What is PAVA

PRACTITIONER ALLIANCE AGAINST ABUSE OF VULNERABLE ADULTS

Pava was formed in 1997 bj Jacki Pritchard and Mervyn Eastman who had been working with the issue of abuse of vulnerable adults for a number of years. PAVA now includes police officers, probation officers, social workers, home carers, residential home owners, managers and staff, homes inspectors, doctors, psychiatrists, nurses, speech therapists, occupational therapists, volunteers, advocacy workers, trainers and researchers

What is adult abuse?

PAVA treats as a vulnerable adult a person over 18, "who is or maybe in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is or maybe unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant or exploitation". ("No Secrets" - Department of Health).

Although there has never been a national survey in the UK, it is estimated that 5-10% of vulnerable adults suffer some sort of abuse or neglect. The abuse or neglect might be :-

- Physical (e.g. punching, kicking, hair pulling, denial of food or water)

- emotional (e.g. humiliation, intimidation, ostracism, bullying, harassment)

- financial (obtaining money by force, deceit or intimidation)

- sexual (e.g. rape or indecent assault).

What does PAVA hope to achieve?

PAVA aims to enhance protection of vulnerable adults. It promotes good practice in working with vulnerable adults to identify and respond to cases of suspected abuse and neglect. Its objectives are:-

- to increase public awareness of the problem of abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults, and of the need for a professional response to it;

- to bring together professionals working with vulnerable adults from all sectors (statutory, voluntary and independent) and all disciplines, including health, police, probation, the law, psychiatry, nursing, social work and residential and domicillary care

- to promote joint-agency working in individual cases and in the development of policy and procedure

- to encourage the development of local networks of people with commitment to and expertise in this type of work

- to provide a forum to develop positive action on practice and ethnicity issues

- to promote outcomes which are practical and attuned to the interests and wishes of the vulnerable adults concerned

- to encourage the use of the existing law to protext people at risk, as well as identify areas for possible legal reform and promote debate about these.

PAVA is very keen to work in partnership with others engaged in work with vulnerable adults. It sees its work as complementary to that of other statutory and voluntary bodies.

Mission Statement

PAVA strives through collaboration with practitioners in the statutory, vountary and private sectors to develop practice-based interventions and to generate positive outcomes in working with the abuse of vulnerable adults.

This is being achieved by developing inter-agency working, encouraging local networks, promoting problem-solving on key issues and dilemmas in practice and lobbying at both national and local government levels.