Report adult abuse (safeguarding)

Tell us if you suspect an adult is being abused.

Safeguarding adults

Safeguarding means working together to stop an adult being abused and neglected, and prevent it from happening in the future. Everyone has a right to live a life free from abuse and neglect. 

Signs of abuse

There are many signs that a person has been abused including:

  • they look dirty or are not dressed properly
  • have an injury that is difficult to explain
  • being frightened around certain people
  • they seem unusually sad or withdrawn
  • finding money is missing

Report a safety concern about a child

Visit our safeguarding children page if you are worried about the safety of a child.

Report a safeguarding concern as a member of the public

If someone is in immediate danger

If you or the person you are concerned about is in danger and immediate action is needed, call the emergency services on 999.

Not an emergency - report a safeguarding concern to us

If you or someone you know is at risk of abuse or neglect, you can contact us to speak to a specialist advisor. 

If you contact us out of hours, our Emergency Duty team will be available to take your call. They will need to know:

  • the reason for your call
  • your name, address and phone number
  • details of any other people concerned
  • if you are receiving help from anybody in social care services 

For more information about what abuse is and how to keep safe, visit the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board website.

Report domestic abuse

If you have a concern about a vulnerable adult because you know they are being abused by a partner or a family member, and wish to report this domestic abuse, please visit our domestic abuse page. 

Next steps after abuse has been reported

After you have reported abuse to us, we will:

  • listen to you and take your concerns seriously
  • make enquiries about your concerns
  • consider the wishes of the adult at risk
  • offer the adult at risk an advocate
  • talk to the police if it is a criminal matter
  • support the adult at risk to achieve the changes they want wherever possible, and develop a plan to help keep them safe in the future
  • consider if anyone else is at risk

We work in partnership with a range of organisations including health services, the police, and voluntary organisations to help keep adults safe from abuse and neglect.

Professionals - report a safeguarding concern

Professionals who need to raise a safeguarding concern

Professionals who need to raise a safeguarding concern about an adult at risk should complete our safeguarding form

If you have any problems with completing this form, please contact us. The Emergency Duty team will be available to take your call if you contact us out of hours.

Completing the safeguarding concern form must not delay immediate action being taken to ensure the safety of the person you are concerned about.

Complete the form according to the Joint Multi-Agency Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedures (West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and the City of York) which can be found on the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board website.

If you have concerns about standards of care or poor practice in a care home, you can discuss this with the Care Quality Commission.

Professionals visiting a care home

When visiting residential settings professionals can use the PERSON approach to professional visits form as a prompt. 

Where quality related issues are identified in a care home, visiting professionals are encouraged to:

  1. Discuss these first of all with the responsible person for the service, home manager or deputy.
  2. Then complete the PERSON form. 

The form can also be used to celebrate good quality care.

Care providers reporting incidents - risk notification returns

Providers carrying out any contracted service(s) are required to notify the Quality and Service Continuity Team at the council of any reportable incidents by completing a risk notification return without delay.

You can get a risk notification return form from the North Yorkshire Partnerships website. Please return your completed form to us at HASQuality@northyorks.gov.uk 

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