Safeguarding Board highlights progress on adult protection but warns of gaps in support for vulnerable children

Annual 2024-2025 report published

The Isle of Man Safeguarding Board has reported progress in how agencies work together to protect vulnerable adults, but has raised concerns about gaps in safeguarding arrangements for children and young people, particularly those at risk of exploitation.

In its Annual Report covering the period from April 2024 to March 2025, the Board describes a year of both improvement and challenge, with strengthened systems in some areas alongside persistent weaknesses in others.

The report concludes that new multi-agency procedures introduced to address adult self-neglect are having a positive impact. Independent scrutiny found better coordination between services, clearer professional guidance, and improved outcomes for individuals, with service users describing meaningful changes to their lives following intervention.

Referrals into adult safeguarding remain high, which the Board links in part to increased awareness following the launch of a new self-neglect strategy in autumn 2023.

However, the Board’s evaluation of safeguarding practice for children paints a more mixed picture. While joint working and information sharing between agencies have improved, an in-depth review of how professionals respond to child exploitation found that support is often fragmented, inconsistent, and too slow.

Parents interviewed as part of the scrutiny process said they felt “badly let down” by services, particularly when early behavioural concerns or additional needs such as autism were first identified.

The report identifies the absence of a clear, Island-wide early help strategy as a continuing risk. Although this issue was first highlighted in a Serious Case Management Review in 2021, the Board says progress has been slow and children can still “fall through the gaps” before problems escalate. It warns that without a coordinated pathway for early intervention, opportunities to prevent harm are being missed.

Safeguarding data included in the report show that neglect remains the most common reason for child protection concerns, followed by parental mental health and domestic abuse. Re-referral rates for children’s safeguarding are higher than expected and above UK averages, prompting plans for further independent auditing to understand why families are returning to services repeatedly.

The report also outlines wider activity during the year, including the publication of learning from Serious Case Management Reviews, the rollout of the ICON programme to reduce the risk of abusive head trauma in infants, and a second annual Safeguarding Week involving public awareness campaigns, training, and media engagement.

More than 2,000 staff completed safeguarding training during the reporting period.

Looking ahead, the Board says its priorities include implementing a new approach to managing risks outside the home, developing a comprehensive neglect framework with external experts, expanding training through new e-learning platforms, and completing outstanding serious case reviews. It also notes that additional resources may be required to deliver planned reforms effectively.

The Board stresses that safeguarding remains a shared responsibility across agencies and communities, and says it will continue to provide both support and challenge to ensure children, young people, and vulnerable adults on the Island are protected from abuse and harm.