A person who is vulnerable may be unable to protect themselves from harm. If you think a person is being abused your actions now may help the person being abused to manage their situation better.
Anybody may experience abuse.
A person may be abused by:
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A neighbour or friend
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Their partner or a member of their family
Or a paid carer.
It can happen in the person’s home, in a public place or in a hospital, care home or other institution.
Abuse is a violation of an individual’s human and civil rights by another person.
The abuse may be:
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Physical
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Sexual
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Emotional

Financial
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Neglect
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Institutional
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Discriminatory
You may suspect a person is being abused if you notice changes in their personality or behaviour.
If someone tells you they are being abused stay calm and listen, take what they say seriously. The person being abused must be the one to make any decisions about who to contact and what action to take, provided they have the mental capacity to do so. If a person does not have the mental capacity to make this decision than you should act in their best interest
If a person is in immediate danger, or if the person experiencing abuse is not considered to be a vulnerable adult then contact the police.
If a person is considered to be a vulnerable adult then contact social services.
If you suspect a person is being abused you can still contact social services or the police. You may want to talk to the person first before making contact.
If you suspect institutional abuse contact the manager of the institution and/or social services or the
Care Quality Commission
There are a number of national organisations that may provide helpful information and advice.

Why should you do something?
If a person is being abused they may not feel able to ask for help because they are afraid of their abuser; of not being believed; of being blamed; or because they are frightened of what will happen if they tell someone.
If you think someone is being abused your actions now may help the person being abused to better manage their own situation in the future. You can also put them in contact with services that can provide help and support.
Some people who experience harm or abuse from others may be unable to protect themselves as their situation makes them vulnerable. If a person cannot protect themselves they will have to rely on others to alert services that can provide help and support on their behalf.
Abuse is not always intentional; the person who is mistreating another may not be doing it deliberately to hurt them.
Who might experience abuse?
Anybody of any age may experience abuse, men and women, people in same sex relationships and heterosexual relationships. They may live in their own homes, in a care home or be in hospital; in fact abuse can happen in any setting.
People in care may experience abuse from those that should care for them. Disabled people can feel that they have no choice but to tolerate abuse, because of their reliance on the help that they receive and the limitations that their disability brings.
Men experience domestic abuse as well as women. Women may experience shame, confusion, depression, isolation, blame and self doubt. They may feel that they have to continue in the relationship due to their role of caring for children. Men may also experience the same feelings of shame, confusion, depression, isolation, blame and self doubt because they think it unmanly to be abused by their partner.
Gay, lesbian and transsexual people that experience domestic abuse may find it particularly hard to talk about. Disabled people experiencing domestic abuse from a partner, on whom they are physically dependent, may feel isolated and unable to talk to anyone about their situation.
A person may be being abused by;
 their partner or a member of their family
 a neighbour or friend
 a paid carer
Anybody could be an abuser.

Where could it happen?
The abuse may happen in the person’s home, a public place, a hospital, a care home or day care facility. Abuse can happen anywhere, at any time. It may happen once or repeatedly.
What is abuse?
Abuse is a violation of an individual’s human and civil rights by another person or people.
It is when somebody does something bad that makes a person feel hurt, causes pain, makes them feel sad, distressed, humiliated, frightened, scared or unhappy. The person being abused may feel ashamed or sometimes guilty, thinking that they could have stopped the abuse from happening if they had behaved differently.
Abuse can result in physical and/or emotional pain, distress and destitution. It may happen once or lots of times.
It may be a stranger, somebody who cares for them, a friend or a member of their family who is committing the abuse
The abuse may be:
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Physical

Sexual

Emotional

Financial

Neglect

Institutional
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Discriminatory
Physical abuse
Physical abuse is when a person physically hurts another, for example by, hitting, slapping, pinching, or burning the skin with a cigarette. It could lead to serious injuries such as broken bones or damage to internal organs. Physical abuse could include assisting someone to stand or move between the bed and chair without using proper techniques or handling them roughly. It could be the misuse of medical procedures, for example using medication to keep a person calm and inactive.
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse is when a person persuades or forces a person to take part in any sexual activity when they do not want to or are unable to understand what is happening for example by;
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Touching a person’s body where they do not want to be touched or making them touch a
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 part of a person’s body they do not want to touch.
Making a person listen to sexual comments
Forcing a person to look at people having sex or pictures of people having sex
Forcing a person to look at naked bodies or pictures of naked bodies

Emotional abuse
Emotional or psychological abuse is when a person makes someone feel frightened, ashamed or hurt by the things that they say or do, for example by:
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Threatening to hurt them, to leave them on their own or stop them from doing things that they enjoy.
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Blaming them for things
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Shouting and swearing at them or speaking unkindly
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Persuading them or bullying them in to doing things that harm other people
Financial abuse
Financial abuse is when a person either uses another person’s money, possessions or property for something without their agreement or steals from them.
Neglect
This is when a person who should be caring for or supporting someone who is dependent on them does not. For example it is abuse to;
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Deprive someone of food, drink, clothes, warmth and hygiene needs.
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Leave a person unattended for long periods of time if that puts them at risk or causes them distress or anxiety.
Neglect could lead to a serious deterioration in a person’s health.
Institutional abuse
Institutional abuse refers to poor care provided by an organisation. It often occurs when the routines and practice of the institution are considered more important than the needs and wishes of the individuals who are being cared for. People who experience institutional abuse are forced to sacrifice their independence, wishes and preferred lifestyle to the demands and needs of the institution. Staff may be poorly trained or the organisation badly managed. There may be incidents of poor care where people are neglected, left without food or enough to drink, are not given proper medical care or are left unwashed or uncared for over long periods of time. For example;
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Lack of individual care
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Being separated from other people when there is no clinical reason
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Dirty clothes or bed linen
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Lack of personal possessions or clothing
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No choice of bed or meal times
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No activities or occupation
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Wrongly using medical procedures such as the use of medication to keep a person calm and inactive
Discriminatory abuse
Discriminatory abuse refers to abuse that is directed at a person because of their race, sex, age, disability or sexuality. It may result in physical or emotional harm and includes harassment, slurs or similar treatment. Hate crime is abuse targeted at a person or group of people because of the social group to which they belong, for example their race, sexual preference or disability. Examples of discriminatory abuse or hate crime include:
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Bullying
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Verbal abuse

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Insults
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Offensive graffiti
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Threatening or unkind letters, e-mails or texts
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Spitting
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Physical attacks
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Damaging property
Signs of abuse
You may suspect a person is being abused if you notice changes in their personality or behaviour this may include:
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They are harming themselves, for example cuts on their wrists
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Worsening health or an unexplained loss of weight
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Not enough money to cover bills, food etc.
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Unexplained marks, bruising, minor burns or injuries
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Changes in behaviour such as being withdrawn, angry or scared
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Changes in appearance such as being shabby or unkempt
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Being tearful for no apparent reason and not saying why
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Being ‘clingy’ and wanting more affection than usual
What should you do?
If someone tells you they are being abused
If someone tells you that they are feeling unhappy, frightened or unsafe because of another person’s actions and you think that this may be abuse, stay calm and listen. Take what they say seriously.
It will help you to remember what they have said if you make a note of the conversation soon after they have spoken to you. Write down exactly what you heard them say as you may need to refer back to this at a later stage.
The person who has been abused must be the one to make any decisions about who to contact and what action to take. You can support them by listening to them, helping them to consider the options that they have and helping to direct them to any information or support available.
If you think that a person‘s immediate safety is at risk then you should ring the police on 999.
Additionally, the person experiencing abuse may not be considered to be a ‘vulnerable adult’ in which case it may be more appropriate to contact the police.
Adult social services departments have a duty to respond to any concerns about a vulnerable adult.
However, first talk to the person about their situation and what could be done to help them. They may not want you to contact social services on their behalf and provided they have the mental capacity to make this decision it is their right to do so. However, a person with mental capacity may not want you to contact social services but if you think that the person may be physically or mentally harmed by the abuse, or that children or other vulnerable adults are also at risk then you can contact social services without the person’s consent.
If the person does not have the mental capacity to make this decision and you think it is in their best interests to do so, then you should contact social services on their behalf.

When you contact social services tell them what you have been told and whether or not you are contacting them with the person’s consent.
If you suspect a person is being abused
If a person does not tell you but you suspect that they are being abused, you can still contact social services or the police.
You may want to talk to the person before you contact social services or the police. If you do this, bring the subject up sensitively by letting the person know that you are concerned about them and want to support them. Listen to them without being impatient or critical of them or their actions.
Letting them talk and share their concerns is very important as it helps them to break the silence and know that they are not on their own.
Getting involved does not mean that you have to solve the situation. It can be very difficult supporting someone who is being abused as they may not make the decisions that you think they should. It is important that they make the decisions, not you or anyone else, unless the person does not have the mental capacity to do so, in which case you must act in their best interests. Your support will be important to them as they may have very little confidence and poor self esteem as a result of the abuse.
Do not put yourself at risk. Always contact the police if you are concerned for the person’s immediate safety or social services if they are not in immediate danger but you are concerned about them.
If you suspect institutional abuse
If you have concerns about the behaviour or practice of an individual member of staff in an institution, for example, a care home , hospital , day centre or a home care agency, you could let the manager know immediately so that they can put things right. If you do not know the manager well and feel uncomfortable reporting poor care to them, or have concerns about the manager, then you can contact your local social services department or the Care Quality Commission
Contact details for the Care Quality Commission
03000 616161 enquiries@cqc.org.uk
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 49A
Care Quality Commission

What will social services do if I contact them?
Social services is the local authority department that is responsible for assessing, commissioning and providing social care to vulnerable adults. It is also the agency responsible for co-ordinating the response to concerns about the abuse of vulnerable adults. Your local social services department may be known as Adult Social Care.
If you contact social services to let them know that you suspect someone is being or has been abused they will treat your call seriously and with confidence. They will contact the person who is being abused so that they can find out what has been happening. They will provide support and practical help to the person so that they can help them to manage the situation and stop the abuse.
Social services will work together with the police and any other agencies involved in providing care and support to the person being abused. When the abuse is considered to be a criminal activity the police may take legal action against the abuser.
Social services cannot always provide you with information on what has happened as a result of you making contact with them as this information is confidential. Sometimes a person may refuse any help that is offered and that is their decision to make.
National help lines
National Domestic Abuse Helpline
0808 200 0247
Action on Elder Abuse
National help line - 0808 808 8141
Victim support helpline
For advice and information – 0845 303 0900
Samaritans
0845 790 9090
Stop Hate UK
Independent information and support on hate crime
Freephone – 0800 138 1625
Independent Advocacy organisations
You can find your local independent advocacy organisation by looking at the OPAAL website or contacting Action for Advocacy.
OPAAL http://www.opaal.org.uk/
Action for Advocacy info@actionforadvocacy.org.uk
020 7921 4395
National lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender domestic violence helpline
08452 604460

Guidance and support for people in single sex relationships experiencing domestic abuse
Broken Rainbow http://www.broken-rainbow.org.uk
Useful information
The Domestic Violence Survivors Handbook http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic-violence-survivorshandbook.asp?section=0001000100080001