There are generally ten recognized categories of abuse according to authoritative safeguarding guidance for adults with care and support needs. These categories include:
- Physical abuse
- Domestic violence or abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Psychological or emotional abuse
- Financial or material abuse
- Modern slavery
- Discriminatory abuse
- Organisational or institutional abuse
- Neglect or acts of omission
- Self-neglect
These categories cover a wide range of harmful behaviors, from physical harm and sexual assault to financial exploitation, emotional manipulation, discrimination, neglect, and even abuse within institutions or care settings. Self-neglect is also considered a form of abuse where an individual fails to care for their own health or surroundings
. For children, abuse is often categorized into four main types: neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse
. However, for adults, the broader ten-category framework is more commonly used. Additional forms related to specific contexts include technological abuse (using technology to control or stalk) and sexual exploitation, which can be considered subtypes or related to the main categories listed above
. In summary, the most comprehensive adult safeguarding frameworks identify ten distinct types of abuse.
