The AoCPP Newsletter 2023

Posted on 3 January 2023

We would like to wish all our colleagues a very Happy New Year for 2023   Welcome to your AoCPP  latest news. Continue reading to find out what is going on at the AoCPP, including upcoming events, the latest digital resources and how you can get more involved with the AoCPP.   NOTICE OF the AoCPP 40th  AGM Saturday 18th March 2023 10.00am -11.00am We kindly invite all members to attend so please register your interest at [email protected]   A message from our Trustee…   Happy New Year and very best wishes for 2023. I’m Julie and I’ve been a member of the Association for a few years; becoming a trustee in March 2022.  I qualified as a social worker in 2006, having spent the ten years before that working residentially with children and young people and then as a support worker in a busy Child Protection and Duty Team.   Since I qualified, I have had a variety of different roles in statutory social work in Scotland.  I spent the first 5 years within Children and Families Teams, then another four within a specialist team undertaking parenting capacity assessments prebirth to 8 years of age where there were parental drug and/or alcohol issues before becoming Team Leader and returning to mainstream statutory work. I then gained extensive experience of chairing Child Protection Case Conferences before moving to my current role which I find really suits me well. It’s a combination of managing several teams and progressing service improvements which I enjoy as it keeps me grounded in practice.  My practice interests are around pre-birth child protection and welfare, problematic substance use, better inclusion of fathers and domestic abuse-informed practice. Although my work life is incredibly busy, there were two main reasons that drew me to apply for the trustee role. The first was an opportunity to give something back to the Association which, from its BASPCAN days, has been a great influence on my learning and development through the Child Abuse Review and events.  The second reason is at the core of AoCPP values and vision – its commitment to multi-agency working to safeguard children, young people and their families.  Throughout my years of working with children and families, I have been blessed to work with some exceptional practitioners – truly dedicated social workers, teachers, health visitors, family nurses, midwives, drug and alcohol recovery workers, paediatricians and youth workers to name only a few disciplines.  What I came to understand very quickly and early on in my career is that multi-agency working is absolutely essential.  Creating a strong team around the child, young person and their family is the best way to ensure that they are safe, supported and their needs are met.  So, for me, this part of the AoCPP way of working aligns very closely with my own professional values and something I can fully get behind.   One of the things I’m really excited about for 2023 is our plans to reinvigorate the Scotland branch of AoCPP and hear from our Scottish members about what they want from the Association.  I don’t think there has ever been a more important time for those of us involved in Child Protection across all services to ensure that our voices are heard and raise up the voices of our most vulnerable in public discourse. It would be great to hear from you about what you would like from the Association both here in Scotland and across the four nations.   Julie Baker Improvement Officer   We’ve got a line-up of incredible speakers and organisations keeping you updated on the latest in child protection and adult safeguarding. Have a look and book below. AoCPP Events Midlands Regional Context about themes/learning from Domestic Homicide Reviews. A Practice Learning Review SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP meeting led by Rebecca Sage, Safeguarding Professional Lead (NHS England, Midlands) and Adrian Spanswick, SIG Chair. 18 January 2023 12.00pm – 1.30pm Free for members. To book and for more information click here.   Children’s Safeguarding Digital Co-Design Research Findings A Digital Safeguarding SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP meeting led by Dr Sarah Carlick , SIG chair. 26 January 2023 9.30am-11.30am. Free for members. To book and for more information click here   SAFEGUARDING IN SPORT SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP Meeting led by Ian Hynes. 9 February  2023 12.00pm- 1.30pm Free for members. To book and for more information click here   A CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP meeting led by Louise Barraclough ‘The impact of online pornography use on children and young people’ 14 February  2023 10.00am – 11.30am Free for members. To book and for more information click here   A CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP meeting led by invited speakers. ‘Prevention of adult offending/re-offending’ 11 May 2023 10.00am – 12.00pm Free for members. To book and for more information click here       Find the latest AoCPP and global news and opportunities that you need to know about.   Future Lunch & Learns: we want to hear your suggestions We are still putting together our calendar of events for 2023, including the schedule for our Lunch and Learns. As a member-led Association, we want to ensure that these lunchtime webinars reflect what topics/themes you want to learn more about.  Thank you for everyone who has contributed ideas already, but for those who haven’t, please fill out this short form here.     SCOTTISH MEMBERS MEETING The AoCPP have agreed  to put together an event for members based in Scotland and for other local interested parties to consult on what people would be looking for from the AoCPP going forward.  Invited speakers are Prof. John Devaney and Duncan Helm, past AoCPP trustees, and who were previously involved in the Scottish branch. You will  hear their  perspectives  on what the future could look like for the branch going forward. The first meeting will be held on Wednesday 22 February 2023  from 12.30pm-1.30pm. If you are interested please email [email protected]   New items in the shop If you’ve missed out on some of our past events, try looking at our shop where we have digital downloads of recordings from our events. Here’s just a few: – Supporting Parents of Trans-Identified Children with Bayswater Support Group * – Female Sexual Abuse: understanding the nuances of this specific form of harm within the home setting – Parents as Protectors: The Involvement of Parents in Child Sexual Abuse Prevention * – Understanding sibling sexual abuse: introducing a new practice resource  * Available free for AoCPP members in our members area.     From journal articles, to podcast episodes and videos from recent events, here are the latest resources available to you.   The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel  published its Annual Report 2021 on 15th December: Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel: annual report 2021 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)   The report examines 379 serious child safeguarding incident notifications submitted in 2021 and shares evidence and learning for those working in the child safeguarding and protection system. It includes six cross-cutting practice themes to make a difference in reducing serious harm and preventing child deaths caused by abuse or neglect.   Alongside this, the Panel has also published an analysis of local child safeguarding practice reviews by the University of East Anglia and University of Birmingham, and examples of rapid reviews for serious incidents. What Works Children’s Social Care has published a joint-report analysing safeguarding partners’ yearly reports.     FUTURE SILP WORKSHOP 19th January 1.00pm -2.30pm  5 Key Ingredients For a Great Thematic Review with Kate Spreadbury Compare a thematic review which reveals more of the same themes and learning with one which ‘shines a light’ or delivers a revelation. The pieces of the puzzle finally fit together Yet these reviews also present unique challenges, especially when it comes to remaining proportionate.  There will inevitably be a sense of overwhelm at the start. More than one subject, more than one family. Alongside the need to be selective. Choosing the high level ideas, instead of every issue. It’s tempting to allow the review and the final product to become unwieldy and ultimately less accessible to read. For an in depth look at what makes a strong thematic review join Kate Spreadbury, Independent Safeguarding Adults Consultant, and Donna Ohdedar for more on this on Thursday 19th January 2023, 1.00pm-2.30 pm in a FREE live workshop called ‘5 Key Ingredients For a Great Thematic Review’. Click below to check the details & reserve your seat  https://donna-ohdedar.mykajabi.com/January-live-workshop     ACAMH Newsletter – free to read The Association of Child and Adult Mental Health have kindly shared useful information from professionals. Please see the latest newsletter from the Association of Child and Adult Mental Health here.       Everything you need to know about your membership, fellow members, and how you can get more involved with the AoCPP.   Information for Members If you are having probems logging into the members area of the AoCPP website to access the Journal, past newsletters and resources from previous online lunch and learns etc please let us know. And if you need your membership number, contact: [email protected]     Donate to the AoCPP while doing your  shopping – at no extra expense! The Association is now registered with both Amazon Smile and Easy Fundraising.  Both of these platforms act as gateways to purchasing, and donate a proportion of spend back to the AoCPP, without you being charged any extra. All you need to do is: Amazon Smile – simply shop via smile.amazon.co.uk and nominate the Association of Child Protection Professionals as your beneficiary. Easy Fundraising – register with Easy Fundraising, nominate the AoCPP as your beneficiary and then shop as usual.    We thank you in advance if can you take the time to enroll in both schemes.     Spread the word Do you have a friend or colleague that would benefit from AoCPP membership? Or is your place of work looking for CPD and training opportunities? We support practitioners, academics, students, trainers, consultants and organisations. And with three choices of membership packages, we have something to suit everyone’s needs. So, consider spreading the word about what we do at the AoCPP.     Thank you for reading this month’s newsletter. For more information about anything mentioned, or if you want to contribute to our next newsletter, feel free to contact us.