Report abuse

Call 911 if you or someone you know is being abused and is in immediate danger.

Call the Protection for Persons in Care (PPC) reporting line to report the abuse of an adult client receiving care or support services from publicly funded service providers.

Phone: 1-888-357-9339

How to report abuse

Anyone who believes there is or has been abuse involving a client must report that abuse as soon as reasonably possible.

When reporting abuse, the person reporting the abuse must provide their name and contact information. Anonymous reports are not accepted.

Clients who have been abused may choose to report it or not. If they choose to report the abuse, they must do so no later than 2 years from the date the alleged abuse happened.

If the person who needs to report abuse cannot speak or write, a report can be made by another person on their behalf.

Ways to report abuse

1. Contact PPC

Contact the PPC reporting and information line:

Office hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Toll free: 1-888-357-9339 (in Alberta)
Phone: 780-422-1155
Fax: 780-415-8611
Email: health.ppc@gov.ab.ca

The reporting line is NOT an emergency number and is open only during regular business hours. You can leave a message at any time and your call will be returned, or complete the Abuse Report, form PPC3817 (PDF, 334 KB) and send the report by mail, email or fax.

Address:

Protection for Persons in Care
Station M, Box 476
Edmonton, AB  T5J 2K1

2. Contact your local police

Dial 911 if it is an emergency or your local police service if you or the client is in immediate danger.

3. Contact the health professional regulatory college

If the abuse involves a regulated health professional, contact the appropriate health regulatory body.

4. Contact the Mental Health Patient Advocate

If the client is or was detained under the Mental Health Act, or if the client is or was subject to a community treatment order at the time the alleged abuse occurred, contact the Mental Health Patient Advocate at 780-422-1812.

Report of abuse process

Every report of abuse received is reviewed by a complaints officer who decides if an investigation is necessary. They will confirm that:

  • the client involved in the report of abuse is an adult,
  • the client was receiving care or support services from a service provider at the time of the alleged incident
  • the allegation of abuse involved an act or omission that caused serious emotional harm, serious bodily harm, involved sexual abuse, or financial abuse
  • the complainant has reasonable grounds that abuse occurred
  • the complainant has provided their name and contact information

The complaints officer determines if an investigation is necessary or may decide to conduct an inquiry, discontinue the review of a report of abuse or refer to another body. During an inquiry process, the complaints officer will gather more information before deciding if the allegation of abuse is referred for further investigation or is discontinued.

If the report of abuse is discontinued or referred, the complaints officer must let the person who made the complaint know of the reasons for the decision in writing.

If the person who made the complaint does not agree with the complaints officer’s decision to discontinue the review of the report of abuse, they can apply to have the PPC director review the complaints officer decision.

An application for review must be sent to the PPC director, in writing, within 15 days of being notified of the complaints officer’s decision.

Investigation process

If an investigation is needed, an independent investigator will interview the person who made the complaint, the client, the service provider and any other person who can provide information. The investigator will also review any relevant documents and then submit a written report to the PPC director.

Director’s decision

The PPC director reviews the investigator’s report, and may agree or disagree with the investigator’s findings and recommendations. The PPC director makes a decision and may direct the service provider and/or individual involved to take certain actions to prevent future abuse.

The PPC director then provides a copy of the decision to the person who reported the abuse, the client/legal representative, the service provider, and the individual involved/legal representative.

The service provider must follow-up on all directions issued and advise the PPC office of their compliance with the director’s decision in writing.

Appeal of a director’s decision

The client, person who reported the abuse, service provider, or individual involved have the right to appeal the director’s decision within 15 days after receiving the documents.