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- Protecting vulnerable adults
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- Find out how to recognise the signs of abuse and what to do.
Safeguarding is protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect.
Some adults with care and support needs are not always able to protect themselves.
If you are an adult experiencing abuse or neglect, or if you are worried about an adult you think may be at risk, please contact the Adult Social Care Team.
- Call 020 7332 1224 - 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday.
- Call 0208 356 2300 - for all other times, including weekends and Bank Holidays
- Email: adultsduty@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Call 999 if you think a person is at risk of immediate harm.
Find full contact details for the Adult Social Care Team.
Read our 2015/16 Adult Social Care Annual Report (5MB) .
Tackling scams and financial abuse in the City of London – supporting Scams Awareness Month
It’s shocking to learn that people defrauded in their own homes are two and a half times more likely to die or go into residential care within a year while 300,00 people nationally are on the ‘suckers list’ with nine out of ten people unaware they’re being targeted in the first place.
That’s why we're teaming up with Trading Standards, City of London Police, Citizens Advice and other key local partners to talk to spread the word, as part of Scams Awareness Month.
Reps from the Financial Abuse Group will be out at the following venues. Come along to find out more.
| Tuesday 18 July (12-2pm) |
Waitrose Barbican |
| Tuesday 18 July (12-2pm) |
Shoe Lane Library |
| Tuesday 18 July (from 4-7pm) |
Golden Lane open meeting |
| Wednesday 19 July (12-2pm) |
Barbican Library |
| Thursday 20 July (12-2pm) |
Waitrose Barbican |
| Thursday 20 July (12-2pm) |
Artizan Library (Middlesex Street estate and Mansell Street Estate) |
| Friday 21 July (12-2pm) |
Shoe Lane |
| Tuesday 25 July (12-2pm) |
Barbican Library |
| Wednesday 26 July (12-2pm) |
Artizan Library (Middlesex Street estate and Mansell Street Estate) |
What are some of the signs of financial abuse and scams?
- Sudden and unexplained withdrawals of money from your accounts.
- Someone who is managing your money and is secretive about what they are doing with it.
- Someone claiming to be from your bank or the police asking for personal or financial details.
- Receiving a high volume of mail.
- Regular phone calls from people selling goods or services.
Get involved
Find out how financially savvy you are with this online fraud defence quiz
Help to spread the word about financial abuse and scams by sharing:
- our financial abuse leaflet – download it via the ‘What is considered abuse?’ tab below
- resources from the scams awareness resource kit from Citizens Advice.
Be #scamaware on social media
Be #scamaware
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/financialabuse
You can also promote top tips on social media to make more people aware of the risks:
- Spot the signs of financial abuse – anything out of the blue may be fraud.
- Anyone can become a targetfor financial abuse – never sign up to anything on your doorstep. Check with a trusted friend or relative. Anyone can become a target for fraudsters – over the phone, via email or in their homes. Talk to a professional body for guidance and support.
- Be #scamaware – become a Friend against Scams
- Anyone can become a victim of financial abuse – if something sounds too good to be, it probably is.
- Received a suspicious call? You’re right. It’s a scam. #trustyourgut
- Treat your personal information like cash. Don’t give it out to just anybody who asks.
- 63% of Britons have received a suspicious phone call in the last 12 months.
- 53% of people aged 65 or over have been targeted by scammers.
- Protect others from financial abuse – spot the signs like an increase in calls from people you don’t know.
Abuse can come in many different forms. If you have any concerns about somebody but are unsure what they are experiencing counts as abuse, please contact us so we can discuss it with you.
Abuse is any action by another person that causes significant harm to an individual. It can be neglect, physical, sexual or emotional harm.
Abuse can also be about a lack of care and attention. Neglect, whatever form it takes, can be just as damaging to a person as physical abuse.
Below are some of the many different forms abuse can take:
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Physical - including hitting, slapping, pushing, kicking, restraining or inappropriate sanctions.
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Sexual - including rape and sexual assault or sexual acts to which the adult at risk has not consented, could not consent or was pressured into consenting to.
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Psychological - including emotional abuse, threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of human contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, isolation or withdrawal from services or supportive networks.
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Financial or material - including theft, fraud, exploitation, pressure in connection with wills, property or inheritance or financial transactions, the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits. See more information in our Financial abuse leaflet (503KB)
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Neglect or acts of omission - including ignoring medical or physical care needs, failure to provide access to appropriate health care, social care, education services or misuse of medication, adequate nutrition or heating.
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Discrimination - including racist, sexist behaviour and harassment based on a person's ethnicity, race, culture, sexual orientation, age or disability, and other forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment.
This can sometimes happen in residential homes, nursing homes or hospitals and is when people are mistreated because of poor or inadequate care, neglect, and poor practice that affects the whole of that service.
Any of these forms of abuse can be either deliberate, the result of negligence or due to a lack of training, knowledge or understanding.
While it is certainly true that anybody could be abusing an at-risk adult, it is most commonly carried out by those known to the victim, including, but not limited to:
- relatives
- paid care workers
- volunteers
- other service users
- neighbours
- friends and associates.
Although there may not always be visible signs that a vulnerable adult is being abused, a display of the following may be a sign of abuse:
- Multiple bruising or finger marks.
- Injuries the person cannot give a good reason for.
- Deterioration of health for no apparent reason.
- Loss of weight.
- Inappropriate or inadequate clothing.
- Withdrawal or mood changes.
- A carer who is unwilling to allow access to the person.
- An individual who is unwilling to be alone with a particular carer.
- Unexplained shortage of money.
If you have noticed any of these signs, it doesn't mean that an adult is definitely at risk.
However, please let us know about anything you've noticed that you're worried or uncertain about. We can give you free advice and support and help you keep the person safe.