Worried about an adult/vulnerable adult?

What is abuse?

Abuse is when a person says or does something which makes you feel very sad or scared. Sometimes it might also be against the law.

Abuse can be caused by anyone. It could be a stranger or even someone who you feel comfortable with like a friend, carer or family member.

Abuse could happen anywhere; in your home, in a public place, at work or college, or online.

Abuse is never your fault and nobody has the right to abuse you.

Abuse is wrong and you should tell someone. If you are scared, tell someone who you trust who can report it for you.

By reporting abuse you can help bring it to an end.

Types of abuse

Abuse in safeguarding refers to actions that cause harm, distress, or fear to individuals, which can take many forms, including physical, emotional, or financial harm. It can occur in various settings, such as homes, care facilities, or public places, and is characterized by a violation of an individual’s rights and dignity. Safeguarding aims to protect individuals from such abuse and ensure their well-being.

Physical abuse

Physical abuse is defined as any intentional act causing injury or trauma to another person through bodily contact. It includes deliberate acts of force that result in harm, injury, or trauma to the victim’s body. Physical abuse can manifest in various forms, such as hitting, kicking, or using objects to inflict harm. It can affect both children and adults, often occurring in contexts like domestic violence or child abuse.

Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse is defined as any sexual activity that occurs without consent. It includes various forms of sexual violence such as unwanted sexual touching, forced oral sex, and rape. Additionally, sexual abuse can occur when someone is forced, pressured, or tricked into participating in sexual activities, which can happen both online and in person. It often involves manipulation, coercion, or physical force.

Emotional or psychological abuse

Emotional abuse, also known as psychological abuse, is defined as a pattern of behavior that subjects an individual to non-physical acts that harm their mental well-being and ability to function. This can include manipulation, humiliation, and intimidation. It is characterized by the deliberate use of words and actions to weaken or frighten a person, distorting their thoughts and feelings. Emotional abuse can occur in various relationships, including between partners, parents and children, or within professional settings.

Financial abuse

Financial abuse is defined as the control or misuse of a victim’s financial resources without their consent, leading to harm or loss. It involves tactics that restrict a victim’s ability to acquire, use, and maintain financial resources, such as preventing them from working or controlling how they use their earnings. This form of abuse can manifest in various ways, including withholding money, stealing, or limiting access to financial assets

Neglect

Neglect is defined as the failure to give due care, attention, or time to something that merits it. It implies giving insufficient attention, which can include ignoring or disregarding important matters. In a broader context, neglect can also refer to the state of not receiving enough care or attention, such as in the case of children not having their basic needs met.

Self-neglect

Self-neglect is defined as the inability or unwillingness to care for one’s essential needs, which can include neglecting personal hygiene, health, and surroundings. It encompasses a wide range of behaviours, such as refusing necessary support and obsessive hoarding. Additionally, it is characterised as a behavioural condition where an individual fails to attend to basic needs, potentially leading to serious health consequences.

Discriminatory abuse

Discriminatory abuse is defined as unfair treatment or harm based on a person’s characteristics, such as race, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation. It can manifest in various forms, including verbal abuse, harassment, and institutional neglect. Discriminatory abuse is against the law, and individuals are legally protected from discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.

Organisational abuse

Organisational abuse (also known as institutional abuse) refers to the mistreatment or neglect of individuals within a specific care setting, such as a hospital or care home, often due to poor working practices and inadequate care. This type of abuse can affect both adults and children at risk and is characterized by systematic poor practices that impact the entire care environment

Modern slavery

Modern slavery is defined as situations of exploitation where individuals are coerced, deceived, or forced into work or exploitation under abusive conditions. This includes practices such as human trafficking, forced labor, and debt bondage, where individuals cannot refuse or leave due to threats, violence, coercion, deception, or abuse of power.

Domestic abuse

Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. It can include physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse, affecting individuals across various demographics. The term is often synonymous with intimate partner violence, which can occur in current or former relationships.

In an emergency, call 999

The Survivor’s Handbook from the charity Women’s Aid is free and provides information for women on a wide range of issues, such as housing, money, helping your children, and your legal rights.

If you’re worried that you are behaving abusively in your relationship, call the free Respect Phoneline on 0808 802 4040.

What you can do if someone is abusing you or someone you know?

• If it’s an emergency, contact the police, tel: 999, If you are in danger and unable to talk on the phone, call 999 and then press 55. This will transfer your call to the relevant police force who will assist you without you having to speak
• If the person is not in any danger now but there has been a crime, contact the police, tel: 101.

If you are worried about yourself or someone else with care and support needs being abused
or neglected, please contact Call Derbyshire: Telephone 01629 533190.
You can phone Call Derbyshire anonymously without revealing your name with concerns or advice.

Please remember there is ‘No Excuse for Abuse’

If you’re deaf, hard of hearing, have a hearing loss, or are speech impaired, you can use emergency SMS by texting 999 from your phone, or use the NGT relay assistant by dialling 18000 from the app or textphone.

If you prefer to use British Sign Language (BSL) you can contact us using a SignLive video interpreter. This service is available on Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm. It Is free to contact us from your home.

You can find out more information on the Derbyshire Safeguarding Adults Board website.
www.derbyshiresab.org.uk

We will all work together to enable people in Derbyshire to live a life free form abuse, fear and harm.

Identifying and reporting abuse

Out of hours service

Outside of these times an emergency out of hours service for adult care is available from 5pm to 9am on Monday to Friday and 24 hours a day during weekends and public holidays.

This is an emergency service available for the public and agencies to access a range of social care staff for adults or children in need of social care.
Phone 01629 532600.

General enquiries

For general non-urgent requests for advice and support you can contact Call Derbyshire by email, text, fax or minicom. This should not be used for Safeguarding concerns or reporting abuse.

• email: contact.centre@derbyshire.gov.uk
• text: 86555
• fax: 01629 533269
• minicom: 01629 533240
• or write to: Derbyshire County Council, County Hall, Matlock, DE4 3AG

Customers who prefer to use British Sign Language (BSL) can contact us using a SignLive video interpreter.

This service is available on Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm. It’s free to contact us from your home.