Hi there everyone The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that I have not issued a newsletter in some time. I’m afraid I have been so busy this term that I could not allocate the time to produce newsletters. But I am taking pause right now to touch base with you all and to …
Case Study 1 (Suffolk Police): A 16 year old male had been reported as missing from London and was considered at risk due to his age and link to gangs. He had recently failed to appear at court for his alleged involvement in a stabbing. He was found in possession of a 6-inch kitchen knife …
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 …
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 …
‘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 …
‘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 …
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 …
“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 …
What Adverse Childhood Experiences can tell us about trauma and the importance of safeguarding. “… being raised with a parent, a mother and a father that I had, was the reason I had mental health [difficulties], because my mum and dad were always beating the crap out of each other and taking drugs and drink. …
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 …