Domestic abuse signs spotted earlier, says council

The doubling in the number of safeguarding concerns linked to domestic abuse in Blackpool during the last year is the result of adult social care staff being better at spotting its early signs, the council has said.

A report found that between 2024/25 and 2025/26 there was an increase of 127 (107%) in the number of safeguarding reports in the town in which domestic abuse had been identified.

Blackpool Council said it was "confident" in the abilities of its adult social care staff to "identify and address safeguarding issues of any kind".

The rise in the number of concerns in which domestic abuse was identified as an issue "doesn't automatically point to a rise in domestic abuse cases", it said.

"Instead, it is that we have got better at identifying domestic abuse as a potential factor in safeguarding referrals.

"Work is increasing and improving both to raise awareness with the public around domestic abuse as a social issue, and with our own staff as a consideration within our safeguarding approach.

"We're recording things more comprehensively to better spot the links between different types of incidents or abuse."

The spokesperson added that the local authority had produced an Adult Social Care Safeguarding Handbook to offer guidance on identifying domestic abuse.

"Most of the concerns raised were by police and social care staff themselves, but we are also seeing healthcare staff and other services flag concerns too."

Correction 23 June: This article has been amended to more precisely reflect the findings of the report, which attributes a rise in domestic abuse referrals to improved recognition of its early signs by adult social care staff.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.