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Welcome to our newsletter for practitioners that work with children and families in Coventry. This newsletter provides you with helpful information to support and improve your practice.
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Coventry Safeguarding Children Partnership are excited to announce the launch of Coventry’s new guidance. Previously known as, Right Help Right Time, our updated guidance ‘Effective support for children and families in Coventry’ encompasses all available support to children and families.
The document reflects Coventry’s new ways of working, including relational and restorative approaches. The guidance also provides comprehensive examples of different levels of need, explanations of processes and a detailed summary of legal interventions. Professional curiosity and having conversations with families directly are integral parts of the guidance and building better outcomes for children and families.
Please familiarise yourself with the new guidance and book yourself onto our training (see below for more details).
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The Department for Education have published ‘Working together to safeguard children- an illustrated guide to explain how different people and organisations work together to help, support and protect you’. This guide aims to support young people and their families to understand the support that is available, what they can expect and how decisions will be made. You may find it useful to share this guide with young people and families that you are working with. Read Statutory Guidance - Working Together Guidance
The National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published its latest national review, ‘ Race, racism and safeguarding’ in March 2025. This thematic review explores how race, racism and racial bias influence how professionals identify, understand and respond to the safeguarding needs of Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage children and their families.
Some of the key findings include:
- That race and racism is largely unexplored in Rapid Reviews and Safeguarding Practice Reviews which means that, given these reviews aim to identify areas for systems improvements , these areas of practice are not being addressed.
- Black and Asian children’s voices are not being sought which means that children’s unique experiences are not understood.
- Black and Asian children are often adultified meaning that they are treated as older than their biological age meaning that they are treated as the cause of harm rather than as victims.
- Although at times race is explored there is an underdeveloped understanding about the role and importance of faith and religion, particularly in relation to harmful practices.
- There are many barriers to Black and Asian families seeking support such as racialised trauma from previous experiences, language barriers, adultification influencing engagement and cultural perceptions around seeking support. These barriers need to be understood and turned on their head.
- An incomplete understanding of risk and vulnerability in relation to Black and Asian children and where this is understood this does not translate into meaningful action.
Read the full report - "It's Silent": Race, racism and safeguarding children – Panel Briefing 4
On 16 April 2025 Coventry Safeguarding Children’s Partnership co-hosted a learning event with Dr. Jo Gifford around ‘Fabricated Illness’. The learning event comprised of the history around fabricated illness and understanding the term within a safeguarding arena. The event boasted 92 multi-agency attendees based across the city with varied safeguarding backgrounds. Watch the event.
Coventry Safeguarding Children’s Partnership have recently launched a new training programme with some new upcoming training and learning events, including:
- NSPCC – Online Safety Workshop
- Professional Curiosity
- Substance Misuse in Pregnancy
…and many more! For more information please email: cscptraining@coventry.gov.uk or visit our website.
Coventry Safeguarding Children’s Partnership are committed to listening to the voices and opinions of children, families and parents and carers in Coventry. The CSCP has developed an anonymous survey for parents and carers to provide feedback to the Partnership around their child/children’s safety in Coventry and their views and experiences on engaging or accessing support from services. Please use this opportunity to work with any parents or carers and encourage them to utilise this survey to help provide us with key feedback which can be used to improve outcomes for children and families in Coventry. Access the survey.
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The NSPCC Schools Service works in partnership with schools to deliver a wide range of free safeguarding programmes for both primary and secondary school children.
Speak Out Stay Safe (KS1 and KS2) is a fully funded programme consisting of virtual assemblies and follow up lesson plans for delivery by school staff, as well as face to face workshops delivered by NSPCC volunteers for pupils in Years 2, 5 and 6 (children aged of 5 to 11).
PANTS (Early Years, KS1 and KS2) is a series of lesson plans, presentations and classroom activities to help teach the PANTS rules.
Talk Relationships (KS3 and KS4): e-Learning courses to support teaching staff to feel confident when delivering sex and relationships education and responding to abusive behaviours. There is also a series of 14 lesson plans created by sex and relationships education experts from the PSHE Association and the NSPCC, 6 specialist lesson plans for young people with SEND as well as a dedicated helpline to provide advice and guidance on delivering sex education.
Library and Information Service: The NSPCC provides the only UK library that specialises in safeguarding, child protection, child abuse and neglect. The Library and Information Service provides quick and easy access to the latest information, research and resources on child abuse, child neglect and child protection to help keep children and young people safe.
NSPCC Helpline is not just for emergency situations or for logging a report about child abuse – it provides guidance and support on a wide range of issues affecting children and young people. A team of dedicated child protection specialists are available to advise and take any necessary action.
Other useful resources include:
‘Language Matters’ Series: News | NSPCC Learning
Keep children safe in sport and physical activity: NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit | CPSU (thecpsu.org.uk)
Materials and resources for display: Childline posters and wallet cards | NSPCC Learning
Website: www.coventry.gov.uk/cscp
X: @covCSCPandCSAB
Facebook: Coventry Safeguarding Board and Partnership
Instagram: Coventry_lscb
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