Report abuse of a vulnerable person

Abuse is a harmful act that goes against someone's individual rights, such as:

  • physical – hitting or rough handling,
  • psychological – bullying or shouting
  • neglect – not providing food or heating, or a poor standard of care,
  • financial - stealing, defrauding or coercing money or property
  • sexual – contact that someone has not or cannot consent to
  • institutional - poor care from bad systems or practices

We are responsible for protecting vulnerable adults, also known as ‘adults at risk', from abuse. People may be at risk if they are caring for someone else, or because of their age, a disability, mental health needs, misuse of alcohol or drugs.

Worried about someone? How to report abuse

If you, or someone you know is being harmed in some way, please don't ignore it. No abuse is acceptable. Don't assume someone else is doing something about the situation. If you contact us, we will take your concerns seriously and respect your confidentiality.

  • Emergencies: phone the police on 999.
  • Phone us on 0345 60 80 191.

You can also send us an email, letter or even a text message:

Alternatively, you might prefer to talk to a doctor, nurse, police officer or someone else you can trust.

What happens when you report abuse

Once you've contacted us, we look at the evidence and decide the best action. We always take into account the feelings and views of the adult at risk about their situation and what they want to happen. We also ask if there is anyone else they would like informed.

Sometimes issues can be resolved quickly, but other times we need to conduct an investigation. This might involve contacting the police – if the person gives us permission.

If you're unhappy with how we have handled the process

Real life stories

Abuse can take a number of different forms. Some of the people we've helped have shared their stories to help other people in similar situations – names have been changed to protect their identities.