Safeguarding Adults Awareness Week

From the 7th – 11th October, the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board is hosting its annual Safeguarding Adults Awareness Week – Help us to protect the most vulnerable people in Kent and Medway.

From the 7th – 11th October, the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board is hosting its annual Safeguarding Adults Awareness Week.

The Board is urging local communities to join Kent and Medway Councils, Kent Police, local NHS services, charities and voluntary agencies to raise awareness about abuse of adults who may be at risk, to report concerns and access advice.

A toolkit has been created to enable our all-important residents to support this crucial campaign.

Whether it’s a sudden change in a person’s appearance or their actions, or if there are concerns about the care that a person is receiving in a care home, or hospital, it’s vital to let Adult Social Care know.

It’s important to understand that there are many forms of abuse, such as physical; domestic; sexual; psychological; financial; discrimination and abuse within institutions.  Modern slavery also exists, where people are frequently denied access to services and can be exploited for money, labour or sex. Honour based violence, forced marriage, hate and mate crime, also affects many people. Since April 2018, more than 19,000 safeguarding concerns were reported across Kent and Medway.

Deborah Stuart-Angus, the Independent Chair of the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board, said: ‘We have a shared responsibility. People may not report concerns because they may not realise signs of abuse, or may feel they intruding or simply, they may not know who to contact. The Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board, wants to enable our residents to report their worries about adults who may be at risk and offer assurances that our receiving services will signpost any next steps.

‘Safeguarding Adults Awareness Week has focused our thinking to develop a guide, to lead you through the steps to take, if you have concerns. We sincerely hope this helps the residents of Kent and Medway to establish a clear way forward, if they are worried about someone in their community.’

To mark the importance of raising awareness about safeguarding adults at risk, events will take place across Kent and Medway including dementia cafés, presentations, coffee mornings and home safety talks.

For more information on events taking place and to download the toolkit, visit: kent.gov.uk/safeguardingadults

To report concerns to Kent Adult Social Care offices, call 03000 41 61 61. For Medway call 01634 334 466.

To report rogue traders or scams, please contact Citizen’s Advice helpline on 03454 040506.

Please contact the police on 101 to report a non-urgent crime. In an emergency situation, call 999.

To find out about more about the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board, please visit http://www.kent.gov.uk/social-care-and-health/information-for-professionals/adult-protection/kent-and-medway-safeguarding-adults-board

Adult abuse. See it, report it, stop it.

This media release was issued on behalf of the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board.

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