This week, we are taking part in the Ann Craft Trust's annual National Safeguarding Adults Week.
Today we are sharing *Phil's story. Phil is a gentleman with a learning disability and is supported to live as independently as possible. Phil enjoys managing his own life but finds handling his finances challenging.
Phil's support team at MacIntyre will often help him to review his monthly finances, helping him to learn to budget. On one occasion, the team noticed an unexplained amount leaving Phil's bank account. Phil stated this was for his mobile phone, but upon further inspection, the team realised Phil was paying for four mobile phone contracts, despite only having one phone.
It soon became clear Phil was paying £50 a week for multiple contracts he did not need and was using nearly all of his weekly budget to pay for this.
After further discussions, it became clear Phil had been visiting his local mobile phone store and the staff there had been selling him a new contract each time and failing to cancel his previous contracts with them.
Phil's support team confronted the mobile phone store immediately, who failed to admit there had been any mistakes made. This lead to Phil's team contacting senior management at the mobile phone organisation on Phil's behalf, to finally resolve the issue.
Phil's team shared that whilst it was important Phil maintained his independence, it was also vital that he understood his where his money was going and was able to identify when someone may be taking advantage. They hope that by supporting him through this experience, Phil can better protect himself in the future.
*Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals
