Safety & safeguarding · England
Who can I trust?
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This guide is for adults in England.
You deserve relationships where people treat you with respect.
You can take time to decide who to trust.
What does trust mean?
Trust means believing someone will treat you honestly and with care.
Look at what they do over time.
You can trust different people with different things.
You do not have to share everything with one person.
Signs of respectful behaviour
They listen to you.
They explain things you do not understand.
They give you time to think.
They try to do what they agree.
They tell you if plans change.
They take responsibility when they get something wrong.
They respect your choices.
You can say no or ask for space.
Both people can have different opinions.
They respect your privacy.
They do not use your worries to threaten or shame you.
Look at behaviour, not just who someone is
A person you know well can still hurt or trick you.
A job title does not prove that someone is safe.
You cannot tell just from a smile, gift or friendly message.
Feeling comfortable does not always mean someone is safe.
Warning signs
Someone may keep asking you to pay for things.
They may say you owe them because they gave you a gift.
You do not have to buy friendship.
Someone may frighten you or stop you seeing other people.
They may pressure you into touching or photographs you do not want.
You can ask for help.
Money and online contact
Keep your passwords, bank PIN and security codes private.
Ask your bank about safe help with money.
People online may pretend to be someone else.
Pause before sharing money, private information or photographs.
Ask for help to check an unexpected request.
You can talk about a worry
You can tell someone about anything that worries you.
This is still true if you promised to keep it secret.
A worker may need to share information to help keep someone safe.
They should explain this when it is safe to do so.
Words you can use
You could say: I need time to think.
You could say: I want another person to help me decide.
If you are not sure who to ask
You can ask your GP, a social worker or an advocate for help.
An advocate helps you have your say.
You do not need to have a trusted friend first.
You can contact the council’s adult safeguarding team.
This team responds to concerns about abuse and neglect.
Say if your usual helper is the person worrying you.
You can explain using pictures, signs or a communication aid.
Ask to talk privately.
Say how people can contact you safely.
If the first person does not help, ask another person or service.
You can get help even if you cannot prove what happened.
If you need urgent help
Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger.
You do not have to confront the person yourself.
If someone hurts or tricks you, it is not your fault.
You deserve help and respect.
What you can do next
If you are worried about harm, ask for adult safeguarding.
You can also ask your GP or an advocate to help.
Find your council Web pageFuller informationThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- Mencap: online relationships and staying safe — Easy Read Web pageEasy Read
Pictures and short explanations about online contact and meeting people.
- Mencap: internet safety — Easy Read Web pageEasy Read
Help with privacy settings, personal information and online risks.
- Mencap: when someone pretends to be your friend Web pageLonger information
Explains mate crime, money pressure and getting help.
- NHS: building healthy relationships Web pageLonger information
Respect, communication, boundaries and disagreements.
- NHS: help with abuse or neglect Web pageLonger information
Recognising harm and finding people or services to approach.
- Find your local council Web pageFuller information
For worries about an adult, ask for the adult safeguarding team.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Who can I trust?
Recognise respectful behaviour, choose what to share and find help when someone worries you.
Adults with learning disabilities, families and supporters · England
Trust can grow gradually
Think about what someone does over time. Do they explain changes, keep agreements and respect your choices? You can enjoy meeting people without sharing everything straight away. There is no checklist that proves someone is safe. A smile, eye contact, friendly messages or a gift cannot give that guarantee.
Different people can help with different things
You might enjoy a friend’s company but choose a different person for help with money or a private worry. Decide what help you want and what you prefer to keep private. Agree a small, ordinary next step, such as a short meeting, rather than giving access to your home, money or accounts to test someone.
Look for respect and honest communication
A respectful person makes space for your views, explains things and lets you ask questions. They do not need to agree with every choice. They can say what they can and cannot offer without threats or humiliation. Both people can set limits. A disagreement or cancelled plan alone does not prove someone is unsafe; look at how it is handled.
Notice pressure, control and false friendship
Be concerned if someone repeatedly demands money, uses gifts to make you feel you owe them, or threatens to stop being your friend unless you do something. Someone pretending to be a friend to exploit you is sometimes called mate crime. Pressure for unwanted touching, sex or photographs is not friendship. An apology does not cancel harm or remove your right to help.
Family members and professionals also need to earn trust
Familiarity, a job title or a uniform does not guarantee safe behaviour. Harm can involve a relative, partner, friend or paid worker. A helpful worker explains their role and listens to concerns. You can ask for a different worker or someone independent to hear a worry. Do not assume a service manager is your only route if the concern involves that service.
Keep your choices and private information
Agree what someone may help with. Support with one task does not mean permission for everything. Keep passwords, bank PINs and security codes private. Ask your bank about safe ways to get assistance. You do not have to give someone money or access to your accounts to show that you trust them.
Take time with online contact
A profile, photograph or familiar-looking message may not show who is really contacting you. Pause before sending money, personal information or intimate images. Check an unexpected request using a contact method you already know. If meeting someone new, arrange a public place and a way home, and tell someone your plan. Ask for support if wanted.
Privacy is different from a harmful secret
You can keep ordinary personal matters private. You can also tell someone about anything that worries you, even if you promised secrecy. A professional should explain confidentiality: who may need information and why. Sometimes necessary information can be shared without permission to protect someone from serious harm. They should explain this when doing so is safe, and share only what is needed.
If you do not know who to ask
You do not need to identify a trusted friend before seeking help. Ask your GP practice, a social worker, an independent advocacy service or the council’s adult safeguarding team for a private conversation. Say if the person you usually rely on is causing the worry. Explain if you depend on them for care, communication, housing or transport, so safer support can be planned.
Get help in a way that works for you
You can use words, pictures, signs or a communication aid. Explain what happened and what you want; you do not have to decide whether to call it abuse. You can ask for help without collecting evidence first. If the first person does not respond, approach another service. Avoid confronting someone if that could put you in danger.
Urgent help
Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger. For a non-emergency crime report, contact the police on 101. For other concerns about an adult’s safety, ask the council for adult safeguarding. Explain if your phone is monitored and agree a safer way to make contact. Harm or deception is the responsibility of the person doing it, not the person who trusted them.
For someone helping with this guide
Ask what the person thinks and give enough time to communicate. Do not make a list of supposedly safe people for them or treat a score as proof of trust. Help them identify options beyond the person causing concern. Support safer friendships and independence rather than automatically removing their phone, contact or choices.
Words you could use
“I am not sure about someone’s behaviour. Please listen to me privately. Help me understand my choices and agree a safe next step.”
More useful links
- Mencap: online relationships and staying safe — Easy Read Web pageEasy Read
Pictures and short explanations about online contact and meeting people.
- Mencap: internet safety — Easy Read Web pageEasy Read
Help with privacy settings, personal information and online risks.
- Mencap: when someone pretends to be your friend Web pageLonger information
Explains mate crime, money pressure and getting help.
- NHS: building healthy relationships Web pageLonger information
Respect, communication, boundaries and disagreements.
- NHS: help with abuse or neglect Web pageLonger information
Recognising harm and finding people or services to approach.
- Find your local council Web pageFuller information
For worries about an adult, ask for the adult safeguarding team.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 6 November 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- NHS: maintaining healthy relationships Web page
Respectful communication, boundaries and responding to disagreements.
- Mencap: mate and hate crime Web page
False friendship, exploitation, unwanted pressure and reporting concerns.
- Mencap: online relationships and staying safe Web page
Impersonation, private images and safer first meetings.
- Mencap: internet online safety Web page
Passwords, personal information and privacy settings.
- NHS: abuse and neglect of adults at risk Web page
Harm by people in positions of trust and routes to support.
- SCIE: safeguarding adults and sharing information Web page
Confidentiality, consent, necessary sharing and explaining decisions when safe.
- NHS England: information sharing in social care Web page
Relevant and necessary information, transparency and safeguarding exceptions.
- NHS England: raising a safeguarding concern Web page
Emergency and non-emergency police contact and seeking advice.
- GOV.UK: find your local council Web pageFuller information
Find the local council website and its safeguarding contact details.
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