Introduction 

Safeguarding adults means protecting a person’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. 

I am committed to working ethically, including taking my safeguarding responsibilities seriously. I believe that living a life that is free from harm and abuse is a fundamental human right and an essential requirement for health and well-being.  

Safeguarding adults is about the safety and well-being of everyone, whilst providing additional measures for those least able to protect themselves from harm or abuse. This policy explains how I ensure that I abide by legal requirements for adult safeguarding under the Care Act 2014 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Any questions regarding this Policy and my safeguarding practices should be sent by email to:  mail@katharinecollins.co.uk.  

 

This Policy was last updated in October 2026. 

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Basic Terms & Definitions

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Adults who need care and support

This policy is primarily about adults who need care and support, who may be at risk of abuse. This is the wording used in the Care Act 2014 and is the terminology used in adult safeguarding practice. 

It recognises that a person’s need for care and support should not cause them to be inherently vulnerable. 

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Mental Capacity (taken from The Mental Capacity Act 2005)

'Mental capacity' means being able to make your own decisions. Someone lacking capacity - because of an illness or disability such as a serious mental health condition, dementia or a learning disability - cannot do one or more of the following four things:

• Understand information given to them about a particular decision

• Retain that information long enough to be able to make the decision

• Weigh up the information available to make the decision

• Communicate their decision.

 

An important principle in the law is that just because someone is making what seems to be an unwise decision (even if they have an illness or disability), this does not necessarily mean they lack capacity. 

More information can be found on the Mental Health Foundation Website: 

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/legal-rights/mental-capacity-act-2005/overview/

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Abuse

There is no single, universally accepted definition of abuse in relation to adults who need care and support.  The charity Action on Elder Abuse defines adult abuse as ‘a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an adult who needs care and support’. 

There are many different types of abuse, including physical, verbal or psychological, sexual, financial or domestic abuse. Abuse may also involve neglect, discrimination, grooming, trafficking or modern slavery. Abuse can occur in any relationship and may result in significant harm to, or exploitation of, the person subjected to it (see Appendix 1 for more detailed descriptions of the different forms of abuse).

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Policy Statement

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I believe that all people, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation, have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse.

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It is the right of adults who have mental capacity to make their own choices, irrespective of how unwise I may consider certain decisions to be.  In the unlikely event that I am compelled to take action on a safeguarding issue, this would only ever be in relation to a person who is deemed not to have mental capacity, according to the definition of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. 

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I will assess all risks carefully and take all reasonably practicable steps to avoid, minimise or manage them as appropriate. It is not my role to decide whether abuse or neglect has or has not taken place; this is the role of the safeguarding team/social services/police.  My responsibility is to communicate with them, as per the conditions of the policy. When recognising and responding to abuse, I will ensure that any information shared with relevant authorities is done in a confidential, systematic and respectful manner, with consideration given to: when information should be shared, when and how to get consent, what information needs to be shared, who to share information with.

 

Appendix 1

Definitions of different forms of abuse

Abuse is a violation of an individual’s human and civil rights by any other person or persons.  

Abuse and neglect can take many forms. Abuse and or neglect of an adult in need of care and support is often done by people close to and known to them which complicates the issues.  Abuse can be unintentional e.g. restricting an individual’s decision-making capacity or neglecting them.  

 

The main categories of abuse are set out below.  The first four forms of abuse may require urgent action to be taken.

 

Physical abuse

Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, pushing, throwing, poisoning or misuse of medication, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, restraint or inappropriate physical sanctions or otherwise causing physical harm.  

Physical harm may also be caused when a parent, carer or adult child feigns the symptoms of, or deliberately causes ill health to someone whom they are looking after.

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Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse involves rape and sexual assault or sexual acts to which the adult has not consented, or was pressured into consenting to; forcing or enticing a person to take part in sexual activities whether or not the person is aware of what is happening.  This may include people who did not or could not consent to the act in question.  The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative (e.g. rape or buggery) or non-penetrative acts.  They may include non-contact activities, such as involving people in looking at pornography or sexual activities or encouraging people to behave in sexually inappropriate ways. 

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Emotional or psychological abuse

Emotional abuse is persistent emotional ill-treatment, such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on someone’s emotional state and which may have a negative impact on the person’s self-esteem.  It may involve telling people that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person.  Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill-treatment, though it may occur alone.

Psychological abuse, which includes emotional abuse, may involve threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, isolation or unreasonable and unjustified withdrawal of services or supportive networks.

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Neglect and acts of omission

Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a person’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the person’s health or development, or failing to protect a person from physical harm or danger e.g. by  ignoring medical or physical care needs, failing to provide access to appropriate health, care and support or educational services, withholding the necessities of life, such as medication, adequate nutrition, clothing, shelter and heating.

It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a person’s basic emotional needs.  

Neglect is a criminal offence which may be prosecuted and punished by the courts under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. 

Self –Neglect – covers a wide range of behaviour neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surrounding and includes behaviour such as hoarding. It is important to consider capacity when self-neglect is suspected.  Also consider how it may impact on other family members and whether this gives rise to a safeguarding concern.

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Financial or material abuse

Manipulation or extortion of a person’s material resources, e.g. money or housing. It includes theft, fraud, exploitation, coercion in relation to an adult’s financial affairs or arrangements, including in connection with wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions, or the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits.

 

Discriminatory abuse

This is motivated by discrimination and prejudice which could be in relation to a person’s ethnic background, gender, gender-identity, religion, disability, race or sexual orientation. It includes other forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment.

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Organisational abuse

Including neglect and poor care practice within an institution or specific care setting like a hospital or care homes. This may range from isolated incidents to continuing ill-treatment

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Modern Slavery/human trafficking

Modern slavery is the illegal exploitation of people for personal or commercial gain through the use of force, coercion, abuse of vulnerability, deception or other means. It covers a wide range of abuse and exploitation including sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, forced labour, criminal exploitation and organ harvesting. It is a crime under the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Human trafficking is the movement of people by means such as force, fraud, coercion or deception, with the aim of exploiting them. It is a form of modern slavery. 

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Grooming 

Grooming is when someone builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them. Children and young people who are groomed can be sexually abused, exploited or trafficked. Groomers may also build a relationship with the young person's family or friends to make them seem trustworthy or authoritative.

 

Coercion

Coercion is the use of emotional, psychological or physical force to compel someone to act in a way that they would not otherwise choose, or in a way that is contrary to their best interests. Coercion may involve: blackmail, direct threats, physical assault, humiliation or other activities designed to punish or frighten an individual.

Coercion is related to controlling behaviour, where a perpetrator seeks to regulate another person so they become subordinate to the perpetrator. Controlling behaviour can take a number of forms, but it includes isolating an individual from friends and family and limiting their opportunities for independence.