Emma Clothier is the Designated Nurse for Children Looked After and Care Leavers in NHS Somerset ICB. She is a qualified Paediatric Nurse, Public Health Nurse (Health Visiting) and Practice Teacher. Emma has worked in the Safeguarding arena as a Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children in an acute NHS organisation, Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children and as a Safeguarding Duty Team manager (incorporating adult safeguarding in role from 2018) leading a multi-professional team giving safeguarding advice in a large acute, community and mental health NHS trust.
In her current role, Emma chairs the Health and Wellbeing subgroup of the Corporate Parenting Board and is passionate about ensuring Care Experienced children and adults have their health needs met. She is particularly interested in how children are supported in their transition to adulthood and their access to health services.
Dr Claire Brown (FHEA) is a Senior Lecturer at Teesside University. She conducts a range of EDI research, including co-produced projects with care experienced people. Claire and her colleagues have produced guidance and delivered knowledge sharing events to disseminate good practice within health, social care and education sectors. Claire sits on the Editorial Board for two journals, chairs the TU Social Work Research Network, vice chairs TU’s Gender Focus Group, is a member of the Research and Innovation and Ethics Subcommittees, JUSWA Research Subcommittee and several international EDI groups. Claire remains in practice part-time as a psychological therapist supporting children and families affected by trauma, abuse and attachment disruption. She also runs community groups supporting local parents with social inclusion and perinatal mental health, and a Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy SIG in the North East.
Welcome to the Care Experienced People Special Interest Group (SIG) for the AoCPP. We are an active group from many different professional safeguarding backgrounds, who have or are working in the field of children in care and those who have been in the care system, plus those members with a particular interest. The life experiences for children within the care system are often complex needing additional support not available within universal provision. The recent Independent Care Review 2022, concluded a national major overhaul of the care system is required if the needs of these vulnerable children, their families and professionals are to be met. Only then can we collectively safeguard and promote positive outcomes for these vulnerable children.
We meet quarterly to debate national trends, the richness and diversity of the group encourages active involvement and any members can request and or lead an area for debate. The outcomes for the group is to hear the voice of those experienced within the care system with the aim of influencing policy and practice change. If you are interested and would like to join us please sign up for up and coming related C&YPiC and CE SIG’s we would be pleased to have you onboard.
Claire Brown and Emma Clothier, Co-Chairs, Care Experienced People Special Interest Group
The purpose of this Special Interest Group is to provide an opportunity for child protection practitioners to share, learn about and discuss up-to-date, practice-relevant research and good, innovative practice and guidance in the area of child sexual abuse; to provide an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to disseminate their work to a practice audience and to build networks of shared interests and activity; and for practitioners to share and discuss current practice challenges and the ways in which researchers and other practitioners can help to address those challenges. We aim to strengthen the relationship between research and practice.
Special Interest Group meetings will be organised differently according to the topics to be discussed, but are likely to involve a guest speaker presenting on a subject followed by questions, discussion and issues to be taken forward. The purpose of the Special Interest Group will of course evolve as it becomes established in response of the views and wishes of its members.
Anna Glinski (Deputy Director of Knowledge and Practice Development at the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse)
Dr Peter Yates is a Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Edinburgh. He is a qualified social worker with particular experience of working within a specialist service supporting children and young people who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour. He has published a number of papers on the subject of sibling sexual abuse and is co-author of Yates, P. and Allardyce, S. (2021) Sibling sexual abuse: A knowledge and practice overview, Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse, and Allardyce, S. and Yates, P. (2018) Working with children and young people who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour, Dunedin Academic Press.
Peter Yates (Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Edinburgh)
As the Chair of the Digital Safeguarding SIG I am extremely passionate about evidence based research, new developments and raising awareness of how technology can be used for good outcomes across multi-agency settings. Initially the purpose of the SIG is promote the necessity for digital safeguarding strategies. This simply means bringing together digital initiatives and safeguarding practice. As well as supporting the growth of digital knowledge and skills of practitioners and managers. At the core of this is also co-design for new digital safeguarding initiatives where children are equal partners in the process of design and usability.
I hope as the SIG becomes established to share best practise, create digital safeguarding champions across agencies and the development of more child friendly digital communications (especially digital self referrals for children and young people).
Definition of Digital Safeguarding
Digital Safeguarding is using co-design research methods with children and young people to create innovative technology initiatives for them by them to self refer, share information and manage risks. This approach gives children and young people an equal voice recognizing them as digital natives especially within changing technological environments.
What is the aim of Digital Safeguarding?
A digital safeguarding approach aims to use tech for good, co-designed with children and young people. It seeks to develop new innovative ways in which children and young people can digitally and safely self refer and share their information with multi-agency professionals. To digitally communicate in real time harnessing the digital and traditional early help and support to reduce risk of harm to children and young people.
What is the aim of co-design research methods?
It is a new approach to user-centred design which promotes a child-centred child-friendly user led approach. In including children and young people as equal partners in the process for digital safeguarding initiatives including design ideas, usability and product development.
Dr Sarah Carlick (Chair)
Adrian Spanswick (Vice Chair)
Nicola O’Brien is the Designated Safeguarding Lead at an independent boarding school for ages 4-18. As a languages teacher for 30 years and housemistress of 62 teenage girls for 8 years, she became passionate about supporting children and young people through their adolescence and the many associated struggles; in particular those involving mental health and relational conflict. Her particular interests are Affluent Neglect and the Safeguarding of Children and Young People with Gender Dysphoria, both relatively recent topics in the world of children’s safeguarding and child protection. She has delivered training on both issues to fellow DSLs and school medical and wellbeing teams.
Purpose
Recordings of all previous meetings are available to our members in the members area. Not a member? Join us now to access our catalogue of SIG recordings, and much more
Dr Suzanne Everley is Head of Sport Social Science and a Reader in the Sociology of Physical Education, Activity and Health at the University of Chichester. Her research of over 20 years focuses on understanding the experiences of children and young people. Suzanne has published in academic papers and texts and has written a book on the use of creative arts-based research methodologies. She has conducted investigations for the Youth Sport Trust, the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit and the FA. Following recommendations of Clive Sheldon’s Independent Review into Child Sexual Abuse in Football 1970-2005, she is currently lead researcher on a project seeking to understand how children’s voices are heard in the sport and where this might be improved to create more child centred cultures, preventing abuse.
Purpose of the Special Interest Group:
Future events programme hopes to include:
Recordings of all previous meetings are available to our members in the members area. Not a member? Join us now to access our catalogue of SIG recordings, and much more
Dr Suzie Everley (University of Chichester)
Dr Dan Allen is a social work academic with over 20 years’ experience working to democratise child protection practice with Romani and Traveller families. He has published widely on this topic and represented his research at the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, the House of Lords, and the Welsh Assembly.
Dr Allen is particularly interested in examining the intersection of power relations, prejudice and reflexivity, and the impact of governmentality, subjectivities, and ethics on the translational positionality of professional conduct. Developing a perspective that combines neoliberal governmentality with a socio-political influence and critical and radical theory, he seeks to critically examine the questions of why, how and so what in the context of dominant discourses affecting regimes of child protection practice at individual, cultural and societal levels.
In 2023, Dr Allen’s paper Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children in child welfare services in England, cowritten with a former Masters dissertation student, won the British Association of Social Workers 'Kay McDougall British Journal of Social Work Prize' for its breadth of scholarship, sophistication of theory, rigour, relevance and international appeal.
Purpose of the Special Interest Group
Future events programme hopes to include
Recordings of all previous meetings are available to our members in the members area. Not a member? Join us now to access our catalogue of SIG recordings, and much more
Dr Dan Allen, Liverpool Hope University
The Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) Special Interest Group is a multi-disciplinary network which seeks to promote the voices of children, young people and adults who have experienced DVA in addition to working with relevant organisations to promote best practice. This includes seldom-heard voices and diverse communities. It aims to bridge research and practice disseminating contemporary insights to inform evidence-based practice, sharing information about national trends, learning from practice developments, and policy and guidance updates.
The Co-Chairs
Dr Michaela Rogers, Senior Lecturer in Social Work , The University of Sheffield
Dr Michaela Rogers is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work in the Department of Sociological Studies, the University of Sheffield. Michaela is a registered social worker and has practice experience spanning 30 years in a range of voluntary and public sector settings. This includes over 15 years working in the domestic abuse sector before moving to statutory social work (working in child protection and fostering). Michaela’s academic career has enabled the development of a research and publications portfolio contributing to the fields of gender-based violence and domestic abuse, equalities and diversity, and social care. This work has a particular emphasis on the experiences of marginalised groups, help-seeking and access to services. Michaela’s publications include a number of social work text books and a body of academic publications on gender-based violence. Her latest co-edited book is entitled Gender-Based Violence: A Comprehensive Guide (published in June 2023 by Springer Nature). Michaela is Co-Editor for the journal Practice: Social Work in Action and co-leads the University of Sheffield Interpersonal Violence and Abuse (ShIVAR) Research Network
Dr Helen Richardson-Foster, Research Fellow, Connect Centre For International Research on Interpersonal Violence and Harm at the University of Central Lancashire
Research and recent publications
Isobel Drew is a Lecturer within the Centre for Child Protection at the University of Kent’s School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR) and has an active design and teaching role on the new blended learning Master’s course in Advanced Child Protection. She entered academia from professional practice as a social worker and social work manager (strategic and operational)
Isobel completed a BA Sociology, Anthropology and Gender Studies at the University of Hull before progressing to postgraduate study. After completing an MA Social Work she continued her professional development with a clear focus on child protection. She is a qualified ‘Practice Teacher’ and has held a number of professional roles within statutory social work, including frontline services, Cafcass and LSCB..
Isobel Drew (Chair)
Vanisha Jassal is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Kent (UoK) and a Senior Fellow with the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). She is Director of Studies for the MA Social Work and MA Advanced Child Protection programmes and teaches across both programmes. She is co-chair of the BAME staff network at the university and works to address racial inequalities experienced by staff and students, and support the design and implementation of appropriate policies.
Vanisha has been a Trustee of ANBU since 2019, a charity which supports survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) from the UK Tamil community and is soon due to submit her PhD thesis which examines CSA of females in Britain’s South Asian communities. She seeks to improve CSA practice and services for minoritised ethnic children, young people and families.
Vanisha Jassal (Vice-Chair)
For the purposes of this Special Interest Group (SIG), culture refers to factors relating to a child’s race, ethnicity and religion. Ethnic, racial and cultural disproportionalities continue to exist across UK child protection practice, services and outcomes for children, young people and their families. This is known and accepted across agencies. Many scholars and practitioners have worked intensively to explore the lived experiences of children and families in the child protection system where cultural issues have needed greater recognition and understanding.
This SIG seeks to bring together existing research, best practice and wider learning, to support practitioners and child protection organisations to continue to make developments in this area and to adopt proactive and purposeful working practises so that racial and ethnic disproportionalities can be more effectively addressed
Isobel and Vanisha
Chair and Vice-Chair - Culture in Child Protection Special Interest Group
Adrian Spanswick, Trustee of the AoCPP and Chair of the Practice Learning SIG
Adrian qualified as a Registered General Nurse (1987), Cardiothoracic Nurse (1989) and Registered Health Visitor (1992) and has worked both in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) and East Warwickshire. He has worked in the Safeguarding arena, initially as a Child Protection Nurse Specialist /Named Nurse for Child Protection and from 2004 -2020 as a Consultant/Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children (incorporating Adult Safeguarding into role from 2011). Adrian managed the Leicester City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and hosted Safeguarding Team (working across LLR). As part of role worked with local safeguarding and has chaired a number of inter-agency subgroups, contributed and authored Serious Case Reviews, Adult Learning Reviews and a Domestic Homicide Review Co-Chaired the LLR Channel Panel for 6 years and worked with partners as a CCG prevent lead.
He is Honorary Principal Lecturer at De Montfort University (1999- 2015) School of Nursing and Midwifery. In April 2020 took on a new role and is currently Safeguarding Professional Lead for NHS England. The Midlands NHSE/I safeguarding team covers both East and West Midlands. Adrian is also a Parent Governor of a local school in Leicester.
The purpose of the Practice Learning Review Special Interest Group is to provide a multi-professional forum to bring together child protection/safeguarding practitioners to share and learn from developments in practice, innovative research and education to promote inter-professional debate and discussion to enhance professional communication to contribute to informing reasonable judgments and decision-making in practice. To develop and build networks across inter-agency disciplines and provide opportunities to expand professional relationships.
The sessions aim to support self-directed learning by presenting hot topics/current issues arising in practice or outputs from research for members to take away how they might address the learning through their own professional lens. It is also an opportunity to re-validate learning from a variety of guest speakers from practice, academia and presentations on cases from local safeguarding children’s partnerships.
