Safeguarding Ireland launch finance abuse awareness drive

Safeguarding Ireland's new awareness drive is a crucial step in addressing the pervasive issue of financial abuse in our communities. The initiative rightly focuses on empowering individuals, especially those who are frail, have dementia, or suffer from other conditions that might impair their ability to manage their own money. The message is clear: maintaining control over one's finances is paramount to personal safety and autonomy.

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stay in control

As Patricia Rickard Clarke, Chairperson of Safeguarding Ireland, emphasizes, the best defense against financial abuse is to remain in control of one's own money. This involves proactive steps such as discussing financial management with banks, seeking support from advocates, establishing decision support arrangements, and crucially, putting in place an Enduring Power of Attorney. Her firm statement that "no-one has the right to use our money without our permission" is a vital reminder that familial relationships do not grant automatic access or control over another person's assets.

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This is especially important for at-risk adults who have frailty, dementia, an acquired brain injury, a serious illness or a disability. The best way to keep your money safe is to stay in control of it.

The timing of this drive is particularly relevant, following a recent report from the Oireachtas Committee on Health that highlighted significant gaps in adult safeguarding across various legal and policy domains. The committee's findings underscore that financial abuse is not an isolated issue but is intertwined with broader concerns of physical abuse, neglect, and deprivation of liberty, extending beyond the health and social care system into areas involving the Central Bank of Ireland and the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman.

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An important message is that no-one has the right to use our money without our permission. Family members, next-of-kin or carers have no automatic legal right to take charge of another person’s money.

While official figures report over 1,500 concerns of financial abuse annually to the HSE, Safeguarding Ireland's own research suggests the true scale of the problem is far greater, with a concerning 10% of adults reporting personal experience of financial abuse. The fact that the abuser is often someone known to the victim, as indicated by 80% of respondents in their survey, makes this issue all the more sensitive and complex. This initiative by Safeguarding Ireland is therefore not just an awareness campaign; it is a necessary call to action to protect our most vulnerable citizens.

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serious legal and policy gaps