Learning Together to Safeguard the City fortnight which is a new way of talking about how we all work together to keep people safe and well. It is delivered in partnership between the Safeguarding Adults Board, the Local Safeguarding Children Board and the Safe in the City Partnership Board, as well as Brighton & Hove City Council, other statutory partners including Sussex Police and Health, and a range of charities and community groups.
Today’s events:
Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent, 12-2pm, Brighton Town Hall
The Sussex Children’s SARC (Sexual Abuse Referral Centre) – how we can help, 10am – 12 noon The Great Hall Moulsecoomb
There are a range of learning events taking place this fortnight and you can View the full programme of events or visit Eventbrite to register for a free place. This runs alongside the 16 Days of Action for the Elimination of Violence against Women campaign and you can find out more about the events for this here.
Through out this fortnight we will be posting a series of Everybody’s Repsonsibility Blogs where key figures in the city will talk about what Safeguarding means to them. Today we introduce Dave Hunt, your LSCB’s Learning & Development Officer.
What part does safeguarding play within your role?
My new role keeps me in the Safeguarding arena, having worked in the front of this service for many years. I now have a responsibility for presenting and co-ordinating the multi agency training that we provide partner agency staff, to advise how they best put into practice the methods to keep the children and young people of our city as safe as we can. It also means that the Safeguarding message gets taken to the families of those children and young people, and that hopefully they all gain an understanding of the important role all agencies play in this.
What does safeguarding mean to you?
I have spent the last 23 years working within Child Protection and Safeguarding. I have spent a lot of that time encouraging children and young people, and their families to come forward and talk about the things that have happened to them, because without that ability for staff to gain the trust of the very people we are trying to safeguard we cannot put in place the things that will keep them safe!
I have an enormous respect and understanding for the difficult work that my colleagues undertake, and more so for the children and young people who take the incredibly brave step to come forward and disclose their abuse.
It is clear within the city in which we work, that there are some amazing individuals who support our young people in the processes that they decide to engage with. Only last night, at Safety Net’s anniversary event, I was “blown away” by the endeavours of various youngsters who have put themselves into the position of helping their peers, who may also have suffered abuse.
What was obvious to all, was that as a city of partner agencies we are ALL working to the same endeavour, to keep the children and young people of Brighton & Hove, safe and secure, and that if they should be the subject of an abusive situation, that we are ALL THERE FOR THEM.
What will you be taking away from Safeguarding the City fortnight?
I think what I can take away for this fortnight of events, is the amount of agencies that came together to show the city what services are out there, that can be accessed, if you find yourself in the need of support. I was amazed, having seen the events come together, just how impassioned the various presenters were about getting the message across, to children, young people and adults, that we have the facilities within Brighton & Hove to offer support to all those groups of service users. To show that if they are prepared to disclose, ask for help or just need support for something that has happened before, that we can, as a multi agency community come together to assist and help them through an incredibly difficult time, and move them forward into a “Safer Place”.
Dave will be co presenting the MASH: Current Refferal Process briefings on Wednesday 9 December and the Historical Allegations: How do we Investigate session on Wednesday 2 December
Help us spread the message that Safeguarding is Everyone’s Responsibility on Social Media during the Learning Together fortnight from 26 November – 10 December by downloading our Safeguarding is… or Everyones Responsibility signs and post a selfie under #EveryonesResponsibility or support us by sharing this tweet:
Has needs met within universal provision. May need limited intervention within the setting to avoid needs arising.
Has additional needs identified within the setting that can be met within identified resources through a single agency response and partnership working.
Has multiple needs requiring a multi-agency coordinated response.
Has a high level of unmet & complex needs, or is in need of protection.