Staff Handbook

• Overview
• What Can We Offer You
• Your First Placement
• Documents and Information Required
• Criminal Records Bureau Disclosures
• Immunisation Requirements
• Timesheets and Payroll
• Your Responsibilities
• Health and Safety
• Moving and Handling
• Safeguarding Children
• Dealing with Allegations of Abuse
• Reporting Handling and Management of Complaints
• Additional Information
• Useful Contacts

Dealing with Allegations of Abuse

Abuse can be viewed in terms of six main categories as follows:

Physical Abuse
This is the physical ill treatment of an adult which may not cause physical signs of injury. This can be identified in several forms e.g. pushing, shaking, pinching, slapping, punching or force feeding.

Sexual Abuse
This is any form of sexual activity that the adult does not want and to which they have not consented, or to which they cannot give informed consent. Sexual abuse includes rape, buggery, incest and situations where the perpetrator touches the abused persons body, or coerces the abused person to touch them.

Any sexual relationship which takes place between adults, where one is in a position of trust i.e. Doctor or Care Worker, will be regarded as sexual abuse.

Financial Abuse
This is the exploitation, inappropriate use or misappropriation of a person's financial resources or property. This includes withdrawing money.

Neglect
This is the deliberate withholding or unintentional failure to provide help or support to enable the person to undergo activities of daily living. Neglect also includes failure to intervene in situations that are dangerous to the person concerned.

Psychological Abuse
This may be intentional or unintentional. It may involve the use of indifference, intimidation, hostility, rejection, threats, humiliation, swearing or the use of discriminatory language.

Psychological abuse is the denial of a person's human rights to choice, opinion, privacy, dignity and being above to follow ones spiritual or cultural beliefs. It also includes the withholding of information or information not being available in different formats/languages.

Institutional Abuse
This can be defined as abuse or mistreatment by a regime, as well as by individuals, within any building where care is being provided.

Dealing with immediate incidents
You should contact the police immediately if:

• A physical or sexual assault has just happened
• Where violence is continuing
• You believe that any abuse may have taken place

Look after and reassure the victim. Protect anything that may appear to be evidence of a crime. Write a record of what happened as soon as possible. If the alleged abuser is a fellow resident/patient ensure Social Services are informed.