Sacpa Conference – Creating Safer Organisations

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• Date: June 15, 2023
• Time: 09:30 – 16:15
• Cost: Sacpa Full Member – £195, Additional Full Sacpa Member Fee – £100, Non-member – £390, NEW Sacpa Member Rate (Including a professional membership with Sacpa): £300
• Audience: All safeguarding practitioners and leaders working with children and young people
• Platform: Zoom (online)

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Course outline:

This conference brings together expert speakers with specialist knowledge in creating safer organisations.  It aims to inform and support colleagues seeking to create, develop and maintain a safer working ethos helping them to analyse and identify the elements needed, best practice examples and sources of support in this critical and overarching area of safeguarding work.  Sacpa will facilitate questions directly from members to our experts throughout the day and encourage delegates to come prepared with questions for our panels.

Training topics will include:

• Unpicking inquiry recommendation and policy direction
• Creating, and maintaining protective organisations
• Safer recruitment and beyond the probationary period
• Managing allegations and low-level-concerns: working with trustees, board members and governors
• Safer Organisations and Digital Safeguarding

Learning outcomes:

• Updates on likely policy changes and best practice impacting leadership and practice in maintaining safer organisations.
• How the experience of those supporting survivors, organisations and perpetrators impact their decision-making, leadership policy and practice.
• Refresh allegations and low-level-concerns best practice from a range of different sectors and nations.
• Consider the costs and benefits of implementing best practice that goes beyond regulatory compliance
• Explore, how the cross-cutting theme of digital safeguarding can be considered within key strands of safer organisations practice.

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Programme:

09:30-10:00

Unpicking inquiry recommendation and policy direction

Our keynote speaker reviews the outcomes of key inquiries, the direction of travel for policy change, and learning implications. 

Delegates will have the most recent updates on likely policy changes and best practice impacting leadership and practice in maintaining safer organisations.

• Chair: Claire Dan, Director of Safeguarding and Director, Sacpa
• Speakers:
  • Peter Spindler, Former Commander Metropolitan Police and current Independent Chair of Westminster Abbey Safeguarding Board

10:00 – 10:15 Break

10:15-11:15

Creating and maintaining protective organisations.

Speakers describe their perspectives on creating and maintaining safer organisations. 

Delegates will consider how the experience of those supporting survivors, organisations and perpetrators impact their decision-making, leadership policy and practice.     

• Chair: Claire Dan, Director of Safeguarding and Director, Sacpa
• Panel:
  • Michael Sheath – Independent Safeguarding consultant
  • Mark Bramah – Director at Corporate Safeguarding Ltd
  • Val Wright – Head of Safeguarding at The National Federation of Young Farmers’​ Clubs and Independent Safeguarding Consultant
  • Aneeta Williams – Director & International Safeguarding, Gender & Human Rights Consultant, Bridging Worlds Consulting Ltd

11:15 – 11:30 Break

11:30-12:30

Safer recruitment and beyond the probationary period

Speakers explore the value of safer recruitment and safer working practice approaches.
Delegates will consider the costs and benefits of implementing best practice that goes beyond regulatory compliance.                

• Chair: Claire Dan, Director of Safeguarding and Director, Sacpa
• Speaker:
  • David Walker – Deputy Head (Pastoral and Wellbeing) at Wellington College

12:30 – 13:30 LUNCH

13:30-14:30

Managing allegations and low-level-concerns: working with trustees, board members and governors

Speakers explore the allegations and low-level concerns process and focus on supporting trustees, board members and governors.  Delegates will refresh allegations and low-level-concerns best practice from a range of different sectors and nations.

• Chair: Claire Dan, Director of Safeguarding and Director, Sacpa
• Panel:
  • Laura Crandley – Chief Operating Officer at National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
  • Audrey Sime, Deputy Head Welfare and Safeguarding, Strathallan School

14:30 – 15:00 Break

15:00-16:00

Safer Organisations and Digital Safeguarding

Speakers consider how digital safeguarding interfaces with every aspect of creating and maintaining safe, protective organisations.  This session will  focus on whole organisation approaches to digital safeguarding including new filtering and monitoring guidance.  Consideration of safer recruitment checks and technology assisted harmful and inappropriate conduct. 

Delegates will explore, how the cross-cutting theme of digital safeguarding can be considered within key strands of safer organisations practice.

• Chair: Karl Hopwood, independent e-safety expert and Chair Sacpa
• Panel:
  • David Wright – Chief Executive Officer at SWGfL and partner at the UK Safer Internet Centre
  • Simon Davies – Head of Safeguarding at The Scouts
                                           

16:00-16:15

Round-up of the day

• Claire Dan, Director of Safeguarding BSA Group & Director, SACPA

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Claire Dan, Director of Safeguarding and Director, Sacpa

Claire is Director of Safeguarding and Director, Sacpa and leads on the provision of safeguarding advice and support to members and the development and delivery of CPD and safeguarding consultancy services. Claire is a safeguarding specialist and leader with a background in education welfare, youth justice, and early help contexts which have involved a strong focus on diverse and collaborative partnerships, professional development and supervision of front-line safeguarding colleagues, and leading multi-disciplinary teams and projects. Between 2006 and 2013 Claire was involved with Luton Safeguarding Children Board as a lead multi-agency safeguarding trainer, developing and delivering single and multi-agency safeguarding training, and since 2013 has delivered pieces of bespoke consultancy work, and providing a range of safeguarding consultancy on a freelance basis.

 

 

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Karl Hopwood, Independent e-safety expert and Chair, Sacpa

Karl Hopwood is an esafety expert. He is a member of UKCCIS (UK Council for Child Internet Safety) and sits on the advisory board for the new UK Safer Internet Centre. Karl has worked for a number of key players in the UK and abroad including CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre), BECTA (British Educational and Communications Technology Agency), the European Commission and several Local Authorities within the UK. As an ex headteacher, he continues to work closely with children, young people, parents and teachers to develop safer online behaviours and the promotion of digital literacy. Karl works closely with the Boarding Schools’ Association and supports many of their schools. He is also an in-house consultant for INSAFE which is the coordinating node of the EU safer internet programme.

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Laura Crandley, Chief Operating Officer at National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)

Laura joined NCVO in January 2021 as director of finance and services to look after their service delivery and became chief operating officer in June 2022.

Her remit includes finance, governance, safeguarding, legal, property and technology, our conferencing facilities, as well as oversight of the services and partnerships team and fundraising. She is also NCVO’s company secretary.

Laura is a qualified accountant and has an MBA from the Open University. She has worked across the private and voluntary sector in both finance and operational roles. This includes as head of finance at RNIB and as executive director of partnerships at Leonard Cheshire, which included corporate relationships, UK-wide programme delivery and volunteering as well as setting up a training and consultancy offer. Laura is also chair of the Midlands disability charity, Enrych.

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Audrey Sime, Deputy Head Welfare and Safeguarding, Strathallan School

Before starting at Strathallan in 2002, Audrey worked with extremely vulnerable 14 – 16 year olds who were being schooled in a special education unit and had responsibility for safeguarding and child protection. They had a multi agency approach to developing and supporting the young people. Audrey joined Strathallan as Director of Sport where she immediately joined the child protection team. Audrey has also worked as an Assistant Head Co-Curricular, Acting Deputy head Pastoral before taking on her current role as Deputy Head Welfare and Safeguarding. Audrey is the child protection lead and is responsible for delivering all the training to the staff.

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David Wright, Chief Executive Officer at SWGfL and partner at the UK Safer Internet Centre

David is CEO at SWGfL and also Director UK Safer Internet Centre; the national awareness centre and part of the European Insafe network. David has worked extensively in online safety for 20 years with children, schools and wider agencies. He advises a number of Governments, organisations and

industry partners on online safety strategy and policy and has been appointed as an expert child online protection adviser to the UN ITU

David has presented at conferences nationally and internationally. He is a member of the UK Council for Internet Safety and has recently been invited to be a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Coalition for Digital Safety

David has led pioneering work, such as the development of multi award winning resources, as well as the establishment of the helpline for victims of Revenge Porn and stopncii.org. With Plymouth University, he has published a number of ground-breaking research reports.

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Michael Sheath, Independent Safeguarding consultant

Michael Sheath qualified as a Social Worker and Probation Officer in 1988, he has a Master of Arts in Social Work, and a Certificate of Qualification in Social Work. He spent ten years working in the Probation Service in community and custodial settings, prior to joining The Lucy Faithfull Foundation in 1997.

During his 25 year tenure at LFF, Michael prepared some hundreds of ‘Expert Witness’ reports for Family Court proceedings, and delivered hundreds of days training to social workers, probation officers, and police officers. He was involved in ‘whole community’ safeguarding assessments in a number of British Overseas Territories, including Pitcairn, and the Falkland Islands.

Michael has acted as ‘Staff Trainer’ for Europol’s ‘COSEC’ course for fifteen years, a 10 day course which trains police and prosecutors to investigate online sexual offences against children. He is also responsible for the well being of students and trainers on the programme, and has delivered similar staff support training to civilian analysts in the Metropolitan Police.

Michael sits on the Football Association’s Safeguarding Review Panel, a quasi judicial role, which is the final arbiter of decisions relating to fitness to engage in football. He is contracted to work with Europol, Cepol (The European Union police training centre, in Budapest), and INHOPE, which manages the activities of Hotlines dealing with indecent content on the Internet.

He is the author of a play, now a book, ‘Crossing the Line’, which deals with issues relating to secondary harms and vicarious trauma in investigations related to the downloading of child sexual exploitation material.

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Val Wright, Head of Safeguarding at The National Federation of Young Farmers’​ Clubs and Independent Safeguarding Consultant  

With a background in organisational development, governance and safeguarding in sport organisations, charities and community groups, as well as a 10-year career as a frontline Police Officer, Val has worked for several governing bodies of sport to develop robust policies and procedures, to promote best practice to create safe environments for young people’s participation in sport and dealing with cases and concerns reported within affiliated sports clubs. Now Head of Safeguarding for the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs – one of the largest rural youth organisations in the UK – Val leads on all of NFYFC’s safeguarding work, designing and delivering safeguarding training and developing and reviewing safeguarding policies and procedures, supporting staff to implement these within the 560+ clubs and to respond to and deal with reported concerns.

 

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Aneeta Williams, Director & International Safeguarding, Gender & Human Rights Consultant, Bridging Worlds Consulting Ltd   

An international development and humanitarian advocate with a passion to prevent abuse, violence and exploitation and bring about justice for vulnerable victims and witnesses. Called to the Bar at the Middle Temple, Aneeta practised law for a decade while she completed her Master’s in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law followed by a Master’s in Child Studies at King’s College London. She is fully committed to her work as a certified SEAH Investigator and Trainer with the CHS Alliance, associated safeguarding trainer with BOND, a Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative Expert with the FCDO working on conflict-related sexual violence and as an active member to the Independent Reference Group with DFID’s Safeguarding Unit. She is currently the Designated Safeguarding Trustee on the Board of an international social enterprise, Queen’s Commonwealth Trust and an active member of the Human Rights Committee of the Law Society. She set up her active independent consultancy services in 2014, Bridging Worlds Consulting, providing international aid agencies strategic advice, support, training and investigations on issues of safeguarding including SEAH, gender & SGBV, programme quality and improving organisational policies, procedures and culture.

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David Walker

David Walker holds a B.Sc. in Physics and Philosophy from the University of Bristol. He returned to Wellington College in 2019 as Deputy Head (Pastoral and Wellbeing) after previously spending 10 years at Wellington between 2006 and 2016 as Head of Physics, Housemaster, and Deputy Head (Performance). He previously worked at Clifton College, Whitgift School in Croydon, the Stephen Perse Foundation in Cambridge and as a VSO volunteer teacher in Cameroon. David lives at Wellington with his wife, Melanie, a prep school Head of Classics, and his two young children, Adam and Harriet. He enjoys many sports but particularly cycling, running and football, reading and walking their cocker spaniel. David will be the Director of BSA from September.

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Simon Davies, Head of Safeguarding for the Scouts

Simon Davies is the Head of Safeguarding for the Scouts, the UK’s largest mixed youth movement. He’s passionate about helping more young people from under-represented communities step up, speak up and gain #SkillsForLife.

Simon comes from a law enforcement background having spent 33 years as a police officer specialising in investigation and public protection. More recently, Simon was a Lead Inspector for His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. He led on child protection inspections of police forces and local authorities (jointly with other inspectorates) across England and Wales.

He is experienced in improving safeguarding outcomes for young people through developing and delivering quality child-centred practice across statutory agencies and the voluntary sector.

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Peter Spindler, Former Commander Metropolitan Police and current Independent Chair of   Westminster Abbey Safeguarding Board

Peter is a former Metropolitan Police Commander who has been involved in child abuse investigation and safeguarding since 2000. He is now the independent chair of the safeguarding boards at Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral and sits on the Missing People safeguarding board. He works primarily in the faith and third sectors, helping organisations develop their safeguarding frameworks and responses.