Safeguarding Champions Bulletin January 2025 | Teeswide Safeguarding Adults Board

Welcome to January’s edition of the Safeguarding Champions Bulletin and a big warm welcome to our new Champions.

Please circulate the information in this bulletin within your organisation to help us to continue to raise awareness of safeguarding adults in Tees

New champions – Please read

Champions will receive our quarterly champion’s e-bulletins and TSAB Newsletters which include training opportunities and resources to read and share to help you to fulfil your role.

Safeguarding Champion Pledge

As a new Safeguarding Champion, we recommend that you complete the following:

I have registered for e-learning and completed the Safeguarding Adults Level 1 course (or completed the equivalent training workbook)
I have shared the links to e-learning and workbooks with colleagues
I have printed, displayed and emailed the Safeguarding Adults Leaflets and Posters so that colleagues, service users and families know how to report abuse or neglect
I have informed my colleagues that I am a Safeguarding Champion so that they know to contact me for advice regarding safeguarding matters
I have followed @TeeswideSAB on social media to keep up to date with the latest safeguarding news.

Visit the Safeguarding Champions area on our website and read the Safeguarding Champions Induction pack for more information.

Learning Reviews

Joseph was a 20 year-old man with a learning disability, Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), obesity hyperventilation syndrome and type II diabetes. Joseph died during a hospital admission where he was being treated for genital cellulitis.

The Safeguarding Adult’s Review was commissioned by Sunderland Safeguarding Adults Board but includes learning for Teesside.

The review highlighted the following key learning themes:

Understanding of PWS
Mental Capacity Assessments
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
Hospital Passports
Support for and involvement of parents/guardians/informal carers
Action plan and referral tracking
Commissioning of placements for people with PWS
Awareness of self-neglect
Case management

Read the SAR and associated 7-Minute Briefing and share the learning within you own organisation.

A Domestic Homicide Review enables lessons to be learned from deaths where a person dies and there is potential causal link to domestic violence and /or abuse. For lessons to be learned, agencies involved with a victim and /or perpetrator of a homicide need to be able to understand fully what happened. By taking a holistic approach a DHR seeks to understand and identify any required recommendations to prevent homicides in the future.

To read DHR7 and associated learning and recommendations, visit the webpage – Domestic homicide reviews | Middlesbrough Council

Policies, Procedures and Guidance

Self-neglect is one of ten types (categories) of abuse and neglect set out in the Care and Support Statutory Guidance, thereby linking self-neglect to statutory safeguarding duties. Self-neglect is described as covering ‘a wide range of behaviour including neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings and includes behaviour such as hoarding’.

Familiarise yourself with TSAB’s Self Neglect Policy and Guidance.

Spotlight Campaigns

TSAB have partnered with the Children’s Partnerships in Tees to deliver a week long campaign focused on Transitional Safeguarding.

“Transitional Safeguarding is an approach to safeguarding adolescents and young adults fluidly across developmental stages which builds on the best available evidence, learns from both children’s and adult safeguarding practice and which prepares young people for their adult lives. It focuses on safeguarding young people from adolescence into adulthood, recognising transition is a journey not an event, and every young person will experience this journey differently.”

During this week, we will be hosting an online event for professionals working in children and/or adults services. Book now to secure your space!

Guest speakers include:

Steve Baguley, Community and Education Lead for NWG. For the past five years, Steve’s role at NWG has enabled him to work with areas across the country on exploitation, adolescent safeguarding and the transition into adulthood. This work has been across both children and adult partnerships, sharing learning, practice, research, and resources to help inform local responses. Steve will be presenting on exploitation and Transitional Safeguarding.

Mike Ward – Senior Consultant at Alcohol Change UK and Safeguarding Adult Review author. Mike comes from a social work background and was working in alcohol outreach in the 1980s in London. Mike is now a full-time consultant and trainer and has worked in the substance misuse/mental health field for over thirty years. Mike has undertaken a number of Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs) and will be presenting on a local SAR – Jack, which features key themes including self-neglect due to mismanagement of diabetes, substance misuse, homelessness/housing, transitional safeguarding, cross boundary working, engagement and mental capacity.

A blue poster of a group of people walking

Between the 10th -14th March TSAB will be raising awareness of Discriminatory Abuse. Discriminatory abuse is a category of abuse in safeguarding adults work, but it is rarely reported in practice.

TSAB are hosting a Free Webinar on Monday 10th March (2pm-2:45pm) – Discriminatory Abuse: ‘What lies beneath’ in safeguarding. Book Now!

What is Discriminatory Abuse?

Discriminatory abuse includes forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment; because of race, gender and gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.

What is Hate Crime?

Crimes committed against someone because of their disability, gender-identity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation are hate crimes and should be reported to the police.

What is Mate Crime?

Mate crimes happen when people with learning disabilities are befriended by someone who uses the relationship to exploit or abuse them. Watch: Tricky Friends

Useful Resources to share with colleges:

Discriminatory abuse: a briefing for practitioners

Podcast – Discriminatory abuse – developing practice responses

Discriminatory abuse self-assessment tool: safeguarding adults (intended to support councils, Safeguarding Adult Boards (SABs), practitioners from all sectors, staff responsible for reporting adult social care (ASC) performance; safeguarding leads and commissioners)

Support/ Report: TSAB Find Support in Your Area/ How to report adult abuse

Service Spotlight

Huge congratulations to independent advocacy group – Independent Voices who won Innovation Champion at the the ‘We See You – We Hear You’ National SAB Awards in November. Independent Voices were nominated following their ongoing support and commitment to raising awareness of adult safeguarding. Well Done Independent Voices!

MATRIX Neurological is a registered charity founded 10 years ago by the mother of a brain injured young person, to provide practical help and support to children, young people and young adults, Tees Valley wide, who are living with the complex effects of an acquired brain injury, following a serious accident or illness.

They work directly with children to young adults, aged 6 months to 25 years, mainly to address physical, sensory, communication, cognitive, emotional and behavioural impairments that continue to negatively affect their lives.

They provide:

Cognitive assessments to determine the individual support needs of each child or young person, followed by a support plan linked to the client’s priorities and goals and state the non-clinical cognitive stimulation and other interventions we will provide to aid recovery.
Holistic case management of all client needs, making appropriate referrals where required.
Emotional and peer support to their parents/carers using our lived experience of the recovery journey.

Matrix Neurological have provided a PowerPoint presentation to support professionals’ understanding of Acquired Brain Injuries:

Matrix Neurological – Understanding Acquired Brain Injuries

Dates for the Diary

Listed below are details of recent and upcoming awareness campaigns. Follow us on Social Media @TeeswideSAB to keep up to date with resources and information we share as part of key campaigns. Email us at [email protected] to let us know how you get involved.

Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week is the UK’s national week to raise awareness of sexual abuse and violence and to provide an opportunity for any organisation or individual to engage in dialogue.

To support the campaign, please share some of TSAB’s resources within your organisations!

TSAB Resources:

Adult Exploitation Practitioners Toolkit

Adult Sexual Exploitation Learning Briefing

Sexual Abuse and Sexual Exploitation Leaflet – English and Vietnamese

Further information on Sexual Abuse and Sexual Exploitation.

The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) observed every year on February 6th marks an important day for the world community. It provides an opportunity to forge stronger ties and take concerted action to reinforce our commitments to eliminate this harmful practice which continues to impact the lives of millions of women and girls. In 2024, nearly 4.4 million girls – or more than 12,000 each day – are at risk of FGM around the world. Despite tremendous progress made over the years, FGM continues to remain a serious challenge in many countries.

To learn more about FGM, complete TSAB’s free FGM Safeguarding Adults Workbook and/ or complete the free e-learning course. Encourage your colleagues to also complete!

Training, Workbooks and Further Resources

Training Courses

To view and request a place on any of our upcoming training courses please visit our Training Courses and Events page.

E-Learning

The Adults & Children Safeguarding Partner Organisations across Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees actively support the ‘Think Family’ approach and are committed to the continuous learning and development of all staff and volunteers working with vulnerable people: adults, children, young people and families.

Through our E-Leaning site you will be able to view, select and be given immediate access to a range of e-learning opportunities.

Workbooks

Workbooks provide a free, paper-based option for professionals to engage in learning. This is important, especially for those who may not have access to a computer.

The Workbooks modules are accessible via TSAB website.

Managers are responsible for signing off the workbook for their staff member, using the online Managers Guidance. To access the Managers Guidance, managers should contact the TSAB Business Unit for the password.

Causeway, an organisation who supports, empowers and creates change for survivors of modern slavery and those with experience of the criminal justice system, has recently launched a Exploitation Risk Checker.

This is a free and confidential online self-assessment tool, that is available for anybody to access and use. The Exploitation Risk Checker has been developed in partnership with a team of Lived Experience Consultants, who themselves are survivors of modern slavery and exploitation. An individual can answer a series of questions to see if they, or somebody they know, may be in a situation, or at risk, of criminal or sexual exploitation.

Through the Exploitation Risk Checker they can also find further information, guidance and signposting about what steps they can take to gain further help and support.

Alongside the risk checker, Causeway’s expanded Help & Advice Hub is also now live. This is another completely free resource available to all – a public-facing digital hub packed full of important information and guidance relating to modern slavery and exploitation.

Further Information

The Teeswide Safeguarding Adults Board works in partnership with a wide range of organisations to safeguard and promote the wellbeing and independence of adults at risk of abuse and neglect (Safeguarding means “protect from harm”). Your views are important to us to help shape our work and protect communities.

The survey closed on Wednesday 29th January and the results will be analysed and shared in a future bulletin.

Thank you for your support!

Want to learn more about your role as a champion? Visit our dedicated Safeguarding Champions Area for further information.

Don’t forget that TSAB has a dedicated webpage hosting details of local and national services.

Can’t see your service/ another service on there and think it should be added? Please send the details to [email protected].

Do you have concerns that an adult is experiencing or is at risk of abuse or neglect?

Visit https://www.tsab.org.uk/report-abuse/ to find out how to report your concerns. The page hosts the TSAB Concern Form which should be completed and submitted to the relevant local adult social care service or alternatively you can contact them by using the contact numbers listed on the page.

As a reminder you should report abuse when:

The adult has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs)
And is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect