Professionals should be trained in preventing abuse of vulnerable adults

All health and social care staff in Scotland should receive
compulsory training in preventing the abuse of vulnerable adults,
delegates at CC Live Scotland were told this week,
writes Ruth Winchester in Edinburgh.

Ann Ferguson, project leader on elder abuse for Age Concern
Scotland, said she was “shocked” by the number of social care and
health staff she met who had had no training around recognising
abuse.  “People need to know that it exists, how to recognise it
and what to do about it. And unless training is mandatory it will
not happen”.

Professor John Williams of the Department of Law at the
University of Wales told delegates that Scotland’s plans for a
Vulnerable Adults Bill meant that it was “about five years ahead of
England and Wales”.

He added that he was “amazed” that English and Welsh authorities
are under no duty to investigate cases of abuse of vulnerable
adults unlike their statutory duties in regard to children. “That’s
very frightening. The inclusion of a duty in this bill will be
extremely helpful”.