FOUR care managers in Darlington are among the first in the UK to be trained in caring for vulnerable adult victims of abuse.

The social services staff have completed a course at the University of Teesside on how to identify the signs of adult abuse. The course is believed to be the first of its type in the country. Andrew Nuttall, service development officer at Darlington Social Services, said: "This is a ground-breaking course and addresses the Department of Health's No Secrets guidance on procedures to protect vulnerable adults from abuse."

Training follows on from figures just released in Darlington's Adult Protection Committee's annual draft report.

From April 2001 to March 2002, 25 cases of suspected adult abuse were dealt with by social services.