Hello!

My name is Sue Howard and I am the Safeguarding Adults Board Chair. Let me explain a little about how the Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership (TWSP) works, its function and also a little about me...

Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership (TWSP) is a statutory and multi-agency partnership. The work of the TWSP is split into seperate Safeguarding Adults and Children Board, each being driven by a different independent Chair. The Safeguarding Adults Board are determined to ensure that people rather than policies or processes are at the heart of our work and drive what we do. By law, Telford & Wrekin Council, West Mercia Police and Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin ICS (health partners) have a statutory duty to put in place multi-agency safeguarding arrangements to protect and safeguard vulnerable adults. This responsibility is delivered by the Telford & Wrekin Safeguarding Adults Board which is funded, equally, by the three statutory partners. However we believe that the voice of Telford and Wrekin people is crucial in understanding how well the SAB is meeting their statutory duty and whether services have been tailored to the needs of Telford. Additional membership of the SAB is drawn from:

• Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust
• Making it Real Board
• Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Hospital Trust
• Healthwatch
• Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• Chief Officers Group
• Partners in Care

Together we hold each other to account and build learning through identifying best practice and areas which need improvement to improve the quality of life for residents within Telford and Wrekin and to ensure they remain free from harm. In addition to our local partners TWSP is in regular contact with our counterparts up and down the country to proactively share learning identified in other areas which may also be of use to Telford and Wrekin.

I have worked in Adult Social Care (ASC) for most of my career, spanning some 40 years, firstly, as a night care assistant in a residential care home for older people.  I went on to support adults living with learning and/or physical disabilities before moving into care management.  I was registered manager of a care home and domiciliary services before moving into regulation and becoming an ASC inspector in 2002.  I progressed through various management roles and ended my full-time career in the Care Quality Commission in 2022, in a senior executive role, as Deputy Chief Inspector for ASC regulation.

Since retiring I have been actively involved in working with a local Women’s Aid charity, first as a helpline volunteer before also being invited to apply for a position on the organisation’s Board.  I am passionate about person-centred, safe care for everyone, and I am not afraid to positively challenge to achieve the desired outcomes and promote equal opportunities.  I welcome every opportunity to contribute to creating a safe world for people to live in. 

I have been working in the role of Independent Chair for the Safeguarding Adults Board of the Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership since January 2024.  It has been an exciting time, working with positive, like-minded people to serve the citizens of Telford and Wrekin.  We have worked together to ensure we continually improve our safeguarding arrangements, which includes setting new priorities for our Safeguarding Adults Board Strategy. In particular we want to improve the way we engage with the people of Telford and Wrekin and how we use their views alongside meaningful data and evidence to prioritise our work.  We also plan to do additional work to explore further how the partnership can safeguard people from exploitation, self-neglect and intra-familial abuse of older people.  And how we can support young adults moving from Children’s care services and patients being discharged from hospital who need additional care. 

Please feel free to contact me at Sue.howard@telford.gov.uk

Best wishes,

Sue

Click here to read our 2023 - 2024 Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report which details all the work we have delivered during the past 12 months

Click here to watch our previous online seminars covering a wide variety of safeguarding topics