From 13-17 November, it’s Safeguarding Week. All week we will be raising awareness of the important work Trivallis’ Safeguarding Hub carries out and sharing ways you can access support if you need it.
At Trivallis we have a dedicated Safeguarding Hub, a group of staff members from various teams who are responsible for ensuring that we all play our part in safeguarding adults and children.
We don’t just help on our own, we work with other local agencies and organisations to get that person further support and to make sure that they are safe.
Partnership working is an important part of safeguarding. Working with other agencies means we can gather the right support around the tenant, making for a quicker and more meaningful solution to the troubles they are facing. By better coordinating the way we support the tenant, we can make sure everything is in place to keep them safe and prevent further harm.
Here is an example of how lifesaving safeguarding can be:
Person at risk
A man in his late 30’s with had lived at the same address for a number of years. His ethnicity, limited English and his mental ill health are all things that could put him at greater risk of exploitation or abuse.
What happened?
Sadly, he became a victim of exploitation caused by several perpetrators living within the same community. He had asked his neighbour to help him to contact Trivallis because he needed help with repairs, but the neighbour also raised their concerns and thought that he and his friend had been beaten inside the home. Had it not been for the neighbour, we may not have been able to identify this issue as quickly as we did.
What did we do and who did we work with?
The Neighbourhoods Team contacted South Wales Police and attended the home immediately following the concerns raised by the neighbour. When they arrived, they found the two men inside the home with significant and life-threatening injuries.
There were also multiple damages to the home and the man’s belongings, including signs that the gas and electricity supply had been tampered with.
Although the victims were too afraid to provide statements to South Wales Police, they had both fully disclosed what had happened and who was responsible to the Neighbourhoods Team. This allowed the team to escalate the incident that led to the police arresting, charging, and giving the two perpetrators significant prison sentences. The Community Safety Officer supported the victim in eventually making a statement to the Police, detailing abuse he had experienced over the previous 18 months.
Our Neighbourhoods Team worked with South Wales Police, Community Mental Health, and Adult Social Care to have the victim relocated for his safety. He found a new home within a week and received a starter furniture pack to help him set up in his new home. The agencies involved also set up food bank support and budgeting advice to help him have the best start in his new home.
At the end of the process, he shared his thanks stating: “Thank you so much, you saved my life!”.
Safeguarding isn’t any one person or organisations responsibility. We were able to help this man sooner rather than later because of the actions of a concerned neighbour. They saw something suspicious and reported it. We were then able to work with a range of partners to protect him from further harm.
If you need support or know someone who does, please contact us.
If it is an emergency or life threatening, please contact 999.