What is abuse or neglect?
If you think that an adult with care and support needs (for example, a disability, health condition or mental illness) is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect, contact us on 01926 412080. This line is open Monday to Thursday from 9am to 5pm and Friday from 9am to 4.30pm.
During out-of-office hours an emergency duty social worker is available from 5.30pm Monday to Thursday, and from 5pm on Friday until 8.30am on the next working day. Call us on 01926 886922.
Examples of abuse and neglect include:
- physical - hitting, slapping, rough handling, restraining roughly, using medication to keep someone drowsy
- neglect - causing someone harm by not giving them the care or help they need
- psychological - making threats of harm or abandonment, harassment, humiliation, intimidation, verbal abuse, bullying, isolation or cyber bullying
- financial or material - pressuring someone to give away money, stealing money, benefits or belongings
- sexual - rape, indecent exposure, being made to do something sexual or watch something sexual that they don't want to, didn't agree to or couldn't agree to
- organisational - repeated instances of poor or inappropriate care in a care home or by a group of carers, such as rigid and insensitive routines or lack of privacy
- modern slavery can include human trafficking and forcing someone to work for little or no pay
- self neglect - when an adult at risk does not take care of their own basic daily living needs
- discriminatory - where someone is being harassed or mistreated because of their ethnic origin, religion, faith, language, age, sexuality, gender or disability
- domestic abuse – when any of the above is done by someone who is, or has been, an intimate partner or family member