ABUSE & NEGLECT

Abuse can happen anywhere anytime, but especially to vulnerable people, ie Children, elderly people, people with disabilities, people with learning difficulties. It can even happen in places people should be safe, ie hospitals, residential/ nursing homes, schools, daycare/ nurseries, centres etc.

Physical abuse is a deliberate use of physical force that results in bodily injury pain or impairments. Sgns of physical abuse can be burns and scalds, marks on the skin consistent with being slapped, scratched, bitten or pinched.Sexual abuse is direct or indirect involvementin sexual activity without valid consent. Signs of sexual abuse could be sexual transmitted disease,unexplained crying and distress or anxiety and fear of physical touch. Emotional/psycholoigical abuse is any action by another that damages an individuals mental wellbeing, signs of this is attention seeking behaviour,depression,low self-esteem and lack of self confidence.

Abuse may be revealed in a number of different ways. For example you may find that someone wants to tell you about it because they trust you. Also it might be from someone who has observed the abuse taking place, e.g. resident seeing a care worker shaking another resident because they were too slow getting dressed. The abuse is disclosed to the professional, sometimes with a request for confidentiality.

* working with person centred values – these may include things that are specific to the individual, their rights and dignity should be respected at all times. Individuals have the values of any person in the world; rights, independence, privacy, dignity, choices for every aspect of life, partnership & individuality should all be respected in order for a person to have their own values met. If all these things are met for the individual, then the likelihood of abuse may be reduced due to the person being able to make his/her own decisions in everyday tasks E.G. choosing clothing/meals/activities. Each individual whether in care or not has the expectation to be listened to and their choices respected, if this is not done, then the

In order to respond appropriately where abuse or neglect may be taking place, anyone in contact with the adult, whether in a voluntary or paid role, must understand their own role and responsibility and have access to practical and legal guidance, advice and support. This will include understanding local inter-agency policies and procedures. Your organisation’s policies and procedures or agreed ways of working will give you guidance on prevention and procedures to follow if and when abuse or neglect has happened or is suspected. Your manager or a senior member of staff should always be your point of contact for any questions or concerns you might have. A lot of organisations offer additional safeguarding training to raise awareness, explain

Some individuals are more vulnerable to harm or abuse than others. These are some of the reasons why:

Describe the actions to take in response to evidence or concerns that a child or young person has been abused, harmed (including self-harm) or bullied, or may be at risk of harm, abuse or bullying.

‘If I suspect abuse through noticing a sign of physical abuse or change in the behaviour of an individual, I will make sure that I ask the individual what has happened telling the individual the changes that I have noticed. If it is in my place of work and the name of the person that abused the individual is known, whether staff or another service user, I must also record and report this. I will listen to the individual carefully; it is up to them to tell me, I would not ask them any questions about this as this is not part of my job role and would stay calm.I will make sure that I record what the individual tells me using the individual’s own words. I will make sure that I reassure the individual and explain that their safety is the most important and that it is my duty of care to tell the manager. I will make sure that I let my manager know what has happened immediately and pass

Emotional abuse – involves the persistent psychological mistreatment of a child and may include making the child feel inadequate, unloved or worthless, imposing inappropriate developmental expectations on a child, threatening, taunting or humiliating the child or exploiting or corrupting

Therefore, it is essential to have proper observation skills and knowledge to identify and recognise the signs of abuse. Being in health and social sector, we should have courage to whistle blow and report the incidents of abuse. Even if we have a doubt, it is always better to raise the concerns to the appropriate body.

If this is a criminal matter i.e. an alleged assault, rape or indecent exposure, call the police, if a senior was not on duty/available to do so.

National policies and local systems relating to safeguarding and protecting adults from abuse are no secrets 2000, equality act 2000, equal opportunities act 2010, human right act 1998, metal health act, mental capacity act 2005, CRB checks, quality care

Abuse of vulnerable adults may occur at the adult's home, in a supportive accommodation such a hospital, care home or nursing home, independent living accomadtation, health services such as GP surgeries, public settings and local community or other places previously assumed safe. Where the abuse occurs will be determined by the setting in the environment. Nursing care homes, surgeries and hospitals usually have strict regulatory controls to ensure adequate care is being given, however paid care staff in domiciliary homes may work with little or no supervision. Where there is poor management, little assessment and no enforced legislation in place, those receiving support are more likely to receive inadequate care; this is when abuse starts to occur.

Each year more cases of Emotional abuse go unreported because the majority of people experiencing emotional abuse are not aware that it is happening. I was one of these people years ago; it took some caring friends to get me to see what was going on. In the following paragraphs I will touch on ways one can tell they are being emotionally abused, and ways to get help. While Undefined, Emotional abuse affects more people each day because they do not know that they are being abused.

           First of all the most important tool we have available against this type of crime are the authorities, which include the police department, hospital, and social workers. If they manage to work together as a team to make the whole process of protecting a victim more efficiently, it will encourage victims to actually phone for help. It is believed that over half of the abuses remain unreported due to