Worried about someone or yourself − keeping safe (safeguarding adults)

Part one has information about staying safe at home. This section is about keeping adults with care and support needs who may be at risk, safe from abuse, neglect or being exploited.

Safeguarding adults means protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It’s about working together to prevent and stop the risks and experience of abuse or neglect, while making sure the adult’s wellbeing is promoted. This includes having regard to their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding any action, and recognising they may have complex interpersonal relationships and may be ambivalent, unclear or unrealistic about their personal circumstances.

The council’s safeguarding duties apply to any adult who:

• Has care and support needs (whether or not the council is meeting any of those needs).

• Is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse and neglect.

• As a result of their care and support needs, is unable to protect themselves from the risk or experience of abuse or neglect.

Below are some examples of abuse. This is not an exhaustive list but indicates types of behaviours which may constitute abuse or neglect:

• Physical: things like someone hitting, slapping, pushing or kicking you.

• Sexual: things like someone touching your body or private parts without your permission or someone making you touch them in a way you do not want.

• Psychological: things like someone being unkind to you, threatening you, swearing at you, calling you names or ignoring you.

• Financial or material: things like someone taking your money or other things that belong to you.

• Neglect and acts of omission: things like not being given enough food, not being given your medication or not being kept warm.

• Discriminatory: things like someone bullying you or hurting you because of your religion, a disability, your age, your sexual partner, the colour of your skin or hair, where you come from or the language you speak.

• Domestic: things like physical abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse or psychological abuse when the abuse is by your partner or a member of your family.

• Organisational: things like your care provider or other organisations treating you badly, neglecting you or providing a bad service.

• Modern slavery: things like being forced to work by people who abuse you or are cruel to you.

• Self-neglect: when someone does not take care of themselves properly.

How can the council help?

In Gloucestershire, people are at the heart of the safeguarding adults process and supporting their wellbeing is of utmost importance. Abuse can take place anywhere, including in a person’s own home, in a care home, day centre or hospital. Unfortunately, those being abused are often the least likely to bring the situation to anyone’s attention. If you see or know of a worrying situation, don’t ignore it.

The council will provide information and offer practical advice to the person experiencing abuse, so they can make an informed choice about any help they might need, or any action they may want to take. If they are unable to make an informed choice, care will be taken to support and protect them.

If you are concerned that an adult is at risk of experiencing abuse or neglect, contact the Adult Social Care Helpdesk. Email socialcare.enq@gloucestershire.gov.uk or call 01452 426868. You can also contact the police on 101 (non-emergency) or 999 (emergency).

What happens next?

This will depend on the wishes of the person and the seriousness of the situation. If they are in physical danger, or at risk of serious neglect, ensuring their safety will be of utmost importance. In response to your referral, a decision will be made on how to deal with your concern. If a safeguarding response is needed, a member of staff trained in safeguarding work will carry out a careful and sensitive enquiry into your concern.

Advice will be offered so that the victim and their family (if appropriate) can be involved in any decision taken to support and protect them. Occasionally, the adult at risk may refuse the help offered, in which case the authorities have only limited legal power to act against the person’s wishes. In such cases, decisions will be based on the situation – for example the level of risk and possible harm to others. For more information, visit www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/gsab

Ensuring quality of care

Inspecting and regulating care services

Health and social care services must be registered to show that they meet a set of standards. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. It registers care providers and inspects and rates services. When things go wrong, the CQC can also take action to protect people who use services.

After an inspection of a care home or home care agency, the CQC publishes a report of what it found. The report looks at how well the service meets the CQC’s five key questions: Is the service safe? Effective? Caring? Responsive to people’s needs? Well led?

Each care home and home care agency will get an overall rating of outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate. It will also get ratings for each key question. The ratings mean you can easily see where a service is performing well, and where it needs to improve.

It’s always a good idea to check inspection reports and ratings when choosing a care service. You can find reports and ratings on the CQC’s website (www.cqc.org.uk). Care providers must also display their latest rating at their premises and on their website.

You can also tell the CQC about your experiences of care – good or bad. It can use your information to see where it should inspect next, and what to look out for when it does. If you want to share your experience of care, visit www.cqc.org.uk/share

Web: www.cqc.org.uk

Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk

Tel: 03000 616161

Write to: The Care Quality Commission, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4PA