What is meant by safeguarding adults?
Safeguarding adults refers to the steps that public services must take to protect vulnerable people at risk of abuse. In the past this has been termed "adult protection, protection from abuse and elder abuse".

Abuse is anything that harms another person and might include:

• physical abuse such as hitting, pushing, locking someone in a room
• verbal abuse such as shouting, swearing
• emotional abuse such as bullying, taunting or humiliating someone
• sexual abuse such as inappropriate touching, forcing someone to take part in any sexual act against their will
• financial abuse such as misusing, withholding or taking someone's money
• neglect such as not providing necessary food, care or medicine
• discrimination such as ill treatment due to the person's age, gender, disability or religious beliefs.

People who require care and support need to be able to trust and depend on the people they rely on for help. No abuse is acceptable. Some abuse is a criminal offence and must be reported to the Police as soon as possible.

Vunerable people at risk of abuse

Local service (Southampton).

If you are being abused, or you think someone else is, please call the adult contact team below or visit our reporting abuse and concerns online web page (at http://www.southampton.gov.uk/online/reportabuse/default.aspx).

For more information on what to do you can request a copy of our leaflet, Keeping people safe from abuse, or read the leaflet which can be downloaded from the link below. There is also an easy read version of the leaflet available.

16/03/2012