The People Scrutiny Committee is scheduled to meet to discuss the work programme, the annual report of the Safeguarding Adults Board, and the annual review of Safer Communities. The committee will review these reports and provide feedback.

Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report

The committee is scheduled to discuss the East Sussex Safeguarding Adults Board's (ESSAB) annual report for 2024-25¹, which details the effectiveness of the board's work against its strategic priorities, as required by the Care Act 2014². The report pack includes the ESSAB Strategic Plan 2024-2027, which sets out the strategic themes and objectives that the ESSAB wants to achieve over the next three years. The plan's vision is for all agencies across East Sussex to work together to build resilience and empower communities in responding to abuse, neglect and exploitation.

The ESSAB Annual Report 2024- 25 is structured around the ESSAB priorities as outlined in the strategic plan. Partner agencies have contributed performance and activity updates, and a detailed data appendix within the report evidences the effectiveness of multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.

Key data from Adult Social Care and Health (ASCH) for 2024/25, included in the report, shows:

• 15,385 safeguarding concerns were recorded
• 3,082 enquiries were initiated
• 53% of outcomes were fully achieved, and 42% partially achieved
• Neglect and acts of omission remained the most common risk type
• Most risks occurred in the adult's own home.

The report also notes that financial abuse, neglect, and self-neglect increased, while domestic abuse decreased.

The report also details strategic themes and progress, including:

• Accountability and leadership
• Safeguarding policies and procedures
• Performance, quality and organisational learning
• Prevention, engagement and making safeguarding personal
• Integration, training and workforce development

The report also provides updates on progress against 2024-25 strategic priorities, including self-neglect, prevention and early intervention, and safeguarding and homelessness.

The report also provides an update on Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs), including SAR Jack, which involved one adult who suffered serious harm and subsequently died.

Annual Review of Safer Communities

The committee is scheduled to discuss the annual review of the Safer Communities Partnership, performance, priorities, and issues.

The East Sussex Safer Communities Partnership (SCP) recognises that community safety and community cohesion are interconnected. The SCP coordinates community safety efforts across the county, with sub-groups focusing on violent extremism, drug and alcohol-related harm, domestic abuse, and serious violence. These groups also report to the pan-Sussex Violence Reduction Partnership and the Domestic Abuse Board.

The SCP aligns its work with the Adults and Children's Safeguarding Boards, the Health and Wellbeing Board, and the Children and Young People's Trust through a Partnership Protocol.

The SCP's three strategic priorities are:

• Protecting vulnerable people
• Identifying those at risk of harm
• Keeping communities safe

The report pack notes that these priorities align with those of partner organisations and the Police and Crime Plan.

The report pack includes a summary of performance highlights, including:

• Total crime reports in East Sussex remained largely unchanged between 2023/24 and 2024/25, increasing by just 0.8%
• The most notable rise occurred in theft reports which jumped by 20.2%
• Violence without injury rose by 6.9%
• Drug offence reports across East Sussex fell by 7.8%
• Reports of anti-social behaviour (ASB) increased
• Reports of domestic violence crimes increased by 2.1%
• Reports of sexual offences increased by 6.3%

The report pack also provides an update on progress against the objectives in the 2023–2026 Business Plan, community engagement, domestic violence and abuse, tackling violence against women and girls, sexual violence and abuse, drug and alcohol related harm, fraud and scams, preventing violent extremism, modern slavery and human trafficking, serious violence, the Changing Futures Programme, District and Borough Community Safety Partnerships, and East Sussex Safer Communities Partnership Priorities for 2025/26.

The report pack includes the Business Plan Refresh.

Work Programme

The committee is scheduled to review and discuss its future work programme. The work programme is an important tool in ensuring the correct focus and best use of the committee's time in scrutinising topics that are of importance to the residents of East Sussex, and the efficient and effective working of the council.

The committee will consider topics that it may be of value to scrutinise, and to decide whether further scoping work is required. This provides a basis for deciding the best way of scrutinising a topic, the timescale, and who from the committee will be involved in carrying out the review work.

In setting and reviewing the work programme, members should also consider the committee's input into the Reconciling Policy, Performance and Resources (RPPR) process and identify any information needed to provide effective challenge on key issues and areas of work impacting on the council's future planning.

The committee's latest work programme is attached as an appendix, incorporating a number of updates. The committee is asked to consider and discuss the work programme, subject to any further changes required.

The committee will also review upcoming items on East Sussex County Council's Forward Plan to identify any issues that may require more detailed scrutiny.

The report pack notes that an annual awayday is planned for 20 October 2025 for the committee to undertake a more in depth review of its current work programme in light of the latest priorities and to discuss any key issues and the committee's approach to scrutiny in further detail.