The responsibility to ensure that all staff and volunteers have access to the appropriate level of training and resources to fulfil role specific safeguarding responsibilities remains with organisations across the partnership. Agencies in Leeds must deliver training which meets standards as set out in the LSCP Safeguarding Introductory Training, Minimum Content Requirements which provides a checklist of core areas that should be covered and some suggested content.
The provision of appropriate multi-agency safeguarding professional development and training remains the responsibility of DSPs. To meet this responsibility for core training, Leeds has continued to use a blended approach to delivery, using online self-directed learning resources, trainer led on-line sessions and web-based resources to ensure the availability of wider learning and development opportunities.
As outlined in last year's annual report, a range of topic-based sessions for practitioners in Leeds have been on offer over the course of 2025/26, alongside the core offer of Working Together to Safeguarding Children and Young People (which include an introduction to working together, full day working together training, refresher training and train the trainer).
Alongside this core offer, additional specialist areas of learning have been the focus of sessions delivered by partnership experts. These have included:
- CSE hasn’t gone away – an online webinar providing a current picture of CSE today, exploring current trends, risk indicators, and emerging threats with an emphasis on the continued need for strong partnership working, effective information sharing, and professional curiosity to identify and disrupt exploitation at the earliest opportunity
- What you need to know about Fabricated or Induced Illness, Perplexing Presentations or Medically Unexplained Symptoms – an awareness session for practitioners who work with children and their families as to the complexities of FII/PP and MUS and to help them to recognise the indicators and raise concerns appropriately
- Urban street gangs & emerging groups and Serious Organised Crime (SOC) threats across Leeds – a session to increase practitioners’ knowledge of existing urban streets gangs and emerging groups and provide a better understanding of the risks, threats and harms that are posed
The LSCP has also continued to promote training and webinars via the LSCP newsletter from external organisations on a range of topics such as the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, the Children’s Society #Look Closer Programme and national learning seminars from the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel.
The LSCP Business Unit are members of the Yorkshire & Humber Multi-Agency Safeguarding Trainers (YMAST) network, linking in regionally with other safeguarding partnerships to coordinate and deliver themed webinars throughout the year. In November, the YMAST presented a three-hour interactive masterclass on the subject of Transitional Safeguarding, hosted by Dez Holmes, Director at Research in Practice. A follow-up session is planned for 2026/27.
Professional curiosity resource
Following on from work that had begun last year, officers from the LSCP Business Unit developed a Professional curiosity resource for practitioners using data from a survey and focus group activity.
Members from the LSCP’s Practitioner Group provided insight and feedback from a practitioner perspective to help shape the resource.
The Professional Curiosity resource helps practitioners to look beyond what they are told or what they initially see when working with children and families. It encourages them to:
- notice signs that something may be wrong
- ask questions rather than make assumptions
- gather information from different sources
- speak directly with children when appropriate
- reflect on all the information available before making decisions
The resource provides practical tools, prompts, checklists, reflective questions, and conversation aids to support practitioners in everyday practice.
Information sharing
Following the update to the Information Sharing Advice for Safeguarding Practitioners from the Department of Education, an Information Sharing Toolbox was developed by the LSCP Business Unit.
The Information Sharing Toolbox helps practitioners to understand when, how and why to share information.
Throughout the Toolbox practitioners are guided through their decision making, sign posted to further information and provided with opportunities for them to explore and practice their skills in information sharing.
Team briefings
Team briefings, across a range of safeguarding topics, have been developed as a resource for managers for use within their team meetings.
Managers can use the team briefings in their team meetings to prompt team reflection on case work and to increase learning.
Each team briefing is set in the context of a clear aim and a series of learning objectives, with a focus on signposting to practice focused tools and resources and the provision of bite-size learning activities.
Topics currently include Information Sharing and Concerns Resolution.
New starter page
To help new staff get started, the Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) has developed a dedicated New Starter page on the LSCP website. It serves as a welcome and introductory resource for practitioners who are new to safeguarding work in Leeds or who have recently joined the city from another area. It recognises that working with children, young people, and families is both an exciting opportunity and a significant responsibility and aims to support practitioners as they begin their role. This resource is designed to act as a central point of reference, providing an introduction to safeguarding practice in Leeds and bringing together essential information that practitioners need from the outset of their employment.
The information is intended for anyone whose role involves working with children, young people, or families across the city. By consolidating key safeguarding guidance and resources in one place, the page aims to give new practitioners a clear understanding of local expectations, processes, and good practice from their first day in post.
The page also highlights the role of managers and recruiting organisations in supporting new staff. It recommends that employers incorporate a link to the New Starter information within their induction materials, helping to ensure that all new practitioners have easy access to essential safeguarding information and are equipped to begin their work safely and effectively.
West Yorkshire Safeguarding Week - June 2025
West Yorkshire Safeguarding Week took place June 2025 with safeguarding partnerships from across the county delivering a programme of events and webinars on a variety of safeguarding topics for all practitioners to attend.
Each district is assigned a day to deliver their sessions or events, with Leeds allocated the Monday. This year, the LSCP delivered a session on Child Exploitation – The rise of AP parties. The session described what an AP (all play/apartment) party is and the risks for young people who attend. During the session practitioners could find out how to speak to young people about the risks associated with AP parties, how to make a referral and when to share information with other agencies.198 practitioners attended this session from across the region.
Other sessions delivered in Leeds were themed on Financial Exploitation, County Lines and ‘Cuckooing! It’s happening in West Yorkshire’. There was a total of 867 attendees across the four sessions, 477 being from Leeds
Leeds Safeguarding Week – November 2025
Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership, Leeds Safeguarding Adults Board, and Safer Stronger Communities hosted Leeds Safeguarding week in November 2025.
The week provided an opportunity to celebrate safeguarding work in the city and offered free learning and training for people whose roles involve safeguarding in Leeds.
Running alongside the week in Leeds is National Safeguarding Adults Week, hosted by Ann Craft Trust, as well as 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence which started on the 25th of November - an international campaign that calls for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.
Safeguarding in Sport
The LSCP Business Unit, Yorkshire Sport Foundation (YSF) and Active Leeds continued to work in partnership to strengthen safeguarding practice across the city's sporting sector. Key aspects of the group's work included:
- Social media messaging of "It's never too late to learn to swim" during Drowning Prevention Week with approximately 15,000 children signing up for swimming lessons. Active Leeds has 15,000 swimmers attending private swimming lessons each week and approx.10,000 children attending school lessons per year
- YSF delivered a live webinar on Online Harms during West Yorkshire Safeguarding Week - the session explored emerging online harms affecting children and provided advice on protecting and supporting young people in the digital world
- Messages throughout the summer holidays focused on water safety and safeguarding in sports information for parents.
- During Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport week - 6-12 October 2025, group members supported the NSPCC week by using their campaign assets for social posts
- YSF delivered two webinars to parents on safeguarding in sports as part of the LSCP training offer.
- The promotion of a video across the LSCP partnership, developed by YSF for practitioners on the difference between safeguarding in sports clubs and the education sector
To date YSF have given safeguarding and welfare support to 42 Leeds clubs with additional clubs attending training sessions and events.