External Training

Child Centred Practice, Principles and roles within the process

Delivered by Laura Hynes, National Vulnerable Witness Adviser (National Crime Agency and Ministry of Justice)

What is Best Evidence?

Best Evidence refers to the process of gathering children’s views, experiences, and disclosures in a way that is safe, ethical, and child-centred. It ensures that children are supported to communicate in their own time, in their own words, and in ways that feel comfortable to them — so that their voice is heard clearly and accurately.

During this session, we will explore and consider:

• How we create the conditions for children to feel safe, secure, and empowered
• Ways to enable children to communicate how they feel in familiar and supportive environments
• The importance of helping children feel confident and understood
• The vital role of trusted adults around the child in supporting communication and safeguarding
• Practical strategies for applying best evidence principles in everyday practice

This webinar is ideal for safeguarding professionals working with children who want to strengthen their approach to decisioning, planning and practice in respect of achieving best evidence.

To book your place please fill in the form using the link below:

28th April 2026 - Achieving Best Evidence webinar – Fill in form

This training was developed with funding and support from NHS Greater Manchester.

Autism and Suicide Awareness Training :: Zero Suicide Alliance

About the course

Co-produced with people from the autistic community, our Autism and Suicide Awareness Training aims to:

• Share information about autism and suicide risk
• Share real experiences
• Coach you through spotting the signs and supporting an autistic person with four different scenarios (you can choose which ones you want to complete)
• Share resources for further support

Who it's for 

This course has been developed for anyone to take the training, but we particularly recommend you take the training if you are part of the autistic community or work with autistic people.

This course is recommended for people aged 16 or over.

Have a look at more  Free online training from Zero Suicide Alliance

Understanding Children: Babies being heard - Open Learn

In this course you will find out some of the things that very young babies can do and discover how babies can contribute to family life and relationships from birth. You will look at what they need from other adults and children, and what they can learn.

Visit Child Sexual Abuse | Salford Safeguarding Children Partnership

This resource has been created to raise awareness and aim to strengthen the multi-agency approach in identifying and responding to Child Sexual Abuse in Salford.

CSA Centre workshops for local safeguarding partners

Between January and July 2026, the CSA Centre are holding six free online sessions to support safeguarding partners to reflect, plan and lead the implementation of the recommendations for safeguarding partners in England, set out in the 2024 National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment.

Thursday 21st May
Workshop 4: Assessment of people presenting risk of sexual harm with Anna Glinski, Paul Burnside, TJ Abrahams, and Becky Canning

Wednesday 17th June 
Workshop 5: Talking to children with Lorraine Myles and Dr Natasha Sabin

Monday 13th July
Workshop 6: Health with Dr Natasha Sabin and Dr Alison Steele

CSA Centre Introductory Free Webinars

Online sexual offending: supporting families following arrest of a parent

Tuesday 14 April 2026 (4pm - 5pm)

Spotting the signs and indicators of child sexual abuse

Thursday 7 May 2026 (9am - 10am)

Putting the Child Sexual Abuse Response Pathway into practice

Tuesday 19 May 2026 (11.00 am - 12:00 pm)

Responding effectively to sibling sexual behaviour 

Tuesday 2 June 2026 (9am - 10am)

Speaking to children about sexual abuse

Thursday 25 June 2026 (4pm - 5pm)

Spotting the signs and indicators of child sexual abuse

Thursday 2 July 2026 (12.30pm - 1.30pm)

Responding to harmful sexual behaviour in education settings

Tuesday 7 July 2026 (4pm - 5pm)

Putting the Child Sexual Abuse Response Pathway into practice

Wednesday 15 July 2026 (12noon - 1pm)

Child Sexual Abuse: The Response Pathway Delivered by the Centre of Expertise for child Sexual Abuse

This one-hour webinar will help professionals learn how to start using the Child Sexual Abuse Response Pathway | CSA Centre in practice, and empower them to understand the role they, and their colleagues, can play to best protect and support children. The session gives advice and examples of how to use the Response Pathway and explains how it supports professionals to meet the needs of children and their families.

To book your place please fill in the form using the links below:

21st April 2026, 10am - CSA - Introductory webinar: Response Pathway Northwest – Fill in form

27th April 2026, 10am - CSA - Introductory webinar: Response Pathway Northwest  – Fill in form

10th June 2026, 10am - CSA - Introductory webinar: Response Pathway Northwest  – Fill in form

An introduction to Intra-familial child sexual abuse, taking a multi-agency approach Delivered by the Centre of Expertise for child Sexual Abuse

1-day virtual training course, repeated 6 times, people only need to attend one day.

The training aims are to achieve a better understanding of:

• the scale and nature of child sexual abuse
• how the impact of child sexual abuse presents in children and young people
• how children communicate their experiences of sexual abuse and the professional role in helping them do this how and why sexual abuse happens in families.
• Greater confidence in identifying and responding to concerns of intra-familial child sexual abuse.
• Improved ability to identify the potential signs and indicators of sexual abuse and sexually abusive behaviour.

This one-day introductory course is designed for professionals who work in collaboration with other agencies, to provide an overview of the key issues to support them in identifying and responding to cases of intra-familial child sexual abuse.

To book your place please fill in the form using the link below:

21st May 2026 - CSA - Introduction to intra-familial child CSA – Fill in form

24th June 2026 - Introduction to intra-familial CSA – Fill in form

Reign Collective - CSE Workshop for Professionals SALFORD 13th May 2026, 10am - 2pm

Keep Them Safe: Protecting Children from Child Sexual Exploitation

Pace UK, in partnership with Virtual College, has launched an interactive online information package for parents on the signs of child sexual exploitation. This free tool is designed to equip parents with the information and knowledge to safeguard children from this abuse. 

Please note that this on-line package is also suitable for staff, professionals and practitioners who work with children and has received excellent feedback. The package quickly gives you the knowledge and information to be confident recognising and tackling this abuse. The tool is interactive and will take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete, but can be completed and reviewed at your own pace.

Contextual Safeguarding Network

This network brings together practitioners, researchers and policy makers who are committed to protecting young people from harm outside of the home. Join the network to for free access to resources, tutorials, videos and briefings.

 Understanding Animal Welfare in Violent Homes - Virtual College

This free course is aimed at all professionals who have a responsibility to safeguard vulnerable children, young people and adults at risk and help understand the link between family abuse and animal abuse.

Conducting a Domestic Homicide Review - Home Office

This course is for frontline practitioners who will be taking part in Domestic Homicide Reviews. By the end of the course you will gain an understanding of the domestic homicide review processes, your individual role and responsibilities within the review process and the importance of sharing best practice and lessons learned locally. Further information and guidance is also available.

More information, resources and training Domestic abuse | Salford Safeguarding Children Partnership

1. Course 1 - Awareness course
2. Course 2 - Referrals course
3. Course 3 - Channel or Prevent Multi-Agency Panel (PMAP) course

List of refresher courses

1. Course - Refresher awareness course

The Home Office has launched a free online training package dealing with female genital mutilation (FGM), developed with Virtual College. It will give teachers, police, doctors, social workers and Border Force staff the training they need to help them identify and assist girls who are at risk of FGM.

The training provides safeguarding professionals with an overview of FGM and their responsibilities in FGM cases. It also contains information on how to prevent FGM and helps professionals support those who have been subjected to it.

• Free FGM Training Online | Recognising & Preventing FGM Free Course | Virtual College (virtual-college.co.uk)

Further information Female genital mutilation - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Brook Learn - Brook

Talking about relationships and sex with young people isn’t always easy. To help professionals, Brook have developed digital learning to empower, support and encourage professionals to deliver effective relationships and sex education (RSE). Sign-up to Brook Learn to access free courses on: How to deliver RSE, Consent, STIs, Puberty, Contraception, Pleasure, Relationships & enduring love, Emergency contraception and Abortion.

Force Marriage

The FMU has developed a new forced marriage e-learning package for professionals. The modules aim to enable professionals to recognise the warning signs of forced marriage and ensure that the appropriate action is taken to help protect and support all those at risk. 

Please email fmu@fco.gov.uk if you encounter problems registering.

• Free forced marriage e-learning

Cultural Boundaries & Tragedies – Honour, Shame, & the Dynamics of Violence

This interactive webinar and Q&A centres the specific needs and experiences of marginalised communities impacted by honour based abuse. Featuring expert talks from Dr. Amit Anand, Dr. Preethi Lolaksha Nagaveni, Ayesha Alam & Dr Keith K Silika.

Wednesday, Apr 22 from 2 pm to 3:30 pm GMT+1

Greater Manchester Programme of Learning Events: Tackling Exploitation 

Join the latest Programme of Learning Events on Exploitation, organised by the Greater Manchester Complex Safeguarding Hub in close collaboration with our local and national partners. 

This programme forms part of the Greater Manchester Complex Safeguarding Week of Action, which takes place bi-annually to strengthen our collective understanding and response to exploitation. 

Running from 10-14 November and 17-21 November, this year’s programme features contributions from a range of subject-matter experts covering a wide range of topics related to exploitation, including emerging trends and cross-cutting themes. There will be a particular focus on recent developments in Child Sexual Exploitation and online harms.  

Booking links and session details will be added as they become available. Please check back regularly for the most up-to-date information and new opportunities to register. Do circulate widely within your networks of professionals, as well as parents and carers where appropriate.  

All training sessions are free of charge, open to everyone in Greater Manchester, and delivered online via Microsoft Teams Complex safeguarding in Greater Manchester - Greater Manchester Combined Authority

Spotlight on Loan Sharks: Awareness Sessions from the England Illegal Money Lending Team

Did you know that an estimated 1.2 million people in England are currently in debt to illegal money lenders—commonly known as loan sharks—and that figure is expected to rise to 3 million within the next three years?

To help tackle this growing issue, the England Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) is offering a series of free 1-hour awareness sessions this autumn and winter. These sessions are designed to give professionals and community members a basic and working understanding of illegal money lenders, including:

• What makes a lender illegal and how they operate
• The devastating impact loan sharks have on borrowers
• How the Stop Loan Sharks Team works to support victims and bring offenders to justice
• How to spot the signs and start a conversation with someone who may be affected
• How to report concerns and what happens next

These sessions are ideal for anyone working with adults at risk, families, or communities where financial exploitation may be a concern.

Session details:

• Platform: Microsoft Teams
• Start time: 09:30
• Joining info: A Teams link will be sent via Outlook calendar invite a few days before each session
• Booking support: If you experience any issues booking, please contact Dave Monk at dave.monk@birmingham.gov.uk 

Upcoming dates and booking links:

• Tuesday, Apr 14 from 9:30 am to 10:30 am GMT+1
• Tuesday, May 5 from 9:30 am to 10:30 am GMT+1

Let’s raise awareness, start conversations, and help protect our communities from financial exploitation.

Emotional Health and Wellbeing of Children and Young People

Children and young people's emotional health and wellbeing is everyone's business. Further information including the Emotional Health Directory of Services is available on Emotional Health for Children and Young People and the different types of resources and training/events that are available to support children and young people's emotional health and wellbeing.

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

MindEd

Free educational resources containing advice, guidance and information on managing a wide range of mental health issues in children, young people and older people. MindEd has e-learning applicable across the health, social care, education, criminal justice and community settings. It is aimed at anyone from beginner through to specialist.

Understanding Young Minds

SelfharmUK in partnership with Virtual college have created a free online course to help parents talk about the issue of self-harm with their children.

GMMH Recovery Academy courses

The academy offers a range of interesting and inspiring courses free of charge to support recovery and breakdown mental health related stigma and discrimination.

All the courses are free, but you need to register and sign our Student Charter before attending, register here

Improving Mental Health - Self Help Online Therapy

This service offers a range of online therapy courses across Salford to support people who are experiencing depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia and sleep-related problems. Individuals accessing this service will be provided with guidance and assistance by highly-skilled staff and volunteers.

Childhood neglect: training resources - Department for Education

Resources for training multi-agency participant groups in identifying and dealing with child neglect.

We must train all professionals to recognise the signs. Even when we think there are none…

✍️ FREE 45-minute eLearning ✍️
Delivered in partnership with IFAS.

✔️ Recognise the signs.
✔️ Evidence safely and effectively.
✔️ Protect survivors and save lives.

🔗 Access the eLearning today: NFS training for professionals - SafeLives

🔗 Read the IFAS report: Strangulation During Sex in the UK - Institute for Addressing Strangulation

🔗 Read the Guardian article: ‘I knew I was starting to have a seizure’: women describe lasting effects of being ‘choked’ during sex | Sexual health | The Guardian

Motivational Interviewing Techniques

The sessions aim to support relational and strengths-based practice across the region. This work forms part of a wider programme within the NW Children Safeguarding Partnership, including the co-production of our North West Language Charter and decision support tools for decision making around right support and protection, at the right time for our children and families, through a family first approach.

This webinar series (1.5 hours each) will give you a powerful, experience‑based introduction to Motivational Interviewing (MI). Each module stands alone, yet together they build a strong, practical foundation you can apply immediately in your work and everyday life.

Across the series, you’ll learn how to have conversations that inspire change, strengthen relationships, and support people with empathy, clarity, and confidence. Course Aims and Objectives To instill confidence and empathy when having conversations about behaviour change at work and beyond. By the end of the series, you’ll have gained:

A practical understanding of MI that goes beyond theory Confidence in using MI skills in real conversations Tools to reduce resistance and build motivation Greater empathy and self‑awareness Techniques that support well-being both for you and the people you work with.

For further information email NWsafeguardingpartnership@stockport.gov.uk

Session 1 Motivational Interviewing Techniques -The Spirit of MI

Friday 17 April 2026 (9:30am - 11am) More Information & Booking

Session 2 Motivational Interviewing Techniques -Core Skills

Friday 24 April 2026 (9:30am - 11am) More Information & Booking

Session 3 Motivational Interviewing Techniques -The Cycle of Change

Tuesday 5 May 2026 (9:30am - 11am) More Information & Booking

Session 4 Motivational Interviewing Techniques -Supportive Challenge Direct challenge

Monday 18 May 2026 (9:30am - 11am) More Information & Booking

Office of the Public Guardian (OPG)

If you're a health and social care professional, join OPG this spring for a series of webinars designed to support your knowledge and understanding of our services. The series is designed to support professionals in the health and social care sector to better understand: 

• OPG’s role and responsibilities  

• Attorneys, deputies and decision-making under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 

• Managing concerns about attorneys and deputies.

Attorneys, deputies and decision-making Wednesday, Apr 15 from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm GMT+1

Managing concerns about attorneys and deputies Wednesday, May 20 from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm GMT+1

Introduction to cyber security: stay safe online - Open Learn

This free online course, Introduction to cyber security: stay safe online, will help you to understand online security and start to protect your digital life, whether at home or work. You will learn how to recognise the threats that could harm you online and the steps you can take to reduce the chances that they will happen to you.

#LiveSkills: resources - Think U Know

#LiveSkills is a package of resources for 8-18 year olds focusing on live streaming, one of the most popular online activities for children and young people. It explores the features of live streaming and the specific risks children and young people can face.

We’ve developed resources on safeguarding children & adults during Covid19 including a volunteer fact sheet, a short video accompanied by a #SeeSayDo information sheet and a 7 minute briefing on safeguarding information for volunteers

Salford Trauma Informed/Responsive Practice Training
Various Dates | ⏰ Mix of AM, PM and All Day | ⚲ Online and Face to Face
Salford City Council and partners have commissioned Dignifi to deliver a trauma awareness training programme over the next year. This programme has been developed using your feedback, supporting our journey towards becoming a trauma informed and trauma responsive city.
For more information and to book your space please visit Salford Trauma Informed Practice Training | Partners in Salford

GM Moving are committed to supporting safe, inclusive, and responsible sports environments. Free training and workshops sessions designed for coaches, volunteers, staff, and parents involved in youth and adult sport are available.

FREE online training courses teach you the skills and confidence to have a potentially life-saving conversation with someone you’re worried about.

Many of the training courses are also available in British Sign Language (BSL).

 Free online training from Zero Suicide Alliance

Modern Slavery Training and Guidance- Home Office

This resource is designed to share examples of training products available to public sector professionals and other individuals that might come across victims to help raise awareness, better spot the signs and increase confidence in reporting modern slavery when potential cases are encountered.

ECPAT UK training

ECPAT UK provides training throughout the UK and internationally on child protection in tourism and on the protection of child victims of trafficking. In particular, ECPAT UK operates a national training programme on safeguarding children to increase awareness and highlight the specific support needs of trafficked children.

Child trafficking and modern slavery

This course has been developed by Virtual College in partnership with West Yorkshire Police, safeguarding boards and ECPAT UK who are a leading children’s rights organisation campaigning against child trafficking and exploitation. The course fee is £30 + VAT, discounts are available for multiple purchases. Virtual College is donating 10% of all sales of this course to ECPAT UK to help in the fight against child trafficking.

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is named after Oliver McGowan, whose death shone a light on the need for health and social care staff to have better training. The Health and Care Act 2022 introduced a statutory requirement that regulated service providers must ensure their staff receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role.     

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is the government’s preferred and recommended training for health and social care staff.

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism | NHS England | Workforce, training and education

Weight Stigma Training

Public Health Scotland have created a Learning Hub Challenging Weight Stigma. It is free to access and open to all.

This learning hub aims to increase awareness of weight stigma, its impact, and what we can do to address it. It is free to access and to complete the training. There is a 2 minute introductory video to the weight stigma hub.

Learning objectives of the free training

• Describe what weight stigma means, and the effects it can have.
• Describe how weight stigma undermines public health efforts to address obesity/higher weight.
• Introduce approaches that address weight stigma and improve outcomes for individuals with higher weight.
• Guide on how to have good conversations about higher weight and behaviour change.
• Provide opportunities for personal reflections that enable practice improvement.

Ygam is the UK's leading charity dedicated to preventing gaming and gambling harms among young people. They offer gambling and gaming harm prevention training for social work and early help teams. This is to ensure that professionals feel confident supporting young people in this digital landscape.

The Training is 100% free, conveniently delivered over Teams or in person, and is CPD Certified meaning all attendees get a certificate for their CPD records. More info can be found on their  website: https://ygam.org/training/health-social-care/

Details of upcoming workshops and booking details are available on the website. Social Care Booking | Ygam

Virtual College

Virtual College has produced a range of free e-learning courses in subjects such: Infection Prevention and Control, Introduction to GDPR, Awareness of Type 1 Diabetes, Prevent COVID-19, Mental Health and Wellbeing Resource Pack, Working from Home Resource Pack and more.

The Open University

You can choose an OpenLearn course from a wide range of subjects. Some are based on Open University course materials. Others are written specifically for OpenLearn.

Safeguarding Adults - SCIE

Training and consultancy services and free resources to help safeguarding boards, care providers, housing providers, local authorities, the NHS (including clinical commissioning groups) or police to safeguard adults at risk of abuse or neglect.

 Safeguarding during Covid-19 - Child Protection Company