Those with care and support needs

Definition

It is important to acknowledge that some of those that we support will have additional care and or support needs. Having care and support needs can make people more vulnerable to domestic abuse. It can also make support agencies and advice harder to access. Often people will find it harder to leave abusive situations when they have care and support needs as they may feel or be being told that they cannot cope alone or that no-one else would “put up with them”.

The context of caring and dependency can also mask abuse.

Examples

Removing disability aids e.g.- walkers, visual aids and controlling access to them.
Moving things around in the house so that someone with a visual impairment or physical disability could have a trip or fall.
Not supporting someone to medical appointments so they are isolated and not receiving the support that they need.
Suggesting that someone is not capable of self care and needs care when they do not.
Over medicating someone to make them more pliable or for sex.
Those who harm being automatically informed of any personal issues for the client due to being considered “a carer”.
Saying the victim couldn’t cope without them.
Saying the victim is ‘mad’, and is ‘making it up’.
Not allowing them to go anywhere alone because they are the ‘carer’.
Speaking for the person: ‘You know you get confused/you’re not very confident/you don’t understand the issues’.
Telling them they’re a bad parent and cannot look after the children properly.
Forcing a woman to have an abortion because ‘she couldn’t cope’.
Threatening to take the children away.
Threatening to ‘tell Social Services’ – the implication being they will take the children away.
Telling the children ‘Mummy/Daddy can’t look after you’.
Deliberately misleading or confusing the person.
Withholding medication or over medicating.
Undermining you when you disclose the abuse or ask for help: ‘You can’t believe her – she’s mad’. (Women’s Aid, 2009).

Statistics

One in 12 visually impaired people in the UK is believed to be a victim or survivor of domestic abuse, meaning that 188,000 of the 2.19 million blind and partially sighted people living in this country have experience of domestic abuse.

Data shows that people with a disability are nearly three times more likely to have experienced domestic abuse than non-disabled people.

Fifty per cent of disabled women may have experienced domestic abuse (Magowan, 2004)

Disabled women are twice as likely to experience abuse as other women and are likely to encounter specific issues of power and control as well as isolation and dependence due to their disability (Hague, 2008; Mandl et al, 2014; Thiara and Hague, 2015)

Safety Advice

When considering a safety plan for the victim, we may also need to look at those they are caring for, or who care for them, who may also be considered as the perpetrator. If we are planning for a victim to leave a situation, we need to make sure that if the perpetrator has care needs themselves that they are referred to the appropriate services, or that the appropriate safeguarding services are alerted in order to meet their needs.

Immediate harm:

Contact 999 if a person who is being abused feels that they are at risk of serious harm or homicide.
If the person who is being abused needs to be removed from their home for safety please contact their local housing department to make a homeless referral or contact Our refuges – Refuge or via their national helpline: 08002000247.
If a person is considered not to have the mental capacity or ability to make safe choices, make a referral to adult safeguarding services in your area.
If children are involved and at risk, make a safeguarding referral to your local team.
If there is an imminent risk of suicide or self harm, please refer the person being abused to: First Response Service | DPT by calling 08081968708. You may also need to call 999 and ask for ambulance or police.

Ongoing:

It is important to ask what the client wants moving forwards and what they may need to achieve that.
It is important to look at any additional services that the client may want to become involved in order to support them with their additional needs.
Help and support the person being abused to document abuse that is happening to them.
Refer them to the local specialist support agencies for domestic abuse.