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The public have a key role to play in the fight against human trafficking and modern slavery. We need to find new ways of empowering and encouraging the public to report their concerns. We take a look at three smartphone apps that do just that.

Catch up with the online safeguarding news stories for November, in easy to read bitesize news segments.

Each year many people go missing on a night out with friends. Most turn up a few days later, but some missing cases end fatally. Alcohol is a major factor and the optimum time for fatal disappearances are the winter months of – December, January and February.

When dealing with a vulnerable child or adult, safeguarding practitioners will create and update numerous documents. If the investigation leads to a criminal case, what information is recorded about the victim could well be disclosed to the accused. What professionals write about the victim is important and we should avoid ‘victim blaming language’.

The term ‘streetwise’ is often mentioned in missing children cases. It wrongly gives the impression that a child is wise to the risks they may face, and able to get themselves out of dangerous situations. It is mistakenly used to justify a reduced response from safeguarding professionals. This can lead to tragic circumstances.

Imagine a place where children who have been sexually abused can receive the response that they need, under the one roof. A place where all the safeguarding agencies work together, not only to ensure the welfare of the child, but also secure evidence the best evidence to bring perpetrators to justice. That is ‘Barnahus’, the Icelandic model being introduced into the UK.

Significant increases in the number of children being groomed online has led to the rise of self-styled ‘paedophile hunters’. Members of the public who take it upon themselves to act as child decoys online, arranging to meet and then publicly confronting the abuser. Many of these confrontations have ended in serious incidents. So, are paedophile hunters’ lawless vigilantes, or safeguarding angels?

Updated guidance and resources from the home office. Includes posters for different sectors