Would you know how to support children with family members in prison?

When he got arrested it caused loads of fights in the family. People were really upset with him again. Mum didn’t know at first until someone told her. I felt upset at first, and I missed him all the time. But I was ashamed and didn’t want to tell people. We never got any information …

Going to Court

What to do if you have to go to court I say in my safeguarding training that it is rare that a frontline member of the children’s workforce should be called on to attend court to safeguard a child. On the other hand, it is possible, and when it happens it is vital that individuals …

Keeping Children Safe in Education

Welcome to September 2021, which for many settings is the start of the next academic year, and a time of new beginnings. As a safeguarding trainer who supports the professional development of designated safeguarding leads (DSLs), I am aware of the sense of overwhelm that many of them experience. And the publishing of new key …

Peer on Peer

‘Around 9 in 10 of the girls we spoke to said that sexist name calling and being sent unwanted explicit pictures or videos happened ‘a lot’ or ‘sometimes.  Inspectors were also told that boys talk about whose ‘nudes’ they have and share them among themselves like a ‘collection game’, typically on platforms like WhatsApp or …

Do you need Safeguarding Supervision?

‘The DSLs interviewed invariably described the programme as ’excellent’, ’great’ …‘very useful’ and ‘valuable’. In one instance the programme was perceived as a ‘life-saver’ as that DSL had been ‘almost on my knees’ due to an increasing workload as a result of her DSL duties. …DSLs felt they now made fewer inappropriate contacts to children’s …

What Safeguarding training do you need?

It’s that time when I finalise my safeguarding training offer for the next academic year. The new MPT brochure for 2021 – 2022 is now ready for your perusal. Included are my main offerings, Safeguarding Awareness, and Advanced Safeguarding for Designated Safeguarding Leads. These are the courses I am asked by settings to deliver to …

How can sport safeguard children?

My abuser said he was a scout for a professional club. I played for a team that he ran by himself, with no assistance from anyone else. He came and watched me play football at school after that, on the premise that he wanted to see how I was doing. And he scouted other boys …

Peer sexual abuse: Could your setting have a rape culture?

“I was groomed when I was 12 by a 16 year old and haven’t told any of my closest friends and it’s been four years and I’ve been repressing it for so long that it doesn’t feel like it should matter anymore but it does and it still affects me every day because I feel …

Spotlight on Maria Colwell: The Cinderella child

The focus of this week’s newsletter is Maria Colwell, whose tragic death lead to major changes in child protection in this country. The story of Maria was a watershed moment in child welfare in the UK; she has remained in collective memory and has often been referred to when similar and much more recent cases …