Safeguarding

Through employment: your employer will have safeguarding procedures for you to follow, please contact your safeguarding lead.

Personal: if you have seen something that concerns you in your community, or feel you just need to discuss your concerns you can call NSPCC on 0808 800 5000

NSPCC Website

If you suspect that a child/children are at risk of being abused or you are being abused yourself, please contact your Local Social Services, numbers listed below in useful contacts.

Solent NHS Safeguarding Team is exclusively a support service for Solent NHS staff; we are unable to advise anyone outside of Solent NHS Trust. If you are a member of the public or a representative of an external organisation, please contact the relevant Local Authority listed below in useful contacts.

The Contexts in which Abuse might take place:

Abuse and crimes against adults may occur in different contexts. Below are a few examples. Actual or suspected abuse of persons at risk in any of the contexts below should be reported and will trigger a safeguarding response.

• Institutional abuse: occurs when the routines, systems and regimes of an institution result in poor or inadequate standards of care/practice which affects the whole setting and denies, restricts or curtails the dignity, privacy, choice, independence or fulfilment of adults at risk.
  
  
• Hate crime: is defined as any crime that is perceived by the victim, or any other person, to be racist, homophobic, transphobic or due to a person’s religion, belief, gender identity or disability.
  
  
• Mate crime: happens when someone is faking a friendship in order to take advantage of an individual. Mate crime is committed by someone known to the person. They might have known them for a long time or met recently. A ‘mate’ may be a ‘friend’, family member, supporter, paid staff or another person with a disability.
  
  
• Domestic abuse: is defined as “any incident of threatening behaviour, coercive control, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality” and that forms a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour. (Family members are defined as mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister and grandparents, whether directly related, in-laws or step-family; see Association of Chief Police Officers 2004). If one or both adults (including 16-17 year olds) involved can be regarded as an adult(s) at risk, then the safeguarding procedures should be used. If a person at risk is not involved, then these guidelines will not normally apply.
  
  
• Honour based violence: is a crime or incident, which has or may have been committed to protect or defend the honour of the family and/ or community. It is a collection of practices, which are used to control behaviour within families or social groups to protect perceived cultural and religious beliefs and/or honour. Such violence can occur when perpetrators perceive that a relative has shamed the family and/or community by breaking their honour code.
  
  
• Forced marriage: is a term used to describe a marriage in which one or both of the parties are married without their consent or against their will. A forced marriage differs from an arranged marriage, in which both parties consent to the assistance of their parents or a third party in identifying a spouse.
  
  
• Female genital mutilation (FGM): involves procedures that include the partial or total removal of the external female genital organs for cultural or other non-therapeutic reasons. The practice is extremely painful and has serious health consequences, both at the time when the mutilation is carried out and in later life. The age at which girls undergo FGM varies enormously according to the community.
  
  
• Human trafficking: is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.
  
  
• Exploitation by radicalisers who promote violence: Individuals may be susceptible to exploitation into violent extremism by radicalisers. Violent extremists often use a persuasive rationale and charismatic individuals to attract people to their cause. The aim is to attract people to their reasoning, inspire new recruits and embed their extreme views and persuade vulnerable individuals of the legitimacy of their cause.

Even if you are not sure that what you have seen or been told / heard is abuse it is important to voice your concerns and speak to either a Health or Social Care Professional. Please don’t keep concerns to yourself.

If you suspect that an adult at risk is being abused or you are being abused yourself, please contact your Local Social Services, numbers listed below in useful contacts.

Southampton Social Services Adults

• Main number: 023 8083 3003.
• Out of Hours:  023 8023 3344

Southampton Social Services Children

• Main number:  023 8083 3004
• Out of Hours: 023 8023 3344

Portsmouth Social Services Adults

•  Main number: 023 9268 0810
• Out of Hours: 023 9268 0810

Portsmouth Social Services Children

• Main number: 0845 6710271
• Out of Hours: 03005551373

Hampshire Social Services Adults

• Main number: 0300 555 1386
• Out of Hours:  0300 555 1373

Hampshire Social Services Children

• Main number: 01329 225379
• Out of Hours:  0300 555 1373

Confidential Whistle Blowing Helpline

• Main number: 0300 067 9000

Solent NHS Trust’s Patients Experiences Service 

• Main number: 0800 013 2319

If anyone has been seriously injured or is in danger, dial 999.

If you think a crime may have been committed, contact the police by dialling 101.

All reported concerns will be taken seriously.