Leeds Safeguarding Adults Partnership works together to promote awareness and good practice:

What is abuse?

Abuse is mistreatment by any other person or persons that violates a person's human and civil rights.

Abuse may consist of single act, or a series of acts that added together have caused that person harm.

It can take a range of forms, it may be:

Physical abuse

Including hitting, slapping, pushing, kicking, or injuring someone or misuse of medication.

Sexual abuse

Including rape and sexual assault or pressuring someone into sexual acts they haven't consented to, don't understand or feel powerless to refuse.

Emotional/psychological abuse

Including threats of harm or abandonment, isolation, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, or withholding services or supportive networks.

Financial abuse

Including theft, fraud, misuse of property, possessions, benefits, and deliberate or premeditated mismanagement of finances.

Neglect and acts of omission

Including ignoring medical or physical care needs, failing to provide access to appropriate health, social care or educational services, withholding medication, nutrition or heating.

Discriminatory Abuse

Including abuse that is racist, sexist, or based on disability or age, other forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment.

Institutional Abuse

Including people being mistreated by services or in places such as residential homes, nursing homes or hospitals because of poor or inadequate care, neglect or poor working practice that affects the whole of that service.

Abuse can happen anywhere - in a person's own home, in a residential or nursing home, in a supported living setting, a hospital or GP surgery, a prison, day centre or educational setting, library, sports centre, within the workplace, or within the community.

Abuse may be committed by a professional, a paid carer, family member, another adult at risk, or anyone else.

Whatever the cause or the nature of the abuse, it is always wrong.