One of the most important safeguarding documents you’ll ever read…

*STOP PRESS!*  There is a new edition of non-statutory document ‘Guidance for safer working practice for those working with children in education settings’ (2019), endorsed and recommended by the Safer Recruitment Consortium.  The original guidance was developed by a DfES network in 2005, revised in 2009 and 2015. It is essential reading for everyone who works with children …

What is Pupil Premium Plus funding and how can it be used to support vulnerable pupils?

What is Pupil Premium Plus (PPP) funding and why is it in place? Children who’ve experienced trauma and loss in their early lives view the world through a different lens and need particular support to give them a chance to access (and hopefully thrive in) our current education system – see our earlier blog about …

What is Pupil Premium Plus funding and how can it be used to support vulnerable pupils?

Allegations: Spotting and Reporting Staff Who Abuse Children

Nigel Leat was a Primary School teacher from Weston-Super-Mare. For fifteen years he sexually abused the children in his Year 3 classes and filmed the abuse on a camera hidden underneath his desk. Over the years, the Headteacher of the school had received over 30 formal allegations about Leat from other staff who were increasingly …

Allegations: Spotting and Reporting Staff Who Abuse Children

Would You REALLY Know How to Manage a Child’s Disclosure of Abuse?

To introduce as many professionals as we can to our fantastic new training on Managing Disclosure, we are inviting you to take advantage of a SPECIAL EARLY BIRD OFFER! Book your tickets here (deadline 8th March). ‘What questions can you actually ask a child that won’t ‘taint evidence’?’ ‘Can the DSL ask questions too after …

Would You REALLY Know How to Manage a Child’s Disclosure of Abuse?

My Ten Most Common Safeguarding Mistakes…

I have been delivering safeguarding training since 2006, and in that time have seen the range of settings I provide support for work extremely hard to satisfy their statutory safeguarding responsibilities, making the welfare of children they work with their paramount concern. Despite the great efforts of a great many professionals though, I see the …

My Ten Most Common Safeguarding Mistakes…

Online safety – what should we be doing to protect our children?

Today I saw on BBC news the smiling photo of a 14 year old school girl taken before she took her own life because, her parents say, of the information she was accessing which ‘glorified’ depression, self-harm and suicide on the social media site ‘Instagram’. A few weeks ago I was just introducing the subject …

Online safety – what should we be doing to protect our children?

Peer Abuse Update: Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Between Children

  ‘Children can abuse other children. This is generally referred to as peer on peer abuse and can take many forms. This can include (but is not limited to) bullying (including cyberbullying); sexual violence and sexual harassment; physical abuse such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm; sexting and initiating/hazing …

Peer Abuse Update: Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Between Children