The Lambeth Safeguarding Adults Board (LSAB) acknowledges as part of its strategic plan that there is a distinct lack of data being collected about the sexuality and gender orientation of its service users. This is reflected in the findings of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Safeguarding Adults Review (SARs) Analysis – Out of 289 Safeguarding Adults Reviews undertaken between 2017-19, only 6 (2.1%) of the individuals concerned were recorded as being LGBTQI+. Admittedly only 13 were positively recorded as heterosexual.
This is indicative of heteronormativity, where heterosexuality is assumed, and a person’s LGBT status is seen as trivial or insignificant. We know that this is not true, however. A similar phenomenon is seen with the recording of religion, and again this prevents the achievement of best outcomes – without more comprehensive data, LSAB is unable to interpret, predict and react to trends. This is connected to our strategic aim of Making Safeguarding Personal, which puts the focus on those at risk rather than on strict adherence to policies and procedures. As part of our strategic aims, we want to improve the collection of equalities data so that we can better respond to the needs of service users.
The findings of SAR Martin reflect these concerns. A 2011 report on the later life of LGB people from Stonewall shows that 35% of Gay and Bisexual men over 55 drink either “everyday” or “five or six days a week” compared to 25% for heterosexuals. The same report tells us that Gay and Bisexual men over 55 are more likely to live alone and more likely to have had a discriminatory experience with the Police (25%) and GPs (11%, more than a third having occurred in the past 5 years). Paradoxically, elderly LGB people are nearly twice as likely to expect to rely on external services if they were to fall ill compared to their heterosexual counterparts. These findings are compounded by an ICL report.
Where to seek help
Concerns that an adult with care and support needs is experiencing abuse or neglect (including self-neglect) can be reported to Lambeth Adult Social Care via the online reporting form.
If you are worried and not sure who to talk to, there are also a range of different support services available via Galop.
