To ask the Minister of Health to detail any steps his Department is taking to raise public awareness of the different forms of abuse that older people can experience, such as financial, physical, emotional and neglect.

My Department is developing an Adult Protection Bill which will introduce additional protections to strengthen and underpin the adult protection process. The Adult Protection Bill will see the introduction of a number of duties and powers to assist in inquiries and the protection of all adults at risk from harm, including those experiencing financial abuse. The Adult Protection Bill will also see the introduction of new offences regarding ill-treatment and neglect.

Furthermore, questions on the issue of safeguarding are being developed for the Health Survey and have already appeared in the Northern Ireland Life and Times survey, which will help raise awareness and gauge public opinion.

The new Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy 2024-2031 was formally launched on 25th September. The Strategy recognises that anyone can be a victim of domestic and/or sexual abuse regardless of their age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or background.

The Strategy also recognises that while anyone can experience domestic and/or sexual abuse, some people may be more at risk or may face additional barriers in accessing services and will therefore require specialist support and intervention. For example, older people face a number of additional barriers to seeking support including generational views about faith, loyalty, shame and guilt. In some cases, they may find it difficult to report if the person is abusing them is also their carer or they are financially dependent on them.

The Strategy acknowledges the importance of identifying and responding to the intersectional needs of victims, to both prevent abuse from happening and to provide appropriate support in the event that it does occur.

Health and Social Care staff are provided with training to identify and respond effectively to domestic abuse. Staff are supported to consider and discuss the contexts in which domestic abuse can manifest, dispel myths about where domestic abuse can occur and who can experience domestic abuse. This will include acknowledgement of the safety strategies and resilience that older victims develop over time, increasing physical and social dependencies of both the victim and the alleged perpetrator, family and social perception/support or lack of and isolation. Training supports staff to be aware and recognise those potentially more vulnerable groups of people that could be at higher risk of abuse, such as those with reduced mental or physical capacity.

The Department of Health fund the 24 Hour Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline jointly with the Department for Communities and the Department of Justice. The Helpline designed and executed a comprehensive digital and offline campaign targeting individuals aged 55+ who may be experiencing abusive relationships. The campaign, which ran from 17th June to 18th August 2024, involved a combination of bus and radio advertisements, social media ads, and a press release, all implemented with joint branding between the DSA Helpline and Hourglass. Results from the campaign have been promising and continue to be monitored. In addition, the Helpline have included a new page on their website entitled ‘What is Elder Abuse?’ which in Quarter 2 of 2024/25 was the most accessed page of the website.

The five Health and Social Care Trusts (HSCTs) have Local Adult Safeguarding Partnerships (LASPs) that have held events to promote adult safeguarding awareness campaigns. They also support LASP partners who are on their respective groups who promote events or specific campaigns that target, financial, sexual or physical abuse. The HSCTs also ensure that any campaigns lead by DoJ colleagues are shared with key stakeholders and partners who are involved in Adult Safeguarding. The Adult Safeguarding Team, within SPPG, will be asking the x5 LASPs in the HSCTs this year to hold specific events promoting ASG awareness raising in each Trust area.

The Adult Protection Gateway Team in South Eastern Trust (SE Trust) are working in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society and their Local Engagement Partners to target people living with Dementia and they can make their Adult Protection processes more relevant to them if they are the victim of abuse. The SE Trust is also working on a directory of services to help tackle loneliness amongst all service users, including older people. A video relating to adult safeguarding awareness generally and how to report concerns has been shared with each staff member in the SE Trust as well as the SE Trust commissioned services/providers, councils, etc. to share with their staff. The SE Trust have also developed a training module on Challenging Poor Practice which will be rolled out this year to all social care staff in SET and to Nursing and Midwifery staff.