Safeguarding Abuse Flashcards
1
Q
What are some potential indicators of physical abuse?
A
- Injuries that are not explained satisfactorily
- Unexplained bruising to any part of the body, particularly collections of
bruises that form a pattern that may correspond to the shape of an object
or a person’s hand - Unexplained burns especially on “unlikely” areas of the body, soles of the feet or palms of the hands
- Immersion burns, rope burns and burns from an electrical appliance
- Unexplained fractures to any part of the body or cuts or scratches to mouth, lips, gums, eyes or genitalia
- Person flinches at physical contact or indicates that someone has threatened them with physical harm
- Reluctance to undress or uncover parts of the body, person may appear afraid of or “anxiously” try to avoid certain members of staff, family members or other people they know
- Injuries at different stages of healing
- Unexplained loss of hair in clumps
2
Q
What are some potential indicators of sexual abuse?
A
- Person exhibiting “untypical” self-harm
- Person discloses fully or partially that sexual abuse is occurring or has
occurred in the past - Person has urinary tract infections or sexually transmitted diseases that
are not otherwise explained - Person appears unusually subdued, withdrawn or has poor concentration and appears reluctant to be alone with a person known to them
- Person experiences pain, itching or bleeding in genital or anal area
- Bruising to thighs or upper arms and/or bites on various parts of the body
- Person exhibits significant change in sexual behaviour or outlook
- A woman, who lacks the capacity to consent to sexual intercourse becomes pregnant
3
Q
What are some potential indicators of psychological/emotional abuse?
A
- Untypical ambivalence, deference, passivity, resignation
- Person appears anxious, withdrawn or fearful, especially in the presence of specific people
- Person appears to have a poor opinion of themselves
- Person appears to lack the opportunity to make choices or have adequate privacy
- Untypical changes in behaviour or routines of daily living
- Person appears isolated and deprived of social contact
- Person voices concerns about being abandoned or “put away”
- Bullying via social networking internet sites and persistent texting
4
Q
What are some potential indicators of financial abuse?
A
- General lack of money especially soon after benefits are claimed
- Person lacks belongings or services they can clearly afford and/or inadequately explained fall in living standards
- Inadequately explained withdrawals from bank accounts and/or inadequately explained inability to pay bills
- Person does not appear to possess items that are known to have been purchased
- Recent acquaintances expressing interest in the person or their money
- Inadequately maintained financial systems; when a person’s money is being managed by others, including a failure to produce receipts for major
items - Susceptible to “Mate Crime”, befriended and then exploited for money, goods and accommodation
5
Q
What are some potential indicators of neglect and self-neglect?
A
- Person lives in accommodation that falls below minimum practical
standards - Person has inadequate heating and/or lighting
- Person’s physical appearance, condition or general hygiene is poor and/or appears to be malnourished
- Person is observed to be left in wet clothing
- Medical problems that go unattended
- Person does not appear to be taking the prescribed medication
- Person is exposed to unacceptable risks
6
Q
What are some potential indicators of discriminatory abuse?
A
- An adult may reject their own cultural background and/or racial origin or
other personal beliefs, sexual practices or lifestyle choices - An adult making complaints about service/s not meeting their needs
- Physical attacks such as assault, damage to property, offensive graffiti or arson
- Threat of attack including offensive letters, abusive or obscene telephone
calls, groups hanging around to intimidate, and unfounded, malicious
complaints - Verbal abuse, insults or harassment - taunting, abusive gestures and
bullying - Offensive leaflets and posters, dumping of rubbish outside homes
7
Q
What are some potential indicators of domestic abuse?
A
- Bruises or injuries that look like they came from choking, punching, or
being thrown down. Black eyes, red or purple marks at the neck, and
sprained wrists are common injuries in violent relationships. Attempting to
hide bruises with makeup or clothing - Making excuses like tripping or being accident-prone or clumsy. Often the
seriousness of the injury does not match up with the explanation - Having few close friends and being isolated from relatives and co-workers
- Having to ask permission to meet, talk with, or do things with other people
- Having little money available; may not have credit cards or car
- Having low self-esteem; being extremely apologetic and meek
- Referring to the partner’s temper but not disclosing the extent of the abuse
- Having a drug or alcohol abuse problem
- Having symptoms of depression such as sadness or hopelessness, or loss
of interest in daily activities - Talking about suicide and/or attempting suicide. (Encourage this person to
talk with a health professional or to call the 24hr free phone National
Domestic Violence Helpline (run in partnership between Women’s Aid and
Refuge) is available on 0808 2000 247 hours a day, 7 days a week)
8
Q
What are some potential indicators of modern slavery?
A
- Adult is not in possession of their legal documents (passport, identification
and bank account details) and they are being held by someone else - The adult has old or serious untreated injuries and they are vague,
reluctant or inconsistent in explaining how the injury occurred - The adult looks malnourished, unkempt, or appears withdrawn and has
few personal possessions and often wears the same clothes - What clothes they do wear may not be suitable for their work
- The adult is withdrawn or appears frightened, unable to answer questions
directed at them or speak for themselves and/or an accompanying third
party speaks for them - They appear under the control/influence of others, rarely interact or appear
unfamiliar with their neighbourhood or where they work - Many victims will not be able to speak English
- Fear of authorities
- The adult perceives themselves to be in debt to someone else or in a
situation of dependence
