Everyone has the right to feel safe. It is thus a collective social responsibility to make sure that vulnerable adults are protected from abuse, exploitation and neglect. The term ‘at-risk adults’ describes vulnerable people over the age of 18 who are at risk of harm, including those who lack the most basic life skills required to look after themselves. Abuse against adults can be discriminatory, psychological, physical or sexual. This diploma course explains why a good citizen should help prevent harm to such adults.

This adult care diploma outlines the basic principles of safeguarding and emphasises that everybody, whatever their circumstance, is a human being with wants and needs. With this in mind, we identify the circumstances in which an adult can be considered ‘vulnerable’ and describe situations in which safeguarding becomes relevant. We review the UK's legislation regarding the safeguarding of at-risk adults. We go over examples of adult mistreatment to help you spot signs of abuse and examine the risk factors for elder mistreatment and neglect.

We then lay out the causes, diagnosis, symptoms, treatments and misconceptions about dementia. We identify the UK organisations and agencies responsible for safeguarding vulnerable adults and discuss the duties of welfare officers and the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This diploma course provides the training you need to detect and respond to elder abuse. We analyse the role of communication in care and study the role of disclosure management and information sharing in adult care. This diploma course suits anyone who cares for an ageing loved one or who wants to work in adult care. Sign up to acquire effective strategies for safeguarding adults from harm and make sure that you can protect the wellbeing and dignity of those in your care.