News

June 2025

Previous news items are available by month of publication from the news tab.

Salford Safeguarding Children Partnership circulate monthly E-Bulletins; if you would like to be included on the distribution list, email sscp@salford.gov.uk.

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Working Together

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 has been updated with an illustrated guide, an animated video and details of a toolkit for children, young people and their families, and practitioners working with them.

The illustrated "Children and Young Person’s Guide to Working Together to Safeguard Children" explains how adults (such as teachers, social workers, doctors, and police) work together to keep children safe from harm. It describes what safeguarding means, who is responsible, and what happens if someone is worried about a child.

The guide highlights the importance of listening to children, making sure they are involved in decisions, and ensuring their views are taken seriously. It also explains what children can expect from professionals, including being treated with respect, being kept informed, and having their rights protected.

It covers:

• What safeguarding is and why it matters.
• How children should be listened to, respected, and involved in decisions affecting them.
• What happens when children or families need extra help (early help, safeguarding, and child protection).
• How schools, sports clubs, and community groups all play a role in noticing problems and offering support.
• Real-life examples (like Alfie’s and Zara’s stories) show how early help, and safeguarding can make a big difference.

The guide also explains children's rights, how information about them is shared, and what to expect during safeguarding processes like child protection conferences.

Why should schools share the illustrated guide with children and parents?

• Raises Awareness: It helps children understand what safeguarding means and that it’s normal and important for adults to work together to keep them safe.
• Empowers Children: Children learn they have rights — to be listened to, respected, protected, and involved in decisions about their care.
• Encourages Trust: It builds trust between children and adults by showing that safeguarding is about care, not punishment.
• Promotes Early Help-Seeking: If children recognise that support is available early, they are more likely to speak up if they feel unsafe or worried.
• Explains Processes Clearly: It demystifies what happens when concerns are raised, making safeguarding feel less scary and confusing.

Mental Health and Counselling Service Update

Check out latest updates from Kooth.com and Qwell.io, online mental health and counselling services.

Emotional Health Service Directory Update

The Salford Thrive Directory has now been updated. The Directory has been developed to support anyone working or volunteering with children and young people. The directory will help you access useful information about different types of resources and services that are available to support children and young people's social, emotional health and well-being and to provide guidance when making a referral into services. For any queries about the directory please email EHWB@salford.gov.uk

#LookCloser Campaign

#LookCloser is a national campaign run by The Children’s Society, the British Transport Police and the National County Lines Coordination Centre. It helps protect children and young people from abuse by encouraging everyone to get to know the signs and what to do when they spot them.

Any child can be exploited and exploitation can happen anywhere. It can be easier to spot in public places like parks, supermarkets or transport but it happens online too. We all have a part to play in helping keep young people safe. If we learn to #LookCloser and take action when we're worried, we can stop this abuse from happening. For more information visit #LookCloser To Spot Exploitation | The Children's Society

If you have identified someone who could potentially be a victim of modern slavery think NRM! The NRM is the UK’s mechanism to identify, assess and support potential victims of modern slavery. Watch this video from the National County Lines Coordination Centre for a clear explanation of the NRM.

Listening Hub Updates

Your input matters - The SSCP needs to ensure that all its partner organisations are fulfilling their statutory safeguarding children duties as outlined in the Government publication Working Together 2023 and Section 11 of the Children Act 2004. As part of this and our ongoing commitment to safeguarding children and young people, we are conducting our survey of safeguarding practitioners which takes place every 2 years. We are reaching out to professionals whose work directly or indirectly impacts the safety and well-being of children, to share your insights and experiences. Please take a few minutes to complete the Section 11 Practitioners Survey.

Your responses will:

• Help identify strengths and gaps in current safeguarding practices
• Inform future training and support
• Contribute to a safer environment for children and young people across our community

The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and will remain open until Friday 18th July 2025.

The Listening Hub is committed to ensuring Salford remains a regional leader in co-production. For a full summary read the Listening Hub Forum Highlights Summary Sheet.

Space to Think: Reflective Practice Launch

Findings from reviews in Salford highlight the need for multi-agency professionals to have dedicated reflective spaces, particularly outside statutory processes. National reviews also emphasise the importance the importance of professionals needing the space and support to reflect on their practice to make better decisions for children and families

The SSCP in Salford has created the guidance on Space to Think: Reflective Practice aimed at shifting from a compliance-driven approach to one that values professional expertise, continuous learning, and multi-agency collaboration in a supportive environment.

If you not had chance to attend the two briefings we've already delivered, book a place on the next briefing. There is also targeted session for Children's Social Care on 1st July 2025.

The approach will be useful for any practitioner and manager who would benefit fro

m a multi-agency reflective space particularly: ​

• In situations where professionals feel ‘stuck’ or unclear about the systems, processes or decisions being made
• Where you are wanting a reflective space to think about what might be needed or helpful for a child, young person and their family.
• Wanting a safe and supportive space to think about what you and your colleagues may need help or support with, to improve practice including what might be needed or helpful for a child, young person, their family and the support network.
• Reflection and debrief following a significant event to enable a safe space to process the event with other multi-agency colleagues encouraging self-care of yourself and others to support future planning.

Drowning Prevention Week - 14th-21st June

Building Relationships

Learning from recent multi-agency case reviews has highlighted that there is still a need for practitioners working in Salford to fully adopt the Family Partnership Model approach to building trusting relationships when working with families. A new 7 Minute Briefing has been developed which summarises the principles of the SSCP Creating Strength-based partnerships with families in Salford guidance.

For more information access the Building Relationships 7 minute briefing including the accessible version

Cared for Children

Take a look at the brilliant piece of work that GMYN have completed with our Salford care leavers: a comic called Hear My Voice. It has been featured in ITV news and the radio. Read and watch the article on the New comic book that reveals the lived experiences of Salford children in foster care | ITV News Granada

You can also view and order copies of 'Hear My Voice from GMYN

Don't forget to book on to the upcoming training sessions on 'Supporting Cared for Children and Care Leavers' in May and October 2025 available on the SSCP Training Programme | Salford Safeguarding Children Partnership

A 100% of delegates who attended the course reported feeling strongly confident or confident in their ability embed the learning into their practice

7 minute Briefings and Case Review updates

Reflect: on the learning also spotlighted in the CSPR Panel annual report and the NSPCC Recently published case reviews including the national case review collection- Updated case reviews added this month featuring issues including sibling sexual abuse, suicide, neglect identification & intersectionality. emotional abuse, child neglect, cultural competency, and children who have disabilities.

The SSCP produces 7 minute briefings to offer insights from case reviews and themed learning, along with challenge questions for agencies, teams, and individuals to reflect on and consider in their practice. The briefings can be used in a variety of ways:

• Individuals can use the briefing independently for their own learning and development and share with others.
• Teams/Managers encourage circulation and use for information and development and share learning amongst their team i.e. team meetings, supervision, peer support to reflect and improve practice and systems.
• Use at a structured event during training and/or briefing sessions to complement overall learning and development

New and updated 7 Minute Briefings include;

• Adultification
• Beds in Sheds Rogue Landlords
• Building Relationships - New
• Corporate Parenting Principles
• Escalation and Professional Challenge
• Equality Act
• Making a good referral
• Managing allegations against adults who work with children (LADO) - Updated guidance
• Parental Mental Health
• Positive Fatherhood
• Threats to Life New
• Unknown Males

You will also find these new briefings and tools from the SSAB useful.

• Newly-published Briefing Document for SAR Harry (2025)
• 7-Minute briefing on Person in Position of Trust (PiPoT)
• New Self-Neglect Guidance and toolkit

Developing Professional Curiosity

In partnership between the SSCP and the Salford Safeguarding Adults Board (SSAB) we have produced some joint webpages with information on professional curiosity which contains links to various resources including a short animation. Please take some time to look at these resources and share them with your teams / colleagues. They are still being developed so if you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by emailing michelle.hulme@salford.gov.uk or shahanara.begum@salford.gov.uk

Think Family

A number of reviews have highlighted the need for professionals to adopt a ‘Think Family’ approach to working with families. Please read the 7-Minute Briefing or plain text version including the Think Child - Think Adult - Think Family Guidance and please share and discuss it with your teams. Both documents can be found on the new joint Think Family webpages.

Cultural Consciousness

As Salford continues to become more ethnically and culturally diverse, we need to be aware of and proactive about equality, diversity and inclusion so that we can ensure that our city is a fair, respectful and supportive environment for everyone.

In response to reviews, Salford Safeguarding Children's Partnership has been developed Cultural Consciousness Guidance to support practitioners to be culturally aware and conscious in their practice. This contains information on intersectionality and the social graces framework. This guidance can also be used by practitioners working with children, young people, adults and their families.

Calls to Action: National/Local Updates and Learning

Group- based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

The Home Office has published an independent audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) in England and Wales. The review, led by Baroness Casey, looks at the scale, nature and characteristics of group-based CSEA, drivers of this type of offending, and the local and national response. Reviewers assessed a range of national and local data and reports, as well as meeting with survivors, police, local authorities and other organisations and individuals. The report sets out 12 recommendations including changes to the law around rape and the launch of a national police operation and national inquiry into child sexual exploitation in England and Wales. A government response has been published accepting all 12 recommendations.

Read the report: National audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse  
Read the government’s response: Government response to the national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse report  
Read the NSPCC Learning CASPAR briefing: Summary of the National audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse

'Its Silent': Race, Racism and Safeguarding Children

The latest report from the National Child Safeguarding Review Panel on Race, racism and safeguarding children was published on 11 March 2025. It examines the impact of race, ethnicity and culture on multi-agency practice where children have suffered serious harm or died. It raises questions about how and why issues about race, racism and ethnicity remain so marginalised, understated and under-explored in safeguarding reviews and suggests that there is a need for a sea change in how we address issues about race, culture and ethnicity in safeguarding practice.

1. There is silence around talking about race and racism. We need to activate conversations that not only ask why there are silences but, crucially, activates our safeguarding responsibilities to think about how we might need to work differently to address the myriad ways in which race, racism and bias affect how we help and protect this group of children.
2. Leaders and practitioners need to develop their capacity to understand and use intersectional approaches to better address the safeguarding need of Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage children. An intersectional approach takes account of how social identities related to race and racism, gender, poverty and class overlap and are woven together.
3. The report seeks to increase system learning by sharing examples of good practice and addressing where critical questions are avoided, evaded and side-stepped. It states that leaders have a crucial role in naming these issues and taking ownership of professional responsibilities to recognise and address race, racism and bias in safeguarding practice.

There is also a short briefing note for child protection professionals that summarises the key learning points from the independent Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s report on race, racism and child safeguarding. Read the practitioner Briefing Note - 'It's silent': Race, racism and child protection

The SSCP will aim to respond to any new learning. Don't forget to familiarise yourself with the SSCP Cultural Consciousness Guidance and embed this into your practice and organisation.

You can access briefings from the National Child Safeguarding Review Panel by emailing sscp@salford.gov.uk

Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness

"Victims and survivors of intra-familial child sexual abuse can and do recover from their abuse, especially when supported by professionals who are trained to best support them and their families" (CSA Centre)

The SSCP has created a CSA repository of training, resources and information in response to feedback from Salford professionals . We are calling for your action to ensure all practitioners, managers and leaders access and share this resource Child Sexual Abuse | Salford Safeguarding Children Partnership across your workforce and with children, young people, parents/carers and community members.

I wanted them all to notice: Protecting children and responding to child sexual abuse within the family environment

• Attend a range of training sessions promoted by the SSCP throughout the year available Child Sexual Abuse  page 
• Read the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel Newsletter - Special Edition Nov 2024 including the practitioner briefing and the report "National Review into Child Sexual Abuse within the Family Environment"
• Complete the CSA Centre’s free eLearning course (or equivalent) on identifying and responding to intra-familial child sexual abuse, which takes just 90 minutes to complete and consists of three engaging modules, with interactive tasks, video explainers and a final assessment. It is designed for professionals at all stages of their career; for those new to safeguarding, or as a helpful refresher.
• Listen to the NSPCC podcast How to plan meaningful participation work with victims and survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) | NSPCC Learning
• Reflect on discussions about improving responses to child sexual abuse using supervision and team meetings
• Visit the Child Sexual Abuse  page for more  training and information. For continued improvement and provision of resources please complete the short survey with your feedback and recommendations – this will support us to evidence impact and build a confident and skilled workforce.
• Access support and resources from St Mary's Centre :: Home - Sexual Assault and Referral Centre

Multi-agency Working and Information Sharing

NSPCC Learning has published a suite of resources exploring how safeguarding professionals can successfully work together and share information within and between agencies. The resources include: an evidence snapshot summarising findings from research published between 2014 and 2023 about multi-agency working and information sharing in children’s social work; a series of practice points designed to help social workers focus on the actions that support good multi-agency working and information sharing; and three expert insight films. The resources highlight the importance of multi-agency working and information sharing in achieving the best outcomes for children and their families.

Read the evidence snapshot: Effective multi-agency working and information sharing: evidence snapshot
Read the practice points: What helps to support effective multi-agency working and information sharing?
Watch the films: Multi-agency working and information sharing: expert insights 

Keeping children safe, helping families thrive

Keeping children safe, helping families thrive outlines the government’s commitment to keeping families together and children safe.

It also outlines a commitment to support children to live in family settings where children cannot remain at home, including through kinship or foster care, rather than residential care.

Alongside this, the statement sets out ambitions to fix the broken care market, and ensure the system is working effectively for vulnerable children and families.

Right Care Right Person

Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) is a new approach to dealing with calls to the police from people with issues to which policing is not always the best agency to help. This could be where there are concerns for a person’s welfare linked to such issues as mental health, medical or social care needs where a police response isn’t always appropriate.

This new approach is about getting the right person with the right skills, training and experience to provide the best support for that individual.

Now with the new launch of RCRP, the police call handler will signpost callers to other more suited agencies where appropriate. Here in Greater Manchester, this could be Greater Manchester Mental Health, North West Ambulance Service or a service in their local authority. This approach will enable police officers to have more time to fight, prevent and reduce crime, harm, and anti-social behaviour; investigate and solve crime, and keep people and communities safe.

Get the right care from the right person

Self Care: Trauma Responsive Workforce

Whatever you have planned following the holiday period, try and make time to pause, reflect and take care of yourself.

Alongside support, supervision and services available to us in our organisations to support you and your colleagues, you should also prioritise taking better care of yourself and pay attention to what you need.

The following information and resources have been identified to support the wellbeing of our people and teams in the workplace including how we look after ourselves.

• Self care resources | Partners in Salford
• Stress - Every Mind Matters - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
• Managing stress and building resilience - tips - Mind
• Greater Manchester Resilience Hub - health and care staff wellbeing service
• Greater Manchester Wellbeing Toolkit | Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership
• Togetherall
• Six Degrees Social Enterprise – Supporting Your Mental Health (six-degrees.org.uk)
• Meditation and Sleep Made Simple - Headspace
• Trauma Responsive Greater Manchester (trgm.co.uk)

WorkWell in Salford

WorkWell is a free offer designed to support people with health conditions or disabilities whether a mental health or physical health concern such as a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition. The experienced WorkWell team will help you stay in work or return to work if you are employed, self-employed or recently unemployed and facing health related challenges to either remain in work or return to work. This includes:

• a personal assessment to understand the best support for your needs
• tailored plans to address your physical and mental wellbeing
• access to local health services, wellbeing activities, and community support
• careers advice and guidance to help you progress in your current job or explore new opportunities
• tailored support from a dedicated Work and Health Coach

For more information visit WorkWell (Health and Work Support)

Information and learning on a variety of subject matters related to safeguarding children and adults, can also be accessed through the SSCP Training Programme, 7 minute briefings, learning from Practice Reviews and the SSCP YouTube Channel.

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All enquiries concerning the welfare or safety of a child or requests for information MUST BE SENT DIRECTLY to the Bridge Partnership.

The Bridge Partnership can be contacted on 0161 603 4500. All referrals and requests for support must be completed on the online referral form. The Bridge Partnership is available Monday to Friday 8.30am - 4.30pm. If you need to speak to someone outside these times, please contact the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) on 0161 794 8888. If a child is in immediate danger of being harmed or is home alone, call the police on 999.

If you are worried about an adult - Report abuse or neglect by telephone on: 0161 206 0604. For further information visit the Safeguarding adults page on the Salford City Council website.