Adult abuse
An adult at risk is an adult who:
• needs care and support, whether or not the council provides it
• is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect
• can’t protect themselves from abuse or neglect because of their care and support needs
Bristol Safeguarding Adults Board have produced this BSAB Easy Read guide, for adults at risk and their families, explains how to recognise signs of abuse and report it.
Abuse is when anyone violates someone else’s human and civil rights. Abuse doesn’t have to be done on purpose; the most important thing is whether the adult at risk has been harmed. Abuse can be:
- physical: any form of assault, over-medication, unnecessary restraint or bad manual handling
- sexual: rape or any sexual act that the victim didn’t consent to or couldn’t understang
- psychological or emotional: threats, intimidation, coercion, harassment or bullying
- financial: theft, borrowing money and not repaying it, and any pressure about wills, property, possessions or benefits
- neglect: ignoring medical or physical needs, not providing access to care, withholding essentials such as medication, food, water and heating
- discriminatory: all forms of harassment based on a disability, ethnicity, gender or sexuality
- institutional: repeated poor care and treatment of vulnerable adults, and unsatisfactory professional practice
- modern slavery: slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude
- self-neglect: not caring for personal hygiene, health or surroundings, including behaviour like hoarding which puts the person, or others, at risk
Abuse can happen in many places: • at home • in sheltered housing • in supported living settings • at day centres and other day services • in care homes • in hospitals • wherever anyone depends on care from other people
Report a safeguarding concern
If you have immediate concerns about your own or someone else’s safety, call the Police on 999. If it isn’t an emergency but you need help fast, call the Police on 101.
If you suspect that an adult in Bristol with care and support needs is being abused or neglected but their health or welfare is not in immediate danger, contact Care Direct at www.bristol.gov.uk/social-care-health/report-suspected-abuse . You will be directed to different forms depending on whether you are a member of the public or a professional.
You can also call Care Direct on 0117 922 2700, 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. There’s an answerphone service outside these hours.
If you have concerns about a care service or provider, visit the Care Quality Commission at www.cqc.org.uk .
Bristol is committed to being a ‘Safe City’, and the following link https://bristolsafeguarding.org/media/1110/safe-city-leaflet-1.png has leaflets available with more information.
Care Direct is the main way for you to contact adult care (social services).
Care Direct can:
- Give you information and advice
- Tell you about other organisations that may be able to help.
- If you need further support from them they will carry out an assessment over the phone. They will then either:
- Set up support over the phone
- Refer you to their re-ablement service to provide short-term support in your own home
- Arrange for someone to visit to carry out a more detailed assessment
If you are a carer, you are entitled to a Carer’s Emergency Card. This makes sure that in the event that you are taken ill or in an accident, the person you care for will still receive the necessary and appropriate support for up to 72 hours.
Contact: 0117 922 2700
The service is open Monday to Friday between 8.30am – 5.00pm. There is an answerphone for outside office hours.
Email address: adult.care@bristol.gov.uk.