Professional Documents
Culture Documents
February 2012
Introduction Page 4
How should you be supported to keep safe from harm and Page 8
abuse?
Page 2
This document has been produced from a vulnerable
adult’s point of view so they can understand more about
keeping safe from harm and abuse.
Page 3
Introduction
• social services
• health
• advocates
• private organisations
• police
Page 4
• schools and colleges
Page 5
This Easy Read Version tells you:
They will also change the guidance called ‘In Safe Hands’
and make it better.
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Who is a Vulnerable Adult?
• learning disability
• physical disability
• sensory disability
• mental health
• illness
• age
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How should you be supported to keep safe from
harm and abuse?
Page 8
What this means
Page 9
• Staff should have training so they know about the
safeguarding guidance.
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What is Mental Capacity?
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The Mental Capacity Act 2005 supports and protects
people who are not able to make decisions. It says
that:
What is Consent?
The law says that people should start thinking that adults
can agree or not agree to something.
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Why is mental capacity and consent important?
Page 13
What is abuse?
The person who abuses you may make it hard for you to
report what is happening.
They may tell you it is a secret, or that they will hurt you
if you speak up. So you may be scared to speak out or to
stop them.
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There are 5 different types of abuse
Physical abuse
For example:
• hitting you
• kicking you
• burning you
• pushing you
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Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse may happen even when you have said no.
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Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse is when people say bad things to you
and they hurt your feelings and they make you feel
frightened.
This includes:
• teasing you
• threatening you
• swearing at you
• shouting at you
• ignoring you
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Financial abuse
• not giving you your money for things that you need
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Neglect
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Other types of abuse
There are other types of abuse but all of them include one
or more of the 5 types listed.
Domestic abuse
Institutional abuse
Forced marriage
This is when you are forced to get married to someone and
you do not want to.
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Who might abuse you?
It could be:
• a friend or neighbour
• a stranger
Page 21
Where might abuse happen?
It can happen:
• at college
• in hospital
Page 22
Who can I tell if I am being abused?
• a member of staff
• your doctor
• a friend or neighbour
• an advocate
• the Police.
Page 23
By telling someone about the abuse, you can stop it
happening to you.
You might not want them to tell anyone but they have to
report it to their manager. They have to tell you that they
will be reporting it.
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What happens when you report
abuse?
Step 1: Alert
Step 2: Referral
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Step 4: Strategy Discussion
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This meeting will:
• look at the risks to you and take action to keep you safe.
This will be written in an Individual Protection Plan
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Step 6: Investigation
You may need to tell the Police about what has happened
to you.
This is where they find out as much as they can about the
abuse and what happened.
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Step 7: Further Strategy Meetings
Page 29
Step 9: Review
Page 30
What you should expect from people and
organisations during the 10 steps
• be kept involved.
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Social Services will:
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• assess you on whether you can make your own
decisions or not
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If it is decided the abuse is a crime, the Police
will:
• make sure that it is easy for you tell them what has
happened
• make sure that you get the help you need if you have to
tell them what happened in court.
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You can get more copies of this Easy Read version from
your local social services department.
Wales Interim
Policy & Procedures You can get copies of the ‘Wales Interim Policy and
for the
Protection of
Vulnerable Adults
from Abuse
Procedures for the protection of vulnerable adults
from abuse, Summary Version 2011’, from your local
social services department.
SUMMARY VERSION
2011
02920 803800
http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs/supporting_v_
and_w_with_a_learning_disability_easy_read.pdf
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