Clackmannanshire Council Online

Adult Support and Protection

Adult Support and Protection

If you are an adult who is being harmed or neglected and unable to protect yourself please let us know as we are here to help.

Similarly if you know or suspect such an adult is being harmed or neglected then please tell us.

If you are uncomfortable about a particular set of circumstances involving an adult whom you think may be at risk then you will naturally want reassurance that we will inquire into the circumstances.

We can only help people that become known to us. Please do not leave it to chance in the hope that someone else may report the concerns.

Contact details

Organisation	Day time	Night time/ weekends
Health and Social Care Partnership	01259 727010	01786 470500
Police(emergency): If an adult is at immediate risk of harm	999	999
Police (non-emergency): If you are concerned about an adult who is not at immediate risk of harm	101	101
Health	Local health services and organisations

Reporting concerns

Concerns may be reported anonymously. Sometimes it helps if we can speak with the person reporting so that we may obtain further information or clarify certain points about the information disclosed. In any case the decision is yours and we will preserve your anonymity, if you so wish, throughout our involvement.

What do we do?

When you contact a professional about your concern regarding a vulnerable adult, we will make initial inquiries before taking action. Those inquiries are dependent upon the circumstances but may include finding out if the adult and/or their abuser are known to services, such as Health, Police and Social Service professionals.

By collating information we are able to form a clearer picture which will help us to make the best decisions with the involvement of the adult concerned.

All information will be treated seriously and acted upon. This may lead to immediate action or a more planned response. You will be advised of the general outcome of our investigation into your concerns.

The Legislation

The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 provides a legal basis to offer support and protection to adults who may be at risk of harm or neglect. The ethos of this legislation is about balancing people's rights and taking action, where necessary, to support and protect them.

This Act focuses upon an 'adult at risk' of harm which is defined as a person aged 16 years or over, who may be unable to protect themselves from harm, exploitation or neglect, because of a

• disability,
• mental disorder or mental Illness,
• physical or mental infirmity.

What do we mean by harm?

Harm is defined as all harmful behaviour and may include for example:

• Physical
  • hitting, slapping, pushing, shaking or confining in a place
• Psychological
  • threats, humiliation, intimidation and verbal abuse
• Neglect
  • failure to provide medical or physical care, access to a doctor or other services, or denying someone medication, food or heating, privacy or dignity, self-neglect
• Financial
  • stealing, fraud, pressure to hand over or sign over property or money, misuse of property or welfare benefits, or stopping someone getting their money or possessions
• Sexual
  • any sexual activity that a person doesn't understand or want, photographing, sexual harassment, voyeurism
• Information
  • withholding information or advice about rights or entitlements
• Discrimination
  • because of age, colour, disability, gender, race, religion, cultural background or sexual orientation

Keep Safe

I Am Me Scotland are a community based charity that works in partnership with Police Scotland to tackle disability hate crime and create a network of 'Keep Safe' places across Scotland.  Keep Safe is a network of local businesses and organisations that are approved and trained to be a 'safe' place for anyone who feels lost, confused, scared or vulnerable when out in the community. 

All Keep Safe places can be found on the I Am Me website www.iammescotland.co.uk or on the free Keep Safe Scotland phone app.