Table of Contents
Safeguarding adults is a process that protects an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It involves people and organisations working together to prevent and stop the abuse and neglect of people with care and support needs. Whilst Local Authorities are given legal duties to safeguard adults under the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014, the Care Act 2014 in England and Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007, adult safeguarding has historically received much less attention than child safeguarding work.
The Welsh Government has recently re-emphasised its commitment to protect adults from abuse and neglect through measures to tackle elder abuse and to reduce domestic violence. Our conference will be introduced by Rhian Bowen-Davies, the Older Person’s Commissioner for Wales, highlighting some of the current policy and practice dilemmas.
The conference will also showcase current research and will focus on a range of topics. This includes presentations and a podcast on discriminatory abuse, safeguarding people living with dementia, working with self-neglect, responding to domestic abuse in older populations and learning from the findings of Adult Practice Reviews in Wales.
The presentations will identify ways in which current practice can be improved and will be relevant to social workers and social care workers as well as health professionals and the police.
Introduction
Rhian Bowen-Davies
Older People’s Commissioner for Wales
Monday 2nd February 2026, 10:00am
Webinars
Discriminatory Abuse:
Using Stories and Narratives to Explore Professional Responses
Discriminatory abuse targets individuals based on protected characteristics such as age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. It is under-reported and poorly understood.
This presentation highlights current research, including safeguarding adult reviews, and introduces a new study using story completion methods to examine practitioner responses.
Presenter: Dr Karl Mason, Royal Holloway, University of London
Date: Weds 4th February 2026
Time: 12 – 1PM
Location: Online, Teams
Jumping hurdles and appearing above the parapet:
Navigating interagency working to support people experiencing self-neglect
Self-neglect poses unique challenges, risking individuals’ health and wellbeing, and requires multi-organisational collaboration. Practitioners face difficulties navigating these complexities.
This webinar highlights both the potential of inter-agency work to bring positive change and the barriers hindering it and will discuss the need for professional curiosity in safeguarding and self-neglect to be complemented by ‘interprofessional curiosity.’
Presenter: Dr David Orr
Date: Mon 23rd February 2026
Time: 12 – 1pm
Location: Online, Teams
Safeguarding People Living with Dementia:
The findings from a study looking at practice in social care, primary care and the voluntary sector
Dementia increases adults’ vulnerability to abuse. This project explored how social, health, and voluntary sector workers perceive abuse, safeguarding law, and teamwork.
This presentation covers research on safeguarding concerns among older adults with dementia in England, variations by sex, age, and region, and insights from professional interviews. Novel findings and key messages for practitioners will be highlighted.
Presenters: Reena Lasrado, Jeremy Dixon and Asri Maharani
Date: Tues 10th February 2026
Time: 1 – 2pm
Location: Online, Teams
Learning from Adult Practice Reviews (APRs)
Adult Practice Reviews reveal systemic strengths and weaknesses in safeguarding. Analysing 25 APRs (2016–2022), the review highlights issues with multi-agency coordination, advocacy, mental capacity assessments, and documentation of adults’ lived experiences.
This presentation summarises key findings, their policy implications, and how this must shape the Single Unified Safeguarding Review (SUSR) process. It emphasises the need for systemic, person-centred, and accountable safeguarding practices.
Presenter: Michelle McManus and Emma Ball
Date: Weds 25th February 2026
Time: 1 – 2pm
Location: Online, Teams
Podcast
PODCAST: Identifying & responding to domestic abuse in the older population – with Dr Sarah Lonbay
Our adult safeguarding podcast will be released in the week commencing 16th February, discussing the key challenges and complexities of identifying and responding to domestic abuse in the older population, with Dr Sarah Lonbay from University of Sunderland and hosted by Dr Jeremy Dixon from Cardiff University.
Coming soon…
Resources
Papers and articles by conference speakers:
- Karl Mason: A method worth telling: Using story completion to understand social work responses to discriminatory abuse
- Reena Lasrado et al: Understanding Safeguarding for People Living with Dementia: A Realist Review of Conceptualization and Practice
- David Orr: ‘We try to jump those hurdles’: inter-agency dynamics of referral with self-neglect cases in England
- Emma Ball, Michelle McManus et al: Research Insights: Strengthening Safeguarding in Wales
- Sarah Lonbay: Identifying and responding to domestic abuse in the older population: key challenges and complexities
Other resources:
- Guidance on supporting people living with dementia by Jeremy Dixon: Supporting people living with dementia to be involved in adult safeguarding enquiries
- Social Care Wales safeguarding resources (both children and adults): Safeguarding | Social Care Wales
