Protecting adults from risk of harm and abuse

Every adult has the right to be treated with dignity, have their choices respected and live a life free from fear. We all need to take the abuse of adults at risk seriously.

Report suspected abuse

If you are worried that someone is at risk or is being abused, report it as soon as possible:

Office hours (Mon – Fri 9am - 5pm)

Call: 0208 937 4098 or 0208 937 4099 to discuss your concern

Outside office hours 

Call our emergency duty team: 0208 863 5250

If you are unsure that an adult is at risk or has been abused - it’s still OK to report a suspicion. Our team will listen to your concerns and decide what to do. 

We will ask for your details but you can choose not to share them. 

You can also email: safeguardingadults@brent.gov.uk

Safeguarding adults is about working together to protect an adult’s rights to live free from abuse and neglect when they are unable to protect themselves.

Care and health professional referrals

If you are a care or health professional and have concerns about possible adult abuse or safeguarding issues, please report it as soon as possible using our safeguarding referral form. To avoid delays, it is important that you provide as much information as you can.

Abuse can take different forms and includes physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and neglect. It can also happen anywhere: at home, in a care home, hospital, day centre, or in public.

People may be at increased risk of abuse and unable to protect themselves if they:

• depend on other people for their care
• are older, frail, or have limited mobility
• have mental health problems
• have a learning disability
• have a sight or hearing impairment
• have dementia
• misuse alcohol or drugs
• have a long-term illness

Anyone can be an abuser - relatives, partners, people paid to provide care, volunteers, neighbours, friends or strangers.

Abuse can take different forms and includes physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and neglect. It can also happen anywhere: at home, in a care home, hospital, day centre, or in public.

You can read more about the different types of abuse and how to tell if someone is being abused, on the NHS website.

We treat all information seriously and act on what you tell us. 

Our priority is the person being abused or at risk of being abused and we will take any immediate steps to protect the adult.

We will work with the individual to keep them safe and think about how to reduce the risk of abuse or neglect in the future. If needed, we will involve any other agencies.

We may need to talk to other people but we will ask for consent before we do so. We will also consider if a person has mental capacity to give consent and to be part of the safeguarding process. 

If the individual needs someone to help support them through the process, we will make sure they have an independent advocate.

All people have a right to personal freedom and security under the Human Rights Act (1998) which is referred to as a right to liberty.

Sometimes care homes and hospitals may have to restrict a person’s freedom in order to provide care and treatment and to keep them safe from harm.  In such cases, they must have a DoLS authorisation for people who are unable to consent to their care, who are subject to continuous supervision and control, and who are not free to leave.

The Brent DoLS Team manages the administration of the deprivation of liberty authorisation and ensures that safeguards are in place to protect the person’s rights.

For further information, please call 020 8937 4098 or 020 8937 4099 and ask to speak with a member from the DoLS Team. 

Report a concern

If you are worried that someone is at risk or is being abused, please report your concern by completing a referral form.

If you are from an organisation, then please email us at dols@brent.gov.uk

All local authorities have a Safeguarding Adults Board. The Board is made up of lots of different organisations in Brent, but three organisations which must sit on the Board are the Police, Brent Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group.

The Board does not look directly at allegations of abuse or neglect. This responsibility sits with the lead agency Brent Council. If you need to raise a Safeguarding Concern, you can make a referral to Brent Council online.

Under the Care Act 2014, the Safeguarding Adults Boards are required to:

• write and make public a strategic plan
• have an independent chair of the Board
• have an annual report setting out what it did over the last year
• make sure there is a Safeguarding Adult Review when needed

The Brent Safeguarding Adults Board has its own independent website where it publishes its plans, annual reports and Safeguarding Adult Reviews. It also has further information about the duties of the Board as set out by the Care Act 2014 and statutory guidance.

Safeguarding Adult Reviews

One of the requirements of Safeguarding Adults Boards is to ask an independent person to carry out a review into a case where a person has died or was harmed by serious abuse or neglect and where there is a concern agencies did not work together. This is called a Safeguarding Adult Review. Anyone can make a referral for a Safeguarding Adult Review to be considered.

Alternatively, email brent.lsab@brent.gov.uk to request a referral form be sent to you.