Keeping the child's voice at the heart of safeguarding practice
Learning from local and national safeguarding reviews consistently highlights that children's voices are not always heard, understood or given sufficient weight in assessments and decision-making. Reviews have found that children's views, wishes and experiences were sometimes absent from assessments, not meaningfully reflected in plans, or failed to influence professional decision-making. In some cases, practitioners were unable to demonstrate a clear understanding of a child or baby's lived experience and what daily life was actually like for them.
Helpful information for practitioners is now available on the LSCP website. It emphasises the importance of keeping the child at the centre of practice. Hearing, observing and understanding the child's lived experience helps practitioners build a fuller picture of their safety, wellbeing and needs. By ensuring the child's voice informs assessment, planning and decision-making, practitioners can make better-informed decisions and improve outcomes for children and young people.
Book your place on our learning session: Improving Practice Through Children's Case Reviews
If you missed out on our in person learning session, you can now register for our online one!
This interactive session will give you the opportunity to:
- hear key learning from recent children's case reviews in Leeds
- explore how this learning applies to your day-to-day practice
- reflect on how systems and services can support, or sometimes challenge, effective safeguarding
- take away practical insights and discussion points to share with colleagues and teams
Event details:
Date: Thursday 22 October 2026
Time: 2:00pm to 3:30pm
Location: Microsoft Teams
The session has been designed to support ongoing professional learning and encourage open conversations about safeguarding standards across Leeds. Participants will leave with valuable insights to help drive continuous improvement within their organisations.
Don't miss this opportunity to be part of improving practice and strengthening outcomes for children and young people.
Register now and join the conversation.
Have your say on safeguarding in Leeds
Would you like to help influence safeguarding guidance, share feedback on learning from reviews, and provide a frontline practitioner perspective on partnership communications and developments? Then join our Practitioner Group.
Participation is flexible, with most engagements taking place by email and you can contribute when it suits you.
If you're passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people, we'd love to hear from you.
Email: lscp.info@leeds.gov.uk to register your interest.
When practitioners disagree: A guide to resolution
The Concerns Resolution Guidance provides a clear framework for resolving professional disagreements about the safeguarding, welfare or support of a child, young person or family. It encourages open, restorative conversations between practitioners and agencies, helping practitioners challenge decisions constructively while keeping the child's safety and wellbeing at the centre of all discussions.
The process should be used when practitioners have unresolved concerns or disagreements with another professional or agency about safeguarding decisions, service provision, information sharing, or actions being taken to protect a child or young person. The process supports constructive challenge, restorative conversations and, where necessary, escalation through management structures to ensure the child's safety and wellbeing remain the priority.
Read the full guidance and access the process here.
LSCP Training
New dates have been added to our training offer. Book your place today!
Introduction to Safeguarding
Online introductory training for people who are in regular contact with children and young people either directly, through work with their families / carers or through the setting in which they work.
This is seen as a minimum requirement for all people working within settings which work with or have regular contact with children and young people.
This course should be accessed through your own agency, however for agencies from the smaller third sector, voluntary or private sector (which do not have access to training within their own agency) this course is available via the LSCP.
Leeds Community Healthcare staff can access Introduction training in-house via their induction process.
For those practitioners working for key members of the Safeguarding Partnership (LCC, CSWS, Health Providers, Education, WYP), introductory training should be accessed through your own agency.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course participants will have:
- An awareness of the signs and indicators that a child is experiencing abuse, neglect or exploitation
- An awareness of the impact abuse can have on a child's development
- An understanding of the importance of being professionally curious and responding to concerns about a child
- The skills to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns in an appropriate way
- An understanding of the importance of working alongside others, including family members and other professionals to respond to safeguarding concerns.
- A basic understanding of local and national guidelines, policy and procedure relating to safeguarding children.
It is recommended that people undertake Safeguarding Children & Young People Refresher Training every 3 years following completion of this training.
Trainer details
This training is delivered by the Leeds Safeguarding Partnership Business Unit.
Delivery
This session will be delivered live on Zoom and participants will need to attend the full session in a private space with no distractions.
This is an interactive session and in order for participants to fully engage we ask that the training is accessed via a laptop or PC only (no mobile phones or tablets).
Delegates’ videos and microphones should be switched on throughout the whole session.
Only one delegate per device and if accessing in the same room as a colleague please ensure headsets are used.
Preparation for the session
This course should be accessed through your own agency or organisation.
For those smaller third sector, voluntary or private sector organisations (who do not have access to training within their own agency) this course is available via the LSCP.
Introduction to safeguarding children training only needs to be completed once. We recommend that you update your safeguarding training every 3 years by completing Safeguarding Children & Young People Refresher Training.
Charging
There is a charge for all private organisation for attendance and non-attendance to training. Third Sector / not-for-profit agencies who have an annual turnover of more than £250k will be charged £50.
LSCP partner agencies, or Third Sector / not-for-profit agencies who have an annual turnover of less than £250k (voluntary, community, faith) will be exempt from charges to attend learning events. With the exemption of non-attendance as stated below.
All delegates from any agency will be charged £50 for non-attendance at the live session, so you will need to provide billing details when you register for the course. For further information see our Charging Policy.
Dates/Times
- Tuesday 10 November 2026, 9am to 3.15pm
- Thursday 10 December 2026, 9am to 3:15pm
- Thursday 14 January 2026, 9am to 3:15pm
Book your place on Introduction to Safeguarding Children & Young People training
From the wider safeguarding sector
Yorkshire & Humber Multi-agency Safeguarding Trainers (YHMAST) Presents...
Bridging the gap: Transitional safeguarding and exploitation
Tuesday 29 September 2026, 9.30am to 1.00pm | MS Teams
Following their popular Transitional Safeguarding Masterclass in November 2025, this year’s regional conference will explore how a Transitional Safeguarding approach can strengthen responses to exploitation.
Young people affected by exploitation and other forms of contextual harm often continue to experience significant risks beyond their 18th birthday. However, support, services and safeguarding responsibilities can change considerably during this period, creating challenges for young people, families and professionals alike.
Through contributions from three expert speakers and facilitated Q&A, this conference will:
- Explore the relationship between Transitional Safeguarding and exploitation
- Examine the experiences and needs of young people moving towards adulthood
- Consider how children's and adults' services can work together more effectively
- Share emerging learning, research and examples of local practice
This event is free to access and open to all Yorkshire and Humber professionals, including strategic leaders, managers and practitioners working across safeguarding partnerships, children's social care, adult social care, health, education, youth justice, policing, community safety, housing and the voluntary and community sector.
Further details to follow. In the meantime, registrations are now open!
This conference is funded by YHMAST and free-to-access for Yorkshire and Humber professionals.
Register your place here.
Major changes to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
DBS regulations in England and Wales have changed with the removal of the Supervision Exemption.
The rule was that volunteers or supervised staff who taught, trained, or cared for children did not need a Children's Barred List check if a fully qualified person supervised them.
Under the Crime and Policing Act 2026, this supervision exemption is completely removed.
Anyone who teaches, trains, instructs, cares for, or supervises children on more than 3 days in any 30-day period, or overnight between 2am and 6am, is now in regulated activity.
Organisations like schools and clubs must request an Enhanced DBS check with a Children's Barred List check for these frequent volunteers or staff, even if they are supervised.
You can view the official GOV.UK Guidance on Regulated Activity for practical steps.
Public Health Resource Centre open morning
The Public Health Resource Centre (PHRC), part of Leeds City Council, is hosting a free open morning on:
Wednesday 14 October 2026
from 9:30am to 1:00pm
at Technorth, LS7 3NB.
The event is open to anyone working in Leeds and offers an opportunity to explore a wide range of free health and wellbeing resources that can be used to support staff, colleagues and the communities you work with.
The session will focus on healthy living and cover a variety of topics, including mental wellbeing, physical activity, smoking cessation and alcohol awareness. A member of our Public Health Specialist team will also be delivering a short, informative session during the morning.
There is no commitment or requirement to book resources. Simply drop in, find out what's available that may be helpful for your work.
More information and booking can be found on their website.
Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel
The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel are hosting a free webinar on "Identifying and responding to adolescent suicide risk".
The webinar will explore what safeguarding reviews tell us about how suicide risk builds over time, why earlier concerns are not always recognised, and how practitioners can identify opportunities for earlier intervention and support.
- Wednesday 16 September 2026, 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Reserve your place here.
Dates for your diary
Thursday 10 September 2026, World Suicide Prevention Day
Monday 21 to Friday 25 September 2026, ICON Week
Monday 21 to Sunday 27 September 2026, International Week of Deaf People
Monday 5 to Sunday 11 October 2026, Mental Illness Awareness Week
Tuesday 6 to Tuesday 13 October 2026, Dyslexia Awareness Week
Saturday 10 October 2026, Mental Health Day
Sunday 18 October 2026, Anti-Slavery Day