March 2023

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.

For any problems related to the portal contact worriedaboutachild@salford.gov.uk

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

Escalation and Professional Challenge

Learning from local reviews has shown us that professionals do not always feel confident to challenge professionals from other agencies about decisions affecting safeguarding and child protection. The SSCP would like to encourage practitioners to keep the welfare of the child at the forefront and have the confidence and courage to challenge decisions you disagree with. If disagreements can’t be resolved quickly by respectful evidence informed discussions between agencies there is a formal escalation process which can be used. Read our new 7 Minute Briefing on Escalation to find out more. A plain text accessible version is also available.

Water Safety

Over the last 12 months there have been several incidents in Salford relating to water safety where babies, children and young people have been injured or sadly lost their lives. This could be either at home in the bath or outside in rivers, lakes and ponds. Babies and young children or children with disabilities should not be left unsupervised in the bath, or “supervised” in the bath by other children. Outside of the home, older children particularly males are at risk from outdoor swimming in the summer, and in winter the risk is from playing on ice and frozen rivers and ponds. It is important for professionals to include water safety messages when discussing other safety advice. Learn more by reading our new Water Safety 7 Minute Briefing.  A plain text version is also available.

Mental Health support for men / SAR Mathew

A recent learning event based on a Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR) in Salford highlighted the importance of mental health support services for men. The review focussed on a young father who after a relationship breakdown and becoming separated from his children experienced escalating mental health difficulties and sadly took his own life. Other factors identified by the review included the impact of Covid i.e. not having face to face contact with professionals, periods of homelessness, a history of mental health and drug addiction problems and historic domestic abuse. Find support for fathers at Dad Matters – Supporting Dads in Greater Manchester to have the best possible relationships with their families. Support services related to Domestic Abuse can be found at Safe in Salford – Salford Foundation . The Hub of Hope provides a comprehensive directory of mental health support services. For further details read SAR Mathew 2021 | Salford Safeguarding Adults Board.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week - 13th March 2023

A number of events have been scheduled by Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2023 including webinars, panel discussions and more.  The events aim to educate and inspire conversations about neurodiversity. All events are free of charge and open to all. You can sign up to as many events as you like.  Join together in celebrating different minds. A plain text accessible version is also available. 

Safer Sleep Week - 13th March 2023

Safer Sleep Week is the Lullaby Trust annual national campaign which will take place during 13-19 March 2023.   The campaign is supported by the SSCP and partners across Salford who will be sharing messages and resources throughout the week. These include:

• The ABCs of safer sleep
• What bedding does my baby need? - Safer sleep in winter
• Out of Routine report - including risks associated with changes in sleeping arrangements 
• Lift the baby campaign - highlighting hazardous sleeping conditions
• Smoking and SIDS.

NHS England North West have produced a 7 minute briefing with advice for professionals to consider and a list of resources including where to access training.

SIDS training

This FREE training programme delivered by The Lullaby Trust is open to ALL staff working in the North West region and particularly those who have interaction with children and families.

If we are to prevent child deaths then safer sleep messages MUST be delivered by all professionals working across health, education (including early years and nursery providers), social care, voluntary and community organisations, police, housing officers and anyone who engages with families following the birth of a child.

To book a place on the interactive sessions use the Multiverse booking link in the table below. A certificate of attendance will be provided to all delegates who join the interactive session:

Summary of risk factors and learning for improved practice around the education sector

Education: learning from case reviews (nspcc.org.uk)

This briefing looks at case reviews where there was learning for the education sector, published between 2020 and 2022.  Schools have a duty to protect children from harm within the educational setting and are well-placed to notice the signs that a child may be experiencing abuse outside of school. School staff need to be able to recognise the signs of abuse and be clear about what action they should take if they have concerns.  School should create a culture where children feel safe, and confident to speak out if they have a concern about their own or another child's safety.

The report summarises:

• key issues for the education sector highlighted in the case reviews
• learning to help professionals working in education settings prevent and respond to incidences of neglect and abuse.

Operation Encompass online training for schools

Operation Encompass have developed an online training package in partnership with Virtual College. This free training is available to all schools and education settings.- even if your school is not yet part of Operation Encompass. The training updates staff members' knowledge of child victims of domestic abuse.

This training will  assist you in developing the skills and knowledge to fully embed Operation Encompass in your school or education setting.  To register visit the Operation Encompass website.

More information for education settings on Operation Encompass and a range of other topics can be found in the Education section of this Website.

Support and Safeguarding - page update

'The Support and Safeguarding in Salford: Helping children to thrive guidance' has been produced by the SSCP.  This has replaced the 'Threshold of need and response' in Salford. The Guidance is for anyone who works with or cares for children including families, professionals, and members of the community. It has been produced to ensure the right support, from the right people is available at the right time for children and their families when needed and explains how to get different types of support.

A poster is now available for download which can be printed for display.  It features a QR code which will direct people to the SSCP Support and Safeguarding webpage for further information.

Social Work Week - 20th March 2023

Social Work Week 2023 is a programme of events and activities planned and delivered by organisations and individuals with lived and learned experience of social work. It is led by Social Work England, the regulator for social workers in England and aims to bring people together to learn, connect, and influence a nationwide conversation on social work.

Anyone can book free tickets for virtual headline sessions curated by Social Work England. Individuals and organisations will also be delivering free sector-led events across the country, primarily online but with some in person.

Take a look at the programme of events and book your place here Social Work Week - Social Work England 

Spotting the signs and indicators of child sexual abuse

There is a Free webinar series - CSA Centre available on Spotting the signs and indicators of child sexual abuse and three dates on Speaking to children about child sexual abuse, from April to September 2023.

The NSPCC have also highlighted a piece of research 'Letting you share when you need to share: navigating the potential and precarity of friends and peers for UK young people after sexual abuse in adolescence' (Warrington et al, 2023) which shows the importance of friendships as a source of support for young people who have experienced sexual abuse.

Greater Manchester Complex Safeguarding Week - training offer

Monday 20 March

12.15 to 15:00 - The Children’s Society: Child exploitation issues and resources for Greater Manchester Primary Schools

Tuesday 21 March

10 to 11:30 - Start small, start today: using the Practice Principles for responding to child exploitation and extra-familial harm

Friday 24 March 

12:30 to 13:15 - Catch 22 GM County Lines Support and Rescue Service: Women & Girls Focus

Monday 27 March

12.30 to 13.15 - Catch 22 GM County Lines Support and Rescue Service: Men and Boys Focus

Tues 28 March

10 to 12 - The REIGN Collective: Disclosure (CSE/CSA)

Equality and Diversity Statement

Our vision is to make Salford a fair and inclusive city where everyone has an equal voice, access to services and opportunities, and are included and represented in decisions that affect them, irrespective of their age, disability status, ethnicity, faith, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation or socio-economic background. Salford has a strong commitment to tackling inequality which is reflected in The Salford Way, a city-wide approach to ensure partners work together to build a fairer and more inclusive Salford for all. A key part of this approach is the Salford Equality Strategy our catalyst for change to ensure we work together to build a fairer and more inclusive Salford for all.

All partners of the SSCP are required to ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion are a thread through all our priorities/activity, as are the views and voices of young people.