THE number of adults being referred to adult protection services has risen dramatically over the last four years.

Since the 2014/15 financial year there has been a 56 percent increase in the number of Borderers who are suspected of being at risk of harm, with the majority of cases dealing with financial exploitation and physical harm.

People are referred to Scottish Borders Council’s adult protection unit when it is believed a person is at risk of physical, emotional, or financial harm, and referrals can be made to the local authority by family members, friends or professionals.

Last year, there were 500 reports to the unit by external agencies, but only around half of these were deemed to be adult protection referrals.

In 2014/15 there were 169 such referrals, and in 2017/18 there were 265, following a year on year increase.

A report, due to be presented to Scottish Borders Council on Thursday 28 March, reads: “The majority of harm occurs in an adults own home, usually by someone known to them.

“The second highest setting of harm comes from private care homes. Adults in care homes are a particularly vulnerable group of people and these include adults with dementia and adults who may be physically frail or who have a nursing need through illness.

“The range of harm in care homes varies and does not always involve allegations against paid care staff.

“Sometimes a resident will have an incident with another resident; dementia can lead to changes in personality and in some service users challenging behaviours.

“How client groups are mixed and managed takes a skilled staff team. There continues to be ongoing training into care homes around dementia, care home standards and adult protection.

“All concerns in care homes are reviewed, but any themes or patterns which arise are overseen by a link social worker from the community care review team and care home performance is monitored by a care home quality group and the regulatory Care Inspectorate.”

The most prominent age range for individuals referred to the service is 40-64, with 26 percent of all referrals originating from this age bracket, whereas 16% of referrals are about individuals aged 85 or over.

The report continues: “The age range 25-64 tends to fluctuate when it comes to victims of harm. The learning disability and mental health service users are particularly vulnerable to harm through perceived friends or through associations with adults who become harmers.

“Financial and material harm can often occur through opportunity or deliberate targeting of adults in the 25-64 age range.

“This year in particular has seen a rise in adults in the 25-64 age range being targeted, befriended and harmed by harmers with alcohol or drug addiction.”