Exploring the motivations of perpetrators who abuse vulnerable adults.

Vulnerable adults are at risk from abuse. Recent statistics indicate that between 2007 and 2008 over 4000 investigations into abuse against vulnerable adults were conducted in Wales (LGDU/CSSIW, 5 2009). The high prevalence and awareness has resulted in increased policy interest in adult protection at the Welsh and English level (Department of Health 2000; National Assembly of Wales 2000). One important aspect of adult protection is preventing abuse from happening in the first place. However it has been acknowledge that adult protection can be more reactive than proactive (Department of Health, 2009). The importance of the prevention agenda cannot be ignored. While some notable efforts have been made to minimise the risk of abuse, notably the development of the Vetting and Barring scheme as a result of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006) and awareness training for health and social workers, there remains some concerns regarding how far these initiatives stop abuse from happening. First, it is not clear to what extent prevention initiatives are supported by a research evidence base. Second, interventions such as the Vetting and Barring scheme may stop known perpetrators who are intent on gaining access to vulnerable adults from doing so, butthis only covers part of the picture. The prevention agenda also needs to take on board why people including those who may be genuinely caring can become perpetrators.A primary driver for undertaking this study came from the practitioner members of the research team who felt that while people working in adult protection had ideas about why abuse occurred, that these ideas were seldom discussed and had not been tested. The academic members of the research team were aware of a lack of attention on perpetrator motivation in the research literature.