Everyone has the right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect.
Abuse is when someone hurts you, frightens you or treats you badly. Neglect is when someone deprives you of basic needs or medical care.
Abuse and neglect can happen anywhere. For example, it can happen in your home, work, nursing home, hospital or in a public place.
Adults at higher risk of abuse
You might be at higher risk of abuse at a certain point in your life. This can be more common if you have a disability or when you are older. But it's usually to do with other things, not only your disability or your age.
You're more at risk of abuse at home if:
- you're isolated and do not have much contact with friends, family or neighbours
- if you have memory problems or difficulty communicating
- you become dependent on your carer or someone else
- your carer or someone you rely on is addicted to drugs or alcohol
- your carer or someone you rely on, relies on you for a home, or financial or emotional support
Who to contact about adult abuse
If you or someone you know is being treated badly we can help you.
But you can also ask for support independent of the HSE.
Emergency action required: Contact 112 or 999 if:
- you or someone you know is at immediate risk of harm
Types of abuse
There are different types of abuse. Some are more obvious than others.
Ways to raise a concern about adult abuse
When you tell us about abuse or neglect of an adult we call this raising a safeguarding concern. Sometimes it is known as reporting a concern of adult abuse.
There are 2 main ways to raise a concern about adult abuse.
It depends on whether the abuse is:
- in a HSE or HSE-funded service
- somewhere else
Abuse in a HSE or HSE-funded service
If abuse happens in a HSE-run or HSE-funded service, ask to talk to a manager.
If it is in an older persons or disability service, you can also ask to talk to the ‘designated officer’.
They can look into your concern and give you advice or support.
Abuse at home or somewhere else
Abuse can happen anywhere. The person treating you badly could be a family member, friend, neighbour, or someone who gives you care.
Use our online form to tell us about adult abuse so we can look into it.
If you need advice, you can talk to your local safeguarding and protection team.
Information that will help us
If you have a concern about adult abuse, give us as much information as you can. But if you do not know all the details, do not worry, tell us what you know.
What happens after you raise a concern
When someone raises a concern about adult abuse we:
- look into every concern of abuse we receive
- listen to you and make sure you feel okay with talking to us
- find out what you would like to see happen after telling us
- work with you to help keep you safe from abuse
If a crime is taking place, we'll contact the Gardaí.
Safeguarding and protection teams
Dublin North, Dublin North Central, Dublin North West
Phone: 01 795 9528
Email: safeguarding.cho9@hse.ie
Laois, Offaly, Longford, Westmeath, Louth and Meath
Phone: 01 691 4632
Email: safeguarding.cho8@hse.ie
Kildare, West Wicklow, Dublin West, Dublin South City, Dublin South West
Phone: 045 920 410
Email: safeguarding.cho7@hse.ie
Wicklow, Dun Laoghaire and Dublin South East
Phone: 01 216 4511
Email: safeguarding.cho6@hse.ie
South Tipperary, Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford
Phone: 0818 101 101
Email: safeguarding.cho5@hse.ie
Kerry and Cork
Phone: 021 492 7550
Email: safeguarding.cho4@hse.ie
Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary
Phone: 067 464 70
Email: safeguarding.cho3@hse.ie
Galway, Roscommon and Mayo
Phone: 091 748 432
Email: safeguarding.cho2@hse.ie
Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan
Phone: 071 983 4660
Email: safeguarding.cho1@hse.ie
Asking someone else to raise a concern for you
If you want to, you can tell someone else and ask them to raise a concern for you.
Talk to:
- someone you know and trust
- a healthcare professional such as a public health nurse, physiotherapist or GP
- someone independent of the HSE
If you have a concern about the abuse of someone else
You can raise a concern about the abuse of someone else even if:
- you do not know the person
- you're not sure if they are being abused
If you are talking to them about it ask them:
- what their wishes are
- if they want family, a friend or someone else who supports them to know about it
Getting independent support to raise a concern
You can ask for help independent of the HSE if you need it.
These include supports for:
- older adults and adults with a disability from the Office of the Confidential Recipient
- adults with disabilities from the National Advocacy Service
- older people from Sage Advocacy
Help for other concerns
You may have a concern we cannot help with. This may be because it is not a concern about an adult at risk of abuse. But there are other supports available.
If you need to, you can: