Safeguarding children and adults at risk of abuse or neglect policy and procedure

Physical abuse, emotional (or psychological) abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, financial abuse, discriminatory, organisational, neglect and acts of omission and self-neglect. (See also domestic abuse and modern slavery in the other abuse section).

Physical

Hitting, slapping, shoving, kicking, rough handling or inappropriate restraint.

Sexual

Any type of inappropriate sexual behaviour including rape, indecent exposure, sexual harassment or innuendo, showing of indecent photographs and sexual acts to which the adult has not consented.

Self-neglect

May be as a result of an adult's lifestyle choice, and includes behaviour such as hoarding and extreme poor personal hygiene.

Discriminatory

Is often on the grounds of age, race, gender, gender identity, culture, religion sexual orientation or disability.

Neglect/acts of omission

Includes ignoring medical, emotional or physical needs, failure to provide access to support services, withholding necessities such as food and heating.

Financial

Includes fraud, theft, assuming ownership of money or items, scamming, getting an adult to spend money unwisely.

Organisational/institutional

Poor practice in a nursing or care home or hospital setting or even in an adult’s own home. This can be one incident or a series of incidents as a result of an organisations poor practice, policy or procedure.

Emotional/psychological

Includes threats of harm, intimidation, harassment, coercion, cyber bullying, denial of cultural and religious needs.