Safeguarding news

March 2026

Hello and welcome to your latest Barnsley Safeguarding Adults Board newsletter.

We've got lots of great news and updates to bring you on how, together, we're helping to keep adults safe. Read this month's edition to learn more about:

•    our latest Safeguarding Adults Review
•    BSARCS 'Ask the Question' initiative
•    advice from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
•    DWP support around ending exploitation
•    updates from the Board

If you've any news you'd like to share in a future edition of this newsletter, please email CathErine@barnsley.gov.uk. If you'd like to be added to our mailing list, please email SafeguardingAdultsService@barnsley.gov.uk.

Safeguarding Adults Review approved: Brian 

We would like to thank Brian’s family and all the organisations who contributed to the review of this gentleman’s death.

Brian regularly declined support from family, friends and health and social care agencies.

To support workers and volunteers who work with people who appear to have capacity but are making decisions that result in significant risk to their physical health, we are planning changes to the Self-Neglect and 'Was Not Brought' policies.

More information about these changes will be included in our next editions.

The full report about Brian's experience and seven-minute briefing can be found on our Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs).

We'd like to encourage staff to discuss this review in their supervision or team meetings and explore if additional training may be needed. We offer a wide range of free safeguarding adults training courses.

Brian's review has also been shared with the national SAR library

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue: advice on emollients 

Sadly, several adults have died or been seriously injured in house fires in other parts of South Yorkshire.

Most of these adults used emollients, smoked and/or had restricted mobility. 

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (SYFR) have shared a helpful video, approved by the National Fire Chiefs Council, and guidance.

Workers and volunteers should consider the need for a referral to SYFR for fire prevention support, with safety visits available to request on South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue website. 

Key safety advice: 

• Anyone using emollient creams, such as E45, should keep well away from fire, naked flames and heat sources.
• Do not smoke or allow smoking near contaminated bedding or clothing, and never smoke in bed.
• Avoid sitting too close to open fires, heaters or candles.
• Do not cook if your clothing has been contaminated with emollient cream.

Wash bedding and clothing regularly at the highest temperature recommended. 

You can watch the advice video on emollients. 

Ask the question Barnsley training available

Ask The Question is a transformative initiative, led by Barnsley Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Services (BSARCS) in partnership with Barnsley Council. 

Its core purpose is simple but powerful: to encourage frontline professionals to routinely, sensitively and confidently ask adults aged 18 and over about their experiences of sexual harm as part of everyday support and assessment.

Evidence and survivor testimonies show that many people live with the impact of sexual harm in silence because they are never directly asked about it.

Our Ask the Question initiative seeks to change this by embedding trauma-informed, compassionate enquiry into routine practice, recognising sexual harm as part of broader health and wellbeing and identifying its impact sooner.

To date, 22 frontline organisations across Barnsley have been trained in our 'Ask the Question' approach. This includes statutory services, such as most Adult Social Care teams and Probation, as well as voluntary and community sector partners.

Engagement continues, with more organisations working to embed the approach into everyday practice, and the importance of asking the question is reflected in the data. The most recent figures show that 20% of people disclosed experiences of sexual harm when asked for the first time.

This highlights both the prevalence of sexual harm among adults accessing services and the critical role skilled, sensitive enquiry plays in enabling disclosure.

Without being asked, many experiences may remain hidden, leaving people without the support they need.

BSARCS delivers a tailored Ask the Question training programme, building confidence and practical skills for professionals.

This training covers why asking about sexual harm matters, how to raise the subject sensitively, how to respond in a trauma-informed way, and how practitioners can maintain their own wellbeing while supporting survivors.

Ongoing advice, resources and organisational support help ensure the approach is sustainably embedded into practice. By equipping professionals with the confidence to ask, and the skills to respond, Ask The Question ensures that survivors are no longer overlooked, but are met with understanding, belief and appropriate support.

For more information about our Ask the Question training programme, please get in touch with BSARCS by emailing training@bsarcs.org.

All-age exploitation: DWP support to end exploitation 

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) takes an active approach to tackling exploitation, focusing on prevention and safeguarding vulnerable claimants who may be victims of exploitation.

This includes financial abuse, including housing exploitation, cuckooing and modern day slavery, as well as wider-scale organised crime, such as benefit fraud coercion.

We are currently working with the DWP to deliver local training on benefits and a myth-busting sheet to support workers and volunteers to dispel myths, such as payments ending if respite.

More information about these training opportunities and myth-busting resources will be shared in our next edition.

Barnsley Safeguarding Adults Board updates 

Sub-group activity:

The Barnsley Safeguarding Adults Board recently hosted two events with the Board partners. The first was a development event, looking at what work the Board wants to focus on this year. The second event was all about assurance, looking at whether partners agencies have adopted lessons from Safeguarding Adults Reviews into their day-to-day work and what additional support is required.

Particular challenges were acknowledged when working with people that may have issues with their mental capacity or executive functioning. These are often not immediately apparent as the person is able to articulate themselves well, and it may only become evident when workers consider the person’s behaviour over a long period of time.

Our Learning and Development sub-group discussed training priorities for 2026/27. A key priority is to support training around mental capacity and executive functioning, majorly using examples from Safeguarding Adults Reviews.

We have begun to plan some free joint training and support with the Barnsley Safeguarding Children’s Partnership, including a quarterly network meeting for the voluntary sector in partnership with Barnsley CVS.

We are also beginning to plan for Safeguarding Awareness Week in November. If anyone has any ideas about the topics they would like to see covered during this year's event or thoughts on how the Board can engage with members of the public, please email us at SABTraining@Barnsley.gov.uk.

Our Performance Management and Quality Assurance sub-group has committed to complete two audits exploring community neglect (primarily in the adult’s own home) and the interface between domestic abuse and safeguarding adults.

Timetables and methodologies for these audits are currently being finalised. 

Our Pathways and Partnerships sub-group will oversee changes to the self-neglect and hoarding and 'was not brought' guidance to support workers to embed the learning from the Safeguarding Adults Review we conducted for Brian.

It is particularly important for workers to understand the reasons why someone may not attend appointments or refuse support.

This will help us to consider what adjustments we may need to make to help the person get support or when their refusal of support puts them at risk of harm.

We hope that these adjustments to our guidance will provide further support for workers to do this effectively. 

Goodbye and thanks are in order 

We want to send best wishes to Kat Allot-Stevens (Berneslai Homes) and Michelle Kaye (Housing Solutions in Barnsley Council) as they embark into new roles and thank them both for all their contributions to the Board and the sub-group. 

We're also waving goodbye to Diane Lawson (Safeguarding Lead at Northern College), who is retiring following a merger with Barnsley College. Thanks Diane for the support you and your colleagues provide to your vulnerable students and your commitment to transparent safeguarding practice.

Di Wall will be the safeguarding lead for both colleges.

Finally, the Barnsley Safeguarding Adults Board and the Board Manager want to extend their heartfelt wishes to Kwai Mo as he embarks on his well-deserved retirement. We deeply appreciate his unwavering support and invaluable contributions to the Board's work over the years.

Kwai's leadership in chairing sub-groups has been instrumental, and his oversight of returns from Adult Social Care for Safeguarding Adults Reviews has been exemplary.

Additionally, Kwai has generously shared his extensive knowledge and fostered positive working relationships, greatly benefiting our collaborative efforts.

His dedication to safeguarding adults and commitment to partnership working will be greatly missed, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours as well as a fulfilling retirement.

For future newsletter items, please send your submissions to BSABBoardManager@barnsley.gov.uk.

April 2025

Pilot of tool to help adults and workers evaluate the emotional impact of hoarding

Feedback from a recent research project has generated a tool to help adults and workers explore the impact of hoarding. It supports the adult and the workers supporting them to consider the approaches used to address the risks of hoarding.

Safer Neighbourhoods, Berneslai Homes and Adult Social Care are piloting the tool, if you're interested in becoming involved please email safeguardingadultsservice@barnsley.gov.uk.

Be our "eyes and ears" in the community

Thanks to the work of the safeguarding engagement post, in Healthwatch, we have over 20 who have agreed to become safeguarding champions; most are volunteers with organisations across Barnsley. We'll provide training and a resource pack to support them to signpost people who need help with staying safe, being a carer etc.

If you work with a member of the public who might be interested in joining this group, ask them to contact catherine@barnsley.gov.uk or to speak to Tracy Hughes at Healthwatch - 07984 790230.

We're also keen to expand the membership of the SAFE (Safeguarding Adults Forum by Experience) subgroup of the board that meets quarterly. We can cover travel costs but aren't able to pay for the volunteer's time - but a cuppa and biscuits are provided. For more information about SAFE, visit our subgroups webpage. For dates of meetings please contact safeguardingadultsservice@barnsley.gov.uk.

Updated or new policies:

• Exploitation checklist
• Professional duty to respond to safeguarding concerns
• Guide to working with adults struggling with alcohol and/or drug misuse issues - filling in the gaps: a guide to supporting people experiencing co-occurring alcohol use and… Alcohol Change UK
• Professional curiosity - often identified in safeguarding reviews. We've produced a resource to help navigate the need for curiosity with the rights of adults to privacy - Practitioner Newsflash - Professional Curiosity

If you'd like us to consider creating new resources to help you keep adults safe from harm and abuse or have any you would like to share, please email catherine@barnsley.gov.uk.

Safeguarding Awareness fortnight - 17 to 28 November

Feedback from workers and volunteers has led to the decision to extend the duration of the event to give workers and volunteers increased opportunities to attend the public facing events and training on offer. During the fortnight we'll be running two South Yorkshire wide events:

• Homelessness, safeguarding and capacity. Key speakers - Michael Preston Shoot, Mike Ward and Ellie Atkins. This will be an in-person event in Sheffield. For more information, email sabtraining@barnsley.gov.uk.
• "Eyes on" conference - exploring the need to see the adult in their home settings to inform risk assessments. Date to be confirmed.

We'll be hosting a local launch event - all age exploitation - watch out for more information in future newsletters or Safeguarding Awareness emails.

If your organisation would like to be involved in the public facing events or would like to run any training, please email safeguardingadultsservice@barnsley.gov.uk.

Safeguarding Adults Reviews

Barnsley Safeguarding Adults Boards has commissioned several statutory and non-statutory reviews, these include:

• a thematic review of seven adults who were homeless (rough sleeping) or in temporary accommodation at the point of their deaths. We're completing this in partnership with the Barnsley Safer Partnership, who lead on homelessness.
• a review into the circumstance of a man who was subject to a home take-over (cuckooing) and physical assault due to an inaccurate social media communication
• exploring the circumstance of a pregnant homeless woman who was living in a tent with her mum. Sadly, her mum later died and the adult's baby was taken into care.
• a man who died as a result of self-neglect, regularly refusing offers of help from workers but asking for support from friends and family

We'll publish all the reports, and the learning will be included in future newsletters and training.