Forms of abuse include (as defined in the Care Act 2014):

• Physical abuse – includes hitting, slapping, pushing, kicking, misuse of medication, restraint, or inappropriate sanctions.
• Domestic violence – includes psychological, physical, sexual, financial, emotional abuse and honour-based violence.
• Sexual abuse – includes rape and sexual assault or sexual acts to which the adult at risk has not consented or is incapable of giving informed consent or was pressured into consenting. This may involve contact or non-contact abuse (e.g. touch, masturbation, being photographed, teasing, and inappropriate touching).
• Psychological abuse – includes emotional abuse, threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, isolation or withdrawal from services or supportive networks.
• Financial or material abuse – includes theft, fraud, exploitation, pressure in connection with wills, property or inheritance or financial transactions, or the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits.
• Discriminatory abuse – includes racist, sexist, based on a person's disability, culture and other forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment.
• Organisational abuse – (previously known as institutional abuse) may take the form of isolated incidents of poor practice at one end of the spectrum through to pervasive ill-treatment or gross misconduct at the other. It can occur when an institution's routines, systems, communications and norms compel individuals to sacrifice their preferred lifestyle and cultural diversity to the needs of that institution. Repeated instances of poor care may be an indication of more severe problems.
• Neglect and acts of omission – including ignoring medical or physical care needs, failure to provide access to appropriate health, social care or educational services, and withholding necessities of life, such as medication, adequate nutrition and heating.
• Self-neglect – covers a wide range of behaviour neglecting to care for one's hygiene, health or surroundings and includes behaviour such as hoarding.

Any of these forms of abuse can be either deliberate or the result of ignorance or lack of training, knowledge or understanding. Often if a person is being abused in one way, they are also being abused in other ways.

Modern Slavery includes slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude. Traffickers and enslavers use whatever means they have to coerce, deceive and force individuals into a life of abuse, servitude and inhumane treatment. 

Click here for Nottingham City Councils' Modern Slavery Statement.

If you are a health professional such as a GP or a carer, you must report any instance where you observe someone being abused, suspect someone is being abused or when someone tells you they are being abused.

Remember that there are many different types of abuse.

If you have observed abuse by an individual or an institution, other people may be also affected.