Sexual Abuse: Supporting Disclosure and Building Safer Cultures
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Blog 5 of 6 in our mini-series on Understanding Types of Abuse in Social Care
Scroll down to the end of this post to explore the full series and catch up on previous blogs.
Sexual abuse is often underreported in care settings — and under-acknowledged in tenders. Fear, shame, communication barriers, and staff dynamics can all make it hard for people to disclose what’s happened. That makes organisational culture vital. When drafting tenders, working with a domiciliary care bid writer ensures safeguarding evidence isn’t generic, but reflects the proactive measures commissioners want to see around disclosure and protection.
🚫 Understanding the Risk
- It’s not always staff — other residents, family members, or visitors can be perpetrators
- People with communication difficulties or learning disabilities are often specifically targeted
- Signs can include sudden behavioural changes, withdrawal, fearfulness, or self-harm
Commissioners are increasingly asking how providers adapt safeguarding approaches for people with non-verbal communication or cognitive impairment. That means clear, person-centred processes need to be visible in your bids.
🗣️ Creating Space to Speak Up
Good providers show commissioners how they create a culture where disclosure is possible:
- Use accessible communication tools (Makaton, visual aids, digital apps)
- Provide regular 1:1s with trusted staff to encourage open conversation
- Offer same-gender keyworkers or advocates where appropriate
- Train staff to listen, believe, and respond without judgment — avoiding minimisation or dismissal
For example, a home care bid writer can help you evidence how lone-working staff are supported with supervision and spot checks to reduce risks of both abuse and missed disclosures.
📝 What to Say in Your Tender
Commissioners expect a clear, transparent safeguarding pathway. In your bids, include:
- Training records showing trauma-informed practice, disclosure support, and how staff are prepared to respond
- Multi-agency protocols for involving safeguarding teams, police, and specialist services promptly
- Practical examples of how privacy and dignity are safeguarded (e.g., safe environments, gender-matched care, advocacy access)
- Assurance mechanisms like DBS checks, whistleblowing hotlines, and safeguarding audits
🖊️ Strengthen Your Bid
Even strong safeguarding practice can lose marks if not expressed clearly. Our bid proofreading service for social care providers ensures your tender wording reflects commissioner expectations — with clarity, accuracy, and impact.
Explore the full series on Understanding Types of Abuse:
- Blog 1 - Physical Abuse in Social Care — How to Recognise and Prevent It
- Blog 2 - Emotional Abuse in Social Care Tenders — What to Say and Why
- Blog 3 - Financial Abuse in Care Settings — How to Protect People and Prove It
- Blog 4 - Neglect in Care — Why “Doing Nothing” Can Still Be Abuse
- Blog 5 - Sexual Abuse — Supporting Disclosure and Building Safer Cultures
- Blog 6 - Organisational Abuse — When Systems Harm Instead of Help