Social services in Dudley are confronting an unprecedented surge in safeguarding alerts, with reports skyrocketing by 300 percent over the last ten years. A stark new report reveals this dramatic increase comes as the resources needed to respond are under severe strain.
An Overwhelming Surge in Cases
Councillors on Dudley Council's Social Care and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee will learn next month that the authority received 7,363 safeguarding concerns in the 2024/25 year alone. This figure represents a 2.9 percent rise from the previous year and is part of a much longer, alarming trend. A decade ago, in 2014/15, the council dealt with just 1,713 such reports.
The colossal rise is largely attributed to heightened awareness of safeguarding duties, particularly among health professionals who are now the primary source of referrals. However, the system designed to manage these concerns is buckling under the pressure.
Self-Neglect Tops List of Concerns
Of the thousands of reports made last year, self-neglect constituted nearly a quarter of all concerns. This was followed by incidents of neglect and psychological abuse. Domestic abuse also remains a persistent issue flagged to the council's safeguarding teams.
Out of the 7,363 concerns raised, social workers determined that 664 required a formal Section 42 investigation. This type of enquiry is launched when it is believed an adult, who cannot protect themselves, is at risk of abuse or neglect.
A System Under Filtering Pressure
The report, prepared by Darryl Phillipowsky, the council's head of adult mental health and safeguarding, highlights a critical shift in how cases are processed. While reports have exploded, the proportion that move to a full investigation has plummeted. In 2014/15, 42 percent of concerns led to an investigation. By 2024/25, that figure had fallen to just nine percent.
This is not due to inaction, but rather the function of the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), which filters referrals. Mr Phillipowsky's report states this lower conversion rate mirrors national trends, with MASH ensuring only cases meeting strict safeguarding criteria progress further. He noted that many professional referrals relate more to general care management than acute safeguarding.
A Fragile Care Market Exacerbates Crisis
Compounding the crisis is the fragile state of the local care provider market. The report warns that over half of independent care providers have signalled they may hand back contracts due to intense financial pressures. This threatens to destabilise the very support network vulnerable adults rely on, placing even greater strain on council-run services.
The December committee meeting will now scrutinise these findings as Dudley Council seeks ways to manage the soaring demand for its safeguarding services with increasingly limited means.
