What is abuse and how to report it
Abuse occurs when a person causes harm or distress to another person. Abuse can happen at any age and be experienced by adults and children. If you have care and support needs (even if this care and support needs are not being met) and are unable to protect yourself because of your care and support needs, you are at greater risk of experiencing abuse. This may because you have:
- A physical disability
- A learning disability and/or Autism
- Your mental health or mental wellbeing
- Your age
- A protected characteristic as defined by the Equalities Act (2010 such as your age, gender reassignment, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, etc
Who can abuse you?
Abusers may be an individual or person known to you, the abuser may have a
position of trust and take advantage of their relationship to you. It could be a family
member, someone you live with, someone paid to care for you or provide care
informally, a professional, a neighbour, someone living in your community or a friend
of a friend. Sometimes abuse isn’t intentional but can happen when someone
doesn’t have the necessary skills or experience to care for you. This doesn’t reduce
the impact but helps us to understand why it’s happening.
Why me?
Anyone can experience abuse, it is not a reflection of your intelligence, strength or
worth.
Where does abuse happen?
Abuse can take place anywhere and at any time. The abuse can occur in your own
home, someone else’s home, a hospital, care or nursing home, at work, in your
community.
What types of abuse are there?
Abuse can take many forms including:
Physical
Assault, rough handling, pushing and shoving, forced feeding or withholding food, restraining you, given too much or too little medicines prescribed.
Financial
Takes or restricts access to your accounts, debit or credit cards. Pressures you to buy things you don’t want, uses your money to pay for their things, stops you from buying things you want.
Emotional
Threatens you or people close to you, stalks you, harasses you, makes fun of you, ignores you, stops you from going out, makes you feel like you’re the problem.
Sexual
Rape, assault, touches you inappropriately or forced to touch them or it may be non-contact such as forcing you to take part in photographs, sharing sexual images.
Psychological
Threats, controlling behaviour, swearing at you, bullying you, using social media to bully or intimidate you.
Discrimination
Being treated unfairly because of your ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender or gender reassignment, religion, etc.
Neglect
Not meeting your care needs, leaving without enough heating or food, not meeting your personal care needs or seeking medical attention when you need it.
Self-neglect
Not meeting your personal hygiene, looking after your home.
Modern Day Slavery
Forced to work for little or no pay, forced to pay off debts that, forced to work as a domestic.
Organisational
When people in a professional setting such as a care home do not care for you properly.
How can I report abuse and what happens next?
If you are being abused, or know someone who is you can make a confidential referral to Nottingham City Council Adult Social Care 0115 8763 330. You can also tell someone you trust e.g. police, social worker, GP, family member.
You can alert on line at www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk
In an emergency contact the relevant emergency service (fire and rescue, police, or ambulance) by ringing 999.
Adult Social Care will work with you to find out what’s happening, what you want to see change and keep you involved. They may communicate with other organisations or people involved with your care.
Immediate danger
If any form of abuse is putting your own or someone else’s immediate safety at risk, please call 999 straight away.
Talk to Adult Social Care
If you live in Nottingham City call Adult Social Care on 0115 8763 330.
Our lines are open 9am to 5pm.
If you live in Nottinghamshire County, call Nottinghamshire County Council on
0300 500 8080
Make a referral online
If you would prefer not to speak to someone directly you can make a safeguarding referral for yourself or someone else via the new online portal: