Domestic Abuse and Adult Safeguarding
What is domestic abuse?
People often think of domestic abuse as physical violence, such as hitting. However, domestic violence takes other forms, such as psychological, emotional, or sexual abuse. Domestic violence is about one person in a relationship using a pattern of behaviours to control the other person.
There is a new offence of “Coercive Control” which is about where the way in which someone controls someone is now a crime and there have been at least two successful prosecutions regarding this new offence in the Thames Valley area.
Domestic abuse in adult safeguarding is often more complex than what is perceived as “typical” domestic abuse.
Since not only is there abuse between husband and wife, but also between various family members i.e. older person and their grown up son, or grandson.
There are often issues of interdependency and caring which makes it much harder to separate the person from their abuser.
People who are unpaid carers, caring for their partner or relative, friend, can abuse the person that they are caring for; this can be intentional and be about power and control.
However it can also be due to the person not being able to cope with caring or not knowing how to care for someone. This still needs to be seen as abuse but can be dealt with in a much more sensitive manner.
- Low self-esteem
- Feeling that the abuse is their fault when it is not
- Physical evidence of violence such as bruising, cuts, broken bones
- Verbal abuse and humiliation in front of others
- Fear of outside intervention
- Damage to home or property
- Isolation – not seeing friends and family
- Limited access to money
- Police – emergency 999 or 101
- Safeguarding Team – MASH – 0800 137915
- Women’s Aid – Aylesbury 01296 436827, High Wycombe 01494 461367
The Buckinghamshire Domestic Abuse Board has its own website Bucks Domestic Abuse Partnership website
The website is a multi-language one stop shop for everyone. It offers a range of information and support options for victims of abuse ,their friends and families, together with a toolkit and guidance for professionals including the Bucks domestic abuse referral pathway.