Purpose – Serious case reviews (SCRs) are one means of learning the lessons arising from adverse, salient incidents and tragedies. Adult Safeguarding Boards in England are expected to have an SCR policy and procedure, to commission SCRs, to abstract and act on the learning, and to monitor the...

Purpose – This review of the decision‐making literature aims to challenge the rational model of decision‐making upon which the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 is premised. Design/methodology/approach – The paper forms part of a larger study commissioned by the Office of the Public...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the key findings from a study of adult protection referrals collected by two English local authorities during 1998‐2005. Design/methodology/approach – Referrals were analysed for patterns relating to risk with client level data supplemented...

Purpose – The paper seeks to report on an audit undertaken in 2010 to support implementation of the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) processes by National Health Service (NHS) Trusts. The ISA was set up under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (SVGA) 2006. Concern has been...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between safeguarding adults training, staff knowledge and confidence. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 647 responses from a cross sectional postal sample survey of the health and social care sector in Cornwall, were...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to set out the Law Commission's final recommendations for the reform of adult social care, with a particular emphasis on the recommendations for a new legal framework for adult safeguarding in England and Wales. Design/methodology/approach – The paper...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of domestic abuse on the health and lives of older women. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research design was used and data were collected using in‐depth interviews with 16 older women who had experienced domestic...

Purpose – This article aims to explore the perpetrators of abuse among older women living in the community. The study examines whether differences between the perpetrators of different forms of abuse, and for different groups of older women (e.g. by income or age groups) can be detected....

Purpose – Millions of older adults in the USA are being abused, neglected, and exploited. Older victims who are abused by a spouse, partner, family member, or caregiver experience unique barriers and challenges. The Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) funds a small...

Purpose – Violence and abuse often occur within the immediate family. However, violence against older women in families is still a taboo topic and professionals who work in community health and social services are often the only persons who have access to the target group. The purpose of this...