Shifting sands for safeguarding ...

Estimated reading time 7 minutes.

It feels ‘stormy’ at the moment. 

You might be wondering if my April has been dramatically different to yours, weather-wise, that is. 

No … ‘stormy’ came up in a conversation in the last few weeks when I was chatting with another Safeguarding Adults Board manager. We were reflecting on the next few months and how we need to pay attention to change in several different areas at the same time, and a weather analogy isn’t a bad one. My colleague likened it to: 

‘a developing perfect storm of change on multiple fronts’.

The phrase “a perfect storm” was popularised by author Sebastian Junger in his 1997 book The Perfect Storm. It tells the true story of the Andrea Gail, a swordfish boat, and its crew, who were lost at sea during a rare and intense storm. The book explores the lives of the fishermen, the nature of the storm, and the human response to a catastrophic event. This meteorological term is now used more broadly to describe any situation where several significant events happen at once, making things extra difficult.

Norfolk, like many parts of the country, is standing at a crossroads.

Proposals for local government reorganisation and devolution are moving forwards, while Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) face deepening financial pressures. Proponents of these changes see them as a route to potentially transforming how public services are delivered, but as with any large-scale change (and this is large scale, the biggest changes to the structure of local government in Norfolk since 1974), it also brings uncertainty, especially for vulnerable adults who rely on coordinated, consistent support.

For the Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board, this is a critical moment. How will safeguarding adults be affected? And what role can NSAB play in influencing the future?

The Triple Challenge: Reorganisation, Devolution and ICB Cuts

The landscape in Norfolk is evolving radically on several fronts:

• Local government reorganisation will reshape how services are structured across the county. Proposals to create new unitary authorities will see merging of current district and county responsibilities and potential new boundaries across the county.  These structural shifts could alter decision-making pathways and redistribute resources.
  
  
• Devolution promises greater local autonomy, with a combined authority across Norfolk and Suffolk and elected mayor. While this could bring more funding, flexibility and influence, it also means a yet unknown impact on governance, strategy and accountability for adult safeguarding
  
  
• Meanwhile ICBs, which commission and coordinate health services, are grappling with significant budget cuts: a 50% reduction in operating costs by October. Sir James Mackey, Chief Executive, NHS England (see Working together in 2025/26 to lay the foundations for reform) has set out some of the detail for how this would work. He suggested examples of duplication which could be cut: 

‘a number of assurance and regulatory functions’ (for example, safeguarding and infection control).’

What this might mean for statutory safeguarding, and other functions like continuing health care, SEND, quality and patient safety, is unknown at the moment. 

Of course, these are only the published details and much is, I am sure, happening behind the scenes. The point is we could see a fundamental shift for one of the three statutory partners to NSAB, and the pace of these reductions will have to be super-fast. 

• In addition, hospital providers have been instructed to cut ‘their corporate cost growth by 50% during quarter 3 2025/26.’ (see Hundreds of jobs could be cut at major hospital: BBC News 15/04/2025, which reports about 500 jobs to be cut at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital). I understand this will include clinical staff, so 500 fewer ears and eyes picking up safeguarding concerns. Also, Norfolk’s three acute hospitals are moving to one senior leadership team across all three.
  
  
• Plus, Adult Social Care, under the leadership of a new(ish) director, is reorganising the way it works and where its focus needs to be.

Individually, each of these developments may have an impact on safeguarding. Together, they represent a complex and potentially destabilising disruptive moment for adult protection systems, akin to being in a washing machine just about to do a spin cycle.

What could this mean for safeguarding adults in Norfolk?

1. Disruption to existing systems
   Successful safeguarding is built on strong local partnerships, clear responsibilities, and trusted relationships between agencies. Reorganisation and budget cuts risk disrupting these foundations at a time when demand for support is rising.
   
   
2. Loss of local expertise and continuity
   Changes to staffing and service structures can lead to the loss of local knowledge and relationships. Safeguarding is not just about policies – it's about people who know their communities, know our safeguarding ‘history’, have that partnership ‘memory’ and can respond quickly to emerging risks.
   
   
3. Opportunities for integrated, place-based working
   On a more optimistic note, devolution could support a more joined-up, place-based approach to adult safeguarding. If implemented well, it could strengthen local accountability and bring health, care, housing, and community services closer together.

Can the NSAB influence this?

Yes, and it must. NSAB holds a statutory role to assure and coordinate safeguarding across Norfolk. While it doesn’t hold budgets, it has powerful levers to help influence change in a number of ways, including:

• Strategic engagement: NSAB can positively contribute to these discussions to ensure safeguarding is embedded in any new structures or governance frameworks from the outset.
  
  
• Raising the question: Through data, Safeguarding Adults Reviews and annual reports, NSAB can highlight where cuts or restructuring create risks of abuse and harm for adults with care and support needs.
  
  
• Promoting collaboration over competition: In periods of reform, there's a risk of siloed thinking. NSAB can act as a unifying force – bringing partners together to focus on shared responsibilities and outcomes.
  
  
• Championing prevention and learning: NSAB can help make the case for investing in preventative, community-based safeguarding approaches that offer long-term savings and better outcomes – especially vital as budgets tighten.
  
  
• Protecting the voice of the adult at risk of abuse and harm: In a changing system, there’s a real risk that the voices of adults at risk of abuse is lost in this large scale change. NSAB can be a mechanism through which we can keep people’s experiences and rights at the centre of all decision-making.

As we navigate these big adjustments for adult safeguarding, we can draw some valuable insights from NHS Horizons on managing big system change. NHS Horizons is a specialist improvement team within NHS England (although their future role is now up in the air), which supports large-scale change in health and care. Their focus is on transformation through collaboration, innovation and inclusion. Their key advice on large-scale change? 

Change isn’t just structural – it’s human.

Here, the Safeguarding Adults Board can:

1. Engage with our safeguarding network to help bring in voices from all levels, not just our senior leaders but frontline staff, communities, and people with lived experience. This is to make sure changes are grounded, not just strategy.
    
2. Help communicate clearly and at regular points on how safeguarding functions will be developed in the new landscape. Uncertainty breeds anxiety. Honest updates and space for feedback helps to build trust and shared purpose.
    
3. Not underestimate the emotional impact of change. Teams need support, recognition and time to adjust. A strong safeguarding culture depends on a workforce that feels heard and valued.
    
4. Stay focused on purpose. In safeguarding, that means keeping adults at risk front and centre – no matter how the system around them evolves.

Yes, system change can feel overwhelming but by holding onto our shared values, our safeguarding vision for Norfolk – collaborating across boundaries, and listening closely to those impacted – we can not only survive change, we can shape it.

Final thoughts

Norfolk’s public services are changing – but adult safeguarding cannot be left behind. Whether through reorganisation, devolution or funding pressures, the safety and wellbeing of adults at risk must remain a top priority.

The Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board (and SABs all over the country) has a crucial role to play not only in responding to change but helping to influence it. By staying visible, vocal and collaborative, NSAB can ensure that safeguarding is not weakened, but reimagined and strengthened for the future.

Thank you.

Walter Lloyd-Smith

Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board Manager