Keeping everyone safe at the University of Salford

What is Safeguarding?

Safeguarding means protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of individuals at risk, enabling them to live safely, free from abuse and neglect. Individuals at risk may be children (anyone under 18) or adults who may be at risk of abuse, harm or exploitation.

Safeguarding works best when it focuses on prevention of harm. At the University of Salford, students can access support from a variety of sources including Counselling and Wellbeing, Disability and Learner Support and School Progress Advisers (SPAs) and Money Matters. Find out more about the support available for students.

In cases where harm cannot be prevented and has already occurred, Safeguarding is about ensuring the right action is taken to prevent further harm from taking place or to support an individual to manage the potential impact of past harm or abuse.

Abuse - definition and explanation

Abuse is a violation of a person’s human and civil rights by another. There is no exhaustive list of what may constitute abuse or exploitation.

Abuse can

• Consist of a single act or repeated acts or multiple types of harm
• Be intentional or unintentional or result from a lack of knowledge
• Be an act of neglect, an omission or a failure to act
• Cause harm temporarily or over a period of time
• Involve taking advantage of existing vulnerabilities and needs that a person has: people in need of identity, friendship or care, who are frustrated, lost or feel they don’t fit in
• Involve manipulating or ‘grooming’ someone to get benefit or advantage or to make the person do something illegal or manipulating or dehumanising emotions to see others as outsiders and non-human – justifying actions – “they deserve it”
• Occur in any relationship; or be perpetrated by anyone, individually or as part of a group or organisation
• Often constitute a crime, i.e. physical, sexual abuse, e.g. downloading or using pornographic images of children and/or storing them on computer equipment

Types of abuse

• Physical - includes hitting, slapping, pushing, misuse of medication, restraint or inappropriate physical sanctions, or otherwise causing physical harm.
• Bullying, harassment or discrimination - includes direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, religion or disability.
• Emotional - includes intimidation and threats, continuous criticism, controlling behaviour, emotional blackmail.
• Sexual - sexual abuse can include both physical and non-physical components. It can involve rape, inappropriate touching, forcing or grooming someone to take part in sexual activities or to touch or take part in sexual activities with someone else.   
• Economic or financial - includes controlling money and budgets, preventing someone from getting a job, running up debts in that person’s name.
• Institutional - maltreatment of a person brought about by poor or inadequate care or support.
• Internet/ Electronic - the use of modern communication technologies (e.g. internet, text or video messaging, e-mail, chatrooms, social media such as Snapchat or Instagram) to embarrass, humiliate, threaten, intimidate or bully an individual in an attempt to gain power and control over them or to influence towards particular views about people or society. Often closely linked with child sexual exploitation and the posting of illegal images but can be relevant generally to ‘grooming’ or drawing people towards extreme views or actions.

Examples of abuse

• Child sexual exploitation - a form of sexual abuse against children. This occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. This does not always involve physical contact; it can occur through the use of technology.
• Criminal exploitation - this occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, control, manipulate or deceive a child, young person or adult in a vulnerable situation. The victim may have been criminally exploited even if the activity appears consensual. Age is most often a factor in the imbalance of power, but other factors can also create vulnerability to exploitation including gender, cognitive ability, physical strength, tatus, and access to economic or other resources.  Criminal exploitation can involve force and/ or enticement-based methods of compliance and is often accompanied by violence or threats of violence.
• Domestic abuse or violence - an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence by a partner or ex-partner.
• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) - a procedure where a female’s genitals are deliberately cut, injured or changed without medical reason. This can include partial or total removal of external female genitalia. It is also known as ‘female circumcision’, ‘cutting’ or by local terms such as sunna, guniin, halalays, tahur, megrez, khitan and others.
• Forced marriage - a marriage where one or both parties do not consent to the marriage, with pressure or abuse being used.
• Honour based violence - a form of domestic abuse where women are often punished for bringing ‘shame’ on a family. Honour based violence can exist in any culture or community, and males can also be victims.
• Human trafficking - involves the recruitment, harbouring or transporting individuals into a situation of exploitation through the use of violence, deception or coercion and forced to work against their will. This can include forced prostitution, forced labour, forced begging, forced criminality and forced marriage.
• Modern domestic slavery - the illegal exploitation of people for private or commercial gain. Individuals are trapped in servitude, which they were deceived or coerced into, and are unable to leave.

Possible signs of abuse

• An accumulation of many changes in behaviour or appearance e.g. emotional, verbal and social behaviour as well as physical changes.
• Constantly being in receipt of new possessions which is out of character.
• Any allegation of mistreatment.
• Sudden, significant or unexplained change in behaviour.
• Inappropriate sexualised or risky behaviour.
• Concerns or injuries without an adequate explanation.
• Change in attitudes, defensive, quick to anger.
• Isolated and withdrawn or conversely forcing opinions on others.
• Non or poor attendance, change in standard of work.
• Physical and clothing changes.
• Being singled out and actively being discouraged from contact with friends and family.

Adults at risk of harm

"...a vulnerable adult, or an adult at risk, is a person over the age of 18 who is unable to take care of themselves. It can also refer to one who is unable to protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation. It is important to note that this does not necessarily mean that the adult lacks competency. To be classed as vulnerable, the adult's circumstances must be unable to be altered or improved by the adult's own individual actions without direct assistance.” -  NHS England Guide to Safeguarding

External agencies such as Social Services and charities may have their own definitions of an adult at risk.

It is important to remember that adults, including adults at risk of harm and adults in a vulnerable situation, have the right to self-determination.  This can include making decisions which others may suspect will be harmful to their interests.  It will not usually be legal to override this. The most usual exceptions would be: if they lack capacity; if the risk is immediate and serious; or if a child is being put at risk by the decision.

Adults in a vulnerable situation

When considering whether a person is vulnerable or at risk, it is relevant to consider all their circumstances.  Someone who would not otherwise be considered at risk of harm may be considered as vulnerable when all the elements of their situation are taken into consideration.  Example of relevant factors may include:

• Physical or mental disabilities.
• Language or community difficulties.
• Learning differences.
• Social isolation.
• International or refugee status.
• Health conditions, particularly those long term.
• Drug or alcohol dependence.
• Care leavers or estrangement.
• Homelessness
• Permanent or temporary reduction in physical, mental or emotional capacity, brought on by significant life events.
• Adults experiencing domestic abuse.