These terms of reference were last reviewed in February 2026
Purpose
The C&E Subgroup will lead the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Adult Safeguarding Partnership Board’s (SSASPB) communication and engagement activity. This will be delivered in line with the agreed SSASPB Communication and Engagement Plan and Business Plan priorities, with a particular focus on raising awareness to prevent abuse and neglect and amplifying the voice of adults with care and support needs.
Remit
The C&E Subgroup is a formally constituted arm of the SSASPB. It fulfils the following list of responsibilities:
- Deliver communication and engagement actions assigned to the subgroup within the SSASPB Business Plan and Communication and Engagement Plan.
- Identify, promote and contribute to initiatives and campaigns that to raise awareness of adult safeguarding, how to report abuse, and how to report quality of care concerns, recognising that increased reporting is a positive outcome.
- Coordinate multi-agency communication and engagement activity linked to national and local campaigns, including National Safeguarding Week and other agreed events.
- Support the joint coordination and delivery of practitioner and other learning events to raise the profile of SAB and promote the learning from safeguarding themes and best practice identified to multi-agency audiences across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
- Establish and maintain mechanisms to hear, capture and evidence the voices and lived experiences of adults, carers, families and advocates, including those from seldom-heard or underrepresented groups, to inform SSASPB priorities and activity.
- Lead development and review of SSASPB communication channels, including the website, digital engagement tools and partner social media links, to raise the profile of the SAB and improve engagement.
- Seek assurance that safeguarding information, resources and platforms are accessible, inclusive, and use appropriate language, including easy read and translated formats where required.
- Be assured that partner agencies are appropriately prioritising, seeking and ensuring the views of adults influence improvements in safeguarding processes and practice and the commissioning of services
- Prepare a contribution to the SSASPB Annual Report that provides assurance and evidence of the subgroup’s activity, impact and learning.
Identify risks, gaps, proposals and required decisions for escalation by the Subgroup Chair to the Executive Subgroup.
Membership
Membership will comprise named representatives from SSASPB partner agencies with responsibility, expertise or influence in communication, engagement, equality, inclusion or community connection.
- Membership will be reviewed periodically to ensure appropriate representation and links to communities, sectors and extended to include other organisations as necessary to deliver the defined remit
- The subgroup will be chaired by a strategic adult safeguarding manager from a Board member organisation; there will also be a vice Chair. The Chair will be a member of the Executive Group and will attend Executive Group meetings. The vice Chair will act for the Chair in their absence.
- The Subgroup will be supported by the SSASPB Board Manager and the Administrator
Frequency of meetings
The Subgroup will meet a minimum of six times per year, with additional meetings scheduled as required to deliver agreed priorities, campaigns or time-limited activity.
Principles
The Subgroup will:
- Retain a clear focus on adults with needs for care and support as defined by the Care Act 2014.
- Apply the SSASPB communication principles, including openness, transparency, accessibility, timeliness, two-way engagement and use of plain language.
- Have due regard to equality, diversity and inclusion, recognising barriers faced by underrepresented and seldom-heard groups and seeking to address these through targeted engagement.
- Promote consistent safeguarding messages across partners and maximise opportunities for joint working and shared learning.