Foreword

Welcome to the latest edition of Keeping Our Children Safe.

The first inaugural Hampshire and Isle of Wight Safeguarding Children Week took place on 9 to 13 October 2023. It was inspiring to see so many professionals come together to raise awareness of important safeguarding issues and further their knowledge and confidence in identifying and responding to safeguarding concerns.

A host of resources were released throughout Safeguarding Children Week including messages from senior managers, key learning that can be applied to practice and the launch of several new Toolkits (Prevent, Community & Voluntary Organisations, Child Exploitation and Safeguarding Infants). Don’t worry if you missed some, or even all, of the week, it’s not too late to access the resources.

Following the successful relaunch of the Hampshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (HSCP) primary school resource, Keeping Our Friends Safe last year, I’m delighted to announce that a secondary resource is now available to support secondary school staff with their ongoing safeguarding initiatives. The resources have been developed in recognition that peers sometimes disclose things to each other, rather than the adults around them and teaches children what they can do if they are concerned about a friend.

Also in this newsletter, I’d like to draw your attention to the recently revised and updated Hampshire and Isle of Wight Safeguarding Children Partnerships and Children’s Trust Thresholds Chart which sets out which agencies and what levels of intervention might be required to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. An update has also been made to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Safeguarding Children Partnerships Guide to Recognising Neglect in Children.

And finally, as we rapidly approach Christmas and the start of a new year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your dedication and hard work over the last year in helping keep Hampshire’s Children safe.

Wishing you a safe and happy break.

Scott MacKechnie
Independent Chair and Scrutineer
Hampshire Safeguarding Children Partnership

Training Offer

HSCP provides a range of multi-agency e-learning modules, webinars, and virtual training opportunities, developed to support core learning on children’s safeguarding.

Events and courses are free and available to all professionals working with children and families who live in the Local Authority area of Hampshire.

For further information on training and your statutory responsibilities visit the HSCP website.