Welcome to January’s edition of the Safeguarding Champions Bulletin
Please circulate the information in this bulletin within your organisation to help us to continue to raise awareness of Safeguarding Adults across Tees.
Don’t forget to follow us on social media @TeeswideSAB to stay up to date with the latest resources, updates, and key safeguarding campaigns.
What is the role of a TSAB Safeguarding Champion?
Help us improve the TSAB Safeguarding Champions Scheme
Safeguarding Champions – Don’t Miss Your Chance to Have Your Say!
The feedback form is still open, and we’d love to hear your thoughts on how we can improve the TSAB Safeguarding Champions Scheme. Your input is essential to shaping its future.
If you haven’t already completed the feedback form, please take a couple of minutes to do so before the questionnaire closes in March 2026. Your views will help shape the future of the scheme.
Click the link below to share your feedback – it won’t take long, and your contribution is greatly appreciated.
The role of a Safeguarding Champion:
Want to learn more about your role as a champion? Visit our dedicated Safeguarding Champions Area for further information.
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
- I have shared the links to e-learning 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.
Safeguarding Adult Reviews
As a Safeguarding Champion we ask that you please review any current Learning Briefings and where appropriate:
- Share the learning briefing across your networks.
- Incorporate the findings into team meeting discussions.
- Highlight instances where the learning has been applied in updates to the Board.
- Managers and supervisees to incorporate the learning into their supervision discussions.
Policies, Procedures & Guidance
Making Services Easier to Engage in Guidance
The Making Services Easier to Engage In guidance supports professionals working with adults with care and support needs who may find it difficult to engage with services, helping to understand the reasons for disengagement and promote good practice. It should be read alongside the Teeswide Inter‑Agency Safeguarding Policy and Safeguarding Adults Procedures. The guidance applies to adults only; concerns about children must be managed through Local Safeguarding Children Partnership procedures. All agencies are expected to take a Think Family approach, ensuring coordinated support that considers the needs of the whole family.
Please take a moment to review our updated documents on the Local Policies, Procedures and Guidance webpage to ensure you are informed about the latest guidance, learning briefings, and reports.
REFRESHED:
These documents on our website have recently been refreshed and updated:
New guidance from Alcohol Change: The The Blue Light Approach: Guidance for practitioners, second edition guidance is a practical, system-focused guide for practitioners and managers across health, social care, housing, policing, probation and community safety, and is grounded in evidence and frontline experience.
Government 2026 Consultation: The government has announced plans to launch a consultation in 2026 on the proposed Liberty Protection Safeguards, aimed at strengthening protections for people who lack mental capacity. The consultation will seek views from families, carers and practitioners on reforms designed to reduce intrusive processes, address system backlogs and improve safeguarding for society’s most vulnerable people.
Read the full announcement here: Improved safeguarding and protections for vulnerable people – GOV.UK
Campaigns
When: Tuesday 17th February 9.30am – 12.30pm
Where: Via Teams
Who should attend ? Anyone working with children or adults in Tees
- Explore real-life learning from the Evie Safeguarding Adult Review.
- Gain a deeper insight into transitional safeguarding & strengthen your safeguarding practice.
- Transitional safeguarding calls on all professionals to move beyond child/adult service silos and work together for young people at this critical stage of life.
‘’Many young people continue to face barriers as they move from childhood into adulthood. Join us for an insightful event exploring how we can strengthen our understanding and improve our support for young adults during this important transitional stage.”
This event is now fully booked if you would like to be added to the waiting list please email us at [email protected]
Further Resources Information and Training
Are you aware of the Safe Place Scheme?
We encourage all Safeguarding Champions to familiarise themselves with the scheme and identify where Safe Places are located in their area (see link below).
Promoting the scheme is key, so we ask Champions to actively share information within their networks and with the wider public.
Awareness-raising resources are available in both digital and printed formats please email [email protected] if you would like to request any.
What is a Safe Place?
- A place people can go if they don’t feel safe or need some help
- A place in the community that people know is there in case they need it
- This can help them to be more confident to go out independently
Who is a Safe Place for?
Anyone who might be/feel vulnerable, this can include people with:
- A learning disability
- Autism
- A physical disability
- Dementia
- Or someone who is suffering from abuse or neglect.
How can Safe Place help?
Safe Place Scheme venues can provide:
- A point of contact for anyone who needs it
- A safe, friendly and welcoming environment where people feel able to ask for help
- A place where someone can rest if they feel unwell, anxious, upset, afraid or lost
- A place where people feel listened to
- Staff who can offer help and advice or help the person call someone they know
Where can you find a Safe Place? There are many locations across Tees. Visit our dedicated Safe Place Scheme webpage to see a full Teeswide list and to access more information regarding the scheme.
Are you up to date with your Safeguarding training? As a Safeguarding Champion, staying current is essential for your own practice and ensures you can provide accurate advice, share relevant information, and signpost effectively, keeping safeguarding at the heart of everything you do.
Training Courses
New dates have been released for the remainder of 2025 into 2026
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.
Further Information
Don’t forget that TSAB has a dedicated Find Support in Your Area 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 our Report Abuse webpage 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