Protection of Vulnerable Adults Policy
This policy defines the arrangements and procedures in place within Walsden Cricket and Bowling
Club (WC&BC) that ensures the protection of vulnerable adults from abuse.
POLICY PRINCIPLES: WC&BC will develop and implement procedures and strategies which are
designed to protect vulnerable adults from abuse. These strategies will:
\u2022 Identify who is at risk.
\u2022 Define what is meant by abuse and identify the types of abuse that can occur.
\u2022 Promote staff \/volunteer awareness of the common indicators associated with each type of abuse
and ensure that at least one named coach\/volunteer undergoes specific training.
\u2022 Specify the procedures to be followed in the event of alleged or suspected abuse.
ABUSE OF VULNERABLE ADULTS \u2013 INDICATORS AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES:
Definitions of a Vulnerable Adult (Department of Health Guidance \u201cNo Secrets\u201d March 2000)
\u2022 Someone who is aged 18 or over and who is or may be in need of community care services by
reason of mental or other disability, age or illness and who is, or may be, unable to protect
himself\/herself from significant harm or exploitation.
\u2022 WC&BC also applies this policy to those not receiving community care services but that are
considered to be vulnerable to abuse.
Definitions of Abuse:
\u2022 Abuse is a violation of an individual\u2019s human and civil rights by any other person or persons. For
vulnerable adults this will focus upon others who have influence over them.
\u2022 These violations may be intentional or unintentional.
\u2022 These violations may be a single act or a repetition of acts over a period of time.
Definitions of significant harm:
\u2022 \u201cill treatment (including sexual abuse and forms of ill treatment that are not physical)
\u2022 the impairment of, or an avoidable deterioration in, physical or mental health
\u2022 the impairment of physical, emotional, social or behavioural development\u201d.
Categories of Abuse: For the purpose of this Policy, abuse is classified into the following categories:
\u2022 Physical \u2013 can include hitting, slapping, pushing, kicking, misuse of medication, restraint or
inappropriate sanctions.
\u2022 Abuse in care settings \u2013 care settings include residential and nursing homes, hospitals, day centres,
sheltered housing schemes, group or supported housing projects.
\u2022 Sexual \u2013 can include rape, sexual assault, sexual acts to which the person has not consented, could
not consent to or was pressured into consenting to.
\u2022 Psychological or emotional \u2013 includes threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation or contact,
humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, isolation or
withdrawal from services or supportive networks.
\u2022 Financial and \/ or material \u2013 can include theft, fraud, exploitation, pressure in connection with
wills, property or inheritance or financial transactions, or the misuse or misappropriation of
property, possessions or benefits.
\u2022 Neglect \/ acts of omission \u2013 includes ignoring medical or physical care needs, failure to provide
access to appropriate health, social or educational services, the withholding of the necessities of life
such as medication, adequate nutrition or heating.
\u2022 Discrimination \u2013 includes racism, sexism, abuse based on a person’s disability and other forms of
harassment, slurs or similar treatment.
Symptoms\/Indicators of Abuse: Coaches\/volunteers will be made aware of the detection of abuse
through symptoms, indicators and behaviour. The indicators relevant to the Club situation are
summarised as follows:
Physical Abuse:
\u2022 unexplained bruising
\u2022 history of unexplained falls or minor injuries
\u2022 slap, kick, pinch or finger marks
\u2022 unexplained burns and scalds in unusual locations or of an unusual type
\u2022 injury mark similar to an object
\u2022 untreated medical problems
\u2022 weight loss \/ complaints of hunger
\u2022 dehydration
\u2022 nervous\/fearful watchfulness; fear of physical contact
Sexual Abuse: \u2022 Pain, itching, bruising or bleeding in the genital area
\u2022 stained\/bloodstained underclothes
\u2022 bruises to the thighs and upper arms
\u2022 change in usual behaviour for no apparent or obvious reason
\u2022 discomfort when sitting or walking
Psychological \/ Emotional Abuse:
\u2022 excessive fears
\u2022 tearfulness
\u2022 ambivalence about carer
\u2022 fearful of the carer \/ avoiding eye contact or flinching on approach
\u2022 unusual weight gain or loss \/ changes in appetite
\u2022 low self esteem
\u2022 insomnia or need for excessive sleep
\u2022 emotional withdrawal
\u2022 high levels of anxiety, agitation or paranoia
Financial or material abuse:
\u2022 person lacks belongings or services which they should be able to afford
\u2022 missing personal property (jewellery, cash etc)
\u2022 purchase of items the person does not require or use
\u2022 extraordinary interest by family members or others in the vulnerable persons assets
Neglect: (not self-neglect or refusing help)
\u2022 poor physical condition e.g. malnourished, pressure sores, ulcers
\u2022 inadequate or unclean clothing
\u2022 failure to ensure privacy and dignity
Discrimination:
\u2022 slurs and offensive remarks regarding ethnic origin, religion, culture, gender, sexual orientation,
disability or age
Action to be taken in the event of alleged\/suspected abuse:
The Child Welfare Officer will also serve as the Club\u2019s Vulnerable Adult Officer and be designated as
the key contact person within WC&BC with direct responsibility for deciding on the appropriate
action to be taken about any alleged or suspected incidences of abuse. Any coach\/volunteer with
concerns regarding possible abuse of a vulnerable adult will report the matter directly to the
Vulnerable Adult Officer. N.B. If an allegation or suspicion relates to the named Vulnerable Adult
Officer then any member of the Club General Committee should be approached.
Reporting such matters to agencies outside WC&BC will take into account the balance which needs
to be maintained for the confidentiality of the vulnerable person\u2019s affairs, the vulnerable person\u2019s
capacity to consent to the matter being taken further and the duty of care to report suspected
abuse.
The Vulnerable Adult Officer will assess the allegations \/ suspicions and decide upon the
appropriate action to be taken:
\u2022 If the incident is not considered to fit the criteria of abuse the Vulnerable Adult Officer they can
deal with the situation directly.
\u2022 If the incident is considered to fit the criteria of abuse the Vulnerable Adult Officer or other senior
person within the organisation should refer the matter to Social Services in accordance with the
process outlined in the Multi-agency Policy, In all cases, the Vulnerable Adults Officer is responsible
for maintaining complete records of the allegations made, including dates, times and persons
involved and actions taken.
This action may be of two types:
\u2022 Corrective action \u2013 action to be taken against alleged or confirmed perpetrators (as set out in the
disciplinary procedure) involved in incidents of abuse, and the discreet and sensitive handling of the
abused person.
\u2022 Preventive action \u2013 strategies to be implemented with the objective of halting further abuse and \/
or limiting the opportunities for potentially abusive practices.
WC&BC Child Welfare Officer is responsible for developing, communicating, implementing and
reviewing this policy on behalf of the Club General Committee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Protection of Vulnerable Adults PolicyThis policy defines the arrangements and procedures in place within Walsden Cricket and BowlingClub (WC&BC) that ensures the protection of vulnerable adults from abuse.POLICY PRINCIPLES: WC&BC will develop and implement procedures and strategies which aredesigned to protect vulnerable adults from abuse. These strategies will:\u2022 Identify who is at risk.\u2022 Define what is meant by abuse and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-221","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/walsdencandbc.co.uk\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/walsdencandbc.co.uk\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/walsdencandbc.co.uk\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walsdencandbc.co.uk\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walsdencandbc.co.uk\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=221"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/walsdencandbc.co.uk\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/221\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268,"href":"https:\/\/walsdencandbc.co.uk\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/221\/revisions\/268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/walsdencandbc.co.uk\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}