Are you worried about an adult?

Make A Referral Online

If you would prefer not to speak to someone directly you can make a safeguarding referral for yourself or someone else via the new online portal:

Click Here To Report

Talk to us

If you live in Nottingham City call Adult Social Care on 0115 8763330. Our lines are open 9am to 5pm

If you live in Nottinghamshire County, call Nottinghamshire County Council on 0300 500 8080

Unsure if you need to report?

Please call any of the numbers above and report what is happening to you or the person you are concerned about. You can report abuse to us in the strictest confidence and your identity can be kept private

What is abuse?

Abuse is mistreatment by any other person or persons that violates a person's human and civil rights. The abuse can vary from treating someone with disrespect in a way which significantly affects the person's quality of life to causing actual physical suffering.

Abuse can happen anywhere. In a residential or nursing home, a hospital, workplace, day centre or educational establishment, supported housing or on the street.

Forms of abuse include (as defined in the Care Act 2014):

• Physical abuse – includes hitting, slapping, pushing, kicking, misuse of medication, restraint, or inappropriate sanctions.
• Domestic violence – includes psychological, physical, sexual, financial, emotional abuse and honour-based violence.
• Sexual abuse – includes rape and sexual assault or sexual acts to which the adult at risk has not consented or is incapable of giving informed consent or was pressured into consenting. This may involve contact or non-contact abuse (e.g. touch, masturbation, being photographed, teasing, and inappropriate touching).
• Psychological abuse – includes emotional abuse, threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, isolation or withdrawal from services or supportive networks.
• Financial or material abuse – includes theft, fraud, exploitation, pressure in connection with wills, property or inheritance or financial transactions, or the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits.
• Discriminatory abuse – includes racist, sexist, based on a person's disability, culture and other forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment.
• Organisational abuse – (previously known as institutional abuse) may take the form of isolated incidents of poor practice at one end of the spectrum through to pervasive ill-treatment or gross misconduct at the other. It can occur when an institution's routines, systems, communications and norms compel individuals to sacrifice their preferred lifestyle and cultural diversity to the needs of that institution. Repeated instances of poor care may be an indication of more severe problems.
• Neglect and acts of omission – including ignoring medical or physical care needs, failure to provide access to appropriate health, social care or educational services, and withholding necessities of life, such as medication, adequate nutrition and heating.
• Self-neglect – covers a wide range of behaviour neglecting to care for one's hygiene, health or surroundings and includes behaviour such as hoarding.

Any of these forms of abuse can be either deliberate or the result of ignorance or lack of training, knowledge or understanding. Often if a person is being abused in one way, they are also being abused in other ways.

If you notice any of the signs above please contact us, we are here to help.

• Some people don't want to tell others they are being abused. This may be because they don't want the person to get into trouble.
• They may prefer to ignore the problem, hoping it will go away.
• Other people are ashamed or afraid of what will happen to them if they tell.

If you are being abused, you don't have to put up with it.

• If you think you are being abused, rest assured that it is not your fault, and there are ways that we can help you.
• Don't ignore the problem. It will more than likely not go away on its own.
• You may know the person carrying out the abuse and are worried about reporting them.

Talk to us

Speaking to someone about a problem can help to find a solution to a problem. When you call us to discuss abuse, we will work with you to help you make any decisions. We will provide help and support to try to end the abuse and enable you to ensure that it does not happen again. 

If you have reported a safeguarding concern for yourself or someone else and need additional support or someone to talk to (including free 24/7 phone lines) please visit ASKLiON to find free and local services that deal with domestic abuse.

ASKLiON Domestic Abuse Support Page

Modern Slavery includes slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude. Traffickers and enslavers use whatever means they have to coerce, deceive and force individuals into a life of abuse, servitude and inhumane treatment. 

Click here for Nottingham City Councils' Modern Slavery Statement.