What is a vulnerable adult?

Whenever safeguarding is mentioned, rightly or wrongly my mind thinks of child abuse of the terrible account of Victoria Climbie, aged eight, who died in 2000 with 128 separate injuries. The pathologist who undertook the post mortem said it was ‘the worst case of deliberate harm to a child’ he had ever seen. Another case is the ‘Baby P’ tragedy in August 2007 bringing horror to the news again. This 17-month-old boy was found dead in his cot with injuries that included a broken spine.¹ Since the tragedies of ‘Baby P’ and Victoria Climbie, safeguarding has been highly publicised and lessons needed to be learned. As dental professionals ‘safeguarding vulnerable children and young adults’ and ‘safeguarding vulnerable adults’ has become recommended CPD. The GDC says; 8.5.2~‘You must find out about local procedures for the protection of children and vulnerable adults. You must follow these procedures if you suspect that a child or vulnerable adult might be at risk because of abuse or neglect.’ As you would expect, following both these cases, there were inquiries. After the very sad death of Victoria, an inquiry was chaired by Lord Laming. The findings are easily accessible at www.gov.uk but, be warned, it is a heart-breaking read, its content is the stuff of nightmares, not for break-time. Similarly, the key findings of the report into Baby P's death highlighted how we need to do more. Lord Laming said: ‘There has been a reduction in child protection posts in police forces since the ‘initial response’ to Victoria Climbie.’² These cases covered the front pages but children are not the only vulnerable group in society. There are adults who are equally vulnerable. The reason I address these cases, although they concern children, is the important role we have in our profession regarding safeguarding. Whether the dentist, nurse, hygienist or therapist, we all have to be aware of the signs and know what action to take.