How do I report concerns about an adult at risk?

Adult safeguarding protects adults with care and support needs who are experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect. The duty sits with the local council, and the trigger is low: a concern, not proof.

What counts, and who can report

The Care Act recognises ten categories of abuse, including physical, financial, emotional, sexual and organisational abuse, as well as neglect. Financial abuse is the one families most often miss — unexplained withdrawals, a new "friend" managing money, pressure to change a will.

Anyone can raise a concern: a relative, neighbour, professional or member of the public. You do not need the person’s permission to report, and you can ask for your identity to be kept confidential or report anonymously, though that may limit what the council can tell you afterwards. Employees reporting concerns about an employer may also have whistleblowing protections.

How to report, and what follows

• Contact the council’s adult safeguarding team — most have a dedicated phone line and online form. Councils have out-of-hours emergency numbers.
• Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger, or 101 where you suspect a crime such as assault, theft or fraud. Do not wait for a care provider to investigate first.
• Give specifics: what you saw or heard, when, who was present, and any injuries, marks or financial irregularities.

Where the council has reasonable cause to suspect abuse or neglect of an adult with care and support needs, it must make section 42 enquiries — establishing what happened and what action is needed to protect the person and prevent it recurring. Care homes and home care agencies must also have their own safeguarding policies, which the CQC checks.

Two complications

If the adult has capacity and refuses help, that refusal must generally be respected — adults are entitled to make decisions others consider unwise. Practitioners should still explore the reasons, test whether capacity is genuinely present, and put risk management in place. Where the person lacks capacity and has no family or friends to represent them, an Independent Mental Capacity Advocate can be appointed.

If you are unhappy with how an enquiry was handled, use the council’s complaints procedure and then the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, which can examine whether the correct process was followed and recommend remedies.