‘We're doing it already …’: adult protection in mental health services

Abstract

This paper explores the implementation of generic adult protection policies in mental health services, both in terms of conceptual issues about the nature and thresholds of abuse which are identified and/or tolerated within different settings, and in relation to existing structures for working on risk assessment, such as the Care Programme Approach and Supervised Discharge. The paper asks if resistance from mental health workers to new adult protection procedures reflects a reality that they have 'been doing it already' or whether there is a deeper resistance to acknowledgement of abuse issues in the lives of service users, and to the burden which such knowledge places on workers who are already stretched to the limit.

Zero tolerance of abuse of people with intellectual disabilities: implications for nursing

“…Asserting that ‘It doesn't happen here’ (Churchill 1998) may absolve the nurse from considering that it certainly can happen, and maybe currently is happening, and that their professional duty is to take action. In fact, it would be wholly unethical not to fulfil professional responsibilities (Brown & Keating 1998).…”

Problems with the Term and Concept of 'Abuse': Critical Reflections on the Scottish Adult Support and Protection Study

“…Bound up with the concept of "abuse" are ideas about "vulnerability" and/or of a power imbalance between the victim and the perpetrator. This means that many definitions of "abuse" refer not only to types of action but to types of relationship: for instance, certain actions by a man towards his female partner (Scottish Executive, 2003), or by a therapist towards a patient (Brown & Keating, 1998).…”

“Keeping Control”: A user‐led exploratory study of mental health service user experiences of targeted violence and abuse in the context of adult safeguarding in England

“…The situation for people with mental health problems as a group of disabled people who experience targeted violence and abuse is a complex one and underexplored in the context of adult safeguarding. Existing mental health adult safeguarding research has focused on financial and sexual abuse and on capacity to consent (Brown & Keating, ). Achieving effective safeguarding for adults with mental health problems has been characterised by differential attitudes to and understandings of abuse by health and social care agencies, as well as systemic issues arising from multi‐agency working (Brown & Keating, ; Fannernan, Kingston, & Bradley, ).…”

“…Existing mental health adult safeguarding research has focused on financial and sexual abuse and on capacity to consent (Brown & Keating, ). Achieving effective safeguarding for adults with mental health problems has been characterised by differential attitudes to and understandings of abuse by health and social care agencies, as well as systemic issues arising from multi‐agency working (Brown & Keating, ; Fannernan, Kingston, & Bradley, ). People with mental health problems may not feel that adult safeguarding or the protections against disability hate crime apply to them (Clement, Brohan, Sayce, Pool, & Thornicroft, ).…”