The importance of working in partnership – together we can build safer communities

Lin Sands (NWG Police & Justice Lead) will be facilitating the forums

The forum runs on a quarterly basis, is chaired independently of the NWG Network and provides a variety of speakers within the field of Police and Justice.

The focus of each session will be to consider current challenges, themes and trends in respect of Child Exploitation; they will enable members to discuss specific issues and challenges within a safe and neutral space whilst also providing a platform for local, regional, national and international networking opportunities.

We would ask that if you have one particular theme for the forum discussion, you email Lin ([email protected])

AGENDA

The aim of this quarter’s Police and Justice Forum is to provide an opportunity to hear about the innovative and creative practice that is happening in different parts of the UK, to safeguard children and communities from Exploitation.

The Forum welcomes 3 safeguarding practitioners who will tell us more about the impact of their work and why working together as community safeguarding partners is essential to building safer communities.

We welcome back our independent chair for the event, former Detective Chief Inspector Andy Grant from the Metropolitan Police. Andy was the Force lead for the Modern Slavery and Child Exploitation (MSCE) Teams within the Central Specialist Crime unit. As always, Andy brings a wealth of knowledge & experience of Public Protection to the Forum as well as creating a perfect environment to ask questions and discuss the issues raised by our speakers.  

We are very excited to welcome three new guest speakers:

Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Bell (Safeguarding and Vulnerability), Chair of the CEDAM (Disruption) meetings in Wigan. Sarah will be providing an outline of the enormous impact their meetings have had on Children/Young People/Communities who experience all forms of exploitation and how successful partnership working has made that happen. Sarah will be providing some innovative and creative examples of great partnership/practice.  

Neil Tonge Housing Standards Manager (Housing Strategy, Regulation & Improvement) for Wigan Council. Neil will be showcasing how by the creative use of Housing law, we can specifically disrupt exploitation, particularly when there is no/not enough evidence for a criminal prosecution. Neil will explain more about how his team have worked together with statutory and non-statutory partners to ensure communities/individual vulnerable tenants are not being taken advantage of/exploited by others.  

Neighbourhood Policing Team Inspector Paul Fraser from the Wakefield Central. Paul is going to share how their first successful gang injunction application has had a dramatic impact on safeguarding local children from being drawn into all forms of exploitation. Paul will be providing us with an insight into why/how working in partnership fundamentally supported the evidence gathering for the injunction and what this means for individuals/local community going forward.  

Lin Sands – Police and Justice Lead (NWG) will be sharing the news of our newly digitised Disruption toolkit and providing an insight into how it will reduce the amount of time spent searching for the right solution.