Leading the fight against      adult abuse

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Our Vision

Our vision is a society which values older people and one in which they and other adults can live free from abuse perpetrated by those in whom they have an expectation of trust.  Where such abuse occurs we seek an environment in which it can be identified and addressed.

Our aims

  Aim 1:             PREVENTION: We want to facilitate actions and create circumstances that prevent 
                          abuse.  It is better to prevent abusive situations than to intervene afterward to protect;

  Aim 2:             INTERVENTION: We want to encourage timely and effective intervention to protect
                          when  abuse occurs.  The circumstances of abuse often mean that the impact is profound
                          and opportunities for intervention are limited.

                         Aim 3:             AWARENESS: We want to increase awareness of abuse at an individual and societal
                         level.  By doing so we increase the ability of people to recognise, identify and take action
                         against elder abuse;

                           Aim 4:             AWARENESS:  We want to increase the awareness of abuse of all those working with or
                           having a responsibility for adults at risk of abuse.  By doing so we increase the ability of
                           practitioners and others to respond appropriately to circumstances of abuse;

                           Aim 5:            EMPOWERMENT:  We want to encourage genuine empowerment, free from coercion,
                           which allows people to make informed choices about their lives.

We do this in a range of ways, lobbying and working with statutory organisations and Governments, making alliances with similar minded organisations to increase awareness and collaboration, supporting individuals and their families, working wit the media to raise awareness, and providing training and education.

What needs to be done

We are seeking to change the way in which older people are seen and treated within our societies.  The abuse of children is invariably treated with greater seriousness than that of older people, and our Governments tend to give child abuse greater priority than elder abuse or the abuse of other adults.  This translates into the way services are structured and delivered, and the way in which they are monitored and regulated.

We are not seeking to create a hierarchy of vulnerability, with older people being given greater attention than other adults at risk of abuse, as this would just replicate the current unacceptable situation with regard to children and adults.  It would also fail to recognise that 'older people' is not a term that reflects the diversity and complexity  of the people themselves e.g. older people can also be people with disabilities, with learning disabilities and with mental health problems.

We believe it is vital that:

• it is recognised that elder abuse exists and that it may  have a profound effect on the quality of life for older people
  

• both the rights and autonomy of the older person, and their possible need to be protected from abuse, are recognised
  

• all older people have the confidence, knowledge and support to take the action they choose to counter abuse
  

• health and social care practitioners, at all levels, are trained to recognise the different types of abuse and to respond to the needs of both the abused and the abuser
  

• both health and social services purchasers and providers have staff and services which are responsive to the needs of the abused and the abuser
  

• the responses of all statutory, voluntary and independent agencies should be collaborative and appropriate
  

• a broad range of research is undertaken to expand knowledge of the issues.

More Information:

About Us

Our aims

Our Services

What are we doing

Some of our partners

Our Annual reports