Easy Read Annual Report

Abuse is when someone hurts you, treats you badly or forces you to do something. It is also when they don’t give you the care you should be getting to be healthy and safe. 

Leeds Safeguarding Adults Board works to keep people safe from abuse. This work is called Safeguarding Adults. 

There are people on the Board from organisations like the Adult Social Care, NHS, Police, Fire Service, Probation, and Advonet. 

This report is about some of our work between April 2025 and March 2026. 

Adult Social Care needed to carry out 6,278 enquiries when an adult was being abused or at risk of it happening to them. They worked with the adult being abused to make plans to keep them safe. 

The types of abuse that were happening most were: 

• Staff or families not providing the help and support that someone needed. That is called neglect. 
• Someone being hurt or injured. That is called physical abuse. 
• Someone having money taken from them. That is called financial abuse. 
• Someone not looking after themselves properly. Or someone not letting people help them to be safe and healthy. That is called self-neglect. 

Almost everyone said they felt safer after being helped. 

581 people took part in our survey to find out people’s views about our work. 449 members of the public took part including people with care and support needs, and carers. 

We used our website to give information for members of the public. We added information about how people can be forced or tricked into marrying someone. 

We worked with some learning disability organisations to make an easy-read guide about how people can have their homes taken over by criminals. That is called cuckooing or home takeover. We put the guide and a short film about cuckooing on our website. You can visit the website at LeedsSAB.org.uk  

We gave talks to thirteen (13) community groups to help them understand how abuse can happen and how to be safe. 

People watched our public information film. It’s on our YouTube channel - Leeds Safeguarding Adults Board. 

We used Facebook, X, and Instagram to share messages about abuse and how to get help. You can follow us @LeedsSAB   

We provided leaflets and posters to help people know how to get help to be safe from abuse. 

In June almost 900 people from Leeds came to talks and training about safeguarding. They were people who work with adults, children, and families. 

In November we had two more weeks of events so that people working with adults, children, and families in Leeds could learn more about safeguarding. 

We published newsletters to give safeguarding information to over nine hundred (900) people who work with adults in Leeds. 

We’ve almost finished working with some other Safeguarding Boards to write some information to help faith organisations protect people from abuse. 

In some areas of Leeds we are looking at new ways of working with communities, to help them keep people safe. 

We had a meeting with people who work with adults. They told us about their experiences of keeping people safe from abuse. They told us things we can include in our plans and our work in the future. 

Self-neglect is when someone is not looking after their health or care needs and they find it difficult to accept help. We’ve been looking at how organisations can work well together to help people who self-neglect. 

People who work for Housing Associations in Leeds had a meeting about Cuckooing – this is when criminals take over someone’s home. And they had a meeting about how people can have their money taken off them. That is called Financial Abuse 

So that we can improve how safeguarding works in Leeds, we want to hold more meeting with people who work for charities and voluntary organisations. 

Domestic abuse is when someone is hurt or treated badly by someone in their family or relationship. We want to look at how organisations in Leeds work to help people with care and support needs, to help them be safe from Domestic Abuse. 

We’ll keep doing things, like talks to groups, so that people know how abuse happens and how to get help. 

We have a Friends of the Board Network. People from twenty-five (25) organisations that work with adults in Leeds help us hear about people’s experiences of safeguarding. We’d like more members to join the network. 

In November 2026 we are going to have more events for people working with adults, children, and families in Leeds. 

We are going to look at making sure people’s voices are heard when they need help to safe. 

Please remember that abuse is always wrong. 

There are people that can help you. 

If you think abuse is happening to you or someone else tell someone you trust as soon as you can.  Don’t worry. You won’t be in trouble if you are wrong. 

You can tell Leeds City Council: Adult Social Care

Our website is: www.LeedsSAB.org.uk. We have films on YouTube. Our channel is called Leeds Safeguarding Adults Board. Our profile name is @LeedsSAB on Facebook, Instagram, and X