{"id":3148,"date":"2015-03-20T15:50:05","date_gmt":"2015-03-20T15:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adultsocialcareandhealth\/im-worried-about-someone\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T10:50:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T10:50:03","slug":"safeguarding","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/safeguarding\/","title":{"rendered":"Safeguarding adults at risk of abuse or neglect"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.devonsafeguardingadultspartnership.org.uk\/training-and-resources\/care-act\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Under the Care Act (2014)<\/a>, an adult at risk is someone over 18 years old who:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>has care and support needs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>as a result of their care and support needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If someone has care and support needs but is not currently receiving care or support from a health or care service, they may still be an adult at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An adult at risk may therefore be a person who:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>is old and frail due to ill health, physical disability or cognitive impairment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>has a learning disability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>has a physical disability or a sensory impairment or both<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>has mental health needs including dementia or a personality disorder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>has a long-term illness or condition<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>misuses substances or alcohol<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>is a carer such as a family member or friend who provides personal assistance and care to adults and is subject to abuse<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>is unable to demonstrate the capacity to make a decision and is in need of care and support<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Although,<strong>&nbsp;anyone can be at risk of abuse or exploitation.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following short video, produced and designed by Looking Local in collaboration with Walsall Council, provides more information about safeguarding.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"content-iframe clearfix\" id=\"block_acf-block-698475d7c852f\"><div style=\"position:relative; width:1px; min-width:100%;padding-bottom:56.25%;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lookinglocal.cdn.spotlightr.com\/watch\/MTcxMjYxOA==?fallback=true\" width=\"100%\" style=\"width:1px; min-width:100%; height: 100%; position:absolute;\" title=\"Safeguarding\"  frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" name=\"videoPlayer\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay\" class='spotlightr' allowtransparency=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Report your concern \u2013 Devon Local Authority boundaries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>If an adult is in immediate danger, call&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"tel:999\"><strong>999<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;and ask for the police.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Members of the public<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you suspect that a vulnerable adult is being abused, or you are being abused yourself\u00a0and live within\u00a0Devon Local Authority boundaries,\u00a0please\u00a0contact us by calling Adult Social Care on <a href=\"tel:03451551007\">0345 1551 007<\/a>\u00a0(Monday to Thursday 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Friday 9.00 am to 4.00 pm)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Outside of the hours above or on bank holidays call the Emergency Duty Service on&nbsp;<a href=\"tel:03456000388\">0345 6000 388<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alternatively, you can email: <a href=\"mailto:adultsc.safeguardingadultservices-mailbox@devon.gov.uk\">adultsc.safeguardingadultservices-mailbox@devon.gov.uk<\/a> (Devon Safeguarding Adults Service).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Professionals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can report your concerns by; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>calling Adult Social Care on <a href=\"tel:03451551007\">0345 1551 007<\/a>\u00a0(Monday to Thursday 9.00 am &#8211; 5.00 pm, Friday 9.00 am &#8211; 4:00 pm)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Outside of the hours above or on bank holidays call the Emergency Duty Service on&nbsp;<a href=\"tel:03456000388\">0345 6000 388<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Alternatively, you can&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/devoncc.sharepoint.com\/:w:\/s\/PublicDocs\/AdultSocialCare\/EfVziOGUSXBCj5H3O8UrXv8Br9kabShhNty4ioM_z8xSuA?e=qCEiqo\" rel=\"noopener\">download a Word version of the report a safeguarding concern form<\/a>&nbsp;and email it to <a href=\"mailto:adultsc.safeguardingadultservices-mailbox@devon.gov.uk\">adultsc.safeguardingadultservices-mailbox@devon.gov.uk<\/a>&nbsp;(Devon Safeguarding Adults Service).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Domestic violence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sexual violence and domestic violence and abuse can happen to anyone of any gender, sexuality, ethnicity or age. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The impacts of living with violence and abuse can be devastating and its effects are far-reaching, impacting on individuals, families and communities. You can visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/saferdevon.co.uk\/domestic-sexual-violence-abuse\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Safer Devon website<\/a> to find more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence there is help available. For independent and confidential advice call Devon\u2019s domestic abuse helpline on <a href=\"tel:03451551074\">0345 155 1074<\/a> or visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/dsva\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Domestic and Sexual Violence and Abuse website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Keeping safe and protecting vulnerable adults<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":748,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":15,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-3148","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-20 05:43:16","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/748"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3148"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48603,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3148\/revisions\/48603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}