Where to get help?
Reporting to the police
Abuse is often a crime. If you need urgent help or a crime has been committed you should contact the police.
If it an emergency you should call
It is an emergency if:
- someone is in immediate danger or need of medical attention,
- a serious crime is in the process of being committed e.g. theft / rape / serious physical assault or
- a serious crime has just been committed or the perpetrator is still nearby or others are at immediate risk of harm
Otherwise you should call the Thames Valley Police non-emergency number: 101.
Reporting to social services
Oxfordshire County Council has procedures for looking into cases of adult abuse. Social services work together with other agencies, for example, the police, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Trading Standards to protect people who have been or are being abused.
You can contact Oxfordshire County Council's Social and Health Care Team by ringing 0845 0507 666, or you can email: socialandhealthcare@oxfordshire.gov.uk
What will happen?
Someone will try to talk to the person about what has happened and find out about what they want to happen. The first priority will be to try to ensure that they are safe.
If you do contact Oxfordshire County Council please be prepared to give your name and contact details, as they may need to talk to you again. Social services will need information about the person you are worried about such as their name and address and why you are worried.
Social services will try and keep your details confidential if you ask them to do so. However, this is not always possible. They may have to pass on your details to other organisations, such as the police, or it may become obvious to others who you are.
If you’re worried about talking to social services there may be other organisations that you can talk to first and may be able to help.
