Barnet's Safeguarding Adults Board has reported a rise in safeguarding concerns, with a total of 2,292 concerns completed in 2025-26. However, the board's annual report also highlights that risks were reduced or removed in over 92% of cases, and of the individuals who were asked about their desired outcomes, 97.1% reported that these outcomes were achieved.

The report, presented to the Adults and Health Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee, detailed that neglect and acts of omission were the most prevalent types of abuse, accounting for over 52% of cases. Financial abuse and physical abuse followed, making up 13.6% and 11.5% of cases respectively.

The Barnet Safeguarding Adults Board (BSAB) is focusing on three key themes in its new Strategic Plan for 2026-29:

Under its new Strategic Plan for 2026-29, the BSAB will focus on these three key themes:

  • Prevention: Reducing the risk of abuse and neglect through early identification, intervention, and support. This includes focusing on self-neglect, homelessness, exploitation, mental health, and emerging risks associated with technology.
  • Assurance: Ensuring safeguarding arrangements are effective, consistent, and aligned with statutory requirements. This involves improving shared learning from a range of safeguarding-related reviews.
  • Engagement: Strengthening relationships with residents, carers, and communities to ensure that lived experiences shape safeguarding priorities. This will be supported by a comprehensive Communication, Participation and Engagement Plan.

The Board also plans to improve understanding of modern slavery, strengthen support for individuals lacking mental capacity, develop a multi-agency safeguarding dashboard, and increase public engagement in safeguarding activities.

The data for 2025-26 indicates that the largest age group affected by safeguarding concerns was 18-64 (41.6%), followed by older adults aged 85-94 (21.5%) and 75-84 (18.1%). Women made up 62% of those affected. The most common primary support reason was physical support, followed by mental health, and then support with memory and cognition. Individuals identifying as White accounted for 62% of complaints, slightly higher than their representation among those receiving care (60.8%), and those from Mixed or Multiple Ethnic Groups were also over-represented (4% of complaints vs. 2.9% of the cohort). Conversely, Black/African/Caribbean/Black British and Asian/Asian British individuals were under-represented in complaints relative to their proportion of the supported population.

In terms of safeguarding concerns, Barnet was ranked 8th out of 16 comparable local authorities for concerns converted into safeguarding enquiries (27.1%) and 13th out of 16 for concerns per 100,000 population, based on 2024-25 data. Barnet ranked 10th out of 16 for the number of enquiries and 7th out of 16 for enquiries per 100,000 population.

The report notes that this data is considered draft. The report was presented to the Adults and Health Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee, details of which can be found in the Public reports pack.