Abuse, Neglect, and Adult Safeguarding in the Context of Mental Health and Disability

Pritchard-Jones, Laura

Abstract

Unlike child protection, adult safeguarding has only recently developed as an area of law and practice in its own right. This is undoubtedly, at least in part, due to the emergence of national scandals involving horrendous abuse and neglect of adults with mental health, cognitive, or intellectual disabilities that have been exposed. In 2011 in the UK, for example, the undercover BBC Panorama documentary reported the widespread abuse of adults with learning disabilities at Winterbourne View, a private hospital. In light of such developments this chapter considers three particular questions; what is abuse and neglect and why does it affect people with mental health or cognitive disabilities? What legal duties and powers exist to safeguarding adults with such disabilities from abuse or neglect? And finally, how well are these legal frameworks understood and applied in practice?

Citation

Pritchard-Jones, L. (2023). Abuse, Neglect, and Adult Safeguarding in the Context of Mental Health and Disability. In Routledge Handbook of Mental Health Law. (1). Taylor & Francis (Routledge). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003226413-14

• Acceptance Date: Aug 8, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Oct 12, 2023
• Publication Date: Oct 12, 2023
• Deposit Date: Feb 6, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 13, 2027
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Edition: 1
• Book Title: Routledge Handbook of Mental Health Law
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003226413-14
• Publisher URL: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003226413-14/abuse-neglect-adult-safeguarding-context-mental-health-disability-laura-pritchard-jones