If you care for a vulnerable person, how do you protect them from fraudsters? What exactly should you tell them? Where do you get the information you need to improve your own knowledge and inform others? How do you become ‘scam aware’? Read More →
About 90,000 adults are reported missing to the police each year. What powers do police have when a missing adult does not want to be found and return to their family or friends?
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In the UK each year a small minority of children are ‘locked up’ in Secure Children’s Homes. But what does this actually mean for the child and what are the processes in place to safeguard their welfare?
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There are five types of stalking motivations. Find out more with our ten-minute briefing. Read More →
What age can a young person get a tattoo or body piercing? What is the law around body modification? What are the safeguarding implications? Read More →
A basic factsheet that takes a look at the different types of Assistive Technology that help reduce the likelihood of a person going missing, and GPS which enables carers and emergency services find a missing person quickly and safely.Read More →
Is labia stretching a form of FGM? What are the views of the World Health Organisation? Is it against the law?Read More →
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 →
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 →
The NCA have produced their latest assessment into county lines drug supplies. Find out more here.
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 →
Chatbots used in the protection of children and vulnerable adults. What are they, what can they do? Are there any pitfalls and will they bring anything of value to the safeguarding arena?
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 →
The new Clever Never Goes programme, developed by the charity Action Against Abduction, seeks to moves the focus away from strangers and instead teaches children to recognise when someone (anyone) is asking them to go with them.Read More →
Catch up with the online safeguarding news stories that occurred in January, in easy to read bitesize news segments. Read More →
Emojis are now part of everyday life, but used in the wrong way and by someone with malicious or exploitative intentions, they can be become threatening, coercive and harmful.Read More →
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 →
Gaslighting – a form pf psychological manipulation and abuse in which the perpetrator makes the victim question and doubt their own perceptions, memory and sanity.Read More →
In March 2015, section 69 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 closed a gap in the law by making the possession of a paedophile manual illegal. Find out more.
Have you ever seen strange marks on walls and pavements outside your home? For many years police forces have warned that some of these marks may be linked to burglars. Most recently these symbols have been dismissed as harmless highway maintenance drawings. Is this true or is there a form of ‘burglars code’? Read More →
What if the private information contained in your social media accounts is hacked, stolen and then published online. Some of your most intimate moments published on the web for thousands to see. This is known as ‘Doxing’. Find out more in this article.
Catch up with the online safeguarding news stories for December, in easy to read bitesize news segments. Read More →
Doxing, catfishing, trolling and revenge porn are just some of the dangers that women face when using the web. In this article we signpost you to an online resource that provides great advice for keeping you cyber-safe. Read More →
In December 2018 two British women, Amy Gerrard and Grace Millane were reported missing overseas. Amy disappeared in Tenerife, whilst Grace was last seen in Auckland, New Zealand. Both cases ended tragically. What support is available for families who find themselves with loved ones missing abroad? This article highlights the excellent work of the Lucie Blackman Trust. Read More →
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. Read More →
Catch up with the online safeguarding news stories for November, in easy to read bitesize news segments. Read More →
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. Read More →
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’. Read More →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Updated guidance and resources from the home office. Includes posters for different sectorsRead More →
Catch up with the online safeguarding news stories for October, in easy to read bitesize news segments. Read More →
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 →
For most people the end of British Summer Time signals the start of the long dark British winter. For many living with dementia, the clocks turning back an hour can affect routine, one of the possible causes of a pattern of behaviour known as ‘Sundowning’. This can potentially cause a person with dementia to wander and subsequently go missing. Read More →
Hotel and B&B rooms are often used to groom and abuse young people. Those that work in the hotel business have a responsibility to safeguard and prevent the sexual exploitation of children. MakeSafe is an initiative that equips hoteliers with the necessary skills to spot potential signs of exploitation and take preventative action. Read More →
Can the police search addresses for missing children? What powers do police have to return missing children safely home? Can they use force? What exactly is the law around missing children? Read More →
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 →
There are numerous pieces of legislation, both civil and criminal which deal with the protection of children. This article looks at the various court orders that can assist us in our safeguarding role. Read More →
Catch up with the online safeguarding news stories for September, in easy to read bitesize news segments. Read More →
A father takes his child out of the UK without the permission of the mother and refuses to return. Parental Child Abduction is more common than you think. What can the mother do? What is the law? Who can help? Read More →
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 →
Many missing children are harboured by adults when missing. We take a look at Child Abduction Warning Notices (CAWNS), what they are used for, the processes involved and the law if they are breached. Read More →
Catch up with the online safeguarding news stories for August, in easy to read bitesize news segments. Read More →
You can find anything on the world wide web. For most it is a place of joy, entertainment and education. Sadly, for those people contemplating taking their own lives, there are also websites and other platforms which exploit the vulnerable. We take a look at pro-suicide platforms.Read More →
The reasons adults and children are trafficked into, or within the UK are many. There are however, some distinct areas where children are more lucrative to the trafficker or slave master. Find out more. Read More →
Missing and vulnerable children often gravitate to a ‘friendly’ address in their area. Some are safe, many are not. Find out what the law says, when a person persistently ignores requests and warnings by the authorities not to harbour a child. Read More →
Breast ironing is an age-old tradition, practiced in certain parts of Africa. The pounding and massaging of a girl’s breasts to delay breast development. In the UK it is child abuse. Read our guide to find out more. Read More →
Operation Limelight is a multi-agency proactive operation that periodically takes place at various ports in the UK, to tackle Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The emphasis is on prevention, detection and awareness.Read More →
Modern slavery is in plain sight in the UK, but we often don’t realise it is there. We take a look at some of the areas that may indicate someone is a victim – accommodation, working conditions, appearance and behaviours. Read More →
