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Social Work vocabulary · Adults and Vulnerable Groups

Vulnerable

Meaning in social work, with examples

/ˈvʌlnərəbl/adjectiveCore term

In social work, vulnerable means: More likely than others to be harmed, exploited or left without support because of age, illness, disability, poverty or other circumstances.

In Turkish: kırılgan, korunmaya muhtaç, dezavantajlı, risk altındaki

How it is used

Very frequent in policy and practice: vulnerable adults, vulnerable children, vulnerable groups. Many practitioners now prefer to describe the situation rather than the person, for example 'adults at risk' or 'people in vulnerable situations'.

Example sentences

  1. The scheme supports vulnerable older people who live alone.

  2. Women without legal status are especially vulnerable to exploitation.

Common collocations

  • vulnerable adults
  • vulnerable groups
  • vulnerable families
  • particularly vulnerable
  • vulnerable to exploitation
  • at riskIn a situation where harm, abuse, neglect or another serious problem is likely to happen unless someone takes action.
  • safeguardingAll the measures taken to protect children and adults at risk from harm, abuse and neglect, and to promote their wellbeing.
  • adult social carePractical and personal support for adults who need help because of age, illness or disability, such as home care, day centres and care homes.
  • social exclusionBeing shut out, fully or partly, from the economic, social and cultural life of society, for example from work, services, housing or community activities.

More terms: Adults and Vulnerable Groups

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