Welcome to our newsletter for practitioners that work with children and families in Leeds. This newsletter provides you with helpful information to support and improve your practice.
Top tips for strategy meetings
Whenever there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm there should be a strategy discussion which involves local authority children’s social care (including the residential or fostering service, if the child is looked-after), the police, health, and other bodies such as the referring agency.
This might take the form of a multi-agency meeting or phone calls, and more than one discussion may be necessary. A strategy discussion can take place following a referral or at any other time, including during the assessment process and when new information is received on an already open case. (Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children 2023).
This helpful checklist is for all practitioners to assist you when undertaking strategy discussions.
Children and violence
The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) has published a new report exploring children’s experiences of violence in England and Wales as part of its annual Children, violence and vulnerability research.
The YEF surveyed nearly 11,000 13- to 17-year-olds about their experiences. Findings include: physical assault was the most common type of violence experienced; while half of the teenagers in the survey said they had witnessed violence in person, even more said they had encountered it online with 70% seeing real-world violence shared on social media in the past year; and 82% reported seeing social media posts about harming specific groups such as migrants or people of certain ethnicities or sexualities.
The report includes calls for social skills training, mentoring and sports programmes to help reduce violence in the real world and help children navigate content online.
Read the report on the YEF website: The scale of violence affecting children
LSCP training dates for 2026
We are pleased to present live webinars on a selection of new topics starting in 2026. All aimed at enhancing knowledge, developing skills, and supporting professional growth. Book your place today.
Making sense of information sharing guidance
Using the LSCP's Information Sharing Toolbox as a discussion framework, the session will explore how practitioners can make appropriate and secure decisions when sharing information to keep children and young people safe.
Wednesday 21 January 2026, 1pm to 2pm
Thursday 19 February 2026, 1pm to 2pm
Book your place on Making Sense of Information Sharing Guidance
CSE hasn't gone away
This webinar provides an up-to-date picture of CSE today, exploring current trends, risk indicators, and emerging threats. The session will emphasise the continued need for strong partnership working, effective information sharing, and professional curiosity to identify and disrupt exploitation at the earliest opportunity.
12 March 2026, 9:30am to 10:30am
Book your place on CSE hasnt gone away
Introduction to family help
This session will focus on Family Help and how Leeds have adopted a ‘test and learn’ approach to ensure that babies, children, young people and families receive the most effective service when they need help.
The participants will come away with an understanding of the reforms and what Leeds are doing to shape services.
24 February 2026, 10am to 11:30am
Book your place on Introduction to family help
Learning Access Service - supporting children into education
As a child friendly city, Leeds is keen to ensure that all children, whatever their circumstances, have the very best opportunity to access the very best education. The Leeds Learning Access Service has that vision at the very core of its work, not least for those children whose parents elect to educate them at home.
This session will provide an overview on the Learning Access Service, with a focus on understanding the local authority's responsibilities and structure of the team.
12 February 2026, 10am to 11am
26 March 2026, 10am to 11am
Book your place on Learning Access Service - supporting children into education
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Safeguarding topics - Key information and resources on a wide range of safeguarding issues
Safeguarding your organisation – What you should have in place to provide a safe environment for children and young people
Dates for your diary
11 January 2026 - National Human Trafficking Awareness Day
3 to 9 February 2026 - Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Week
9 to 15 February 2026 - Children’s Mental Health Week
6 February 2026 - International Day of Zero Tolerance of FGM
10 February 2026 - Safer Internet Day