New 7-minute briefing - learning from OSAB SARs: John

Oldham Safeguarding Adults Board (OSAB) are pleased to share an essential 7-Minute Briefing about the findings within the recently published Safeguarding Adult Review in relation to 'John'. The briefing focuses on learning about responses to safeguarding concerns; gaps in safeguarding information transfer during hospital discharge and across community services; and awareness of housing support services. Access the briefing: Learning from SARs - John

7-Minute Briefings are based on research which suggests that seven minutes is an ideal time span in which to concentrate and learn. Learning for 7 minutes is manageable in most services and often more memorable as it is necessarily brief and not clouded by other issues and pressures. These short, safeguarding snapshots can be a helpful way to support team learning. 

Are dangerous gifts on your Christmas list?

The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) warns that cheap gifts from unknown sellers on online marketplaces can come from anywhere in the world and may pose serious risks to children. To help you shop safely this festive season, CAPT has highlighted 8 dangerous gifts that could be a nightmare this Christmas. Could any of these be on your shopping list?

  • Electric scooters – Doctors report devastating injuries from e-scooter accidents.
  • Magnets – High-strength magnets can tear through a child’s gut if swallowed.
  • Baby sleep products – Cute but can suffocate a small baby.
  • Water beads – Expand inside the body, causing dangerous blockages.
  • Button batteries – Can cause severe or fatal injuries if swallowed.

More risks and tips to keep children safe this Christmas are available on the CAPT's website

Coping at Christmas

The festive season can be tough. If you or someone you are supporting is finding it tough this Christmas, there is always help available. Support is just a call or text away.

Learn how Christmas might affect your mental health and find tips on how to cope and ways to support someone else via Mind: Christmas and Mental Health

Safer sex is not just for Christmas

Brook’s safer sex rules campaign returns and is running throughout December and January. The campaign promotes condoms, contraception, consent and STI testing over the festive period. But safer sex is not just for Christmas! Brooks's campaign page features useful information for promoting safer sex all year round, including a toolkit with downloadable content you can use in your networks.

To complement Brook’s safer sex campaign, Oldham Safeguarding Children Partnership (OSCP) offers assemblies on safe sex, healthy relationships, and other safeguarding topics. These sessions, delivered by our training officer, are designed to inform, engage, and support both staff and young people.

If your setting has a service level agreement with OSCP, you can book an assembly by emailing ellen.weedon@oldham.gov.ukGreater Manchester live well podcast

The Greater Manchester Live Well Podcast is now live. It introduces Live Well: A different way of growing health, wealth and connection in Greater Manchester.

Tune in to discover how Greater Manchester is doing things differently — creating everyday support that starts with people, not systems; community-led and system-enabled. Live Well is reimagining everyday support, tackling inequalities by supporting the person and not just waiting to treat the condition or crisis. Residents, communities, public service leaders and the Mayor of Greater Manchester share why it’s time to find new ways of supporting people and communities in everyday trusted places. Explore what Live Well is and why it matters – a journey from policy to practice, from neighbourhoods to boardrooms. What's working, what's shifting and how we can create new systems of support, together.

To access the podcast, please visit the following link: Greater Manchester Live Well Podcast

Safer sleeping for babies over the festive period

Sadly, within our local Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) area, which covers Bury, Oldham, and Rochdale, there have been six deaths in the past two years where unsafe sleeping practices were identified.

This highlights the importance of remaining vigilant about safe sleep practices, especially during times when routines are disrupted. Routines often change over the festive season. People may visit friends and relatives, have more to drink and go to bed at different times. It may be more difficult for parents and caregivers to find safe sleeping spaces for babies.

As we approach the festive season, we would like to remind all professionals working with families, to reinforce the messages about safer sleeping that midwives and health visitors give to parents, as part of their work with families.

This applies to babies up to 15 months of age, but particularly in the first 6 months when babies are more at risk of SIDS.

Please check out the guides below and share them with families to help keep babies safe:

Seasonal safeguarding

Christmas can increase pressure on families, with financial strain, disrupted routines, and reduced support services leaving children more vulnerable. School holidays bring less supervision and structure, raising risks both online and offline. For children already facing family conflict, mental health difficulties, or isolation, the season can heighten loneliness, anxiety, and stress, made worse by cultural expectations and the rising cost of living.

Schools and early years settings can help by promoting safeguarding, encouraging safe celebrations, and supporting families. By fostering a culture of reporting, strengthening online safety, reducing financial pressures, and signposting to support services, settings can work with communities to make the festive period safer and more supportive for children.

Please consider signposting families using the Oldham directory of services for up to date information and also remind students of key online, road, fire, rail, and water safety messages.

The members of Oldham's Safeguarding Adults Board and Safeguarding Children Partnership and the staff within the Business Units that support their work, would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's been involved with OSAB and OSCP in 2025.

You might have taken part in training, attended an event or partnership meeting, worked closely with us on a project or used or shared some of our resources. Thanks to everyone!