Issue 41 | December 2025
Welcome to the December edition of Pass It On News.
A bi-monthly newsletter bringing you the headlines and new policies, procedures and guidance from your West Sussex Safeguarding Adults Board.
In this newsletter
We know that children and adults rarely live in isolation, and as such, it’s important that when we are working with children or adults we take an approach which takes into consideration the whole family. This is known as a Think Family approach.
To support your understanding of a Think Family approach, we have now published a Think Family webpage on our website, outlining what Think Family is; why it's so important; and what a Think Family approach looks like in practice.
Visit our new webpage:
We have published a new webpage about support schemes in West Sussex.
When you’re working with adults with care and support needs in West Sussex, there are a number of schemes which you may need to be aware of, or which may be helpful for the adults you’re supporting. These include:
- Herbert Protocol
- Hospital passports
- Pegasus scheme
- Personal alarms, telecare, and key safes
If you’d like us to include any other schemes that you’re aware of, contact us to let us know.
Find out more:
Concerns around suicidal ideation and intent can, and do, co-occur with concerns around abuse and neglect. Therefore, it’s important that professionals are aware of the signs and risk factors of suicidal ideation and intent, and how to access support for adults experiencing suicidal ideation or intent.
That's why we've published a new webpage, providing more guidance about this area. Caroline Harroe, CEO of Harmless, explains this:
“Suicide ideation refers to the presence of thoughts or fantasies related to ending one’s own life. It is essential to assess the intensity, frequency and persistence of these thoughts to determine the level of risk. On the other hand, suicide intent refers to a specific plan or desire to carry out a suicidal act. Recognising the distinction between ideation and intent is vital in assessing the immediate risk and urgency of intervention. While both indicate a level of distress, immediate intent requires immediate attention and intervention to ensure the individual’s safety.”
Understanding the Nuances: Differentiating Suicide Ideation, Intent and Motivation for Effective Intervention (2023)
For more information, visit our new webpage:
This year, 17-21 November 2025, was the Ann Craft Trust's Safeguarding Adults Week.
As in previous years, during that week we circulated daily bulletins linked to each of the Ann Craft Trust daily themes.
If you missed these, you can catch-up on our website:
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Last month we shared a special edition newsletter all about organisational abuse.
We know from our Provider Learning Review (2025), as well as learning nationally, that the identification and tackling of organisational abuse is something that remains an issue for the safeguarding of adults with complex physical and mental health difficulties, and learning disabilities.
In this special edition newsletter we looked at the wealth of resources we have to support organisations in preventing, identifying, and responding to organisational abuse. We also shared information about how the local authority and its partner organisations are responding to organisational abuse in West Sussex.
Read the newsletter:
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The Multi-Agency Risk Management subgroup (MARM) is a subgroup of the West Sussex Safeguarding Adults Board, which meets monthly to consider further actions for adults where risk remains high despite measures attempted to address/mitigate risk.
Following a review of referrals, we would like to draw your attention to the following information, which you should consider before making a MARM referral. Please ensure that:
MARM is a resource that should be accessed after professionals have followed standard practice processes to support adults with care and support needs, and where progress is not being made despite a multi-agency response.
For more information:
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Have you had a chance yet to check out our Clarissa Resource Pack?
In December 2024, the West Sussex Safeguarding Adults Board identified that there is a learning need in the partnership around homelessness. This was specifically in relation to reducing the stigma experienced by people experiencing homelessness; supporting access to services; and reinforcing the need for trauma-informed care.
This resource pack has been designed to be used by teams, and to provide a starting point for discussions, and policy and practice reflection. It can be used in team meetings, or as part of internal training opportunities.
Download the resource pack:
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As Christmas approaches, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our Board members and partners for your support during 2025.
During the Christmas period the Board Support Team will continue to be available, closing only for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Years Day.
We would like to wish everybody celebrating a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and we look forward to working with you all in 2026.
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