, so called, 'honour-based violence' of someone with care and support needs.
- Psychological Abuse: This can include such things as verbal abuse, humiliation, bullying, or the use of threats.
- Financial or Material Abuse: Can include such things as theft, fraud, exploitation, pressure in connection with wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions; or the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits.
- Sexual Abuse: This can be direct, or indirect, sexual activity where the vulnerable adult cannot, or does not, give their consent.
- Neglect or Acts of Omission: This includes things like the repeated deprivation of help that an adult at risk needs which, if withdrawn, will cause him or her to suffer
- Self-neglect: This can cover a wide range of behaviours such as neglecting to care for one's personal hygiene, health or surroundings. it can also include behaviour such as hoarding
- Modern Slavery: This encompasses such things as 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.
- Organisational Abuse: This can include neglect and poor care practice within an institution or specific care setting such as a hospital or care home. it can also relate to care provided and received in one's own home. It may manifest as a one-off incident or as a series of incidents involving on-going ill treatment. It can be through neglect or, simply, from poor professional practice resulting from inadequate structure, policies, processes and practices within an organisation.
Possible types of abuser
Again, the list below is not exhaustive but examples may include people such as:
- a partner, child, relative or friend.
- a paid or volunteer carer.
- a health, social care or other worker
In reality, it could be anyone!
Reporting abuse
A number of ways you can report abuse are detailed below.
Complete an online form:
Multi agency safeguarding adults online referral form
- If the adult is in immediate danger, in need of medical attention or if a crime has been committed, contact the Emergency Services (Police and/or Ambulance Service).
Contact one of the following agencies depending on the circumstances
Adult safeguarding team, Swindon Borough Council
Tel: 01793 463555
E-mail: adultsafeguarding@swindon.gov.uk (During office hours - Monday to Friday inclusive, 8.30am to 5.00pm).
Safeguarding adults investigation team, Wiltshire police
Tel: 01380 826350 (During office hours: Monday to Friday inclusive, 9.00am-5.00pm).
Out-of-hours emergency duty service
The emergency duty service is only for reporting safeguarding concerns that require urgent action out of normal working hours. Any other concerns should be forwarded to the Adult Safeguarding Team at adultsafeguarding@swindon.gov.uk, which will be processed the next working day.
Tel: 01793 436699
