Professor Lorna Montgomery and Dr Paula Devine, School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, Queen’s University Belfast.
Public awareness is an essential component of safeguarding both adults and children from crime, yet little is known about the public’s willingness to help or their knowledge of how to act if they have concerns about adults at risk. This presentation reports on findings from the 2024 Northern Ireland Life and Times survey – an annual survey recording the attitudes, values and beliefs of adults aged 18 years or older in Northern Ireland to a wide range of social policy issues – which are relevant to Assembly deliberations on the Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill, as introduced by the Minister of Justice. It explores public attitudes toward adult safeguarding and their implications for policy and practice, giving particular consideration to the needs of vulnerable victims and witnesses.
Effective safeguarding relies significantly on the vigilance and active participation of ordinary citizens, including family members, neighbours, and community members, who are often best positioned to identify and report concerns or potential risks they encounter, or become aware of, in their daily lives. However, despite the importance of public awareness, there is relatively little known about public attitudes to the protection of adults who due to their personal characteristics or life circumstances may be at risk of harm, abuse or exploitation.
The 2024 Northern Ireland Life and Times survey asked a representative sample of 1,199 respondents aged 18 years or over about their recognition of abuse, the levels of harm they perceived in their communities and their potential responses to identifying abuse. Thus, what people think constitutes abuse or neglect; how much they think it happens; and if there is ease or unease with the balance between interference in the lives of adults and families, and protection of adults at risk.
The survey findings reveal that the public perceives substantial harm occurring to adults particularly in private homes, although significant variations exist across demographic groups. Despite a reported willingness to act, many respondents indicated they would not know what to do if they witnessed potential abuse, suggesting a significant knowledge gap. Concern about potential victimisation of those who report abuse was identified, with only moderate confidence in trusting the investigative role of Social Services and the police. Recommendations for enhancement of Safeguarding practice include the need to increase confidence in Social Services by strengthening interagency protocols and improving communication with the public about outcomes of investigations; publicise clear reporting mechanisms; and develop demographic-specific awareness-raising initiatives. All considerations of relevance to Assembly discussions about the Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill.
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