National Adult Protection Day is a reminder to act on concerns

Date: 
Thursday, 15 February, 2018

image of elderly man by himself
If you have concerns about a vulnerable adult then you are being encouraged to act on your suspicions and speak out in confidence.

Scotland’s first ever National Adult Protection Day will be held on Tuesday 20 February 2018 and is being supported by the East Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) and its partners.

It comes 10 years after the Adult Support and Protection Act was introduced in Scotland and is being used to remind people of the ‘Seen Something – Say Something’ campaign which urges action if you feel a vulnerable adult is at risk.

Susan Manion, Chief Officer of East Dunbartonshire HSCP, said, “Last year, over 500 adult protection referrals were made in East Dunbartonshire, with numbers quadrupling since the Adult Support and Protection Act was introduced in 2008.

“This is largely thanks to concerned families, friends, carers and members of the public raising the alarm when a vulnerable person has been harmed, neglected or exploited. This means that we are now able to help many more people to keep safe and healthy at home and in the community. National Adult Protection Day is a timely reminder to us all of our duty to say something if we see something of concern.”

If you are worried about an adult at risk of harm and would like to report it, you can do so by sending an email, making a phone call (anonymous if you wish), to allow sensitive enquiries to be made and protective measures taken where appropriate.

The contact details you need are:

Chief Inspector Gerry Corrigan of Police Scotland said, “The joint work in East Dunbartonshire between the Council, the NHS and Police Scotland has seen many significant successes.

“We have seen older people and people with disabilities who were sadly being physically and sexually harmed being kept safe and subsequently thriving through the use of banning orders and other measures.

“Effective partnerships between social work, health, trading standards, community safety, local banks and businesses mean we have been able to take decisive, co-ordinated action to respond to people in distress and thwart bogus callers seeking to take advantage of vulnerable citizens.

Agnes Harvey, Convenor of the Adult Protection Committee, added, “We are proud of what has been achieved across East Dunbartonshire but know there is more we can all do. We rely heavily on members of the public coming forward to alert us to issues.

“People struggling to look after themselves can be at risk of all types of harm including neglect and physical, sexual and financial abuse. We want people to know that they can report their suspicions to us and we will take them seriously.”