Preventing, Recognizing
and Reporting Abuse
What is Abuse?
Abuse is when people hurt you on purpose.
Madoc C.O.P.E. has a zero tolerance for all forms of abuse.
Abuse is defined by the Ministry of Community and Social Services’ Regulation 299/10 as action or behavior that causes or is likely to cause injury or psychological harm or both to a person with a developmental disability, or results in, or is likely to result in, significant loss or destruction of their property, and includes neglect.
Types of Abuse
Physical Abuse:
When someone hits you or kicks you or slaps you. Physical abuse is anytime someone hurts your face, your arms, your legs or your body on purpose.
Financial Abuse:
When someone takes your money without you knowing it. When someone forces you to give them your money or when someone tricks you into giving them money.
Emotional Abuse:
When someone calls you names, swears at you, makes you feel bad about yourself. It is also when people fun of you because of who you are: as a disabled person, as a person of colour, as a person of faith, as a person with a different sexual oritentation (different way of loving).
Psychological Abuse:
Constant criticism, insulting, threatening, degrading, humiliation, intimidation, terrorizing actions, including demeaning of a person’s faith and beliefs and/or imposing faith and beliefs.
Sexual Abuse:
When someone touches a private part of your body without permission or makes you touch a private part of their body without permission. It is also when someone makes you do something sexual when you don't want to.
Harassment:
Use of language and/or gestures that are intimidating, humiliating, offensive, or discriminatory that are direct towards the person with a disability.
Report abuse to and abuse from:
-
Employees of Madoc C.O.P.E.,
-
Madoc C.O.P.E. contracted service providers and volunteers,
-
Family members, guardians, care givers, substitute decision makers, or advocates providing care or supports
-
Any community member alleged by the supported person to have abused them.
Talk to someone you trust if you feel someone is being abused!
You are protected
As do all citizens, persons supported by Madoc C.O.P.E. have the right to protection from harm, and if harmed, the right to immediate support, protection and treatment from professional services.
Abuse awareness, personal rights to safety, strategies for self protection and training on reporting will be offered annually to everyone at Madoc C.O.P.E.
Everyone at Madoc C.O.P.E. must be empowered to make complaints without fear of consequence.
Video Resources
What to do about abuse
When someone abuses you (hurts you on purpose) you need to tell someone about it. You can tell someone you trust. It is important to tell someone who will take action and can make sure the abuse is stopped.
People to tell
Your parents, family members, home providers, caregivers and friends.
a police officer, support staff, social workers, a doctor, counsellor, or a therapist.
Tell someone you trust will stop the abuse!
What happens if you tell
The police will investigate. They will make sure you are safe during the investigation and take action! If it is a crime, it may go to court. If it is against agency policy, the agency will investigate and make sure you are safe.
Why it's important to tell
There are two reasons why it is important to tell. The first reason is you deserve to be safe. Telling someone is the best way to make sure you stay safe. The second reason is that you are protecting everyone else. By stopping someone who is abusing you, you are making sure they cannot abuse anyone else.
But I was threatened
When someone abuses someone they almost always make a threat. That threat is supposed to scare you, but what that does is tell you the abuser is afraid of you and the power you have to tell others. The abuser does not want to get caught. The threat is to keep your voice silent. They know you have the power. Now you know too.