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West Yorkshire Safeguarding Week takes place week commencing 22 June 2026 across all of West Yorkshire and includes Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership, Safer Stronger Communities, Leeds Safeguarding Adults Board, West Yorkshire Police, and Bradford, Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees Safeguarding Boards and Partnerships.
Safeguarding children, young people, adults and families remains a priority for all of us. Help us to make Safeguarding Week a success by showcasing and celebrating the fantastic work that you do to protect and safeguard all people in Leeds.
This is an opportunity for all organisations to celebrate and share good practice, and raise awareness of the services you provide to protect and support families and promote this across the city.
West Yorkshire Regional Events
We have teamed up with the regional Safeguarding Boards and Partnerships to provide a programme of FREE events available to anyone who works with children and families in West Yorkshire.
Monday 22 June - Hosted by Leeds
Domestic Abuse and Older People - Professional Awareness Session
10.00am - 11.30am
This free online briefing will explore the hidden issue of domestic violence and abuse among older people, including:
- Key statistics and trends
- Unique vulnerabilities and barriers faced by older victims
- Practical strategies for professionals to provide better support
Book your place via Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
County Lines in West Yorkshire
2.00pm - 3.30pm
This free webinar by West Yorkshire Police will outline what County Lines is, signs and symptoms, the police response and how people working in the third sector can contribute to combatting it.
Book your place via Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
Harmful Sexual Behaviour in Children
2.30pm - 3.30pm
This session will explore harmful sexual behaviour (HSB), providing a clear overview of what it is and how it is understood within safeguarding practice. Drawing on current research, it will examine what evidence tells us about HSB, why it may occur, and the range of factors that can contribute to it. The session will also focus on your initial steps if you are concerned about an incident of HSB, helping you to recognise concerns, respond appropriately, and understand the importance of early action, recording, and following safeguarding procedures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all involved.
Book your place via Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
Tuesday 23 June - Hosted by Kirklees
Domestic Abuse
9.30am - 12.30pm
The session will focus on domestic abuse and will look holistically at the family context, exploring a range of domestic abuse issues. These will include domestic abuse affecting a child or partner, domestic abuse experienced by older people, adult child-to-parent abuse and sibling abuse. The focus will be how a whole family, whole system approach strengthens safeguarding responses.
Book your place via Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
Wednesday 24 June - Hosted by Wakefield
Modern Slavery and Children: Vulnerabilities and Windows of Intervention
9.30am- 11.30am
This session will explore what modern slavery looks like for children, with a particular focus on vulnerabilities, risk indicators and opportunities for early and effective intervention across all safeguarding practitioner roles. Police colleagues will draw on recent case study learning to examine how modern slavery can present in children and young people through contexts including child criminal exploitation (CCE), child sexual exploitation (CSE), county lines, and in particular cuckooing.
Book your place via Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
Financial Exploitation and Abuse Webinar
2.00pm - 2.30pm
WYFEAT offers a comprehensive training session designed to help you understand and address financial abuse and exploitation. This session delves into how financial abuse is covered under The Care Act 2014 and provides practical measures to safeguard service users from scams and doorstep crime. It includes real case studies from victims in West Yorkshire to illustrate the team's work and emphasizes the importance of changing the stigma associated with being scammed.
This session also explains the role of WYFEAT, the referral process, and the support available to victims.
Book your place via Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
Responding to Self-neglect: A spotlight on the Charlie Safeguarding Adult Review
2.00pm - 3.30pm
Wakefield & District Safeguarding Adults Board (WDSAB) recently published a Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR), which looks at the life of Charlie, a 74‑year‑old man whose experiences highlight vital learning about self‑neglect.
This webinar will explore the key findings from the review and what they mean for practitioners supporting people who self‑neglect.
Book your place via Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
Thursday 25 June - Hosted by Calderdale
Safeguarding Children from Risks Outside the Home
10.00am - 12.00pm
The landscape for our young people is constantly evolving. It is recognised that risks are no longer confined to the home environment, and that young people may have other places where they feel connected, but could equally be at risk of harm. Portrayals and experiences of exploitation are better understood today than they were 15 years ago; however, challenges continue in other forms of contextual or extra familial harm. This session aims to further share the guidance, support, and interventions available across West Yorkshire, as well as some of our experiences in Calderdale that have led to positive outcomes for young people and their families.
Book your place via Eventbrite
Adult Sexual Exploitation
1.30pm - 2.30pm
Presented by Coloured Hearts CIC - Debra Cowey is a sexual exploitation and reform specialist and author of the On the Other Side of Sexual Violence series and Sexual Exploitation Framework. With extensive frontline experience and national strategic oversight, she supports services to strengthen policy and responses to adult sexual exploitation.
In this Safeguarding Week session, Cowey explores the realities of Adult Sexual Exploitation (ASE), highlighting structural inequality, risks faced by adult women, and gaps in identification and protection.
For frontline practitioners, commissioners, and policy teams working within the VAWG sector.
Book your place via Eventbrite
Hidden Harm: An introduction to the effect of parental drug and alcohol use on children.
2.00pm - 3.15pm
Aims of the session:
- Increased understanding of hidden harm
- Raise awareness of the issues affecting the children of substance users
- Increase confidence to spot the signs of harm and how to offer support.
Book your place via Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
Protecting Young people from Online Harms
12.30pm - 1.15pm
This session aims to explore emerging online harms affecting children. It will support participants to better recognise online risks and develop confidence in putting effective safeguarding measures in place to protect and support young people in the digital world.
Book by emailing: Measha.harris@yorkshiresport.org
Raising awareness of the Child Sexual Abuse Assessment Service / Sexual Assault Referral Centre
12.15pm - 1.15pm
The child sexual abuse assessment service (CSAAS) is known as the SARC to many professionals. We aim for the session to raise awareness and address misconceptions of both the CSAAS and SARC; the support available for all who have experienced sexual abuse, and in cases where abuse is suspected.
Book by emailing: emily.callaghan@mountainhealthcare.co.uk
Friday 26 June - Hosted by Bradford
Cyber Safety Basics for Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Online
10.00am - 12.00pm
In today’s digitally connected world, cyber safety is an essential component of safeguarding practice, not merely a technical issue. Whether protecting children from online grooming and bullying, or shielding vulnerable adults from scams, coercion, and digital exploitation, understanding cyber safety is vital for anyone in a safeguarding role.
This session is designed to equip professionals, carers, and families with the foundational knowledge needed to identify and respond to digital risks early—before they escalate into safeguarding emergencies. By recognising the signs of technology-facilitated harm, practitioners can take proactive steps to reduce opportunities for abusers to target children and adults at risk, and create safer online environments for those they support.
Book your place via: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
Throughout the week we will all be active on social media and invite all our partners to post information on their own activities using the hashtag #WYsafeguardingweek2026 and don't forget to use the Safeguarding Week stamp.