About us
Adults have a right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect.
Local authorities have a statutory duty to establish a Safeguarding Adults Board under the Care Act 2014. The County Durham Safeguarding Adults Inter-Agency Partnership was established in 2007, became the formal County Durham Safeguarding Adults Board in 2015, and was renamed Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership (DSAP) from 2021.
Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership has a duty to assure itself that partners are working together to safeguard adults from abuse and neglect or the risk of abuse and neglect, and to support communities to prevent abuse and neglect.
Transcript - about us video (PDF, 76.9kb)
This short video explains who Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership is and what it does to support adult safeguarding.
The video is available to show in public and reception areas' visual displays. If you would like to use it in your organisation, please contact the Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership Business Unit for details. Email SABBusinessUnit@durham.gov.uk
Statutory duties under the Care Act
Annual Reporting
- Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership has a duty to publish an annual report outlining the achievements of the Partnership and its partners, and how strategic priorities are addressed.
Safeguarding Adult Reviews
- Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership has a duty to carry out a Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR) when an adult has died as a result of abuse or neglect our would have died without intervention, or has suffered permanent harm due to abuse or neglect, to find out what can be learned about improving practice and about cooperation between organisations.
Who is in the Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership?
There are three core statutory partners as listed in the legislation:
- Durham Constabulary
- Durham County Council Adult and Health Services
- NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board
Other partners include statutory, voluntary, and lay members who take part in the work of the Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership:
- Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
- County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
- HM Prison Service
- Care Quality Commission
- National Probation Service
- NHS England
- County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service
- New College Durham
- Durham Community Action
- Durham Police and Crime Commissioner
- Inclusion North
- Age UK County Durham
- Department for Work and Pensions
The Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board has an independent chair.
Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership Vision and Priorities
Partners have agreed our Vision:
We will support adults at risk of harm to prevent abuse happening; when it does occur, we will act swiftly to achieve good outcomes and we will consult with the local Healthwatch as a source of support to inform Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership activity.
The Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership's strategic priorities are set out in the Plan on a Page 2023 to 2026.
Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership Annual Reports
The most recent suite of Annual Reports are:
Transcript for Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership Annual Report Video 2022-2023 (PDF, 264.4kb)
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Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership 2022-2023 Annual Report on a Page (PDF, 378.1kb)
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Easy Read Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership Annual Report 2022-2023 (PDF, 534.4kb)
Communication and Engagement Strategy
The Communication and Engagement Strategy sets out what we will do to improve engagement and raise awareness, promoting key messages about safeguarding adults.