- Financially Motivated Sexual Extortion - Learning Exchange Recording & Campaign Materials Now Available
- YHMAST Webinar: Improving Cultural Competency, Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Better Outcomes
- NEW - WSCP 7 Point Briefing Concerning Siblings
- Save the Date: Safeguarding Week 2025
- #TwoStepsBack - Teach Young Children How to Stay Safe Near Water
- WSCP and The Children's Society: Disrupting Exploitation Survey
- WSCP Website Updates
- Education Updates
- Information Toolkit for Parents and Carers on Bullying
- Multi-Agency Training Dates
- NEW DATES - Multi-Agency Neglect: A Shared Responsibility Training
- #LookCloser Programme of Learning: April - September 2025
- Save the Date: SEND Futures and Next Steps Carers Event 2025
- All About Adolescence Market Place Event
- Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse - Free Webinars and Resources to Support Practice
- It Does Matter - Educating and Empowering Victims of Non-Contact Sexual Offences
- Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel Report: It's Silent: Race, Racism and Safeguarding Children.
- Top Safety Tips for Families this March
- Baby Slings - Caution Needed
- NSPCC Updates
- WDH to become Vico Homes
- Useful Links
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1. Financially Motivated Sexual Extortion - Learning Exchange Recording & Campaign Materials Now Available
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Join the NCA in raising awareness of financially motivated sexual extortion (FMSE) from Thursday 20 March.The NCA have launched a communications campaign aimed at teenage boys tackling financially motivated sexual extortion (FMSE) which fell in line with the latest WSCP learning exchange which was held on the 19th March. If you missed this briefing, go to Child Financial Exploitation - Wakefield Safeguarding Knowledge Hub to watch the session again and revisit the website for the latest in Child Financial Exploitation developments. About the NCA campaignFMSE, commonly known as ‘sextortion’ involves people being forced into paying money or meeting another financial demand, after an offender has threatened to release nude or semi-nude photos or videos of them. This month-long campaign will focus on raising awareness among teenage boys across the UK about what FMSE looks like and where to find help. Campaign assetsPlease click here to download a toolkit which provides everything you need to promote the campaign with teenage boys, including suggested social media posts and links to ready-to-use assets (animations and static ads). We’ve also developed guidance for parents and carers, with advice on how to recognise FMSE and how to support children which is now available to download from the CEOP Education website. Please find below some suggested accompanying copy targeting parents: |
2. YHMAST Webinar: Improving Cultural Competency, Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Better Outcomes
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On Wednesday 21st May, 9.15am - 3.30pm, the Yorkshire and Humber Multi-Agency Safeguarding Trainers (YHMAST), will be hosting a webinar about improving cultural competency, identifying and addressing barriers to better outcomes. For more information please see the flyer below and to book a place please click here. |
3. NEW - WSCP 7 Point Briefing Concerning Siblings
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In December 2024 Wakefield Safeguarding Children Partnership (WSCP) undertook a Multi-Agency Learning Circle concerning three siblings who had experienced a number of adverse childhood experiences, most notably, but not exclusive to, significant incidents of domestic abuse.
The areas the learning circle considered included the following:
1) Understanding the lived experience of children living with domestic abuse
2) Impacts of parental mental ill-health and alcohol use on children
3) Quality of joint working between services
4) Parental separation as a protective factor from domestic abuse
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4. Save the Date: Safeguarding Week 2025
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It will soon be Safeguarding Week 2025. WSCP will be hosting events during the week which will be around SEND, LGBTQIA+ and Working with Men. Please hold the date of 25th June, further details will follow soon.
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5. #TwoStepBack - Teach Young Children How to Stay Safe Near Water
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We all know how excited children can get by the water but standing too close to the edge can be dangerous. The Canal and River's Trust teach young children their SAFE message, to Stay Away From the Edge! The Canal and River Trust have recently worked with Muddy Publishing's Matt Buckingham to produce a story and illustrations book about water safety titled "Quack, Quack, Take Two Steps Back" . This book is aimed at toddlers and pre-school children to help them understand how to stay safe near water. The Quack, Quack Take Two Steps Back book explains how Squirrel and Mouse are playing with their acorn ball, but “Oh no!” it falls into the canal. Find out how, with the help of their friends, they get their acorn ball back and learn all about staying safe by water. Watch the short video below where author Matt Buckingham reads the story of how squirrel and mouse got their ball back but making sure they stayed safe near the water's edge. This video is designed for younger children to help get the water safety message across to them. To find out more visit the Canal and Rivers Trust website. |
Please also check out the WSCP dedicated water safety page to access water safety resources suitable for children of all age groups.
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6. WSCP and The Children's Society: Disrupting Exploitation Survey
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As a part of the WSCP’s ongoing workstream around responses to child exploitation within the Wakefield District, and following completion of The Children's Society's Prevention Programme's Disruption Assessment, we are reviewing our multi-agency approach to disrupting child exploitation.
The aim of the project is to establish what disruption activity currently looks like across the partnership, to gauge understanding of disruption and the tactics being used and to identify areas of good practice and those which may require further development and strengthening.
To enable us to better understand the current picture around disrupting child exploitation, we have created a brief survey containing three questions, which should take no more than 5 minutes to complete. We want to capture feedback from practitioners at all levels and across all services so would appreciate you taking some time to provide your answers using the link below.
The survey closes on Friday 25th April at 5pm.
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The WSCP Business Unit have been busy updating the content on some of our published webpages. Please see the links below for the sections that have been updated this month:
- Domestic Abuse - Information in relation to MARAC Training and Claire's Law have been added to this page.
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Beat Eating Disorders - Free Online Training
Beat is the UK's leading charity supporting those affected by eating disorders. SPOT is their free online learning resource for school’s professionals. The platform has been designed to help support those working in a school setting to understand eating disorders and build confidence when speaking to pupils about mental health. This includes those training to work in a school setting.
Research has shown that the earliest opportunity to prevent eating disorders is during primary school, with children showing concerns about physical appearance at an increasingly young age.
Making sure children and young people feel comfortable talking to staff about eating disorders can:
- Increase the chances of early detection
- Prevent pupils from falling through the gaps
- Ensure that support is given quickly
What can I do on SPOT?
By accessing SPOT, you will be taught how to spot the early signs of an eating disorder, talk to a pupil exhibiting them, engage their families, and support them to seek medical assessment. Beat have created the online platform to encompass different features including:
Learn – Gain key skills to give your pupils the best possible support through Beat's bite sized interactive e-Learning modules and their webinar videos delivered by expert clinicians. They also have downloadable resources in the form of lesson plans and access to school policy templates.
Engage – Share and gain knowledge from an inspiring community that is here to help you learn through Beat's role specific workspaces and their resources section where you can find helpful videos, podcasts and articles that have been shared.
If you would like to see a video of the user experience, please see here https://vimeo.com/670741717
SPOT is currently fully funded for all primary, secondary and sixth form schools/colleges in the United Kingdom.
Completion of all the learning units on the platform should take around 7 hours, but this is very much dependent on the learner. There is no time limit, and the units can be partially completed and returned to at a later date.
If you have any questions, please email the team on carers@beateatingdisorders.org.uk / 01603 619 090 (Option 2), Mon-Thurs, 9am-5pm.
Support for School Transitions and Big Life Changes
School transitions can be an emotional roller-coaster for both children and parents, but change isn't just about school. Moving house, joining a new football team, or even just adjusting to a new routine can all feel overwhelming for children. The Place 2 Be organisation have put together expert-backed resources to help children cope with any big life transition with confidence. Please click on the links below for further information and share with parents/carers where appropriate.
- Starting or changing primary school - starting a new primary school can be stressful for both the parent/carer and the child. Place 2 Be have shared simple and effective ways to make the transition smoother.
Reminder: DSL Forums & Network Meetings Open to All! All school/college DSL’s are reminded of the free half termly DSL forums open to all Education DSL’s in the district. It is strongly advised to have a rota of attendance between the DSL team, to keep up to date locally in between official training courses. WSCP Online DSL Forums - Wakefield Safeguarding Children (wakefieldscp.org.uk) Also secondary and college DSL’s/ Independent school DSL’s please note dates for face-to-face DSL network meetings here: WSCP DSL Network Meetings 2024/25 - Wakefield Safeguarding Children (wakefieldscp.org.uk) |
9. Information Toolkit for Parents and Carers on Bullying
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The Anti-Bullying Alliance have updated their Information Toolkit for parents and carers on bullying. The toolkit provides advice on what bullying is, what schools responsibilities are, how to know if your child is being bullied, what action you can take, sources of advice and support and more. Click here to access the toolkit. |
10. Multi-Agency Training Dates
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UPDATE: Working Together - A Shared Responsibility
Please note that the advanced face to face training is now on hold and unavailable to book onto. You can still access the Basic Awareness training here. We will update you as soon as we can and apologies for any inconvenience this may cause. |
Risk and Resilience Framework Training
The training is delivered by Wakefield Public Health and colleagues from across the Wakefield District.
The aim of the training session is to:
- Increase confidence in navigating the Risk and Resilience website
- Explore the support tools, interventions and resources on the website
- Understand how it can support your work
- Share best practice
Available course dates and times:
- Thursday 10th April, 09:30 - 15:30
To find out more about the above course and to book a place please click here
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Managing Allegations Against Staff Training
This session aims to provide employers and managers with an introduction to the systems and procedures that are in place for responding to allegations made against people who work with children. This course is delivered by the Wakefield Council Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and the WSCP Safeguarding Advisor for Education Vicki Maybin. If you are interested in this training please email wscpevents@wakefield.gov.uk
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NEW Dates added for Spring/Summer 2025 - Future In Mind Workforce Development Training (CAMHS)
CAMHS are delivering training on the following subjects, with dates available throughout the year:
- An Introduction to Child and Adolescent Mental Health
- Understanding and Working with Anxiety in Children and Young People
- An Introduction to Depression and Low Mood in Children and Young People
- Supporting Children and Young People who have experienced Bereavement or Loss
- The Impact of Sleep on Emotional Wellbeing
- An Introduction to Attachment in Children and Young People
- An introduction to Self Harm
- An Introduction to Suicide and Awareness and Prevention
- Full Day Sleep Workshop for Professionals working with Children, Young People & Families
- NEW - Introduction to Eating Difficulties in Children and Young People
These sessions will be hosted on Microsoft Teams. For further information including dates and times, and to download a booking form please click here
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Impact of Parental Mental Illness on Children
A virtual package that considers the impact of a variety of parental mental illness on children at various ages and stages of development.
Available course dates & times:
- Thursday 3rd April 2025, via MS Teams, 10am - 12pm
- Thursday 7th August 2025, times TBC
- Thursday 13th November 2025, times TBC
To find out more about the above course and to book a place please click here
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YGAM Training - Gaming and Gambling Harms
Ygam’s mission is to ensure that every young person is resilient to, and safeguarded against, gaming and gambling harms. They do this through awareness raising, education and research.
This training equips you with the knowledge and confidence to deliver the programme directly to young people. The workshops are 100% fully funded and on completion all trained staff will gain access to resources to use with the young people you support and City and Guilds certification. The training is aimed at a range of youth-facing professionals, including teachers, youth workers, practitioners, universities, faith leaders and health professionals. Please click here for more information. Available course dates and times:These are virtual workshops with various dates available. Please click on the link above for more details.
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Young Lives Consortium (YLC) Applied Suicide Interventions Skills Training (ASIST)
Young Lives Consortium (YLC) is currently offering a Two-day ASIST training course. What is ASIST?An accredited two-day, interactive training that prepares professionals to provide suicide first aid interventions. Who can attend ASIST? Anyone over 16 can learn to use the ASIST model. No previous mental health or suicide prevention experience is necessary. For further information about this training course, including costs and to complete an expression of interest form, please visit the Young Lives Consortium website
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11. NEW DATES - Multi-Agency Neglect: A Shared Responsibility Training
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Wakefield Safeguarding Children Partnership have published new dates throughout 2025 for the free Multi-Agency Neglect: A Shared Responsibility Training course. Please see the flyer below for the dates that are available, and click here for further information and to book a place. |
12. #LookCloser Programme of Learning: April - September 2025
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The Children's Society have shared details of their upcoming #LookCloser Programme of Learning events for April - September 2025, all of which are free of charge.
#LookCloser is a partnership campaign between The Children's Society, the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre and the British Transport Police aiming to raise awareness of child exploitation and abuse and to encourage the public and businesses to better identify and report concerns. The campaign also seeks to challenge assumptions and victim stereotypes, highlighting that child exploitation can happen anywhere, and any young person can be a victim. Please click here to find out more about the training courses/dates that are available. If you have any questions or queries please contact Prevention@childrenssociety.org.uk
Sign up here #LookCloser To Spot Exploitation | The Children's Society (childrenssociety.org.uk)
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13. Save the Date: SEND Futures and Next Steps Carers Event 2025
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Wakefield Council's Preparing for Adulthood Team are delighted to announce the date of their exciting annual event, designed to connect children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) with future opportunities.
Event: SEND Futures and ‘Next Steps’ Careers Event
Date: Wednesday, 1st October 2025
Time: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Venue: WX Wakefield Exchange, Union Street, Wakefield, WF1 3AE Please click here to find out more and reserve a place.
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14. All About Adolescence Market Place Event
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On the 20th May 2025, 9:30am - 12:30pm. Wakefield Council will be holding a marketplace event all about adolescence. Please see the flyer below for further details. Please note booking is not required for this event, it is open for colleagues to just "drop-in".
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15. Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse - Free Webinars and Resources to Support Practice
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The Centre of Expertise have added new dates to their free webinar series in 2025, to help you use their popular resources in practice. The engaging online sessions are designed to help all professionals who want to learn more about using their useful guides and tools.
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Free Resources
Also available to access on the CSA website, is a range of practice resources. These can be utilised by professionals to identify, respond and support children who have been sexually abused. The resources include:
- Signs and indicators of child sexual abuse
- Communicating with children
- Supporting parents and carers
- Sibling sexual abuse and behaviour
- Managing risk and trauma after online sexual offending
- Resources for education settings
- Using supervision and team meetings
- Medical examinations and more!
Please click here to access the free resources.
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16. It Does Matter - Educating and Empowering Victims of Non-Contact Sexual Offences
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Thames Valley Police have published the video below, which highlights the important of reporting non-contact sexual offences.
It provides examples of what non-contact sexual offences are and why they should always be reported to Police, it does matter and reporting it can help stop something similar happening to anyone else, and can help the victim to feel empowered. |
17. Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel Report: It's Silent: Race, Racism and Safeguarding Children.
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The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel have published their latest report which is titled " It's Silent: Race, racism and safeguarding Children".
The Panel’s latest report delves into the critical issues of race, racism, and racial bias within the context of safeguarding children. This thematic analysis examined 40 rapid reviews and 14 LCSPRs involving 53 children from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds to identify areas for learning and improvement in multi-agency child safeguarding practice. The report sets out a number of reflective questions and recommendations for local areas so they can better protect Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage children who are at risk of harm. To read the full report please click here or to download a briefing click here
The Panel is hosting a webinar on Tuesday 29th April, 12.00-13.00, to cascade the key messages from this report.
This 1-hour ‘lunch and learn’ online event will include an overview of the key learning and local recommendations for safeguarding partners and practitioners.
The webinar will be hosted by Panel Chair, Annie Hudson, the Panel lead for the report, Jahnine Davis, and Panel member Dale Simon.
It will be conducted via MS Teams and you will be sent joining instructions and a full agenda via email from the Panel Mailbox one week before the event. Click here to register for the webinar.
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18. Top Safety Tips for Families this March
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The Child Accident Prevention Trust have published the following safety tips for families this March. Why are mini eggs a big safety risk
It’s that time of year again when mini eggs are lining the shelves. But did you know that they’re the perfect size and shape to completely block a small child’s airway and choke them? Or that their hard shell can make it difficult to dislodge with standard first aid techniques? That’s why they aren’t recommended for small children. So, please stay safe and choose another treat for your little one this Easter. Larger, hollow eggs are much safer. Click here to download CAPT's free choking fact sheet for more top tips Baby bath seats warning
While bath seats are great for supporting your baby in the bath, they’re NOT safety aids. Babies have drowned in bath seats when parents mistakenly believed it was safe to step out of the room for a moment. It’s scary to think about but babies can drown in just a few centimetres of water, very quickly and with no noise or struggle to alert you. That’s why it’s important to stay with your baby all the time, keeping them in arms reach. Click here to learn more about keeping your baby safe in the bath. Save the date: Child Safety Week 2025
Child Safety Week 2025 takes place Monday 2nd to Sunday 8th June, with this years theme being Safety is for sharing.
If you want to get a head start planning your activity for the week CAPT's resources centre makes it simple to find free accident prevention resources all in one place. You can search by safety topic or type of resources to find fact sheets to give out to families, activity sheets to keep children engaged or videos and session plans to help you run a mini workshop. Click on the button below to get your resources. |
19. Baby Slings - Caution Needed
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Baby slings have become an increasingly popular choice for parents, who wish to keep their babies close.
Baby slings are made of soft fabrics that wrap around the chest. They provide comfort and support for the baby and allow the parent to keep their hands free as they go about their everyday tasks. Slings have also been promoted by baby experts as a way to calm fussy babies or as a way for mothers to breastfeed more comfortably. There are a wide variety of carriers available from wraps and ring slings to soft structured carriers and mei dai’s. The number of styles and sizes of carries can be overwhelming. Different slings and carriers will appeal and suit different people so it is important to find one that is best for you and your little one.
The safest method of baby wearing is in a carrier that keeps the newborn baby solidly against the parent's body, in an upright position. Parents should ensure that they keep their baby's chin off their chest, thereby keeping the airway free for breathing.
RoSPA advises parents to be careful with their selection of the type of sling and to be aware that there are risks attached.
A sling's fabric can press against a baby's nose and mouth, blocking the baby's airways and causing suffocation within a minute or two. Suffocation can occur where the baby is cradled in a curved or "C-like" position in a sling, nestling below the parent's chest or near their stomach. Because babies do not have strong neck control, this means that their heads are more likely to flop forward, chin-to-chest, restricting the infant's ability to breathe.
When you're wearing a sling or carrier, don't forget the T.I.C.K.S acronym:
- Tight
- In view at all times
- Close enough to kiss
- Keep chin off the chest
- Supported back
Breastfeeding a young baby hands-free in a sling is considered to be unsafe due to the risks of suffocation and not being able to meet every aspect of T.I.C.K.S.
See the poster below for more information about T.I.C.K.S and for more information about baby sling safety visit the RoSPA website. |
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Calling all professionals: Pease share this information with any families that you work with who have young babies.
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The NSPCC have recently released the following updates which may be of interest to professionals working with children and families, and to share with parents/carers where applicable.
Case Reviews
Eight new case reviews have been added to the collection this month featuring issues including child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation, childhood illness and foster care. Click here to take a look.
Disguised Compliance
NSPCC Learning has published a Why language matters blog and a Learning from case reviews briefing on the use of the term ‘disguised compliance’ and the implications for practice. The blog explores why the term can be misleading, unhelpful and blaming. It highlights how professionals should more clearly describe caregiver behaviour, build relationships with families and assess caregiver capacity to change. The Learning from case reviews briefing is based on a sample of reviews published between 2022 and 2023 where ‘disguised compliance’ was mentioned as a factor. It highlights that: ‘disguised compliance’ is used by professionals to describe a range of caregiver behaviours; concerns about caregiver engagement can divert attention away from the child’s wellbeing; and professionals should work together to better understand a family’s situation. Read the blog: Why language matters: how using the term "disguised compliance" can be problematic
Read the briefing: "Disguised compliance" - learning from case reviews
Behind the Screen campaign
Find out more about the NSPCC's Childline campaign raising awareness of the sexually coerced extortion of boys and young men which includes a new film aimed at young people and guidance for professionals. Click here to find out more.
Domestic Abuse
Internet Matters has published a blog post looking at tech-facilitated abuse in teenage relationships. This includes the use of digital tools to harass, monitor, threaten or control someone. The blog sets out signs of this type of abuse and explores how it can impact teenagers. It also contains tips to share with parents and carers around protecting and supporting young people in relation to online abuse and harassment.
Read the blog: What tech-facilitated abuse looks like in teenage relationshipsSee also on NSPCC Learning: Protecting children from domestic abuse
Child sexual abuse prevention
The Lucy Faithfull Foundation has updated its family safety plan designed to support parents, carers and professionals to put safety measures in place to help protect children from sexual abuse. The plan sets out practical steps for preventing child sexual abuse and helps families to: recognise signs of inappropriate or concerning behaviour; and ensure good communication within the family around topics such as safety, boundaries and consent. Read the news story: Our new family safety plan: empowering families to prevent child sexual abuse
See also on NSPCC Learning: Protecting children from sexual abuse
Boy's wellbeing and welfare
The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has published a report looking at key issues facing boys and young men in the UK and the divergence in boys’ and girls’ outcomes and attitudes. The report explores issues around: employment; education; families and fathers; crime; and technology, including online pornography.
Read the report: Lost boys |
21. WDH to become Vico Homes
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From the 1st April 2025 Wakefield District Housing (WDH) will change its name and brand and become Vico Homes. WDH have been working on reviewing their brand with customers, partners and their colleagues, and believe that changing their name will make for an even stronger organisation. To find out more about this change of name and brand, including the reason behind it please click here. |
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