Safeguarding People with Intellectual Disabilities From Abuse
The Personal Advocacy and Safeguarding Adults Trust, Te Kahu Haumaru (PASAT) received grants from the IHC Foundation totalling $401,410 in the years 2019-2025. These grants funded the Safeguarding Adults from Abuse (SAFA) programme, a disability abuse prevention and response service, for people with intellectual disabilities.
As a result of the grants from the IHC Foundation, when the government made funding available for SAFA programmes, PASAT were well placed to successfully submit an application to provide these services.
Oliver Harding, General Manager of PASAT, says that when submitting a tender to provide the SAFA for the government, they were able to draw on more than 5 years’ experience and show successful outcomes of their programme. Once this funding was obtained, they just had to scale up what they were already doing as they had the people and the programme in place.
People with intellectual disabilities are some of the most vulnerable people in society and make up 76% of the people assisted by PASAT’s SAFA programme. They may have difficulty understanding when they are being taken advantage of, articulating what is happening to them, or knowing who to tell about the abuse. Other groups that are assisted by the programme include people with neurodiversity, mental illness, dementia, acquired brain injury or physical disabilities.
Abuse may include physical, emotional or financial harm and may be from individuals, like carers, friends, family, or organisations like service, housing or medical providers. The SAFA programme supports people who, because of their care or support needs, are unable to remove themselves from situations of harm, abuse or neglect, or the risk of it.
An example of this is a woman with an intellectual disability whose sister had been appointed as her Welfare Guardian and Property Manager. PASAT received a referral that her sister was not acting in her best interests, that there was financial and emotional abuse, and a history of family violence. PASAT worked to explore and engage legal representation through Aotearoa Disability Law and to practice a Supported Decision-Making approach with the vulnerable woman to understand her will and preferences. This ultimately led to the challenge and dissolving of the existing legal orders with her sister. She was then supported to engage with a new support provider and reclaim safety and agency over her life, with a robust long term support structure in place.
The SAFA programme supports both the disabled person and their communities, loved ones, and whanau that benefit from the service when they are at a loss of what to do to protect the person they are concerned about. The programme uses a multi-agency approach to find positive outcomes.
Another referral of concern was received for an adult man with intellectual disabilities in a supported independent living arrangement who was threatening and sending abusive messages to his support staff and his mother. This was jeapordising both his supported living situation and his relationships with family. PASAT set up Safeguarding Adults Response Group with his family, support provider and the Police. Coordinated safety and de-escalation plans were put in place. PASAT also worked with the man to identify and resolve the frustrations that had resulted in this behaviour and provide mediation to repair the relationships. The case was closed with a successful resolution and stable supports in place.