If you suspect that an individual is being abused, there are some necessary actions for you to take along with researching about what your companies policies and procedures around abuse are. Initially, if you suspect that a service user or worker is being abused, it is important, for you to take your assumptions seriously and remember that they are not meaningless. As a social care worker, you have a responsibilty to care and protect the adults that you work with, so you must remain vigilant around all safeguarding situations.

You will also be required to collect all evidence, this evidence should remain confidential and professional. Along with evidence, you may be required to make note of all possible observations, these notes must be dated, signed and only shared between necessary participants. It is also important to bear in mind that not all service users may be aware that they are being abused, for example, a patient suffering from dementia in a care home may suffer from short term memory loss, so they may not even have the ability to remember that the abuse has taken place, let alone report it.

First, you should always inform your line manager or safeguarding officer as soon as possible, they will then, within the appropriate timeframe, evaluate the situation along with making enquiries without raising the question of abuse. if the alegation is about your manager, or the manager refuses to take your complaints any further, you should follow your company policy of reporting abuse whilst aslo reporting it to CQC (care quality commission). They are then able to decide whether or not a referral to the safeguarding officer or a another external profession is necessary.

If contacting your line manager or safeguarding officer is not possible, instead, you must collect all essential evidence, and when possible, keep a relevent log of the situation at hand. Make sure that all allegations are not repeated to others, especially those who should not be involved, this includes your family, friends and co-workers whose profession is invalid within the current situation, this causes confussion and puts the victim and abuser at risk.

2. 2. Actions to take if someone is allegedly being abused. If you are approached by a patient or co-worker who claims to be receiving abuse, as a social care worker, you are required to stay calm, supportive, professional, listen carefully and remain non-judgmental. Put your own feelings and views aside, and try to not show any signs of shock, embarrassment, disgust or disbelief. Ensure that the individual knows that they have done the right thing by telling you about the allegations, and never indicate that you do not believe them. When talking to the victim, listen carefully and closely but do not ask questions beyond what is necessary to protect the individual and conserve all evidence.

Make sure that you record the detail of the allegations that the individual is telling you using their exact words. It is also important for you to, within your line of work, report alleged abuse even when it involves staff, bosses/managers or a service user, this again, must always be recorded professionally, and should be passed on to CQC as soon as possible due to it involving your manager. You should also familiarise yourself with your own internal whistleblowing policy, as this will guide you through the necessary steps and requirements.

2. 3. Identify ways to ensure that evidence is preserved. Unless it is required of you and within your line of work, you should not investigate the situation as it could put your current jop in jeopardy, instead you should inform you line manager right away. If it is within your line of work to investiagte the situation, you must remember that every conversation between you and the victim must be recorded word for word, signed, dated and no questions are allowed to be asked during this conversation.

Whilst their safety must be ensured, their privacy cannot be promised, as some information must be passed on to other necessary individuals to ensure that their allegations are dealt with appropriately. It is very important that workers leave all evidence as it was, if the abuse (such as sexual assault) took place in a mental health hospital, there may be physical evidence, including clothing and bed sheets, these must not be washed or touched to avoid contamination, you are also required to make sure that the individual does not remove or wash any possible evidence.

Depending on where the abuse took place, it should be treated like a crime scene, requiring the area to stay safe and private. Once all necessary evidence has accumulated, it is important that the physical evidence stays locked in a safe or cabinet at all times to prevent loss or destruction.

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