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Cumbria Constabulary, supported by the Local Authority, are updating their Missing Persons policy and procedures to align with national guidance, with changes going live in January 2026.
The updates aim to ensure a proportionate police response when a child is reported missing, avoiding unnecessary police involvement that could negatively affect the child or lead to unintended criminalisation. Risk assessments will remain thorough, but where appropriate, parents or carers may be asked to take reasonable steps before police deployment — in line with national frameworks and best practice.
📅 Tuesday 20 January
🕙 10:00am – 12:00pm
📍 Kendal Town Hall, Assembly Room
To sign up, please email: wfscptraining@cumbria.gov.uk with your full name, job title, organisation & email address.
We would like to invite you to attend upcoming face-to-face thematic training events, developed by the Westmorland & Furness and Cumberland Safeguarding Children Partnerships as part of their training programme.
These sessions will focus on key themes drawn from both local and national learning, including:
- Learning from local reviews
- Substance misuse
- Domestic abuse
- Information sharing
Westmorland & Furness
📅 Tuesday 3rd February
🕐 1.30pm – 3.30pm
📍 Kendal Town Hall, Assembly Room
To sign up: Email wfscptraining@cumbria.gov.uk with your full name, job title, organisation, and email address
Cumberland
📅 Wednesday 4th February
🕐 1.30pm – 3.30pm
📍 Wigton Market Hall
To book your place: Please complete the online booking form
📧 Queries: CSCP.Training@cumbria.gov.uk
These events are a great opportunity to strengthen practice and share learning across the safeguarding community.
We are pleased to announce the next dates for WFSCP Working Together to Safeguard Children (formerly Level 3 Safeguarding). This training is designed for professionals working at level 3 competency within their statutory framework.
Dates and Venues:
📅 Monday 9 March 🕐TBC 📍Kendal Town Hall
📅 Thursday 23 April 🕐 TBC📍Barrow Town Hall
📅 Wednesday 17 June 🕐 TBC📍Voreda House, Penrith
📅 Tuesday 29 September 🕐 TBC📍Kendal Town Hall
Spaces are limited, so please book early to secure your place.
To sign up, please email: wfscptraining@cumbria.gov.uk with your full name, job title, organisation & email address.
The Practitioner Forums bring together professionals supporting children and young people across Westmorland and Furness to connect, collaborate and share good practice. They promote partnership working by helping practitioners understand each other’s roles, explore local services and exchange ideas to improve support. Through open communication and networking, the forums foster a more coordinated approach to service delivery.
February
📅Tuesday 10 February Feb (South Lakes) 🕐10:00-12:00 📍Microsoft Teams
📅Friday 13 February (Eden) 🕐10:00-12:00 📍Microsoft Teams
Our February sessions will have guest speakers from the Local Authority talking about Domestic Abuse support/training and the 0-19 Health Provider (HDFT) will provide an overview of their HEAT Assessment Tool.
June
📅Tuesday 9 June (Eden) 🕐12.45-16.45 📍Voreda House, Penrith
📅Wednesday 10 June (South Lakes) 🕐10:00-12:00 📍Microsoft Teams
Speakers TBC
October
📅Tuesday 6 October (South Lakes) 🕐10:00-12:00 📍Microsoft Teams
📅Wednesday 7 October 🕐12.45-16.45 📍Voreda House, Penrith
Speakers TBC
To sign up, please email: wfscptraining@cumbria.gov.uk with your full name, job title, organisation & email address.
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Join us for a Lunch & Learn session for Safer Internet Day. The session will focus on current online risks for children and young people and outline practical steps that adults can take to support safer digital use. If you work with or support children, booking a place may be helpful.
What is Safer Internet Day?
Safer Internet Day is the UK’s biggest celebration of online safety. Each year Safer Internet Day covers online issue or themes that speak to the things young people are seeing and experiencing online.
Safer Internet Day is co-ordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre in partnership with Childnet.”
📅 Monday 9 February
🕙 12:00pm - 13:00pm
📍 Microsoft Teams
To sign up, please email: wfscptraining@cumbria.gov.uk with your full name, job title, organisation & email address.
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We are pleased to share an exciting opportunity to access Pol-Ed Youth Inputs, a resource designed to support children and young people who may not be in school but have professional involvement.
Pol-Ed provides high-quality educational inputs focused on crime prevention, law awareness, and decision-making skills to help keep children safe. This new section is available at no extra cost to Local Authorities and trusted commissioned or voluntary organisations.
Once approved, organisations will gain access to:
- Youth Inputs (currently around 20, for ages 7–11 and 12–18, with more being added)
- Tools to support engagement with children outside of school settings
- A secure platform managed by Local Authorities
If this is something you feel could be useful to your organisation and you haven’t received any communications from us, please email wfscp@cumbria.gov.uk for further details.
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The Department for Education has launched a public consultation on proposals to establish a new National Child Protection Authority (CPA) in England. This consultation runs from 11 December 2025 to 5 March 2026 and seeks views on how the CPA can strengthen leadership and accountability across child protection services.
The aim of the CPA is to provide clear system-wide oversight, improve early identification of emerging risks, embed best practice, and ensure continuous improvement in safeguarding work. It is intended to address longstanding concerns about fragmented leadership, poor information-sharing, and delays in implementing learning from serious cases.
The consultation invites responses from a wide range of stakeholders, including frontline professionals in children’s services, health, education, and policing, as well as voluntary organisations, regulators, families with lived experience, and anyone committed to improving child protection.
You can contribute by responding online through the government portal or by email. There will also be an opportunity to join an online debate between 19 and 23 January 2026 to share insights and help shape priorities for the new authority.
The deadline for responses is 5 March 2026, so please share this information with colleagues, partners, and families to ensure as many voices as possible are heard.
Learn more and submit your views here: Child Protection Authority - Department for Education - Citizen Space
The National Youth Agency (NYA) have worked in partnership with Tender and Refuge to create a new resource for youth workers.
The guidance, aimed at practitioners working with 16 to 25 year olds, addresses a growing concern that abuse in young people’s relationships is often overlooked or misunderstood. It seeks to challenge misconceptions, amplify the voices of survivors, and provide practical tools for early intervention. The resource aligns with the National Youth Work Curriculum and the Code of Ethics, placing safety, equity and young people’s voices at the heart of professional practice. More information can be found here.
The CSA Centre is hosting a six-part online webinar series from January to July 2026, designed for senior safeguarding professionals across social work, health, policing, and education. Each session focuses on implementing the six recommendations from the 2024 National Review into child sexual abuse within families.
Upcoming topics include:
- Strategic planning for local implementation
- Building professional confidence and skills
- Improving enquiries and investigations
- Assessing sexual harm risk
- Talking to children effectively
- Health perspectives in safeguarding
Why attend? Gain practical tools, evidence-based frameworks, and expert guidance to strengthen multi-agency leadership and improve local responses to intra-familial abuse.
How to join: All sessions are free and online. Spaces are limited—book now via the CSA Centre website: csacentre.org.uk/training-events/strengthening-multi-agency-leadership-webinar-series
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The NSPCC’s Monthly Case Reviews Update is a dedicated page that shares summaries of recent serious case reviews and thematic learning from across the UK. It is designed to help safeguarding professionals stay informed about lessons from real cases.
On this page, you will find concise summaries of key learning points, emerging themes, and recommendations for improving safeguarding practice. There are also links to full reviews and additional resources to support professional development.
Learning from case reviews is vital. It helps prevent repeated mistakes, strengthens multi-agency working, and ensures better outcomes for children by embedding lessons into everyday practice.
Explore the latest updates here: NSPCC Monthly Case Reviews
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The NSPCC’s Talk Relationships programme helps secondary schools deliver inclusive, high-quality sex and relationships education in a safe and supportive environment.
Join the free webinar to learn how to embed a whole-school approach, access ready-to-use lesson plans, and build staff confidence in teaching sensitive topics. This session is ideal for teachers and school leaders who want practical tools and expert guidance.
👉 Book your place here: Talk Relationships – NSPCC Learning
Every Life Matters is offering free suicide prevention and mental health training across Cumbria, designed for professionals, community groups, and anyone supporting others. Delivered by expert trainers from Cumbria, these sessions are tailored to boost confidence, reduce stigma, and equip individuals to spot and respond to suicidal thoughts or self-harm.
Available training includes:
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Suicide awareness & alertness (e.g., one-hour bite‑size sessions and Orange Button interactive training)
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Safety planning to help support individuals at risk
- Self‑harm alertness and prevention
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Mental Health First Aid (face-to-face and online)
- Support for parents, carers, and those affected by suicide bereavement
All courses are free for those living or working in Cumbria, though some advanced workshops like ASIST and Youth MHFA may carry a fee.
👉 Book your session now via Eventbrite: Every Life Matters – Cumbria Training Events
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