HSCP & HIPS Newsletter

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Hampshire Safeguarding Children Partnership’s  (HSCP) newsletter, “Keeping Our Children Safe”.

It’s been a busy few months for us at the partnership. We recently published the digital 2024-25 HSCP Training Brochure, which outlines the multi-agency safeguarding training opportunities for the coming year. In addition to the continued coverage of core safeguarding topics such as neglect, child sexual abuse, domestic abuse, and trauma-informed practices, we have also introduced several new training courses which we encourage you to explore – more details can be found in the article below. I would encourage you to promote the training opportunities available to colleagues and always consider your own Continuous Professional Development.  Creating some space in your busy schedule to grow or reinforce your knowledge and professional practice is very important also.

Last month, HSCP launched an awareness campaign on Child Exploitation highlighting the tools and resources available to practitioners to help protect Hampshire’s children. The campaign commenced with the introduction of our first ever Safeguarding Theme Overview Pack (STOP), bringing together all our resources in one place to support professionals in identifying and responding to child exploitation. Keep an eye out for more STOP packs covering various themes throughout the year and don’t forget to share them with your colleagues.

And lastly, we are currently conducting our annual Learning Needs Analysis to tailor our training to meet the needs of Hampshire professionals. We would greatly appreciate your input on the safeguarding courses you would like to see and any emerging safeguarding themes you are encountering in your work. Please take a few minutes to complete our survey: Access the survey here.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of Hampshire’s children.

Scott MacKechnie
Independent Chair and Scrutineer
Hampshire Safeguarding Children Partnership

Hampshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (HSCP) is delighted to announce the release of the HSCP Training Brochure 2024-25, which showcases all the courses available on the HSCP Virtual Multi-Agency Learning Platform for the coming year.

This comprehensive digital brochure provides details of free multi-agency safeguarding training from April 2024 to March 2025, and is available to all professionals working with children and families in the Hampshire local authority area. It includes an extensive range of learning options, including virtual courses, in-person courses, webinars, workshops, and eLearning materials.  These training resources aim to strengthen the knowledge and skills of practitioners, equipping them with practical tools to ensure the safety of Hampshire’s children in their day-to-day practice.

The 2024-25 training offer maintains its focus on core safeguarding themes such as neglect, child sexual abuse, domestic abuse and the trauma informed journey with the addition of several new training courses designed to address emerging challenges, including:

• An Introduction to Professional Curiosity and Disguised Compliance
• Understanding Cumulative Harm and Normalising Neglect
• An Introduction to Supporting Families in the Armed Forces
• An Introduction to the Risks Associated with Gaming & Gambling in Under 18s
• The Importance of Community Information Sharing (CPI) Forms
• An Introduction to the Serious Violence Duty

Registration for these courses operates on a first-come, first-served basis. To secure your place, refer to the HSCP Training Brochure 2024-25 and plan your safeguarding training for the upcoming year.

For further information on HSCP training and your statutory responsibilities see Training – Hampshire SCP.

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