As part of Children’s Services ongoing commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people, we are pleased to share an important development within Somerset’s safeguarding arrangements. The Preventing Exploitation Team (PEXT) has been renamed WAVE – Working Against Violence and Exploitation. This new identity better reflects the team’s broad and evolving remit, supporting our […]
With more and more of our lives lived online, the numbers of worries and dangers about the online world increase at a similar rate. With misinformation, scams, bullying and abuse, as well as biases pushed by certain platforms, it can feel like there’s a lot to worry about and that we’re not equipped for it.
Do the young people in your life feel safe online? – Youth Forum event, 25th March Read More »
The Somerset Safeguarding Children Partnership is proud to offer a refreshed and dynamic Child Exploitation Training course, designed specifically for practitioners working with children and young people across Somerset. This vital training aims to strengthen awareness, explore local pathways, build confidence, and enhance the skills needed to identify and respond to child exploitation in all
NEW Raising Awareness of Child Exploitation training dates available! Read More »
Written by Ruth James Whether you are a parent or carer and would like to know more about reducing unhealthy conflict in your relationship, or a practitioner working with parent and carers, there are resources available to support you. Ruth James has recently held a course relating to “Reducing the impact of conflict on everyone”
NWG Network will be championing National Child Exploitation Awareness Day on 18th March 2026. This will provide you with an opportunity for collective action to unite communities, professionals and partners to protect children, young people and families from all forms of abuse as a result of exploitation. The theme this year is preventing abuse through
FREE Webinars Supporting NWG National Child Exploitation Awareness Day 2026 Read More »
The Family Strengths and Needs Toolkit is a key resource for practitioners across Somerset when working with families where neglect is a concern. Its structured, child‑centred approach helps professionals capture what can often feel difficult to evidence—particularly chronic, cumulative neglect. Why Practitioners Value It Recent practitioner feedback highlights how the toolkit supports clearer, more confident
Family Strengths and Needs Toolkit: understanding and addressing neglect Read More »
We are pleased to share the new dates for the free Parent/Carer Session on Online Grooming and Exploitation. These sessions will be led by Prevention Officer Andri Nicolaou from the dedicated Child Exploitation Team at Avon and Somerset Police and will help participants understand how to keep children safe online and recognise the signs of
New Dates for FREE Parent/Carer Session Around Online Grooming & Exploitation Read More »
What’s new in 2026 The Effective Support for Children and Families guidance has been updated for February 2026, building on the June 2024 version. This refreshed guidance strengthens our shared understanding of children’s needs, clarifies expectations across all levels of support, and makes it easier for practitioners to access tools and make informed decisions. The
Updated Effective Support Guidance 2026: What You Need to Know Read More »
More than 23,000 people across the South West sought support in 2025 because they were worried about their own or someone else’s sexual behaviour online towards children — a 30% rise since 2024. In response, over 30 agencies across the South West have joined forces with the national child‑protection charity the Lucy Faithfull Foundation to
We were excited to announce the launch of the updated Multi‑Agency Exploitation Screening Tool and the brand‑new Child Exploitation Initial Response Pathway (including Serious Youth Violence) at the Serious Youth Violence and Exploitation Conference on Thursday 29th January – these are now live on the SSCP website! These refreshed resources give practitioners clearer guidance, more
New Tools Now Live: Strengthening Somerset’s Multi‑Agency Response to Child Exploitation Read More »
