Charity criticises Government’s “very weak” proposals on the protection of vulnerable adults

The chief executive of Action and Elder Abuse has written to the Government expressing his concern about “very weak” proposals on the protection of vulnerable adults.

Gary FitzGerald wrote to health minister Jeremy Hunt and care and support minister Norman Lamb warning that the safeguarding proposals contained in the draft Care and Support Bill are insufficient and risk leaving elderly victims of abuse at risk of continued assaults and intimidation.

In his letter to the ministers, Mr FitzGerald highlights a lack of funding, powers to stop abusers imprisoning their victims and a duty on agencies to notify local authorities if they believe adults may be at risk as key issues for the Government to address.

The aim of the Care and Support Bill is to transform the social care system to focus on prevention and the needs of people requiring care with a single, modern law. One of the ways it proposes to do this is by introducing Safeguarding Adult Boards within each local authority who will conduct safeguarding adults reviews if there is suspicion of neglect.

Speaking about the proposals and his concerns, Mr FitzGerald said: “The current proposals to protect vulnerable elder people cannot deliver on the expectations of victims or their families and ignore the plight of many older people who are experiencing assault, theft, coercion, threats and neglect on a daily basis.

“We need adult protection systems in every area that are adequately funded by Government and have the necessary powers to stop abusers from hurting very old people with impunity.

“As the proposals currently stand, older people would be wise to move to Scotland if they want to ensure adequately funded and suitably empowered systems to protect them from abuse.

“By far the greatest numbers of referrals to adult safeguarding in England are older people, and referrals are increasing year on year by at least 11 per cent. Despite this, the system is actually protecting less than one in 10 of older victims. This is not acceptable, and if we were talking about child abuse it would be a national scandal.

“Ministers should ask themselves how they would feel if they were trapped inside their own homes, beaten, threatened or neglected, and their abuser was able to refuse access to the very people who could protect them. How would they feel as they heard the social worker walking away, leaving them to their fate? Ministers need to hear the silent scream going up from the thousands of older people who will be left voiceless and defenceless by these very weak proposals.”