Sexual Awareness and Abuse Month
Who amounts as a vulnerable individual?
Elderly physically or mentally frail. Learning disabilities. Physical disabilities or sensory impairments. Mental health issues including dementia or personality disorders. Long-term illness or conditions that they need help to carry out everyday tasks. Misuse substances or alcohol. Unable to demonstrate the capacity to make decisions. Undergone recent trauma, such as bereavement, divorce or loss of jobs. Be in an abusive relationship.
What is adult abuse?
Individual exerts power or control over a person aged 18 or over. Harms, exploits, or causes them distress. Adult abuse can be committed by one person or by a group of people working in a cohort with one another.
Adult sexual abuse:
Contact or non-contact sexual activity that happens without consent or understanding or with forced consent. Sexual violence including rape, attempted rape, groping or forced kissing. Sexual harassment, indecent exposure or voyerurism. Stalking, grooming, and involvement in pornography without consent.
Sexual behaviour that makes a person feel uncomfortable, afraid or intimidated. Vulnerable adults are at risk of sexual abuse and exploitation. Immobile and unable to get away from their abuser, trouble communicating, and believe it is part of their consensual relationship. They lack sexual knowledge and understanding of what inappropriate behaviour is.
Institutional Abuse:
Abuse or neglect of vulnerable adults within an institution or specific care setting. Safeguarding concerns and alerts at care homes, ranging from inappropriate touching to more serious allegations.
Factors for consideration = lack of flexibility and choice for the adults using the service, inadequate staffing levels, and staff being poorly trained / supervised. Poor standards of care. Lack of personal clothing and possessions, lack of adequate procedures, poor record-keeping and missing documents.
The Care Act 2014:
Provides a legal framework for safeguarding adults at risk of harm or abuse. It requires local authorities to have a system in place for identifying adults who may be at risk of harm. Places a duty of care to carry out safeguarding enquiries when they receive information about an adult who may be at risk. Take steps to ensure that the victim is safe and protected from further harm.
Until the next Legal Thought,
Elicia Maxwell
Sources:
https://www.boltburdonkemp.co.uk/abuse-claims/adult-abuse/what-is-sexual-abuse-in-vulnerable-adults/
Comments