TSAB Newsletter – June 2026

Welcome to all of our new subscribers, and thank you for your interest in being a part of our Teeswide safeguarding community.

Please circulate the information in this newsletter within your organisation to help us to continue to raise awareness of Safeguarding Adults across Tees.

What’s New from TSAB

Since our last newsletter, TSAB met virtually on 11th March and 22nd April.

Agenda highlights included:

  • Data update from the Q3 Data Dashboard
  • Updates from the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
  • Update from the Board’s Sub-Groups meetings and Rough Sleeping Working Group
  • Feedback from the Board’s Development Sessions
  • The end of year update on the TSAB Strategic Business Plan 2025-26
  • The proposed updated 2025-28 Strategic Plan and subsequent 2026-27 Sub-Group Workplans

Safeguarding Adult Reviews

A Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR) is a statutory requirement of the Care Act 2014 (Section 44).

The purpose of a SAR is to:

  • Determine what the relevant agencies and individuals involved in the case might have done differently that could have prevented harm or death
  • Learn lessons from the case and apply the learning to future cases to prevent similar harm occurring again
  • Explore examples of good practice where this is likely to inform and improve inter-agency practice.

All recent SARs and related Learning Briefings published by TSAB can be found on the TSAB website.

SARs provide vital learning opportunities for professionals and organisations. We ask that you please review our current Learning Briefings and where appropriate:

  • Managers and supervisors can incorporate the learning into their supervision discussions.
  • 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.

Campaigns

Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.

The theme for Carers Week 2026 is Building Carer Friendly Communities. This will highlight the impact carer friendly communities can have in making a real and lasting difference to the lives of carers everywhere.

TSAB are hosting an online session that will be co-delivered by Carers Together and We Care You Care.

Identifying and Supporting Carers Webinar – Book now

Date: Tuesday 9th June
Time: 1:30pm – 2:30pm 
Location: Microsoft Teams

Organisational abuse (sometimes referred to as institutional abuse) is neglect and poor care practice within an institution or specific care setting such as a hospital or care home or relating to care in a person’s own home. This can range from a one off incident to on-going ill-treatment; neglect might also occur as a result of the structure, policies, processes and practice in an organisation. Example’s of organisational abuse include:

  • Inappropriate use of power or control.
  • Inappropriate confinement, restraint, or restriction.
  • Lack of personal clothing or possessions.
  • Lack of choice – in food, in decoration, in lighting and heating, and in other environmental aspects.
  • No flexibility of schedule, particularly with bed times.
  • Financial abuse.
  • Physical or verbal abuse.

Watch: What is Organisational Abuse and Neglect Safeguarding Explainer

What should you do if you think Organisational Abuse is happening?

Does your organisation have a Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedure in place and do all staff know how to report Safeguarding Concerns?

Does your organisation access TSAB’s free Safeguarding Adults E-Learning and Training Courses?

For more information on spotting the signs of organisational abuse and what a good organisation should look like, visit TSAB’s Organisational Abuse webpage. The Local Government Association also has a dedicated Organisational Abuse resource page.

Free Webinars

Organisational Abuse Webinar- Hourglass (limited spaces, your space will be confirmed via email)

Date: Tuesday 30th June 2026
Time: 11am – 12:30pm 
Location: Microsoft Teams

Organisational abuse occurs when poor practice, neglect, or systems within institutions lead to abuse, harm or loss of dignity for older people. This session will equip delegates to recognise, challenge, and prevent harmful practices, putting rights, respect, and person‑centred care at the heart of service delivery.

This session will be delivered by Hourglass, the UK’s only charity focused on the abuse and neglect of older people.

Follow the link to book your space: Organisational Abuse Webinar – Hourglass  – Fill in form

Understanding Advocacy and Safeguarding in Practice – People First

Date: Wednesday 1st July 2026
Time: 11:30-12:30
Location: Microsoft Teams

This session, delivered by People First, provides a practical introduction to advocacy, including the different types available across health and social care. It will explore Care Act safeguarding advocacy, outlining when it applies and the referral process. Using real-life examples, the session will show what advocacy looks like in practice, who may be entitled to support, and how advocates contribute to safeguarding outcomes. There will also be a broader discussion on safeguarding, covering common themes, good practice, and areas for improvement. 
The session is suitable for all professionals and reinforces the shared responsibility for safeguarding and advocacy across all services.

Follow the link to book your space: Understanding Advocacy and Safeguarding in Practice – Fill in form

Local and National Updates

Refreshed Documents

The below documents on our website have recently been refreshed and updated. Please share with your colleagues.

Learning Briefing: Vulnerable Dependent Drinkers

Learning from Safeguarding Adult Reviews – Adult Sexual Exploitation

Learning Briefing – Duty to Refer (Homelessness Reduction Act 2017) | Teeswide Safeguarding Adults Board – including a new good practice checklist

Housing Factsheet for Professionals

Essential Information Required by Housing Teams When Making Referrals

(Including Care Leaver Status & Suicide Risk)

1. Why This Factsheet Matters

Housing teams must assess homelessness risk accurately and quickly.
Professionals play a crucial role by providing clear, complete information—especially where the individual is a care leaver or at risk of suicide or self‑harm.

  • Care leavers have specific statutory protections and joint‑working duties.
  • People experiencing homelessness have significantly elevated suicide risk.

2. Information You MUST Include in Any Referral

A. Basic Details

  • Full name, DOB, contact details
  • Preferred communication method
  • Accessibility or communication needs

B. Homelessness Circumstances

  • Why the person is homeless or threatened with homelessness
  • When they will lose/gave up accommodation (within 56 days)
    • Housing duties arise where someone is homeless or at risk within 56 days.

3. Care Leaver Information (If Applicable)

Housing must know if someone is a care leaver because:

  • Local authorities have corporate parenting duties which apply across Housing and Children’s Services. [data.parliament.uk]

Include:

  • Whether the person is a care leaver and ages they were in care
  • Name/contact of Personal Adviser or social worker
  • Whether the young person has a Pathway Plan
  • Any vulnerabilities linked to care history (e.g., trauma, lack of ID)
  • Any support in place from Children’s Services

4. Suicide Risk or Self‑Harm Concerns

Professionals should always highlight suicide risk due to its impact on safety, assessment, and accommodation suitability.

  • Best‑practice guidance emphasises safety planning over simple “risk prediction.”

Include:

  • History of suicide attempts / current ideation
  • Known triggers or recent crises
  • Contact with mental health services (CMHT, GP, crisis team)
  • Any existing safety plans or assessments

Important: If the person is at immediate risk, activate emergency mental health or safeguarding pathways—not just a routine housing referral.

5. Other Key Information to Provide

  • Domestic abuse or exploitation concerns
  • Safeguarding alerts (child or adult)
  • MAPPA level (if applicable)
  • Other agencies involved and their contacts
  • Barriers such as lack of ID, NRPF, or financial hardship

6. Consent Requirements

A referral can only be made when the person:

  • Consents to the referral
  • Chooses the local authority
  • Agrees to sharing their contact details

7. Quick Checklist for Professionals

✔ Homelessness situation & urgency (within 56 days)
✔ Care leaver status & PA/social worker details
✔ Suicide or self‑harm risks identified
✔ Safeguarding concerns
✔ Support agencies currently involved
✔ Practical barriers (ID, health, benefits)
✔ Consent given for referral & information sharing
✔ Attach supporting documents (Pathway Plan, risk assessments)

Are you routinely asking about alcohol use? If not – you could be missing crucial risks.

All staff in health and social care, the criminal justice system, community and voluntary sector services should:

  • Routinely identify people whose health is at risk from alcohol use
  • Use a validated screening tool such as the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) or a short-form of it (AUDIT-C) or ASSIST-Lite (when drug use and tobacco smoking are involved).
  • Use a MECC (Make Every Contact) approach to ensure no opportunities are missed, encouraging informal conversations to identify alcohol-related harm.

Why is it important to ask about alcohol?

What is AUDIT?

  • AUDIT is the gold standard questionnaire for identifying Alcohol Use Disorders
  • Commonly the Audit-C tool (the first 3 questions of the AUDIT tool) is used in the first instance. For scores over 5, the remaining AUDIT questions should be asked, if time allows.
  • The AUDIT does not give a clinical diagnosis but indicates which alcohol risk category a person falls into based on their score.
  • The AUDIT score will identify which people could benefit from brief interventions and which people might need specialist alcohol assessment or a referral to their GP.
  • You should use AUDIT scores to guide appropriate interventions and support, but the score should not override clinical judgement or your knowledge of the person in individual cases.

Identifying risk in fast-paced environments

In a variety of settings, where time is limited, short-form validated screening questionnaires are available:

  • AUDIT-C quickly identifies alcohol harm in service users by completing 3 consumption questions.
  • ASSIST-Lite  is a good all-in-one screening tool to use when drug use and tobacco smoking are involved, enabling substance use to be identified in an integrated and practical way.
  • FAST consists of 4 questions from AUDIT, which are asked in 2 stages. This is a quick test for health and social care professionals to assess service users at risk of alcohol harm.
  • AUDIT PC can be used by GP surgeries and other primary care setting.
  • Single question alcohol use test (M SACQ) can be used in settings such as emergency departments where time is limited to assess alcohol risk.

Where to Signpost Locally

Stockton Recovery Service  

Phone: 01642 67388

Freephone: 0808 2813 5353

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.changegrowlive.org/service/stockton-recovery

Address: 32-34 William Street, Stockton-on-Tees TS18 1DN

Drop-in service for anyone who would like to engage with support

  • Monday to Friday: 9:00 – 15:00
  • Tuesday 10:30 – 15:00

Start Hartlepool

Phone: 01429 285000

Email: [email protected]

Website: starthartlepool.co.uk (online referrals can be made here)

Address: Whitby Street, Hartlepool, TS24 7AB

Opening hours: 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday, with late night drop in until 7pm Tuesday.

Recovery Connections

Phone: 01642 351976

Email: [email protected] 

Middlesbrough Recovering Together

Phone: 01642 726800

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/drug-and-alcohol-support/

Address: Live Well East, Crossfell Road, Berwick Hills, Middlesbrough, TS3 7PE.

Walk in service: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 – 3:30pm, Friday 9:30 – 3pm.

THRIVE, Redcar

Phone: 0300 3033781

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/local-hubs/redcar-and-cleveland

Address: 161 High Street, Redcar, TS10 3AN or Barbara Bowater House, Kingsley Road, Grangetown, TS6 7PW

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am – 5:00pm (last client 4:45pm), with a Thursday late night clinic (bi-weekly) and a Saturday service (every 6 weeks).

The Slavery and Trafficking Survivor Care Standards (Care Standards) exist to ensure that adult survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery receive consistent high-quality care, whoever they are supported by and wherever they are in the UK.

First Responder Toolkit for England and Wales: Referring Victims of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) – February 2026 (for first responder organisations only). Please note that it is intended as an aid and will not replace the Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance or the NRM guidance.

Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance: Updated on 7th April.

The Commission on Adult Social Care wants to hear from you. You may want to tell them about your personal experiences of how the system works today – good and bad – and also ideas about how it could be improved.

Whether you use care and support, work in care, are from an organisation that provides care or works to improve it or you just want to share your thoughts as in interested citizen. They would like to hear your experiences in your own words and learn what matters most to you.

You have until the end of June 2026 to provide your feedback via their online survey.

Follow us on Social Media

Please give us a follow and share our profiles with your colleagues to keep up to date with everything Adult Safeguarding in Tees.

Facebook – @TeeswideSAB

LinkedIn – Teeswide Safeguarding Adults Board TSAB

Bluesky – @tsab75.bsky.social

Training

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 free e-learning opportunities.

Dates for the Diary

In addition to the local campaigns mentioned previously, listed below are the details of upcoming national awareness campaigns. Further information on our Quarter 1 campaigns, including links to resources can be found on our Calendar of Awareness Campaigns 2025-26 webpage.

  • World Elder Abuse Day (15th June)
  • Refugee Week (15th – 22nd June)
  • Learning Disability Week (15th – 21st June)

Follow us on Social Media @TeeswideSAB to keep up to date with resources and information we share as part of key campaigns.

Further Information

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

TSAB also have a range of promotional materials to help raise awareness and understanding about abuse and neglect.  

Leaflets and Posters are available which can be displayed within organisations, encouraging people if they are worried someone is at risk to report it. If you are unable to print these, please get in touch and we have a limited number of printed copies.

Are you aware of the Safe Place Scheme?
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. A full list can be found on the Safe Place Scheme webpage.

The latest safeguarding children training programmes for 2025-2026 are now available via the following webpages

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].

If you have any suggestions for future Newsletters, or any comments, get in touch with us using one of the communication methods below.

Email: [email protected]

Or visit our Website Teeswide Safeguarding Adults Board (tsab.org.uk)

Don’t forget to follow us on social media to stay up to date with the latest resources, updates, and key safeguarding campaigns: