Keeping children safe from harm the focus of conference held in Cheltenham
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Keeping children safe from harm the focus of conference held in Cheltenham
Police officers, social care mangers and practitioners working in child safeguarding came together to share their experiences and expertise at a conference in Cheltenham this week (Tuesday 3 February).
The conference, which was organised by the Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership (GSCP), aimed to enhance delegates’ knowledge of the harms children suffer to strengthen the collective response to them.
GSCP is a partnership between Gloucestershire Constabulary, NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group and Gloucestershire County Council which aims to promote and ensure the safety, health, welfare and wellbeing of children and young people across Gloucestershire.
Temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth opened the conference before delegates heard from a number of high-profile local and national speakers, participated in panel discussions and took part in interactive workshops.
The speakers were:
- Rob Richardson, Senior Manager for Child Sexual Abuse – Threat Leadership, National Crime Agency
- Dr Ruth Weir, Deputy Director, Violence and Society Centre, University of London
- Pete Hornby, Deputy Director, National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Hydrant Programme and the Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce
- Steve Baguley, Adolescent Safeguarding National Working Group
- Deputy Chief Constable Katie Barrow-Grint, Gloucestershire Constabulary
- Detective Chief Inspector Hannah Mackie, Gloucestershire Constabulary
- Julie Miles, Assistant Director of Children’s Social Care, Gloucestershire County Council
- Claire Connoly, Head of Service of Children’s Social Care, Gloucestershire County Council
- Ann James, Executive Director of Children’s Services, Gloucestershire County Council
The topics covered during the day included child sexual exploitation and abuse; sadistic online exploitation; digital harms and online vulnerabilities; teenage domestic abuse, misogyny and VAWG and group-based offending.
The event saw the official launch of a comprehensive review of the partnership arrangements for tackling harms outside the home – which is one the GSCP’s priorities.
Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone, conference facilitator and Gloucestershire Constabulary’s lead for Crime, Justice and Vulnerability, said: “The conference has helped to further strengthen the relationships between colleagues working in child safeguarding throughout the county.
“Children are among the most vulnerable members of society and the more joined up agencies are, the better we are at keeping them safe from harm.
“I’d like to thank all those who attended today’s conference for their dedication to child protection and their commitment to keeping across all the risks and challenges young people are exposed to.
“Some of the topics covered during today are difficult for anyone to hear but it’s important we speak the hard truths and equip ourselves with the knowledge, skills and relationships to tackle them.”
Dave Jones, Partnerships Business Manager at GSCP, said: “The conference brought together more than 120 safeguarding leaders and professionals, proving to be a meaningful and highly productive day with a strong mix of speakers offering well‑delivered, thought‑provoking perspectives.
“The day also strengthened relationships, reinforced our network, and further united our collective commitment to developing a shared approach to tackling harms outside the home, a view echoed unanimously by attendees.
“I would like to thank Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Communications and Engagement team and the GSCP Business Unit, whose collective effort ensured the conference was such a success for the whole partnership.”