Fraud, theft, abuse and neglect reaches epidemic levels
Older people are being targeted more than ever before in new statistics and data revealed by Hourglass at the start of Safer Ageing Week (11/11/24).
The charity, the only one of its kind in the UK, reports that calls to its helpline are up 65% year-on-year and this has led to over 75,000 calls, contacts and impacts involving older people, their families and professionals.
This is an all-time record for the thirty-year-old charity.
As part of a new campaign, entitled Take Note, the charity is urging the general public and influencers to finally grasp the nettle about the abuse of older people and treat it in the same manner as other forms of abuse.
This comes off the back of recent staggering data that revealed over £53m has been reported as losses relating to economic abuse in the past three years – an average of £87k per case (5,127 cases). These figures, which come from Hourglass cases alone, are likely to be a significant underestimate.
Hourglass, who uniquely support older victim-survivors of abuse and neglect, employ just thirty members of staff to deal with cases, calls and research. However, the charity has seen figures jump from around 10,000 in 2020/21 to the new high of 75,000 in 2023/24.
Commenting on the figures, Richard Robinson CEO of Hourglass, said: “There is no question we are facing an epidemic of abuse of older people in the UK but it remains firmly under the radar.
“We estimate that abuse of older people costs the UK economy £16 billion per year, excluding economic abuse, and this equates to a figure of £50k per victim-survivor per year.
“Safer Ageing Week 2024 is a rare opportunity to shine a light on these issues and sound the alarm bell.
We are sleepwalking into a scenario where we are expecting more than nine million extra older people in the UK by 2050, equivalent to another city with the population of London, but with little pre-planning around safer ageing, abuse services and specialist safeguarding.
“We are already at epidemic levels – without urgent work, we are looking at a tidal wave of issues.”
State of Care report reveals a social care catastrophe, with thousands of older people being put at risk of abuse and neglect
Hourglass, the only UK-wide charity dedicated to calling time on the abuse, harm and exploitation of older people, is raising concerns of a social care catastrophe following the release of the CQC’s State of Care report.
The report reveals a shocking level of discontent among care staff in the UK due to inadequate training, high staff turnover and vacancy rates. The report reveals that by the end of 2023/24 over a quarter of staff in care homes have left their roles, with vacancy rates three times higher than the wider economy.
A GMB Union survey shows that 70% of social care workers say understaffing is negatively affecting their mental health in addition to increasing rates of care workers neglecting themselves.
The charity warns that this level of dissatisfaction among care staff is a huge risk factor for the abuse and neglect of older people and raises deep concerns over the future of the care sector.
Hourglass also warns of troubling reports from the CQC regarding a lack of understanding of older people with dementia. Ineffective support, poor training and a lack of specialist care results in increased risk of abuse.
The report notes from an anonymous source that:
“The people treating him didn’t know how to communicate and shouted at him about causing distress. I intervened on several occasions. We were left for long periods of time with no explanations.”
With an extra nine million older people, a population the size of London, set to populate the UK by 2050, Hourglass is calling on the UK government to prioritise reform of the social care sector to protect this ageing population from abuse, neglect and exploitation.
The charity is encouraging everyone to support their Older Age, Tomorrow’s Hope campaign, which calls on the general public, third sector leaders, care professionals and businesses to sign up and support a Safer Ageing Society by 2050.
The charity is urging those keen to support the charity to donate by visiting www.wearehourglass.org.uk/donate or Text SAFER to 70460 to donate £10.
Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS.
If you’d like to give £10 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text SAFERNOINFO to 70460.
Last year, the NSPCC’s Helpline made over 230 referrals to a local agency or service in Scotland where concerns about a child being left home alone or unsupervised was mentioned.
This summer holiday, the NSPCC is signposting parents and carers to advice on the charity’s website around leaving children home alone.
The NSPCC Helpline has made twice as many referrals in the last year to local authorities in Scotland about children being left home alone or unsupervised.
Between April 2023 and March 2024, the service, which provides help and advice for adults with concerns about the wellbeing of a child, sent 238 referrals to local authorities in Scotland following contacts about the issue. This is compared to 110 referrals during the previous 12 months.
Last year, the Helpline received 7,802 contacts about the subject from adults from across the UK, compared to 4,717 contacts between 2022 to 2023.
The increase in the number of contacts on this issue to the Helpline and the referrals made could be due to a number of factors, including a recent NSPCC Helpline marketing campaign, increased service capacity and greater public awareness about the risks of leaving children home alone.
More than half of these contacts (51%) on children being left home alone were deemed serious enough for the NSPCC Helpline to make a referral to a local agency or service with a view to further action being taken.
With schools in Scotland currently closed for the summer holiday, many adults might feel unsure about whether their child is ready to be left unsupervised or have concerns about another child being left alone.
For many parents, July and August can be particularly difficult as they are forced to balance the competing pressures of work and childcare. These challenges are likely to be even more acute this year as the cost-of-living crisis continues, forcing some parents and carers to work increased hours or take part-time jobs.
One adult contacted the Helpline with a concern about their neighbour, saying: “It’s two little girls I’m worried about, they must be about four and six; they’re left home alone quite a lot and that means they’re unsupervised with the family’s dogs.
“I’ve knocked a few times to see if they’re ok and they always say, ‘daddy will be back soon’ but it’s usually hours later when one of the parents comes back.”
There is no legal age limit for leaving children home alone, but the NSPCC would not recommend leaving any child under the age of 12 at home unsupervised, especially for extended periods of time.
A child who expresses concern about being left alone should never be without a parent or carer and for those young people who do feel comfortable, it is vital they are left with contact numbers for a parent, carer or trusted adult. Long periods of being unsupervised can lead to children feeling afraid or neglected.
One young person aged 14 told Childline: “I’m sick of being left on my own, mum expects me to just look after myself.
“There isn’t always food I can cook, I can’t go and see my friends or do anything fun, but she can.”
Should leaving a child alone be the only option for an adult, then the NSPCC’s website has tips for parents to help ensure the young person feels safe, as well as a quiz to assess if a child is ready to be left unsupervised.
Kam Thandi, Head of the NSPCC’s Helpline said: “It can be hard for parents and carers to know the right age to leave their child home alone as every child is different, and the first time being left unsupervised will differ for every family.
“It is vital that both the child and adult feel comfortable with any decision that is taken, and that if a young person is to be left home alone, they know how to contact a trusted adult and what to do in an emergency.
“For anyone who may need advice or is concerned about a child who might be at risk, our Helpline service can support you and the NSPCC website has a range of tips.”
New survey findings also show more than two in five parents in Scotland have experienced difficulties as a parent they found hard to manage alone.
The NSPCC is releasing this data as it aims to inspire a million people to take actions that keep children safe through its Listen up, Speak up campaign.
Workshops being offered to groups and organisations across Scotland to help public understand some signs a child might be at risk and the steps to take.
As a quarter of adults (26%) in Scotland say they have had concerns a child may be experiencing abuse or neglect, the NSPCC offers workshops to help people take action.
The YouGov survey of 3,999 adults across the UK, including 344 in Scotland, also revealed that one in five UK adults who have had a concern did not take action.
Survey results show that the main barriers that prevented people from acting are being unsure about if what was happening was abuse, being worried about making things worse and not being able to prove it.
The children’s charity is releasing this data to show why its new campaign is needed. Listen up, Speak up – through workshops and online training – aims to inspire adults across the UK to play their part in keeping children safe, by taking action to support children and families.
That might mean stepping in to help juggle childcare, providing a listening ear to a struggling teen, or calling the NSPCC Helpline if they think a child is at risk.
The NSPCC recognises that parenting can be challenging, and the new poll also found that of the 175 parents in Scotland surveyed:
More than two in five (47%) said they have experienced difficulties as a parent that they found hard to manage alone.
One in four (25%) said the fear of being judged would stop them seeking help.
Almost three out of five (59%) said that if someone offered support they had not asked for, they would be glad someone had stepped in (18%) or be reassured to feel someone was on their side (41%).
The Listen up, Speak up workshops, which are led by the NSPCC and being offered to schools, businesses, organisations and community groups, advise participants on some of the signs that a child might be at risk, how to approach difficult conversations and who to contact if they are concerned about a child or their family.
The workshops are being offered face-to-face and online and people can also complete a 10-minute digital training session.
Carla Malseed, Local Campaigns Manager for Scotland, said: “We believe that everyone can play a part in keeping children safe, if armed with the knowledge of what to do when concerned a child is at risk.
“This can range from practically supporting a family, being a listening ear or letting someone know about your concerns, such as a parent, a child protection lead for a sports club, or even contacting the NSPCC Helpline.
“In our Listen up, Speak up workshops, we run through different scenarios, talk about the things that stop people raising concerns and give some advice about broaching these conversations, which can be difficult.
“We are really keen to reach as many people as possible through our workshops and would love to hear from any community groups, businesses or organisations that would like to host one.”
The advice is based on the mnemonic DOTS which is designed to address the barriers to people acting on concerns.
DOTS stands for:
Don’t ignore it
Observe the situation
Think: If not you, then who?
Speak up.
Workshops are already set to take place across Scotland in the coming weeks, including several at Sanctuary Housing sites in Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen. Sessions are also set to take place at Montrose Playhouse, House of Bruar, Bike for Good in Glasgow and more.
A series of follow-up emails to the online training will share more advice on how to listen to and support children and families and will introduce some helpful services and resources.
That includes advice on everyday challenges that families may be facing such as bonding with their baby, parental mental health and keeping their children safe online.
So far, more than 25,000 people have signed up to Listen up, Speak up digital training. The charity is striving to reach one million people and organisations across the UK over the next 10 years, inspiring them to take actions in their community.
NSPCC’s CEO, Sir Peter Wanless, said: “All of us come across children in our daily lives, be this in our neighbourhoods, at our places of work, on our commute or at the supermarket.
“At the NSPCC we understand it can be hard to know what to do in a situation where you have a niggling concern about a child’s wellbeing.
“Findings from our survey show 73% of UK adults agree that there is a lack of training on what individuals can do to prevent child abuse and neglect, which is where our Listen up, Speak up programme can help.
“In just 10 minutes, you can equip yourself with a little bit of knowledge, which can go a long way in helping to keep children and young people safe.”
Motorists have been warned that the risk to life because of potholes is now severe, as new figures reveal UK roads are in the worst condition in years.
Road safety experts at Road Angel are urging councils to fork out and repair potholes or they say road users will lose their lives.
Local authorities paid out over £32 million in compensation for 5,596 personal injury claims due to potholes between 2017 and 2021, according to a freedom of information request.
Pothole-related breakdowns hit a five-year high in July this year, with 50,079 callouts to vehicles stranded with faults caused by potholes, an increase of nearly one-fifth from 41,790 in July 2022.
With fewer potholes being repaired in the last financial year than any other in the past decade, there is concern that thousands more will be injured, and killed, as a direct result of badly kept roads.
A wet summer has meant that UK roads are in a worse condition than expected as water causes greater damage and repairs are harder to carry out.
If left, potholes grow in size as traffic wears away the edges leaving greater numbers of larger holes that will cause serious damage if driven through.
Motoring organisations are reporting that these larger potholes fill up with water in the wet so are harder for motorists to spot.
Drivers run the risk of losing control of their car when they drive over potholes, especially if they don’t spot them and are moving at speed.
Potholes can cause extensive damage to a car’s tyres which can affect steering alignment, and can also cause wheels to burst, pop or deflate while driving which could send the vehicle out of control.
They can also cause suspension to become misaligned leading to tyres being at the wrong angle which can also lead to a loss of control.
Over 29,000 people were killed or seriously injured on UK roads last year and 11% of crashes were caused by a loss of control.
Gary Digva, founder of Road Angel, is now pleading with local authorities to assess the risk to life if the pothole problem in the UK is not repaired.
He said: “It is shocking to see that the pothole plague in the UK is not being taken seriously by local councils given how many people are injured because of them.
“With fewer potholes being repaired than in the last decade, it is only a matter of time before we start seeing an increase in accidents, injuries and fatalities unless something changes.
“Potholes are incredibly dangerous for motorists as they can cause them to lose control, especially if they cause damage to the tyres of suspension, or swerve out of the way to prevent damage.
“Almost 30,000 people were killed or seriously injured on UK roads last year, and we fear these numbers could increase with the current state of the roads.
“Potholes not only pose a threat to motorists, but they are also dangerous for cyclists because the uneven surfaces can cause the bike to lose control, leading to accidents and serious injuries.
“Pedestrians could also get caught in the crossfire of out-of-control vehicles, putting them at serious risk of harm if walking along a busy road.
“To make matters worse, we have had an unusually wet summer this year which makes potholes harder for road users to see, meaning more people are at risk of hitting potholes and losing control.
“The best advice to motorists while the roads are in this substandard condition is to drive with caution at all times and reduce speeds when approaching a pothole.
“Motorists concerned for their safety after hitting a pothole should ensure they go to a qualified mechanic to check the vehicle for any damage.
“It is also worth noting that to make a claim in the event of injury or car damage from a pothole, evidence must be collected to show it was caused by the council’s negligence.
“This is a tough process, but can be done using witness statements, photo or video evidence and medical records, so while the roads are neglected by the councils it may be worth investing in a dashcam to capture pothole proof.”
This afternoon Muirhouse Living Rent members will be highlighting Edinburgh council’s home repairs failures in chalk outside Pennywell Road shops before hand delivering their demands regarding the repairs process within Edinburgh Council properties to council buildings on West Pilton Gardens
This action comes after repeated instances of residents’ repairs’ needs being ignored, delayed or delivered to a poor standard and seeks to call Edinburgh council’s attention to the wider repairs system
Tenants demand that Edinburgh city council introduce measure to improve delays, satisfaction and communication regarding repairs
Today, from 1pm – 3.30pm, Living Rent members from Muirhouse will gather to protest the failure of Edinburgh City Council to provide an adequate standard of repairs to council properties in the area.
Members’ will write a wall of complaints in chalk complying with social distancing measures to bring the council’s attention to the significant delays, lack of communication, and poor quality repairs across these properties which have left many residents living with long-term mould, damp, drafts, and leaks.
Information received from a Freedom of Information request shows that despite there being less than 5,000 council properties in the North West locality of the city, to date there are 1,390 uncompleted repairs jobs.
Residents also learned that in the last year alone, the council received over 2,815 repairs complaints relating to heating systems and 1,472 relating to plumbing works with the average time taken for a repair to be completed being 35 days – this is despite a 2019 Edinburgh council report revealing that 90% of homes in Muirhouse required repairs [1].
Ongoing issues with severe damp, mould, and leaks in Muirhouse residents’ homes is contributing to respiratory health problems with one resident being told by her doctor that her mould-ridden property was no longer safe for her and her child to live in.
Edinburgh council advice to residents suffering with extreme mould and damp is to ventilate and heat the property, but owing to the structural insulation problems across many of the blocks, heating the properties sufficiently is a costly process.
Some families across the blocks estimate their winter heating costs to be as high as £50/week – adding to problems of fuel poverty in an area where one in three children live in poverty [2].
Amidst a global pandemic, accessing secure, safe and quality housing is more important than ever, and residents fear that the upcoming winter will exacerbate the consequences of unaddressed repairs issues.
Following the chalk wall of shame on Pennywell Road, tenants will proceed to march down to the West Pilton Gardens Council offices where they plan to deliver their letter of demands by hand.
These demands include:
– A new system by which tenants must sign-off on all repairs jobs prior to the council closing the case – Tenants to be given ‘repairs process’ satisfaction forms after the completion of each repair – Having a named council employee who works in the repairs department who is designated to be responsible for all repairs cases across Muirhouse – Tenants to be given a deadline for any second repairs visits within 24 hours of the first visit by a tradesperson or council worker – Tenants request Edinburgh council provide a reasonable timescale within which all repairs should be resolved
Muirhouse tenant and Living Rent member, Shafiq, said: “I have been waiting for over nine months for a leak repair. My home is permanently damp and causing respiratory problems during a pandemic – and I’m not even living in the worst flat in my building!”
Another Muirhouse-based Living Rent member highlighted that “this type of behaviour by Edinburgh council shows the need for an in depth review of their system which is clearly failing tenants in the middle of a pandemic, when access to warm, secure and quality housing is crucial to health”.
Recorded child cruelty and neglect offences in Scotland rose by more than a quarter in the last year, the NSPCC reports. There were 818 child cruelty and neglect offences recorded in Scotland in 2018/19 and 640 recorded in 2017/18 – a 28 per cent increase.Continue reading Sharp rise in child cruelty and neglect crimes in last year
