Policy and practice guidance
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Gateshead Safeguarding Adults Board Policy Statement
Living a life that is free from abuse and neglect is a fundamental right of every person. Safeguarding adults is about protecting that right while promoting wellbeing, choice, dignity, and independence.
This Safeguarding Adults Multi‑Agency Policy and Procedures are underpinned by the Care Act 2014 and the Care and Support Statutory Guidance. Chapter 14 of the statutory guidance provides the legal framework for safeguarding adults and replaces the former No Secrets guidance.
The Care Act places adult safeguarding on a statutory footing and establishes clear duties for organisations and professionals to work together to prevent abuse and neglect and to respond effectively when concerns arise. Safeguarding duties apply where an adult:
- Has needs for care and support (whether or not these are being met)
- Is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect
- As a result of those needs, is unable to protect themselves from the abuse or neglect or the risk of it
When abuse or neglect does occur, responses must be timely, proportionate and effective, and must place the adult at the centre of decision‑making wherever possible. Adults should be supported to understand the concerns, to express their views, and to influence the outcomes of safeguarding activity.
The Gateshead Safeguarding Adults Multi-Agency Policy and Procedures adopt the principles of Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP). Safeguarding in Gateshead is therefore person‑led and outcome‑focused, recognising that safeguarding is not only about processes, but about working with people to achieve the outcomes that matter to them in their own lives. Prevention and early intervention are key elements of this approach.
A cornerstone of the Care Act is the general responsibility on local authorities and partners to promote individual wellbeing. Wellbeing is a broad concept that includes personal dignity, physical and mental health, protection from abuse and neglect, control over day‑to‑day life, participation in work or education, social relationships, and suitability of living accommodation. The Care Act emphasises that individuals are best placed to judge their own wellbeing, and safeguarding practice must reflect this principle.
The Care Act also establishes a duty of co‑operation between the local authority and its partners, including health services, the police, and other relevant organisations. In Gateshead, safeguarding adults is underpinned by strong, established partnership working, reflected in the membership and activity of the Safeguarding Adults Board and its supporting sub‑groups.
The Gateshead Safeguarding Adults Multi‑Agency Policy and Procedures has been developed to ensure that adults with care and support needs who are experiencing, or are at risk of, abuse or neglect are protected through clear, consistent and effective multi‑agency responses across Gateshead.
All staff, in all agencies and roles, including volunteers and unqualified staff, have a responsibility to help prevent abuse and neglect and to take appropriate action when concerns arise. The GSAB policy and procedures set out how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard adults appropriately. The intended audience is professionals and frontline workers across all sectors, including statutory services, private and independent providers, and voluntary and community (third sector) organisations.
The Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) is the statutory body responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight of safeguarding adults in Gateshead. The SAB ensures that this policy and procedures are developed, implemented, embedded and kept under regular review. The statutory partners of the SAB are the local authority, the police, and the Integrated Care Board (ICB), working together with a wide range of partner organisations to promote effective safeguarding arrangements.
Legislative and Statutory Framework
This policy statement is informed by and should be read in conjunction with the following legislation and statutory guidance:
- Care Act 2014
- Care and Support Statutory Guidance, in particular Chapter 14 (Safeguarding)
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
- Mental Capacity (Amendment) Act 2019
- Data Protection Act 2018 and UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- Human Rights Act 1998
- Equality Act 2010
Gateshead SAB Policy Statement June 2026 (PDF, 286 KB)
Multi-agency Safeguarding Policy and Practice Guidance
Gateshead SAB Multi-Agency Policy and Practice Guidance June 2026 (PDF, 532 KB)
Support to develop single agency policies and practice guidance
Policy guidance
The Safeguarding Adults Board have produced guidance for partner organisations who are developing their single agency safeguarding adult policy and procedures. The guidance provides recommended content and a suggested structure for safeguarding adult policy and procedures.
Each organisation is different and therefore will need to use this document to create a policy and procedure that will accurately reflect the needs of their organisation, their staff members and service users and their families.
Support for developing single agency policy and procedures (PDF, 487 KB)(opens new window)
Policy and Procedure assessment
If partner agencies would like to assess the effectiveness of their policy and procedures, the Adult Safeguarding Improvement Tool can be adapted to support a self assessment process.
Adult Safeguarding Improvement Tool (PDF, 300 KB)(opens new window)
Information Sharing
Effective sharing of information between practitioners and local organisations is essential for early identification of need, assessment and service provision to safeguard adults with needs for care and support. Safeguarding Adult Reviews have consistently highlighted that missed opportunities to record, understand the significance of and share information in a timely manner can have serious consequences for the safety and welfare of adults at risk.
In the Second SAR National Analysis which was undertaken by the LGA in 2024, and considers the learning from SARs which are undertaken nationally that there were multiple examples of poor communication and information sharing between agencies and it was clear that poor information-sharing and communication led to a lack of openness, transparency and trust that could severely affect onward collaboration.
The GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 do not prevent, or limit, the sharing of information for the purposes of keeping adults at risk safe.
It is essential that collaborative working and good information sharing is established throughout agencies, at all levels, which is then embedded through effective safeguarding practice.
The Gateshead SAB's Joint Information Sharing Protocol (PDF, 782 KB) has been developed (with GSCP) to address information sharing both at strategic level and operational level within the arenas of Safeguarding Children and Adult Safeguarding. It is intended that agencies with the potential to be involved in safeguarding investigations will sign up to the use of this protocol.
This protocol is agreed with the purpose of ensuring compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulations (UK GDPR) and the Human Rights Act 1998.
The seven golden rules to sharing information
Sharing of information between practitioners and organisations is essential for effective identification, assessment, risk management and service provision. Early sharing of information is the key to providing effective early help where there are emerging problems.
The GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 do not prevent, or limit, the sharing of information for the purposes of keeping children and young people safe. Fears about sharing information cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the need to promote the welfare and protect the safety of children and adults.
| 1 | Remember that the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), Data Protection Act 2018 and human rights law are not barriers to justified information sharing, but provide a framework to ensure that personal information about living individuals is shared appropriately. |
| 2 | Be open and honest with the individual (and/or their family where appropriate) from the outset about why, what, how and with whom information will, or could be shared, and seek their agreement, unless it is unsafe or inappropriate to do so. |
| 3 | Seek advice from other practitioners, or your information governance lead, if you are in any doubt about sharing the information concerned, without disclosing the identity of the individual where possible. |
| 4 | Where possible, share information with consent, and where possible, respect the wishes of those who do not consent to having their information shared. Under the GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 you may share information without consent if, in your judgement, there is a lawful basis to do so, such as where safety may be at risk. You will need to base your judgement on the facts of the case. When you are sharing or requesting personal information from someone, be clear of the basis upon which you are doing so. Where you do not have consent, be mindful that an individual might not expect information to be shared. |
| 5 | Consider safety and well-being: base your information sharing decisions on considerations of the safety and well-being of the individual and others who may be affected by their actions. |
| 6 | Necessary, proportionate, relevant, adequate, accurate, timely and secure: ensure that the information you share is necessary for the purpose for which you are sharing it, is shared only with those individuals who need to have it, is accurate and up-to-date, is shared in a timely fashion, and is shared securely (see principles). |
| 7 | Keep a record of your decision and the reasons for it - whether it is to share information or not. If you decide to share, then record what you have shared, with whom and for what purpose. |
See the Information Sharing Flowchart (PDF, 112 KB) to help you decide if, and when to share. If the decision is taken to share, you should consider how best to effectively share the information.
You can download a copy of The 7 Golden Rules to Sharing Information (PDF, 178 KB) document for reference.
Gateshead Local Safeguarding Adults Board Please note that this is for further information about the Safeguarding Adults Board only. If you are concerned that someone is at risk of, or experiencing, abuse or neglect please contact Adult Social CareContact us
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Civic Centre
NE8 1HH
