Annual Report 2024/2025

Reconnect with communities in North Yorkshire to raise awareness and develop strategies to address and reduce risk of abuse
During Safeguarding week 24-25 a Senior Practitioner for Adult Safeguarding from the Health and Adult Safeguarding Team delivered webinars for multi-agency partners on the following topics;
– Supporting Disabled People who are affected by Domestic Abuse. 
– When and How to Raise a Safeguarding Concern.
– Person in a Position of Trust.

Ensure multi agency safeguarding policies and procedures are in line with best practice and meet the needs of older people and younger vulnerable people – now and in the future
The Health and Adult Services Safeguarding Adults Operational Guidance was reviewed in August 2024. This guidance applies to all staff, students, and volunteers who work in Adult Social Care, and covers how to raise a safeguarding concern about any adult where there is a concern regarding abuse or neglect and how to respond to a safeguarding concern. It covers the four stages of the core procedures as covered in the Joint Multi-Agency Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedure.

The Operational Guidance included a section on Professional Curiosity and linked to the Practice Guidance on Professional Curiosity developed for North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board. NYSAB

Health and Adult Services contributed to the One Minute Guide for Assessing Mental Capacity (Executive Capacity). NYSAB

New Self-neglect guidance has been developed with City of York Safeguarding Adults Board. NYSAB

The New Organisational Safeguarding Procedures NYSAB were successfully implemented on the 1st October 2024.The approach addresses quality, safety, positive practice and safeguarding concerns, identifying poor and ‘best’ practice. Each organisational safeguarding meeting considers the level of risk within a service to ensure appropriate mitigation is in place whilst the provider makes sustained improvement.
A Preparing for Adulthood practice pathway has been developed to support practitioners with best practice. This pathway supports both adults and children’s practitioners with key actions required at points in a young person’s journey and further work is now underway to look at broadening this pathway to include key partners pathways to work towards a more holistic approach.

Health and Adult Services were an active participant in the Councils Network and Newton Research programme report on working age and lifelong disabled adults (October 2024), “ The Forgotten Story of Social Care”. The report’s findings confirmed the need for a better understanding of the needs of young people moving towards the preparing for adulthood pathway, and for work across the council to develop preventative services for young people with no eligible needs for adult service support who exit packages of care and support in children’s services. Workstreams are being developed to progress these areas of improvement.

A one-minute guide has been developed by Health and Adult Services regarding Transitional Safeguarding and the Preparing for Adulthood Pathway.

Ensure a stronger partnership approach and accountability for the prevention of abuse
Health and Adult Services were involved in the development of the Managing Different Professional Perspectives and Mutual Challenge Guidance. NYSAB

The Multi-Agency Modern Slavery Toolkit has been reviewed and updated by the Modern Slavery Partnership Board, including contribution from Health and Adult Services.
A series of webinars have been produced for Health and Adult Social Care colleagues, to explore support for people living with chronic substance use and social care needs.

Ensure NYSAB is able to effectively adapt and respond to wider contextual changes affecting adult safeguarding
Practice peer support meetings continue to be held for Safeguarding Co-ordinators and Enquiry Officers. They provide an opportunity for adult social care colleagues to reflect and discuss practice queries they have, share knowledge, ideas, experiences, and learning.

Health and Adult Services have implemented Team Around the Person Practice Support Meetings. These meetings are a resource available to practitioners and their managers, which provides a supportive forum to seek advice on how to best support the people with complex needs and multiple disadvantages. Both internal and external organisations are invited to attend an MDT meeting, supported by highly skilled specialist psychologists from Tees Esk and Wear Valley Trust (TEWV), to determine risk, work with complexity and support plan. Colleagues from the police, housing, domestic violence services, NHS and children’s service attend as an alternative practice and risk management meeting when safeguarding threshold is not met.

North Yorkshire is a pilot site for King’s College London’s research project on working with complexity and the related decision-making in adult social care. to ensure that our social workers are confident in the promotion of wellbeing for those with the most complex of needs.
Working with colleagues in housing, the council has been successful in an application to become part of the Making Every Adult Matter programme Home – MEAM ; a coalition of national charities as a response to the siloed commissioning, working and policy development apparent in the public and charity sector for people experiencing multiple disadvantages. MEAM work with place-based partnerships to help focus on systems for people experiencing multiple disadvantages and strongly values coproduction with people with lived experience.

Reconnect with communities in North Yorkshire to raise awareness and develop strategies to address and reduce risk of abuse
Operation Soteria is how a force is going to transform its response to rape and serious sexual offence investigations (RASSO). As part of the development and introductory approach to this new way of working, an event was held offering partners the opportunity to provide feedback and ideas from a multi-agency/ stakeholder perspective.
To improve prevention of sexual abuse offending, work is underway to explore prevention opportunities for those suspects who do not fit existing responses.

Ensure multi agency safeguarding policies and procedures are in line with best practice and meet the needs of older people and younger vulnerable people – now and in the future
The non-contact sexual offences policy was published on the police portal in October 2024 in response to the Angiolini Inquiry Part 1 recommendations, published in February 2024.

Throughout the year, North Yorkshire Police has continued to lead the task and finish group working to develop partnership arrangements to deliver an adulty Multi Agency Safety Hub and initiative which will strengthen the counties adult safeguarding capability and outcomes. Research into best practise, learning from already established hubs and the development of information sharing agreements have been the activities underway. The next steps are for shadowing activities to support the facilitation of the MASH approach, with a view to gradually expanding its scope.

North Yorkshire Police is part of the Herbert Protocol a nationwide scheme adopted by all UK police forces with the aim of reducing the risk of harm to someone living with Dementia who may go missing, by enabling swift access to key information that can help the police find the person more quickly. NYP previously requested a hard copy of the form is completed by their carer, updated regularly and produced to Police on request. NYP are now working in Partnership with ‘Safe & Found Online’ (SAFO) who offer an editable, digital copy of the form and North Yorkshire Police are encouraging carers of people with cognitive decline at risk of going missing to complete and update the online form providing police with access to critical and potentially lifesaving information.

Ensure a stronger partnership approach and accountability for the prevention of abuse
The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, also known as Clare’s Law, became statute in its entirety in April 2023. North Yorkshire Police carried out a review of the updated guidance to ensure their current practice was aligned to the guidance and that they were meeting their statutory obligations. Part of this review highlighted the need to have a Domestic Violence Disclosure Panel which includes key partners in the decision-making process to ensure persons who may be at risk including those with care and support needs were being kept safe; this is seen as best practice.

The DVDS panel is now fully embedded within the Police and key partners and is business as usual. The panel hears cases that are of a complex nature where the person at risk may have care and support needs as defined in the Care Act 2014 or they may have multiple support needs that don’t meet the threshold.

Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) was introduced within NYP in January 2023 and seeks to ensure that those who find themselves in need of assistance from public service get the correct help, from the correct professional with the right training at the right time. 
When the risk of harm is high, there is a real and immediate risk to the life of a person, or when a suspected crime has occurred, Police will respond accordingly.  This acknowledges that while NYP no longer takes responsibility for people who really require specialist medical, psychological, or social care, we may still have a supportive role to play in some of these incidents.  RCRP ensures that the police only accept a duty of care for a mental health incident when it is appropriate to do so. 

Review and governance of application of RCRP is undertaken through a number of multi-agency meetings enabling challenge, review and learning from incidents. To retain focus on RCRP a separate meeting to review section 136 of the Mental Health Act detentions was proposed and went live in July 2025.

The NYSAB continues to seek assurance from partners as to the impact of RCRP and their ability and capacity to absorb the transferred work load and the associated safeguarding concerns that may follow.

Ensure NYSAB is able to effectively adapt and respond to wider contextual changes affecting adult safeguarding
A recent review by Coaction Hub (review of MARACs’ effectiveness in handling cases involving harmful practices) identified gaps in how Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) respond to complex domestic abuse cases involving adults with care and support needs, particularly where abuse is linked to harmful practices such as honour-based abuse and forced marriage. Key issues Identified included:

Structural issues: Traditional MARACs often overlook the unique risks posed by harmful practices, which may involve multiple perpetrators and community-based abuse. The current structure also does not allow for the in-depth discussion needed for complex safeguarding cases.

Underuse of Specialist Agencies: Organisations supporting Black and minoritised communities are not consistently involved, despite their vital expertise. These agencies face inconsistent funding and are often not core members of MARACs
To improve safeguarding outcomes, North Yorkshire and York will introduce a dedicated MARAC stream for harmful practices, including:

– Weekly Standalone MARACs for cases involving honour-based abuse, forced marriage, and female genital mutilation.
– Extended Case Discussions with 30 minutes per case to allow for thorough risk assessment and safety planning.
– An enhanced Role for Specialist Agencies. The charity Halo will co-lead these MARACs, ensuring culturally informed and person-centred responses.

These changes aim to make MARACs more inclusive, responsive, and effective in safeguarding adults with care and support needs from domestic abuse linked to harmful practices.

Reconnect with communities in North Yorkshire to raise awareness and develop strategies to address and reduce risk of abuse
To embed safeguarding in primary care, in 2024/25, the ICB continued to offer support to GP practices in delivering their safeguarding obligations. This has included specialist service from the ICB Named Nurse for Primary Care and Named GPs for safeguarding. Every GP practice has a named safeguarding lead in place, and regular meetings are facilitated by the ICB safeguarding team to offer supervision and support to these leads in embedding best practice. 
To further enhance awareness and ensure frontline professionals have been equipped with tools to identify and escalate concerns, the ICB delivered a programme of targeted safeguarding “Hot Topics” training delivered to Primary Care practices across North Yorkshire. This year’s Hot Topics offer has focused on:

– Learning from local case reviews (such as the James SAR)
– Safeguarding and patient online access to GP records (incorporating elements of coercive control)

The PAMIC tool for assessing and responding to the impacts of parental mental ill health
Designated Professionals hold quarterly Health Professional Group meetings for health partners to discuss key safeguarding issues such as drug and alcohol-related deaths, sexual safety, domestic abuse, and PiPoT procedures. They also provide group supervision for Named Safeguarding Professionals in provider organisations. Additionally, a twice-yearly forum offers private health providers safeguarding updates from ICB leads.

Ensure multi agency safeguarding policies and procedures are in line with best practice and meet the needs of older people and younger vulnerable people – now and in the future
This year the ICB has reviewed and strengthened various internal safeguarding policies, including the Safeguarding Policy, Safeguarding Supervision, and Prevent Policy.  These policies continue to embed the principle that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and promote a consistent, person-centred approach across all services. Key learning has been incorporated into policy refreshes and training updates to ensure staff are empowered to make informed safeguarding decisions.

Ensure a stronger partnership approach and accountability for the prevention of abuse
HNYICB continues to be a proactive partner in driving forward a shared, preventative approach to safeguarding adults across North Yorkshire. We recognise that preventing abuse requires coordinated, accountable action across all sectors and are committed to improving outcomes through meaningful collaboration and shared intelligence across the system.

Working in partnership with other NYSAB members, the ICB safeguarding team continues to support operational safeguarding through regular attendance at safeguarding planning and outcome meetings, and active contributions to provider safeguarding forums. Designated professionals also continue to act as the health lead for Person in a Position of Trust (PiPoT) concerns.

We have actively supported joint working with key strategic partnerships and participating in multi-agency working groups to ensure approaches are aligned, preventative, and person-centred. Designated Professionals and Named Nurses have continued to contribute to the workplans of each of the NYSAB subgroups. 

The ICB has contributed to multi-agency efforts to address areas of growing concern such as domestic abuse, with domestic abuse being an identified priority for HNYICB. Designated professionals and local providers continue to ensure engagement with the ICB Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Working Group which facilitates the sharing of best practice and learning across the health economy. 

In July 2024, the revised NHS Safeguarding Accountability and Assurance Framework was published and is now embedded within the ICB safeguarding structures: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/safeguarding-children-young-people-and-adults-at-risk-in-the-nhs/

Additionally, the updated Adult Safeguarding: Roles and Competencies for Health Care Staff framework (RCN, July 2024) now guides staff in identifying safeguarding competencies and education principles, reinforcing safeguarding as a professional and organisational responsibility: https://www.rcn.org.uk/Professional-Development/publications/rcn-adult-safeguarding-roles-and-competencies-for-health-care-staff-011-256

In 2024/25 a new ICB safeguarding assurance template was introduced for local health providers to provide assurance around their safeguarding activities.  Providers have been completing this on a quarterly basis and it enables further discussion between ICB designated professionals and Named Nurses regarding how safeguarding is operationalised within their individual Trusts. 

Ensure NYSAB is able to effectively adapt and respond to wider contextual changes affecting adult safeguarding
Over the past year, we have worked to ensure our systems, policies, and workforce are aligned with evolving legislation, national policy changes, and emerging best practice.
We have continued to champion a learning culture within the ICB, ensuring that key themes and recommendations from SARs are widely shared and acted upon across the local health system. This includes influencing local practice improvements and aligning policy with national learning.

The ICB actively represent the organisation in numerous partnership arenas. The ICB also plays a leading role in the Learning from Deaths of People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People (LeDeR) programme.

Despite ongoing organisational change within the ICB, we have worked to ensure that safeguarding responsibilities are maintained and strengthened.

Reconnect with communities in North Yorkshire to raise awareness and develop strategies to address and reduce risk of abuse
Training and development opportunities have continued to be offered to Primary Care practitioners in Craven to strengthen safeguarding adults practice including from statutory reviews, bitesize sessions, newsletters and PREVENT updates.

Multi-agency safeguarding training opportunities are shared across primary care.
WY ICB GP safeguarding standards were rolled out with returns by over 85% of Craven practices, offering assurance across safeguarding practice. 

WY ICB provides additional and updated safeguarding referral information, referrals and referral and escalation routes, which are accessed directly via SystmOne (health data system) in the patient records.

WY ICB continue to offer daily safeguarding support and advice to GPs and Advanced Nurse Practitioners.

Ensure multi agency safeguarding policies and procedures are in line with best practice and meet the needs of older people and younger vulnerable people – now and in the future
The ICB Place-based safeguarding policies, including Mental Capacity and PREVENT, have been consolidated across WY ICB and are informed by legislation and the Joint Multi-Agency Safeguarding Adult Policy and Procedures. They are reviewed and updated in accordance with legislative changes and guidance.

The ICB has actively promoted Multi-agency safeguarding adult policies and procedures across the primary care sector.

The ICB proactively works to promote and improve MCA practice compliance, including offering training and case law to the Primary Care sector to embed legal literacy

Ensure a stronger partnership approach and accountability for the prevention of abuse
Learning from statutory reviews (including early learning prior to report publication) informs and influences the development of training packages delivered to Primary Care practitioners by the ICB (Bradford District and Craven Place) Safeguarding Team.

The ICB Safeguarding Team actively work in collaboration with designated colleagues across North Yorkshire.

The ICB team seek and receive assurance against safeguarding standards from a range of health providers including primary care.

The ICB team contribute to a large range of statutory reviews as required both on behalf of primary care and as a statutory partner.

Ensure NYSAB is able to effectively adapt and respond to wider contextual changes affecting adult safeguarding
The team are informed on local, regional, and national learning and share with colleagues and partners.

Learning across statutory reviews, including early learning, is incorporated into the ICB training delivered across primary care to ensure that this is responsive to any changes affecting adult safeguarding.

The team collaborate with LeDeR reviewers to ensure that any concerns around safeguarding issues are understood as part of the review process and/or referred to the NYSAB for consideration of a SAR if appropriate.

Reconnect with communities in North Yorkshire to raise awareness and develop strategies to address and reduce risk of abuse
Supported Safeguarding Adults Week through a social media campaign, supported the local partnerships at safeguarding stalls around North Yorkshire, attended the Humber and North Yorkshire ICB Safeguarding Domestic Abuse Conference at York University and a police intelligence and awareness session with the Serious and Organised Crime Unit.

Clinical areas have Safeguarding Champions (currently a cohort of approximately 60) who receive regular briefings and updates on best practice from the team to champion in their areas.

Guidance and resources on the NYSAB website have been shared in our monthly safeguarding newsletter that is distributed to ward managers, matrons, AHP leads and associate directors or nursing to be widely amongst their teams. 

Ensure multi agency safeguarding policies and procedures are in line with best practice and meet the needs of older people and younger vulnerable people – now and in the future
The trust developed a G201 Could Not Attend policy which was ratified in November 2024. The policy promotes professional curiosity to establish whether the adult had the ability to attend the appointment and what the reasons for non-attendance may be. The policy provides a risk matrix to follow to support professionals in understanding the persons’ abuse/neglect risk, what impact non-attendance may have on their health and safety, and deciding which partner agencies to share relevant information with.  This policy is being promoted initially across predominantly outpatient and community services and will be a focus of evaluation for 2025-26.
 
Ensure a stronger partnership approach and accountability for the prevention of abuse
The South Tees Safeguarding Team, together with Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust, organised an event to support World Suicide Prevention Day on 10^th September 2024. To mark the day, we collaborated with Xani, who cycled around the UK on a tandem bicycle to raise money for suicide prevention charities after his sister, Alice, died by suicide in 2022, inviting staff to share a ride with Xani and to encourage conversations about our mental health.

The Trust screens and monitors any drug or alcohol use as part of an assessment at every contact with the service, and intervention is offered appropriately depending on the outcome.

The Trust has transition of patients from Children to Adults Services Policy to ensure that a clear transition planning process is in place that promotes the safe, effective and timely transition from child to adult health care. The process of transition is age and developmentally appropriate in line with You’re Welcome criteria (2017) and takes into account the young person’s maturity, cognitive ability and specific needs with respect to their long-term condition in addition to their social/personal circumstances and psychological status.

Ensure NYSAB is able to effectively adapt and respond to wider contextual changes affecting adult safeguarding
Learning from SARs has been shared across the organisation through:
– encouraging staff to read the reports or associated learning briefings in full on the NYSAB website as part of current, and previous, mandatory, level 3 safeguarding training
referencing SAR learning routinely in ad-hoc and bespoke sessions that are delivered to various teams within the organisation as appropriate.  
– including as a standard agenda item on Operational and Strategic Safeguarding forums within the trust governance structures.
– sharing the web links to the full reports and learning briefings on social media page, Facebook.
– distributing monthly safeguarding newsletter to ward managers, matrons, AHP leads and associate directors of nursing to be widely shared amongst their teams.  

Reconnect with communities in North Yorkshire to raise awareness and develop strategies to address and reduce risk of abuse
Held Conversation Cafes – TEWV and Scarborough Survivors work together to provide mental health support in the communities.

TEWV are working in partnership with York university and York Travellers Trust to better understand perceptions of mental health and barriers to service access in the Traveller community.  Practice guidelines have been developed and a series of cultural awareness training delivered.

The Trust joined the Yorkshire and Humber Perinatal Mental Health Provider Collaborative, working with seven other providers in Yorkshire and Humber to improve perinatal mental health care.

Forums for learning disabilities have been established, working with North Yorkshire York and Selby Improving Together and Durham Tees Valley and Forensics Group, People with Power to improve services for people with learning disabilities.

Trust has recently employed 2 new autism specialists that work across NYY covering all ages to support with people accessing out services; transitions is one part of the work they have been looking at.

Ensure multi agency safeguarding policies and procedures are in line with best practice and meet the needs of older people and younger vulnerable people – now and in the future
TEWV have contributed to the review of multi-agency safeguarding polices as part of our input into the safeguarding partnership.  Policy updates and links to partnership websites to access relevant guidance and policies are disseminated.  TEWV internal safeguarding policies reference the multi-agency policies and the need to access and use these where relevant. 

The Crisis 111 -2 all-age phone line is now in place; calls are triaged and transferred to the most appropriate service.
 
Ensure a stronger partnership approach and accountability for the prevention of abuse
The Trust continues to contribute to the Safeguarding Board and partnership arrangements as well as the community safety partnership as a key partner.
Ongoing review of Clinical models in the trust to ensure we have seamless transitions across services and continuity of care. 

Enhanced Health in Care Homes Service, working in partnership with primary care colleagues and carers, was awarded Highly Commended at the Yorkshire and Humberside Great British Care Awards 2024.

Ensure NYSAB is able to effectively adapt and respond to wider contextual changes affecting adult safeguarding
Further development of the organisational learning group in the Trust has been underway which is strengthening the way we share learning across the organisation.  We continue to share any safeguarding learning through our services/care groups and in forums like the quality standards groups in the organisation.  We are also continuing to explore how we can further vary means of communication and increase the availability of different types of learning.

Reconnect with communities in North Yorkshire to raise awareness and develop strategies to address and reduce risk of abuse
Being Young in North Yorkshire Strategy was launched in April 2025, promoting resilience, wellbeing and inclusive practice. It was informed by the 2024 Growing Up in North Yorkshire (GUNY) survey and has been shared widely with partners and communities, highlighting safeguarding as everyone’s responsibility.

Professional curiosity and parental engagement were promoted through a learning event in November 2024, helping practitioners engage more effectively and giving them the tools to be professionally curious when supporting children and their families, and other practitioners.

The updated Preparing for Adulthood Pathway was shared with partners and the Practice and Learning Subgroup (PLS) for further dissemination and understanding of the process.

Ensure multi agency safeguarding policies and procedures are in line with best practice and meet the needs of older people and younger vulnerable people – now and in the future
Managing Different Professional Perspectives and Mutual Challenge guidance was co-produced by the NYSCP and NYSAB, and supports respectful challenge and professional curiosity across agencies, aligning with NYSAB’s strategic priorities around multi-agency working and safeguarding effectiveness. This was followed up by an online learning event for partners.

The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements were reviewed and approved in December 2024, ensuring alignment with Working Together 2023 and reflecting evolving needs of vulnerable groups, as well as an update of the death of a care leaver process.

The Section 11 and Governance audit 2023–24 highlighted strong compliance across agencies. Recommendations were to streamline future audits and improve feedback loops between single agencies and partnership subgroups. This is being actioned for the next audit in 2025.
 
Ensure a stronger partnership approach and accountability for the prevention of abuse
The Joint Targeted Area Inspection (JTAI) with NYSAB and CSP highlighted NYSCP’s leadership in multi-agency safeguarding as an area of strength. Good practice was noted in the use of thematic audits (e.g. unborn babies, school exclusions), the integration of learning into practice, and the multi-agency response to children affected by domestic abuse, with clear links to adult safeguarding. The full report is available here: Report – Area Name – Domestic Abuse JTAI

NYSCP coordinated a multi-agency programme of events, including webinars, community outreach, and practitioner learning sessions as part of Safeguarding Week 2024. These were promoted across the NYSCP website and social media, with strong engagement from schools, health and voluntary sector partners.

The MACE Strategic Group, Strategy and Practice Guidance has strengthened multi-agency responses to child exploitation and contextual safeguarding, with clear links to adult safeguarding transitions.

Ensure NYSAB is able to effectively adapt and respond to wider contextual changes affecting adult safeguarding
MACE approach and regular MACE 2 meetings reflect a strong emphasis on supporting young people transitioning into adult services through coordinated multi-agency responses, aligning with NYSAB’s focus on contextual safeguarding and system integration.

Reconnect with communities in North Yorkshire to raise awareness and develop strategies to address and reduce risk of abuse
The Community Safety Partnership (CSP) hosted several webinars during Safeguarding Week 2024, including pet fostering for people fleeing domestic abuse, economic abuse, supporting disabled people affected by domestic abuse.

The Council’s webpages providing advice about domestic abuse have been updated.
The Community Safety Team have produced and distributed leaflets and posters to raise awareness of the support available for people experiencing domestic abuse.

During November and December 2024, community engagement events were organised across the county to support ’16 Days of Action’.  At the Ryedale event colleagues from Living Well joined Community Safety Officers and other partners in providing advice to members of the public.
Domestic Abuse posters and leaflets aimed at older people were distributed to NYC-managed sheltered housing schemes across Richmond, Harrogate and Selby.
Domestic Abuse posters have also been put in all NYC-owned public toilets across the county.

Hate Crime Champions worked with Mencap to produce a film, giving further understanding around disability hate crime. 
The seven Community Safety Hubs are connecting with their residents and acknowledge the diverse communities with many rural locations along with the larger towns across North Yorkshire.  They are holding regular events within their communities with a number of specific events during Safeguarding week. They also connect with their local partners which include Police, social prescribers and social housing providers to ensure early intervention to safeguard communities as well as individuals. 

Ensure multi agency safeguarding policies and procedures are in line with best practice and meet the needs of older people and younger vulnerable people – now and in the future
A new Domestic Abuse Policy for the Housing Service was agreed in April 2024 and an Easy Read Guide has been produced to support this. The Community Safety team are working closely with the Housing team to improve their response to domestic abuse.  A comprehensive training programme was rolled out for staff in Housing to improve awareness in 2024/25.
 
Ensure a stronger partnership approach and accountability for the prevention of abuse
Community Safety are working closely with the Housing Service at the council to improve partnership working in order to spot the signs of domestic abuse and assist people to access specialist support to minimise future harm.  Monthly webinars are organised for staff in Housing to improve their knowledge of specialist services particularly relating to domestic abuse and safeguarding.
Following the launch of the North Yorkshire & York Domestic Abuse Strategy 2024/28 in April 2024, a delivery plan was implemented to capture evidence, monitor progress and ultimately the impact of the strategy. Partners of the North Yorkshire Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board (NYDALPB) are asked to provide quarterly updates of activities undertaken and highlight progress towards the four priorities of the strategy. These updates are then reported back to the NYDALPB at each quarterly meeting.

Ensure NYSAB is able to effectively adapt and respond to wider contextual changes affecting adult safeguarding
Both the Community Safety Hubs and Community Safety Partnership monitor any new legislation on the horizon to ensure full compliance, acknowledging the need to work in partnership to effect change that can cross over to adult safeguarding.  The CSP recognises that we learn from best practice across all partnerships when delivering the priorities.

Reconnect with communities in North Yorkshire to raise awareness and develop strategies to address and reduce risk of abuse
It is a challenge for the Trust Safeguarding Team to engage with communities given the brevity of an acute admission. However, overall governance of safeguarding and complex Needs is very much a strategic ownership and our governance structure includes Trust representative who can garner patient feedback and input into service development. Our Learning Disability and Autism service have stakeholder meetings which are feed into the Complex Needs Operation Group. Healthwatch are represented on the Trust Complex Needs Assurance Group as it is the patient involvement and engagement lead.

Ensure multi agency safeguarding policies and procedures are in line with best practice and meet the needs of older people and younger vulnerable people – now and in the future
Policies are in line with multi-agency policy and procedures. They are amended/reviewed routinely in line with changing legislation. There is a strong system and robust escalation processes in place for all Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)/Person in a Position of Trust (PiPoT) cases referred to the Trust.

Just under 40% of the referrals related to staff who were victims of domestic abuse. In noting a lack of specific guidance and acknowledging the growing number of staff affected by domestic abuse, an additional policy “Supporting Staff who are victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse” was written in conjunction with Human Resources and was published in January 2025.

The Safeguarding team works in alliance with the Complex Need Team in the Trust and monitors compliance with the Mental Capacity Act.

Ensure a stronger partnership approach and accountability for the prevention of abuse
The Trust is a key partner agency for safeguarding within the Integrated Care System which covers 3 local authorities and 2 police areas. This is achieved through:
•            a skilled and visible safeguarding team across the organisation
•            membership of City of York, North Yorkshire, and East Riding Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB), the sub-groups of both SABs and the SCPs, which includes commitment to adult and child multi-agency review processes.
Contribute to and improve joint working with drug and alcohol services to meet the needs of dependant adults across North Yorkshire, with a particular emphasis on continuity of care.
Senior Probation Officer lead on Criminal Justice Sector contributions to the NYC Autism Strategy

Ensure NYSAB is able to effectively adapt and respond to wider contextual changes affecting adult safeguarding
The Trust has a robust process in contributing to and learning from SARs/Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) and LeDeR reviews, with escalation and subsequent trust-wide escalation of recommendations following review. This has informed the development of 2025/26 Core Priorities which are underpinned by the NYSAB’s delivery plan.

the NYSAB is shining a spotlight on the North Yorkshire Drug Analysis Project (NYDAP), an example of work that highlights the importance of multi-agency working and how working collaboratively can make a significant difference in safeguarding adults.

NYDAP was set up in August 2023 to support the safeguarding of our communities. It supports our partnership to understand the illicit supply of drugs in North Yorkshire and it provides intelligence on which to take harm reduction focussed action.
 
What is NYDAP?
 
NYDAP is a partnership across North Yorkshire and City of York Council’s, North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Horizons and the University of York (and previously Mandrake at Manchester Metropolitan University). NYDAP, delivered by the University of York, facilitates rapid analysis of illicit drug samples supplied by North Yorkshire Police, which have been linked to harm or seized with non-evidential requirements.  The testing provides rapid analysis within 24 -48 hours and highlights main substance and any contaminants.
 
NYDAP and North Yorkshire Substance Use Strategy
 
NYDAP forms part of the North Yorkshire Substance Use Strategy. It’s a central feature of the commitment to: “reduce harms associated with substance use across North Yorkshire – putting people, health and communities at the centre”.
 
By screening for contaminated drugs that pose a risk to the community rapidly, NYDAP supports the drug and alcohol partnership to respond to risk quickly and impactfully – and ultimately prevent escalating harms and deaths. 
 
NYDAP results feed into the North Yorkshire and York Local Drug Information System (LDIS) and Potent Opiate Response Plan.  All local drug and alcohol partnerships are expected to have a functioning partnership LDIS, including a plan for dealing with potential synthetic opioids – a co-ordinated approach to intelligence and harm reduction actions where illicit drugs present a risk to the community. 
 
North Yorkshire and York LDIS involves a panel of representatives from key organisations who are responsible for reviewing and appraising intelligence around harm caused by illicit substances.  If local harm has been identified and reported via the digital LDIS notification form, the panel will be stood up, including representation from Public Health (LDIS co-ordinator), North Yorkshire Police, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Hospitals and our drug and alcohol services. The panel will review the information and make a decision – in line with national guidance – on whether a Drug Alert or Be Vigilant Notices should be disseminated to services who have contact with people who use substances, and in some cases, directly with people who use drugs.

NYDAP is cited as an example of good practice in the national guidance: Local preparedness for synthetic opioids in England (2025).

The story so far …
168 samples have been tested in total, with 126 tested in the last 11 months via the University of York.  60 different substances have been detected, including 11 samples which contained synthetic opiates.
The LDIS has issued 4 drug alerts and Be Vigilant Notices, supported by NYDAP results – disseminated to professionals and people who use drugs. 
The results have also been shared nationally with the National Crime Agency & the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities to support national surveillance.

Impact
In January 2025, information was received about 2 deaths in the Ryedale area of North Yorkshire. Communication between North Yorkshire Police and Public Health raised concerns around tablets seized at both the incidents.
Testing was carried out via NYDAP which confirmed the presence of N-Pyrrolindo Etonitazene in one of the tablets: a synthetic opiate (‘Nitazene’) which is c.500 times stronger than heroin. The LDIS panel was stood up and a unanimous decision was made to issue a county-wide Drug Alert to services, and people who use drugs. North Yorkshire Police additionally issued an internal briefing to all officers around the tablets.

Due to broadcasting the risk within the community, facilitated by the Drug Alert, concerned interested parties continued to provide services with further information over the course of the subsequent weeks. The common theme was tablets featuring the ‘Xanax logo’ and being red in appearance. This highlighted wider potential synthetic opioid/ Nitazene related risk and resulted in a dynamic partnership response. Police arrests were made, and further controlled drugs were recovered that were again tested via NYDAP, and again confirmed the presence of a Nitazene.

The tests carried out through NYDAP are of intelligence value to all partners and support a dynamic response. The intelligence in this case supported the police to charge and remand responsible parties to court. The fast track streamlining of police forensic examination in this case was only possible because of the information provided through NYDAP.

The combined efforts of partners, supported by NYDAP, enabled the recovery of Nitazene containing pills. Drugs, which without this intervention, would have gone on to be supplied on the streets of North Yorkshire and would undoubtably have caused further harm. No further harm associated with this supply was reported.

Reconnect with communities in North Yorkshire to raise awareness and develop strategies to address and reduce risk of abuse
Through our Safelincs referral form we are now visiting and supporting more vulnerable members of our communities, particularly working closely with our partner organisations. In addition to our referral form, we are also carrying out Pro Active Home Fire Safety Visits to engage with individuals who are potentially at risk and hard to reach. We have a new Prevention Team Structure which includes 2 new Lead Community Safety Officers who can prioritise those who are the most vulnerable with a person centred approach they deserve. We continue to focus our resources out within the most rural and hard to reach communities across the county. .
 
Ensure multi agency safeguarding policies and procedures are in line with best practice and meet the needs of older people and younger vulnerable people – now and in the future
Our Service must comply with a series of national Fire Standards, one of which is Safeguarding. This standard includes ensuring we have effective Safeguarding policies and procedures in place. The Service Safeguarding Policy is in line with NFCC and local guidance. The Service has recently undertaken an Internal Safeguarding Audit with the conclusion that there is a ‘Robust Safeguarding Policy and Procedure in place’.

Ensure a stronger partnership approach and accountability for the prevention of abuse
As a Service we regularly engage in forums and meetings held by relevant partners such as North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership, PREVENT. Attending Development Days and Sub Group Meetings in order to ensure we maintain a strong partnership approach to the prevention of Abuse.  The Prevention Team are allocated regionally, enabling them to work closely with their CSP’s and within their local communities. The Service now has a School and Youth Engagement Manager who is a skilled youth engagement practitioner who will support us as a service to improve out approach to working with young people.

Ensure NYSAB is able to effectively adapt and respond to wider contextual changes affecting adult safeguarding
The Safeguarding Manager, the Head of Prevention and Early Intervention and our Senior Director are connected with Safeguarding Boards and can contribute to SARs as requested. As a Fire and Rescue Service, this year we have further developed our own approaches to review. We have expanded our Fire Fatality Review process to a Serious Incident Review process, enabling us to explore and gain learning from a broader spectrum of events. We are fully embedded in regional and national working groups/forums, enabling us to continuously learn and improve as a service.

Reconnect with communities in North Yorkshire to raise awareness and develop strategies to address and reduce risk of abuse
NY Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) Business Plan for 25-26 includes a commitment to ensuring all practice and strategic initiatives were supportive of improving awareness and reducing risk to people in the local community.

Commitment from senior managers to attend all NYSAB Board meetings and contribute to and support awareness raising.

NY Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) help people on probation to access services in local communities through timely and appropriate referrals to Muti-Agency Screening Team (MAST) and consideration for vulnerabilities to be reflected in all assessments and reports.

The MAST Probation Practitioner role, embedded in the MAST unit to improve information sharing across agencies and timely access to information, enables the effective management of risk to adults and children.
NYSAB training courses and other courses that target vulnerable adults are promoted to probation colleagues.

All staff complete mandatory safeguarding training and mandatory training on Professional Curiosity to improve safeguarding practice.
The Naloxone training rollout for staff continues to ensure probation teams are able to respond to overdose situations, reducing the risk of serious harm or death to people on probation.

NY PDU promote and support the development of the Housing and Homelessness plans across North Yorkshire to ensure that all people on probation across North Yorkshire have access to safe and secure accommodation.

NY PDU are connecting with Community Safety hubs to ensure Probation respond to and address local community concerns and improve the protection of vulnerable adults.
Safeguarding themes continue to be a core element of the North Yorkshire Probation training/development days. All staff are required to attend. Training included ongoing Professional Curiosity training, applying Safeguarding practice in risk assessment and management plans and inputs from the Neurodiversity service and Early Days practitioners at team meetings.

Promote access to the Drink Drug hub and training opportunities to improve knowledge and understanding of the harms linked to substance use.

Ensure multi agency safeguarding policies and procedures are in line with best practice and meet the needs of older people and younger vulnerable people – now and in the future
NY PDU ensure attendance at MARAC and MATAC and other adult safeguarding linked meetings in line with guidance.

NY PDU continued to use the Youth Transition Portal to ensure safe and effective transfer of cases from the Youth Justice Service to the Probation Service, based on the national Youth to Adult Transitions guidance.

Continued development of neurodivergent training to all staff over 2025-26 supported by work with the National Autistic Society UK.

Promote NYSAB training programmes and support developing knowledge bases across the PDU to ensure a consistent approach to safeguarding by all practitioners.
Focus on developing and improving Risk Management plans within Probation assessments to improve response to risks presented to adults and children and to improve sharing of critical information

Dept head of Probation is contributing to the development of the MEAM approach to supporting those with Multiple disadvantages
 
Ensure a stronger partnership approach and accountability for the prevention of abuse
NY PDU continues to work with safeguarding partners to develop the role of an embedded probation practitioner in the MAST to ensure timely sharing of information. It is hoped that this will be in place and concluded during 2025-26

NY PDU support the work of NYC’s substance strategy and operational groups and contribute to operational structures and responses.

North Yorkshire Health and Justice Partnership worker established for all people on probation. This role has been embedded in relevant groups to improve partnership working and explore commissioning opportunities.

All staff now have training on and access to the Care Leavers guidance package to raise awareness of specific needs and impact on behaviours and assessments.

The Deputy Head of NY PDU now co-chairs the Reducing Reoffending Group of the Local Criminal Justice Board to improve services to vulnerable adults, women and young adults, with a focus on diversion from custody and supporting the commissioning of innovative projects.

The regional lead for deaths under supervision has shared best practice guidance material across the PDU in relation to suicide prevention.

Ensured maturity assessments are completed on all relevant persons on probation to ensure vulnerabilities are captured and responded to.

NY PDU have representation on all relevant Housing vulnerability groups and have strong links to the Scarborough Reach programme and work with Regional and NHS Psychologists to improve our work with vulnerable adults.
Probation teams are inviting social work training teams to meetings to develop awareness and understanding of safeguarding work across NY.

The North Yorkshire Health and Justice Lead is working with Public Health to monitor and review Deaths under Supervision (Probation) and DARD enquiries to align learning and development for staff.

Ensure NYSAB is able to effectively adapt and respond to wider contextual changes affecting adult safeguarding
NY Probation are working with the Mayoral Combined Authority Police Fire and Crime Commissioner to ensure there is a robust provision of services for people on probation and to contribute to the wider focus on reducing reoffending, improving services and protecting victims.

Referrals to relevant support services and local services are made to assist with recent changes in cost of living and impact on housing.
NY PDU has introduced a new supervisory and quality assessment process, with a focus on Safeguarding Adults and Children a key element of this.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP)Inspection report in 2024 identified several areas around safeguarding that can be strengthened, with all recommendations being addressed on and incorporated in the 2025-06 business plan. Both HMIP and JTAI inspectors commended the MAST Probation Service Officer role as a strength in such work.

Continue to engage with the Dual Diagnosis Network to improve understanding and out work with complex needs adults

Development of Pilot across North Yorkshire and Leeds Probation areas to better understand the needs and manage risks of young people transitioning from Youth to Adult Services

Reconnect with communities in North Yorkshire to raise awareness and develop strategies to address and reduce risk of abuse
The Head of Housing needs is the housing representative on the Board to bring joint working together.

The service completed a successful evaluation of the REACH project for rough sleepers and the consultation for the Homeless and Rough Sleeping strategy with external partners.

The service have also worked with with Connected Spaces regarding lived experience across the housing needs service.

The Council’s website has been updated around Housing and homelessness for customers experiencing domestic abuse.

Ensure multi agency safeguarding policies and procedures are in line with best practice and meet the needs of older people and younger vulnerable people – now and in the future
Safeguarding training for adults is mandatory for housing staff, with additional advanced training for Housing needs and housing management staff. This ensures consistent best practice and are following correct policy and procedures

Policies and procedures are developed considering the best practice of the organisation. The Domestic Abuse policy for customers/tenants and staff is complete. The training matrix has been agreed and all staff attended mandatory domestic abuse training.

Ensure a stronger partnership approach and accountability for the prevention of abuse
The Head of Housing now attends both the NYSAB and NYSCP. Head of Housing management attends and links with the CSP. Attendance and contribution to the MARAC. Processes have been reviewed and staff have been trained.
 
The Housing team will continue with their commitment to emergency accommodation for vulnerable people facing modern slavery.
 
The Housing team are working closely with Health and Adult Services regarding a multiple disadvantage team pilot across Harrogate and a multi-disciplinary network across North Yorkshire.
 
The REACH project has continued its partnership with TEWV, HAS, IDAS to provide a housing first approach and is seen as a national exemplar for partnership services.
 
Recommendations and actions from SARs for the housing service have been incorporated.

Ensure NYSAB is able to effectively adapt and respond to wider contextual changes affecting adult safeguarding
We are looking at best practice to develop joint supported commissioning services with HAS. An MDT process is being developed with HAS to deal with complex cases, incorporating learning over the past 12 months.

A plan on a page has been developed by the Trauma-Informed Project Board relating to support the housing service to become trauma aware. This includes all managers and team leaders attending trauma awareness training which will then be disseminated across the teams.

Reconnect with communities in North Yorkshire to raise awareness and develop strategies to address and reduce risk of abuse
The adult safeguarding team are an active member of Harrogate Hospital’s High Intensity User Group, supporting clinicians where there are safeguarding concerns. During 2024/25 the functioning of the group was refined and enhanced as part of the Trust’s response to Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR) James, with a focus on effective care planning and communication with primary care colleagues.

The acute safeguarding team have continued to support staff to provide an effective response to patients, carers, and families who are at risk of abuse. Examples of this are:
– The continuation of the delivery of adult safeguarding training across the HDFT footprint, focusing on safeguarding as everyone’s business.
– The creation of a domestic abuse “link worker” network.
– The delivery of safeguarding briefing sessions with community nursing teams.
– DNA (“did not attend”) alerts have been added for those patients with a known learning disability who did not attend a planned appointment, which triggers a response to be looked into further by our Learning Disability lead nurse. This is to identify if any further support is required to enable the patient to access their health appointments in a timely manner.

Ensure multi agency safeguarding policies and procedures are in line with best practice and meet the needs of older people and younger vulnerable people – now and in the future
The HDFT safeguarding service undertook a mapping exercise of all safeguarding policies and processes and implemented a tracker to ensure that each policy was owned by a responsible individual and updated accordingly. The safeguarding adults’ policy was revised in line with best practice. A new Trust policy was developed to support employees experiencing domestic abuse (to be ratified during quarter 1 2025/26).

The prioritisation of patients with learning disability was adopted through the ICB-wide access policy.  

The acute safeguarding team provided training for staff to access the new North Yorkshire Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards portal, spending time raising awareness on the wards, which was tied in with launch of an electronic mental capacity assessment form.

Communication with North Yorkshire Council’s DoLS team was improved through the creation of a regular meeting with the Named Professional for Safeguarding Adults to support the prioritisation of DoLS applications.
 
Ensure a stronger partnership approach and accountability for the prevention of abuse
The acute safeguarding teams (adults and children) continued to build towards the ambition of developing into an all-age safeguarding service. A newly created acute based Head of Safeguarding post covering adults and children has driven forward this agenda. The service can now evidence better joined-up working across all ages, with an enhanced understanding of, and contribution to, the work of the NYSCP and CSP.  

The safeguarding team work closely with wider partners to support the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) process. During 2024/25, the team began to attend the weekly Harrogate/Craven MARAC meeting to better contribute to multi-agency risk management and safety planning.

Ensure NYSAB is able to effectively adapt and respond to wider contextual changes affecting adult safeguarding
The acute safeguarding team continued to link closely with the ICB through attendance at the Learning from Lives and Deaths – People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People (LeDeR) and Panel Steering Group; regular attendance at the Health Partnership Group; as a member of the ICS Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (DASV) strategic group; and supporting the planned rollout of Oliver McGowan training across HDFT and joint partnership working with York and Scarborough teaching hospital.

The HDFT safeguarding service began the process of developing a safeguarding learning and improvement framework, with the aim of establishing a consistent mechanism for identifying, disseminating and embedding learning. This will be linked to the development of an audit and training programme.