Worried about someone or yourself safeguarding adults

Where possible, Healthwatch will let you know when changes are planned to services in your community and help you have a say. It will also encourage those in charge of local care services to involve you when changes are being planned to services. Healthwatch can also help you to find reliable and trustworthy information and advice.

Email:

enquiries@healthwatchcambspboro.co.uk

Web: www.healthwatchcambridgeshire.co.uk Tel: 0330 355 1285 Text: 07520 635176 Write to: Healthwatch Cambridgeshire, The Maple Centre, 6 Oak Drive, Huntingdon PE29 7HN

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Partnership Boards

Providing people with experience of using Adult Social Care services a say on current and future care. Each Partnership Board is made up of:

• Service user representatives – called

Independent Members. • Voluntary sector service providers. • Statutory services such as health and social care.

Healthwatch organises the board meetings and provides support and training to the Independent Members to help them in their roles. See adjacent for contact details.

Anyone can be vulnerable to abuse, neglect, or self-neglect at some point in their life. Some adults with care and support needs are less able to protect themselves against abuse or neglect, and some have difficulty making their wishes and feelings known. The council call these ‘adults at risk’. For someone to be considered an ‘adult at risk’ there are three things that all need to apply:

• The person has care and support needs, whether or not these are being met. • The person is experiencing, or is at risk of experiencing, abuse or neglect. • As a result of their needs, they are unable to protect themselves from this.

Abuse can take place anywhere, including at home, in a care home, or in the wider community. The harm may be caused by anyone, or someone else with care and support needs, and it may be deliberate or unintentional. If you’ve been affected by abuse; you might feel scared and helpless. It’s important to know that there are people you can turn to for help and there are things you can do to protect yourself. Whatever the circumstances, it is important that you raise your concerns with the council. If you are raising concerns about someone else, it’s helpful for the council if you can let the person know that you are planning on doing so. Ideally, you will gain their consent. However, this isn’t always possible and it’s important that you still raise your concerns with the council.

Types of abuse

There are different types of abuse that you or someone that you know could be experiencing:

• Physical: such as someone hitting, slapping, pushing, or kicking you.

• Sexual: this includes any type of sexual behaviour that you don’t want or cannot consent to.

• Psychological: such as bullying, threatening to leave you on your own, or threats to put you in a care home, or denying you access to your friends.

• Financial: such as taking or spending your money without your permission.