Welcome to the September online edition of the TSAB Newsletter.
Welcome to all of our new subscribers, and thank you for your interest in being 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 in Tees
What‘s New from TSAB
Since our last newsletter, TSAB has met virtually on the 11th June 2025 for a scheduled Board meeting.
Agenda highlights included:
- Sign off of the TSAB Strategic Business Plan for 2025-28 and the Operational Sub-Group Workplans for 25-26.
- Presentation and sign off of the Tees Harm Outside the Home (HOTH) Transitions Standard Operating Procedure.
- Presentation on the CQC Inspection Report for Hartlepool Borough Council.
- Update from Cleveland Police and Presentation of the Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) Report.
- Update from the Board’s Sub-Groups
Safeguarding Adult Reviews
Chloe is a White British woman in her early thirties. She was the victim of a serious incident in 2023. Chloe is still alive, but this incident involved considerable emotional and physical trauma against a background of abusive behaviour by an intimate partner and other men.
This Safeguarding Adult Review looks at how services worked together to support Chloe and highlighted the following themes:
- The challenge of engaging her into the interventions
- Drug and alcohol screening
- Raising Safeguarding Concerns or escalating Domestic Abuse
- The Duty to Refer in accordance with the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017
Organisations are encouraged to review the Learning Briefing to consider and apply the learning to their own practice.
Printable Version link: https://www.tsab.org.uk/professionals/safeguarding-adult-review-sar-reports/
Alex
The Alex SAR was lead by Sunderland Safeguarding Adults Board involving a Tees Resident. Organisations are encouraged to review the Executive Summary and Learning Briefing to consider and apply the learning to their own practice.
James
The James SAR was lead by Sunderland Safeguarding Adults Board involving a Tees Resident. Organisations are encouraged to review the Executive Summary and Learning Briefing to consider and apply the learning to their own practice.
Local Policies, Procedures and Guidance
The Teeswide Safeguarding Adults Board produces a Strategic Business Plan in line with the requirements of the Care Act 2014. The newly published plan for 2025-2028 sets out the Board’s vision, aims and objectives, which are then used by each Sub-Group as a basis to develop their work programmes and activities in order to achieve these objectives.
The Teeswide Adult Exploitation Strategy 2024-27 was published by the Teeswide Safeguarding Adults Board (TSAB), following a recommendation from the Molly Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR), to develop a strategy which focused on improving the victim’s journey and strengthening multi-agency processes.
The strategy’s key priorities are:
Prevention – Improve awareness, understanding and early recognition of exploitation across the partnership, communities and society.
Protect – Improve individuals’ and communities’ resilience to tackle and reduce exploitation and the interventions to tackle exploitation.
Pursue – Improve prosecutions and disruption of locations, individuals and groups responsible for exploitation through effective partnership working and sharing of information. Supporting and safeguarding victims.
People – Keep the person at the centre of all planning and activity, to improve outcomes and recovery for those affected / at risk of exploitation.
An implementation group has been established with key partners from across Tees to deliver the action plan, strengthen the co-ordination of services and deliver real positive change for victims.
Local & National News
Please take a moment to review our new & refreshed documents which are available on our website. Please share within your organisations as you find appropriate.
NEW:
- Mental Capacity Act Guidance
- Mental Capacity Act 2005 – Executive Functioning (June 2025) Learning Briefing
- Annual Communication & Engagement Report featuring the results of the Annual Survey 2024-25
- Harm Outside the Home (HOTH) Transitions Pathway
REFRESHED:
These documents on our website have recently been refreshed and updated:
NHS England have recently published national guidance for practitioners in:
Staying safe from suicide: Best practice guidance for safety assessment, formulation and management This guidance supports the government’s work to reduce suicide and improve mental health services. It promotes a shift towards a more holistic, person-centred approach rather than relying on risk prediction, which is unreliable because suicidal thoughts can change quickly. Instead, it recommends using a method based on understanding each person’s situation and managing their safety.
Learning Disability and Autism programme: published guidance and practical tools for front line clinicians in acute and community trusts to download to ensure that the Mental Capacity Act is applied properly for people with a learning disability when they are in hospital.
The range of resources include a flow chart to help you decide when to access capacity, a helpful checklist to support preparation for assessing the mental capacity of someone with a learning disability and a downloadable poster for wards.
Campaigns
Please Join us from the 8th -12th September, as we shine a ‘Spotlight on Safeguarding’ by going ‘Back to Basics’
Whether you’re a professional that works with people that may have care and support needs or a carer, your role is vital. This campaign is a reminder that safeguarding doesn’t always require specialist knowledge, it starts with awareness and action.
Throughout the week, we’ll be raising awareness of safeguarding, what it is and highlighting the crucial role we all play in keeping people safe. This will be delivered through engaging online learning sessions, awareness posts and helpful resources. We’ll explore what safeguarding means? and how everyone can take meaningful, effective action to protect adults from neglect and abuse.
The campaign will focus on three key messages:
✅ Recognise the signs of abuse and neglect
✅ Listen and keep the person at the centre
✅ Report concerns to the appropriate services
With a specific theme on each day throughout the week:
- Monday 8th September – Launch & General Awareness Raising
- Tuesday 9th September – Recognising the signs of Abuse & Neglect
- Wednesday 10th September – Awareness Matters
- Thursday 11th September- Listen, keeping the Person at the Centre
- Friday 12th September- Report Concerns
Please help us spread the word far and wide by resharing our posts throughout the week on our Facebook and X (formally known as Twitter) social media platforms. We’ll be posting twice daily morning and afternoon.
For more information on our online learning sessions and available resources please visit 👉 Calendar of Awareness Campaigns 2025-2026 | Teeswide Safeguarding Adults Board page.
National Safeguarding Adults Week 2025 theme is: Prevention
National Safeguarding Adults Week is an annual campaign, coordinated by the Ann Craft Trust, to raise awareness about safeguarding issues for adults who may be vulnerable to abuse or neglect. It takes place each year, typically in November, and encourages organisations and individuals to work together to promote safer environments and practices.
National Safeguarding Adults Week is an ideal opportunity for Safeguarding Champions to get involved in raising awareness of safeguarding through their networks and within the communities they work in. Working together allows us to share our knowledge of safeguarding, learn from others and ultimately create safer cultures.
Each day will focus on a different theme linked to prevention, have a look at the weeks schedule below and have a think about how you can get involved and raise awareness.
Monday – Change the Conversation
Tuesday – Prevention in Practice
Wednesday – Creating Empowering Environments
Thursday – Trust Your Instincts
Friday – Celebrate the Safer Cultures
For a more detailed overview of National Safeguarding Adults week please click on the link: Anne Craft Trust National Safeguarding Adults Week
Let us know how you plan to get involved by emailing us at [email protected].
Don’t forget to follow us on social media @TeeswideSAB to stay up to date with the latest resources, updates, and key safeguarding campaigns.
Training
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.
Workbooks
**Please note that workbooks are have now been phased out. If you or any member of your team have copies of the workbooks saved to your desktop please can you ensure that these are deleted as they will no longer be accepted**
Dates for the Diary
In addition to the local campaigns mentioned previously, listed below are the details of upcoming national awareness campaigns. further information including links to resources can be found on our Calendar of Awareness Campaigns 2025-26 webpage.
- 15th – 21st September 2025–Sexual Health Week
- 10th September 2025-World Suicide Prevention Day
- 10th October 2025- World Mental Health Day
- 18th October 2025 – Anti-Slavery Day
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. Click on the Webpage link below to see a full Teeswide list and to access more information regarding the scheme: Safe Place Scheme | Teeswide Safeguarding Adults Board
- Hartlepool & Stockton-On-Tees Safeguarding Children Partnership Newsletter
- South Tees Safeguarding Children Partnership Website
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)