Referrals to the police of vulnerable adult abuse
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JAP-06-2015-0014 |
| Date | 11 April 2016 |
| Published date | 11 April 2016 |
| Pages | 119-127 |
| Author | Jackie Ann Farquharson |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Adult protection |
Referrals to the police of vulnerable
adult abuse
Jackie Ann Farquharson
Jackie Ann Farquharson is
based at the Institute of
Criminal Justice, University of
Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine the outcome of referrals made to one police force in
England by three local authorities between March 2010 and April 2011, in order to identify and
understand the barriers to prosecuting suspects of abuse or harm against vulnerable adults, and improve
inter-agency co-operation.
Design/methodology/approach –All referrals to this police force are given a crime number when they are
recorded on the Criminal Justice System database together with a vulnerable adult flag and a status code
which indicates the outcome following a police investigation. A search of the database using the vulnerable
adult flag identifies the total number of referrals and outcomes for the selected period. This can then be
imported into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to allow further analysis to take place.
Findings –Over 87 per cent of all referrals of alleged abuse to vulnerable adults made to this police force did
not establish that a crime had been committed. Of those that did only 1 per cent resulted in either a caution or
court proceedings.
Research limitations/implications –This is a small sample from one, predominantly rural, police force.
Originality/value –The benefit of this research is that it contributes to a greater knowledge of the outcomes
of adult safeguarding referrals made, primarily, by local authorities to the police and how police disclosures,
on Disclosure and Barring Service checks, are being used as a means of providing employers of regulated
activities with information on individuals who have been suspected of abusing vulnerable adults.
Keywords Safeguarding, Police, Referrals, Abuse, Suspects, Vulnerable
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Consideration should always be given to safeguarding vulnerable adults from abuse; however,
as individuals are living longer, the increasing number of people with dementia (Alzheimer’s
Society, 2012) and other age-related illnesses is placing a greater responsibility on families and
the state to care for them. Aligned with this responsibility is a requirement to understand the
outcomes of referrals, primarily made by local authorities and the police, to identify the barriers to
prosecuting suspects, safeguarding adults who as they grow older become increasingly
vulnerable and to improving inter-agency working.
Vulnerable adults are an increasingly “at risk”group and acknowledging the complexities of
taking positive action against suspects and perpetrators of abuse and making them criminally
responsible for their actions provides a new dynamic to the safeguarding adult debate.
The Care Act 2014 confirms an adult is vulnerable when the “local authority has reasonable
cause to suspect that an adult in its area has needs for care and support, is experiencing, or is at
risk of, abuse or neglect, and as a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself
against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it”.
Received 1 June 2015
Revised 28 October 2015
14 December 2015
18 January 2016
Accepted 3 February 2016
DOI 10.1108/JAP-06-2015-0014 VOL. 18 NO. 2 2016, pp. 119-127, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1466-8203
j
THE JOURNAL OF ADULT PROTECTION
j
PAG E 11 9
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