Child exploitation survivor headlines National Safeguarding Week conference

26 October 2023

National safeguarding week, an annual, national campaign focusing on a wide range of safeguarding issues affecting our communities in Wales, takes place next month (November 13- 17).

As usual, a packed week of events has been organised for multi-agency professionals, culminating in the Cardiff and Vale Safeguarding Board’s Conference based on the theme of ‘Exploitation’.

Guest speaker at the conference at Cardiff City Stadium on Friday, November 17 is Sammy Woodhouse, a survivor of the Rotherham child abuse scandal who has rebuilt her life to become a best-selling author, international speaker and multi award-winning activist.

The conference, the first in-person event for a number of years, will consist of a number of presentations on the different forms of exploitation along with interactive workshops, and is aimed at multi-agency professionals. To book a place at the conference, please email cardiffandvalersb@cardiff.gov.uk

In the run up to the conference, the week’s programme begins with the Virtual Launch of the National Safeguarding Standards Training, Learning and Development Framework, facilitated by Social Care Wales.

Some highlights of the programme include:

• Safeguarding Children and Young People who go Missing from School (Monday 13^th November @ 10.30am)

• Signs and Indicators of Exploitation (Tuesday 14th November @ 2pm)

• Child Practice Review Workshop - Embedding Learning into Practice (Thursday 16^th November @ 1pm) - will share the learning and recommendations from a recently published Child Practice Review on the theme of criminal exploitation.

• Fearless – County Lines and Knife Crime (Thursday 16^th November @ 10am)

There are also sessions delivered by Barnardo’s for education staff -  a ‘Healthy Relationships, Development and Sexual Behaviour in Primary School’ session for primary school staff and ‘Sexual Development and Behaviour: Considering Sexual Bullying and Harassment in Secondary School aged children’ for Secondary School staff, both on Tuesday November 14.

To view the full programme for National Safeguarding Week and to book your place to attend the sessions, visit Cardiff & Vale Safeguarding Board Programme of Events.