The WSSCP is holding a Safeguarding week from Monday 27th November - Friday 1st December. During this week, there will be a range of 1 hour briefings on different safeguarding topics. Each session is led by a subject specialist and will give you an understanding of that topic as well as the opportunity at the end to ask any questions you may have, 

During this week there will also be information sent out on a range of useful safeguarding information to support your practice. To see the WSSCP Safeguarding Week Event Guide click on the link below - 

WSSCP Safeguarding Week Event Guide

Please share widely with your teams and colleagues. All events are free and open to anybody working with children and young people in West Sussex. 

From 1st October 2023 you will no longer be able to use this form to refer a child to West Sussex Children Services. From this date, unless your concern is urgent, we are implementing a new IFD Childrens Portal to request a service or report a concern for a child.

The portal will be accessed via the West Sussex County Council web site. Further information will be provided to partner agencies.

To find out how to raise a safeguarding concern about an adult click on the link below-

Raise a safeguarding concern about an adult

For more information when it is published by WSCC Children's Services click on the link below - 

WSCC Integrated Front Door New Referral Portal

Once published, information can also be found on the following web page of the WSSCP website - 

https://www.westsussexscp.org.uk/report-a-concern-about-a-child 

This October sees the launch of the Contextual Safeguarding eLearning course on the West Susses Learning & Development Pool. Written by the Community Safety and Wellbeing Team and produced as a series of short videos, this eLearning course is essential for anyone working with Children and young people or with a role working with/in communities including local authority staff and commissioned providers, schools & education providers, emergency services and the health sector.

The free eLearning course will develop your knowledge of Contextual Safeguarding approaches to adolescent risk outside the home.  Learners will be encouraged to think about the places and spaces young people spent their time, who they are with and what they are doing and reflect how these can all impact on their risk or safety.   For those working directly with children or in community spaces, the training will help you familiarise yourself with tools and ways of working more contextually.

Visit the Learning Pool  for more information.

To celebrate Get Safe Online Week 2023, we have collaborated with our partner Get Safe Online to create a 4 part web-series with the central theme of trust and respect online – Digital Stories! The web-series will be launched Monday 9^th October, and we are hosting a special story time event at Worthing Library, where every child in attendance will receive a special picture book edition of the web-series.

We would love to see local children and parents coming along – we have a special visit from our High Sherriff, and the always popular free glitter tattoo station. The URL link to our Eventbrite page where you can reserve a spot is below: https://bit.ly/3PbYN7m.

More information about Digital Stories can be found using the link below:             Digital Stories Flyer

Booking is free so it is advised to book as soon as possible.

There are lots of new training sessions coming up and as people are now back from the summer break, numbers are on sessions are building back up. Please see the list of sessions below and click on the link to take you to the Learning Pool to book a place  - 

Safeguarding Children with Disabilities

Working with Children and Young People in the Gypsy and Traveller Communities

Elective Home Education Briefing

Supporting LGBT+ Children and Young People in a Safeguarding context

A Basic Awareness to Trauma Informed Practice

Trauma Informed Approaches in a Multi- Agency Context 

Neglect

To view all courses available on the WSSCP training calendar click on the link below

WSSCP Training Calendar

It is really important to stay updated with new information around safeguarding. In between your more formal training sessions, there are lots of different ways to make sure you are keeping yourself up to date. This can be done a number of different ways. For example:

• Podcasts
• Learning Briefings
• Newsletters
• Ted Talks
• Talking Heads
• Following organisations on social media

There are lots of different sources that provide this information. Below are some links that you may find useful:

• CASPAR (NSPCC) Safeguarding & Child Protection Newsletter
• NSPCC Learning Podcast
• St Ann's Trust - Safeguarding Matters Podcast
• WSSCP Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews / Learning Briefings
• Social Care Institute for Excellence
• West Sussex Service for Schools - Safeguarding in Education
• Ofsted: Inspecting Safeguarding In the Early Years FAQs and Blog
• The Lullaby Trust - Safer Sleeping Advice

The Children's Society are running webinars about different exploitation topics designed for police and partner audiences from September to December 2023.

Please see the details below for sessions and links to the Eventbrite page to book places and find further information.

Thursday 19 October
Anti Racist Practice Anti-Racist Child Exploitation: Why Anti-Racist Practice is Essential in our Fight Against Child Abuse and Exploitation. 

Time: 1000–1130

Tuesday 24 October
Transitions to Adulthood: Preventing exploitation as children approach and turn 18

Time: 1500–1630

Thursday 16 November
Safeguarding Care Experienced Young People from Exploitation

Time: 1000–1130

Monday 11 December
Gender and Exploitation: Tackling Exploitation for Young People of All Genders

Time: 1500–1630

Early Help are running a Supporting Families/Earliest Help Partnership Information and Networking Event in each of the 6 district areas. Dates for the 6 events are below, if you are unable to attend the event in your local area then please do attend one of the other dates.

At the events there will be updated information about Domestic Abuse Services, the new Integrated Front Door Referral Portal and working with families where there are concerns around neglect. The event is followed by an opportunity to explore the marketplace and network with partners.

 The event is open to anyone that works with or supports Children and Families.

Requesting a place as a market place stall holder:

If you would like to attend an event and display information about a service you run or information you would like to share about your organisation please contact the partnership support officer for each area, details below.

2^nd November Crawley, Charis Centre paula.knott@westsussex.gov.uk

6^th November Horsham, County Hall North sarah.tiley@westsussex.gov.uk

16^th November Worthing, Field Place, Sussex Barn               Jonathan.bertram@westsusse.gov.uk

22^nd November Arun, Wickbourne Centre laura.perttrichards@westsussex.gov.uk

28^th November, Mid Sussex, Kings Church Burgess Hill Heidi.wyatt@westsussex.gov.uk

6^th December Chichester, Oaklands Pavilion Katrina.middleton@westsussex.gov.uk

To book your place as an attendee please use the links below - 

Adur and Worthing:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/earliest-help-locality-partnership-information-and-networking-event-tickets-718473001087?aff=oddtdtcreator

Horsham:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/earliest-help-locality-partnership-information-and-networking-event-tickets-718441216017?aff=oddtdtcreator

Crawley:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/earliest-help-locality-partnership-information-and-networking-event-tickets-718369361097?aff=oddtdtcreator

Arun:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/earliest-help-locality-partnership-information-and-networking-event-tickets-717737531277?aff=oddtdtcreator

Chichester

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/earliest-help-locality-partnership-information-and-networking-event-tickets-718471466497?aff=oddtdtcreator

Mid-Sussex

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/earliest-help-locality-partnership-information-and-networking-event-tickets-718432158927?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Right from the Start: The West Sussex Early Years and Childcare Strategy

“Science tells us that a child’s experiences from conception through their first five years will go on to shape their next 50.” – Jason Knauf, CEO of the Royal Foundation, December 2020

West Sussex County Council and Integrated Care Board are on an exciting journey together to further develop services within Early Years. We want to work in closer partnership to improve outcomes for children and families. As a result, they are developing a joint Early Years and Childcare Strategy. They really need your input to help achieve this! For the strategy to be successful it is essential that all stakeholders are involved in this process.

To ensure that the strategy is comprehensive and effective, they will be holding engagement events to gather initial input from stakeholders, including leaders and managers from across the county. They need representatives across the breadth of services, and would be grateful if each Head of Service could ensure the event is prioritised and nominate additional attendees with a leadership role from within their teams.

Last week, engagement event booking opened for the strategy and it has been wonderful to see senior leaders and managers start to book onto these sessions. To book your place for one of the two sessions on 8 November 2023 being held at Field Place, please click on the link below and select the appropriate time. They very much look forward to seeing you at this important event.  

Take me to the Eventbrite booking page for engagement event

Ann Van Dyke MBE will be a guest speaker at both events. Click on the link below to view Ann's biography:

Ann Van Dyke - Biography

Jacquie Russell, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People Learning and Skills will also be welcomed, along with Lucy Butler, Director Of Children, Young People and Learning to the events and Dr Dinesh Sinha, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Lead for SEND and Claudia Griffith, Chief Delivery Officer and Executive Lead for Children and Young People.

For those of you who want to engage but cannot make the date, we have created a survey to gather initial input from stakeholders. Please visit Your Voice to read about the process and to complete the survey, which will be open until Monday 16 October. The results of the survey will feed into the Early Years and Childcare Strategy. Even if you have booked a place on the engagement event, you are kindly asked to still complete the survey.

Thank you in advance for engaging in this important piece of work that will support improved outcomes, services and provision for our youngest children and their families.

If you have any queries to Helen GIllespie at Helen.Gillespie@westsussex.gov.uk

A new date is now available on the Learning Pool for Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) training. Running on Tuesday 10 October from 1pm to 3.30pm, This webinar will support you to increase your awareness of SOC and County Lines. After attending you will be able to identify:

• the vulnerabilities of individuals who are affected by SOC,
• identify the signs and symptoms of children and young people who become involved in County Lines,
• know what methods gangs use to "recruit",
• know what to do in order to safeguard potential victims.

The training is aimed at anyone working in Children’s and Adults Social Care and is also suitable for other Local Authority colleagues, including partnership agencies, district and boroughs and volunteer services.

The webinar is run by members of the Community Safety and Wellbeing Team and is free to staff of West Sussex County Council, district and borough colleagues, parish council members and our statutory Safer West Sussex Partnership exec partners.

Visit the Learning and Development website for more information and to join the SOC training.

The Digital Safety Team has set up new dates for their safeguarding children online training where you can learn more on safeguarding children and young people when using the internet and digitally enabled technology.

This two-hour session will better equip you to support individuals to be more resilient of the risks they face online, know where to go for help and support if you have any concerns and provide you with useful resources to use in future. Currently, there is space on the following sessions:

• Tuesday 24 October from 10am – 12pm
• Tuesday 5 December from 10am – 12pm
• Wednesday 21 February from 10am – 12pm 

The training is aimed at anyone working in Children’s Social Care and is also suitable for other Local Authority colleagues, including partnership agencies, district and boroughs and volunteer services.

Visit the Learning and Development website for more information and to join the training.

If you have any questions, please email communitysafety.wellbeing@westsussex.gov.uk.