1. East Sussex Safeguarding Adults Board
  2. About us
  3. About the Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB)

About the Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB)

Chair and members

ESSAB Independent Chair

Seona Douglas is our Independent Chair. Her role is to:

  • Provide support and leadership to the Board and lead the quarterly meetings.
  • Oversee core tasks, including the Strategic Plan and Annual Report
  • Promote a collaborative learning culture between Board members. This ensures that learning from SARs and other areas of work is embedded in practice.
  • Make sure that SAB listens to the views of people who need care and support and their families.
  • Ensure that the principles of Making Safeguarding Personal are central to our work.
SAB Independent Chair Seona Douglas

SAB members

East Sussex SAB is a multi-agency partnership. It is made up of senior representatives from a range of organisations. They provide leadership and strategic oversight of adult safeguarding work across East Sussex.

Our core membership includes our statutory partners. These are East Sussex County Council, NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Sussex Police.

Members include community and voluntary agencies, and lay members. This reflects that safeguarding activity is only effective with collaboration and shared commitment.

SAB partners

  • East Sussex Adult Social Care and Health
  • NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board
  • Primary Care (GPs)
  • Sussex Police
  • Care for the Carers
  • Change, Grow, Live
  • District and Borough Councils
  • Department of Work and Pensions
  • East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service
  • East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
  • East Sussex Safer Communities Partnership
  • East Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership
  • East Sussex Partners in Care
  • Healthwatch
  • HMP Lewes
  • Independent home care representatives
  • Lay members
  • Probation Service
  • South-East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
  • Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
  • Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
  • Trading Standards, East Sussex County Council
  • Voluntary and community sector representatives

SAB subgroups

Our subgroups ensure that the Board meets the priorities set out in the SAB Strategic Plan. Each subgroup has terms of reference and a work plan for that financial year.

The subgroups ensure that the work of the Board makes a real difference.

Operational Practice subgroup

This group coordinates local safeguarding work. It ensures teams apply the priorities of the SAB in practice.

It encourages shared responsibility for responding to abuse and neglect. This applies to all agencies who work with adults with care and support needs. It also ensures that safeguarding practice embeds the Making Safeguarding Personal principles.

Performance, Quality and Audit subgroup

This group establishes effective systems for agencies to monitor, report and evaluate performance. This links annual reporting to improvement planning. It coordinates multi-agency audits and the bi-annual self-assessment process.

The Performance, Quality and Audit Framework [LINK] sets out the range of tools it uses to work with partners. These help improve outcomes and experience.

Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR) subgroup

This group consists of the statutory partners of the East Sussex SAB. It meets monthly to consider cases that may meet the Care Act criteria for a Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR).

The group handles commissioning SARs or other multi-agency learning reviews. The reviews ensure we improve the ways in which agencies work together to safeguard adults at risk.

Safeguarding Community Network

This group brings together:

  • community representatives
  • organisations which support people with disabilities, mental health and learning disabilities
  • older people and carers

It enables SAB to get feedback from clients and carers. This improves safeguarding experiences and informs policy development.

The SAB strategic plan has a strong focus on prevention, engagement and making safeguarding personal. The SAB Communication and Engagement Strategy [LINK] sets out how we plan to achieve this.

Sussex Policy and Procedures Review Group

This group consists of the statutory partners of the three SABs across Sussex. It reviews the Sussex Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedures in line with any policy and legal updates.

Training and Workforce Development subgroup

This group delivers the Sussex Learning and Development Strategy objectives. It also oversees multi-agency training development and delivery in key safeguarding matters.