Londonderry staff need to recognise adult abuse

STAFF working with vulnerable adults in Londonderry need to know what abuse is and how to report it, according to the Western Trust’s Assistant Director of Adult Safeguarding.

Aidan Gordon made the comments following a Local Adult Safeguarding Partnership (LASP) workshop held last week as part of the Trust’s continuing efforts to protect the rights of vulnerable adults.

He said: “As a partnership we wanted to improve quality across all those sectors and services that play a role in adult safeguarding, and this peer training was thought to be a good training model.

“We want to make sure that everybody knows how to recognise what abuse is, what to do about it and how to report it to the right people. We want to give staff across a range of areas the knowledge, skills and resources to enable them to respond quickly and appropriately.”

He continued: “I want to congratulate all those including Trust staff for their commitment to participating in this innovative safeguarding training to make its clients safer. As a Trust we are committed to ensuring that those people who are most vulnerable are kept safe from abuse – and this training is very much at the heart of our efforts.”

If you are the victim of abuse, or if you are worried about someone who you think may have experienced or is being abused, exploited or neglected, then it is really important to seek help.

You can either contact your nearest social services office or alternatively your local PSNI station. If you ever feel in immediate danger or think someone else may be in immediate danger, dial 999.