In the tradition of the Roman God Janus – standing at a threshold

What was achieved in 2025, and what 2026 will ask of adult safeguarding 

Estimated reading time 6 minutes.

In November last year I went to a fascinating talk on Ansel Adams. Adams was an influential American photographer best known for his striking black-and-white images of the American West, particularly Yosemite National Park. Like many, I have very much enjoyed his photography.

Cleverly my wife followed this up with a Christmas gift of an Ansel Adams calendar. Stunning landscape photographs on each page. I love it. The picture for January is ‘Half Dome, Blowing Snow, Yosemite 1955’.

January is named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, endings, transitions, doorways and time, according to Wikipedia. He is usually depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions - past and future.

In the Janus tradition, I thought I would take a moment to look both back and forward for the Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board in 2025/6: 

January	We publish our new information sharing page on the website the work of the Emollient Fire Risk Working Group was in full swing (see November) interviews for the new NSAB chair Adult Social Services receive notice of their CQC inspection Lasting Power of Attorney 7 Minute Briefing published
February	We publish Safeguarding Adults Review ‘Eric’, with key lessons identified on legal literacy, risk assessment and suitability of placement.
March	Safe and Found online digitalisation of the Herbert Protocol to Norfolk and Suffolk is launched Heather Roach steps down as NSAB chair
April	Natalie Cowland starts as new NSAB chair Safeguarding Adults Partnership Review for Irene is published Updated safely ceasing involvement guidance published
May	Book published - Professional Curiosity in Safeguarding Adults (written with Ann, Bridget, Helen and Becky) May’s Safeguarding Matters newsletter gets the highest number of ‘opens’
June	NSAB Safeguarding Concerns Framework (and condensed version) published With my colleague Faye Gower-Smith I present findings from SAR R at the National Association of Equipment Providers conference
July	Norfolk Healthwatch/Opening Doors publish report titled ‘What adults with learning disabilities say about safeguarding’
August	The People From Abroad Team from Adult Social Services give a presentation to the NSAB Business Group on Honour Based Abuse and the current risks in Norfolk
September	We publish our 2024-25 Annual Report and present it to the Health & Wellbeing Board Information on executive functioning and mental capacity is added to the website NSAB’s webinar with the St Giles Trust about a modern slavery caseworker
October	NSAB’s development session sets 3 priorities for the new strategic plan from April 2026
November	Emollient Fire Risk Working Group wins Norfolk Fire & Rescue Partnership Award, followed by the National Fire Chiefs Council’s 'Celebrating Prevention Awards' for Partnership Working For the national awareness week, we publish hints and tips from NSAB members on prevention
December	NSAB’s presentation on risk assessment at the Shaping the Market event

And what lies ahead for NSAB in 2026? Five things come to mind: 

1. NSAB will have a new strategic plan from April, setting out the three agreed priorities – transitional safeguarding, data and self-neglect and hoarding (mental capacity and communication will be included as part of each priority)
   
   
2. With a new strategic plan, there is an opportunity for NSAB to adjust its structure, stand down some subgroups and introduce new ones. This will better support the board to have a clear line of sight on the work done and give greater accountability for those taking work forward
   
   
3. The outcome of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) will be known, and depending on what this looks like we need to consider any potential impact on Norfolk’s safeguarding adult arrangements
   
   
4. As the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board reshapes itself with a significant cut to staff numbers and an adjusted role, understanding what this will mean for safeguarding and how NSAB can support the ICB through this change, will be a key area of work
   
   
5. Readers of NSAB’s Safeguarding Matters newsletter may have noticed I will be leaving my role as NSAB’s Board Manager at the end of March. As NSAB enters a new chapter, a new board manager seems a good fit to help shape how NSAB works in 2026.

Thinking about these upcoming changes, I happened to see an excellent post by Helen Bevan on LinkedIn about how our beliefs and assumptions about change are often the biggest barrier to leading and enabling it effectively. 

The three beliefs/assumptions Helen picks out are that:

1) persuasion at scale is needed for large-scale change 

2) large-scale change initiatives should have a ‘big bang’ launch

3) once people understand the change, they will embrace it.

However, Helen says:

‘Change is much more about collective dynamics than about persuasion. People are more likely to be influenced by what their peers think than by top-down messaging. If we want change to spread, we need to help activate peer networks.’ 

‘The issue is that people are typically navigating many competing influences - prior beliefs, habits, social pressures and noise from many directions. That’s why ideas spread most effectively through peer networks, not top-down campaigns. People adopt the ideas they see working around them.’

Help activate our safeguarding ‘collective dynamics’ 

As NSAB moves into 2026, I see every reader of this blog as part of these ‘collective dynamics’. How could you support the board in this next phase? 

Here are three easy-to-do actions:

1. Galvanise your networks by sharing information about NSAB's new priorities. Your feedback to the board on these three topics will help NSAB’s understanding.
   
   
2. Look for opportunities to test and nurture new safeguarding ideas, linked to the priorities, with committed colleagues, as a way to pave the way for wider engagement over time.
   
   
3. Be part of a safeguarding culture change, supporting your colleagues to act differently, learn together and see safer, more person-centred practice working around them. It means valuing professional curiosity over professional certainty and sustained practice change over one-off initiatives. 

For 2026, please help us to shape Norfolk’s safeguarding adults system so that it's easier to ask better questions, share doubt, and stay open to being wrong – because that is where learning, and safer outcomes for the person we are worried about, begin.

Thank you.

Walter Lloyd-Smith

Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board Manager