National Safeguarding Adults Awareness Week

Safeguarding Adults Week 2024 takes place from Monday 18 – Friday 22 November 2024. 

During Safeguarding Adults Week 2024 we will explore a different safeguarding theme each day. The themes will encourage us to consider how we can work together to establish safer cultures within our workplaces and communities.  See below the themes provided by the Ann Craft Trust:

Monday – Look, Listen, Ask – Developing Professional Curiosity  

Professional curiosity is where a practitioner proactively recognises and asks questions to try to understand what is happening within a particular institution, family or for an individual, rather than making assumptions or taking a single source of information and accepting it at face value. To achieve safer cultures and communities, practitioners and members of the community should be professionally curious. 

Tuesday – How do we listen to people? 

It is important to be person-centred within safeguarding practice and actively listen and respond to those we work with. Co-production features in the Care Act (2014) for England, the Social Services and Wellbeing Act (2014) for Wales and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessment framework. Co-production is something all organisations should incorporate into their practice. 

Wednesday – Establishing Professional Boundaries 

Developing good quality relationships are important across all organisations and communities. Professional boundaries help us to understand what good quality relationships look like both within and outside of work. Thinking about professional boundaries encourages us to establish clear foundations about the nature of working relationships from the outset.  

Thursday – Recognising exploitation: The ladder of criminality

Criminal exploitation is the deliberate abuse of power and control over another person. It is taking advantage of another person or situation for criminal purposes or personal gain. Criminal exploitation could also include other forms of harm and abuse such as modern slavery, sexual exploitation or cuckooing. 

Friday – Professional and Organisational Learning  

To effectively safeguard adults and establish safer cultures, it is important for organisations and individuals to be engaged in a process of continual learning and development.

National Safeguarding Adults Awareness Week 2023

Safeguarding Adults Week 2023 takes place from Monday 20 – Friday 24 November 2023.

Southend Safeguarding Partnership have organised presentations that are designed to raise awareness of key issues facing vulnerable adults. You will hear experts share their work and thoughts in areas where adults are currently suffering harm.

Lunchtime Learning Sessions

Monday 20 November 12.00 till 13.00 – National Disclosure & Barring Service (Disclosure) 

Georgina Mitchell from the National Disclosure and Barring Service will provide an overview of DBS’ Disclosure Functions. Attendees will learn about the different levels of DBS check, the Update Service, filtering rules and how to determine what level of DBS check a role is eligible for. 

Tuesday 21 November 12.00 till 13.00 – Taking The Lead On Safeguarding Organisation

Katie Severn from Essex Police will explain their work to create psychological safety within the organisation to allow challenge, working with teams on how to challenge and receive challenge.

Wednesday 22 November 12.00 till 13.00 – Firearm Licences, Dangerous Weapons and Home Visits 

James O’Donnell from Essex Police will help us understand how Firearms licensing works, and how Firearms should be secured / stored. When conducting home visits, you may come across firearms and/or dangerous weapons (knives, clubs, bats etc.) and be concerned about the potential for occupants to hurt themselves or others – what should you do to protect yourself, the household occupants, and the public; and how and who should you report it to? 

Thursday 23 November 12.00 till 13.00 – National Disclosure & Barring Service (Disclosure) 

Georgina Mitchell from the National Disclosure and Barring Service will provide an overview of the Barring work that DBS undertakes. Attendees will learn about the legal duty to make barring referrals, the consequences of not making referrals, how to submit a referral and the consequences of being included in one or both of the barred lists.

Friday 24 November 12.00 till 13.00 – Co-production with Experts By Experience

Paula Blundell from South Essex Advocacy Services will offer a presentation on Co-production; usually where service providers and users work together to reach a collective outcome. The idea behind co-production is that those who are affected or use a service, are best placed to help design it.

Safeguarding Adults Week 2022 takes place Monday 21- Sunday 27 November.

It’s an opportunity for organisations to come together to raise awareness of important safeguarding issues. The aim is to start vital conversations and share best practice, so we can all be better together.

This year we are taking guidance from the Ann Craft Trust – Safeguarding Adults Week 2022 – Links, Resources and More.

Monday 21 November – Exploitation and County Lines

• CrimeStoppers is an independent UK charity that allows anyone to share information anonymously. They’ve been campaigning on county lines since 2018.
• Read the National Crime Agency’s detailed primer on County Lines.
• Learn about the Home Office’s County Lines Programme.
• County Lines and Criminal Exploitation of UK University Students – University of Central Lancashire Report.

Tuesday 22 November – Self-Neglect

• Read our blog, ‘What is Self-Neglect?’
• A brief introduction to Self-Neglect from The Social Care Institute for Excellence.
• Elsie’s Story – a short Self-Neglect case study.

Wednesday 23 November – Creating Safer Organisational Cultures

• Listen to our podcast with the Rugby Football Union to learn about the role of safe recruitment in creating safer cultures.
• Join our #SaferCultureSaferSport campaign
• Learn more about creating safer cultures in the health and social care sector.
• Complete our free safeguarding checklist to assess your organisation’s safeguarding practices!
• Download our training resources to support you with starting conversations about safeguarding best practice in your organisation.

Thursday 24 November – Elder Abuse

• HourGlass, the Safer Aging charity, is committed to stopping elder abuse. Take a look at some of their resources for safeguarding elderly people.
• Take a look at AgeUK’s hub of safeguarding resources.
• 7 Types of Elder Abuse and How to Prevent It. This is a US resource, so it may refer to legislation that doesn’t apply to the UK. But it still features lots of useful information.

Friday 25 November – Domestic Abuse in Tech-Society.

This day marks the start of 16 Days of Action for Violence Against Women and Girls.

• Refuge has published resources to support people at risk of tech-abuse.
• UCL have illustrated how smart devices present new risks for victims of domestic violence & abuse.
• SafeLives have produced a guide for practitioners to support them to have conversations with adults at risk about using technology safely.
• Explore our introduction to digital safeguarding guide which explains what digital safeguarding is and provides tips and advice for staying safe online.

Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 November – Safeguarding in Everyday Life

• Read our short guide – What Is My Role in Safeguarding – to find out how you can make a difference.
• Watch our short video guide to what you should do if you have safeguarding concerns.
• Read our guide – What Should I Say…? Responding to Personal Accounts About a Traumatic Experience.
• Explore our guide for advice about starting difficult conversations.

Southend, Essex and Thurrock Safeguarding Adults Board supported National Safeguarding Adults Week in November 2020, focussing specifically around the theme of Financial Abuse.
This included a week of virtual activity where professionals who work with adults supported the campaign by listening to the podcasts and joining the webinars featuring a range of guest speakers.

To listen to the podcasts and view the webinars, click on the links below.

Podcast with the SET Safeguarding Adults Board Chairs

Podcast with SETDAB and Alpha Vesta

Tuesday 17th November – 'Doorstep Crime'

Wednesday 18th November – ‘Safeguarding response to financial abuse’

Thursday 19th November – ‘Financial Abuse Legislation + Lasting Power of Attorney’