Type 4 FGM – mixed messages
2019-03-28
Is labia stretching a form of FGM? What are the views of the World Health Organisation? Is it against the law?Read More →
Missing and exploited children – Out of Area placements
2019-03-20
Children who are looked after should be accommodated in care provision that meets their needs and is in their best interest. Does placing a child many miles away from their home area weaken safeguarding measures? What are the correct procedures? Read More →
Momo Challenge – 2019 Media Frenzy
2019-03-12
February 2019 – Momo fever gripped the UK. A few days later it was declared Fake News by several leading charities. Was it real or an elaborate hoax? Read More →
Missing Children – the controversial issue of restraint
2019-03-02
Is it lawful to prevent a child from leaving a care or foster home? Can anything be done if you believe that they might come to harm? Read More →
Clare’s Law – an underused safeguarding tool
2019-02-15
The murder of Clare Wood in 2009, prompted the introduction of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme – Clare’s Law. Figures show that it is underused compared to the number of domestic incidents each year. As safeguarding professionals, we need to change that. Read More →
Safeguarding within Children’s Homes
2019-01-30
The number of children taken into local authority care has risen by 24% in the last decade. A lack of Foster Carers means that many children are placed in residential homes. For a care home, safeguarding the children in their care should be their primary objective. Read More →
Wise up – don’t use ‘streetwise’
2018-11-27
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. Read More →
Barnahus UK – where did it go?
2018-11-17
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. Read More →
Paedophile Hunters – Lawless vigilantes or safeguarding angels?
2018-11-13
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? Read More →
Vulnerable Missing People – Assistive and GPS Technology
2018-10-30
Advances in smart technology has proved a valuable tool in keeping vulnerable people safe. Where missing people are concerned, assistive technology aides a problem-solving approach in preventing a person from going missing in the first place, whist GPS tech provides police and search teams with an important means of locating a missing person quickly and safely. Read More →
Gone cunch – what does it all mean?
2018-10-11
Street slang has evolved into an extensive vocabulary, a combination of slang words and phrases, supplemented by texting jargon, hashtags and emojis. We ask how safeguarding professionals can understand street slang. Read More →
Missing Children – Risk Management
2018-09-25
There are approximately 130,000 missing incidents involving children each year in the UK. It is impossible for the police and social care to provide the same level of service to every missing and returning child. Proper risk assessment is the key to identifying and responding to those children who are the most vulnerable. Read More →
Momo – real or fake?
2018-08-15
An examination of the WhatsApp associated suicide game – Momo. Is it real and how big a threat does it pose to vulnerable people?
Forced Marriage – Why is the conviction rate so poor?
2018-06-13
Following two separate rare convictions for force marriage in May 2018 , we explore why there haven’t been other convictions since the introduction of forced marriage legislation in 2014.Read More →
Even residential care for children have “rogue traders”
2018-05-18
A look at the recommendation from the Independent Inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) interim report, which states that those working in children’s homes in England, should be required to register, in the same way that social workers have to. Read More →
Child Sex Dolls – what’s your view?
2018-05-05
Andy Passingham takes a look at the controversial subject of child sex dolls. Whilst there are calls for their outright ban, others have also put forward an argument that they may be useful in the treatment and therapy of paedophiles. Read More →
Police Protection – A practical guide
2018-04-21
Each year across the UK, hundreds of children are removed from harmful situations by the police and placed into ‘Police Protection’. We take a look at this valuable tool, which if used responsibly, can be a very valuable tool in safeguarding vulnerable children. Read More →
Stalking – Do we need a Stalkers Register?
2018-04-15
At the start of National Awareness Week, we take a look at calls for a stalkers register, and why the government appear resistant to its introduction. Read More →
Independent Return Home Interviews for Missing Children – a broken system.
2018-03-28
We put forward and argument as to why the guidance that requires local authorities to offer and conduct Independent Return Home Interviews, is not fit for purpose and needs to be reviewed.Read More →
The NRM – can the system cope with UK criminally & sexually exploited children?
2018-03-24
We take a look at the changes to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) process and ask whether they go far enough to safeguard children who are trafficked internally in the UK through sexual and criminal exploitation. Plus, we include a practical guide for safeguarding professionals on the NRM process. Read More →
Safeguarding Students Mental Health – A postcode lottery?
2018-02-24
In the period 2015/16, 15,395 UK-domiciled first-year students disclosed a mental health condition. Tragically, 134 students took their own lives, a record number. Suicide among students in England and Wales has risen by over 50% in the last decade. How are universities responding to this crisis and are they doing enough? Read More →
Is enough being done to keep children safe online?
2018-02-20
In light of the recent conviction of Matthew Falder, Andy Passingham takes a look at the NSPCC review “10 years since the Byron report” and asks; are the government doing enough to protect children online?Read More →
The 50,000 Children Missing From Education
2018-02-15
We take a look at the recent NCB report highlighting the volume and lack of national response to children missing from education.Read More →
The trouble with YouTube
2018-02-06
Paul Maslin takes a good look at Youtube over the last year. It is safe to say that 2017 wasn’t a good year for its reputation. It was dogged by accusations that it’s policies around child exploitation just didn’t cut the mustard.Read More →
Parents and teachers of young children – Please read this !!
2017-11-15
One thing that has always haunted me since visiting the Nashville State Prison and meeting with convicted paedophiles. When asked what they would do if a child said NO! when trying to abuse them. Their answer was – we would go and find another child that did not say No!….IRead More →
Face-to-face vs E-Learning – Safeguarding and the Care Certificate in times of Austerity
2017-11-15
Phil Winterbottom explores the impact the introduction of the Care Certificate has had in a time of austerity and how it has influenced and accelerated changes in the delivery of safeguarding training.Read More →