Prior to taking up the post of a trainer here at the NWG, my background has been working alongside young people and their families. Being there to listen, support and advocate for them has always been hugely important for me and I have always been mindful of ensuring I don’t blame a young person for what is happening to them in their lives.

Last year though something changed for me which led me to think even more about the day-to-day language we use in our practice and within our services and how this can impact and even blame young people and their families for what is happening in their lives. It became much more than thinking about victim-blaming language on its own. I realised that to strengthen the partnerships and organisations we work within we need to think more about the culture of language within them and to feel more comfortable with a change in culture, after all, that is really only a reflection on practice(s) and a way to develop what we do with the power of language in mind. This led to me producing our “Mind Your Language: Exploitation and Victim Blaming Webinar” which has been available for people to book onto since September 2020.  

The response to this webinar has been amazing, it is clear to me just how many people care passionately about their work with children, young people, young adults, and their families and who want to consider how their practice may impact them.  Here are some of the comments people have given after attending Mind Your Language. 

“Very helpful and eye-opening!” 

“Very thought-provoking.” 

“This session was very informative and great for reflective practice.” 

“I often write reports and although I am usually aware of the language that I use, following this session I think I need to have a look over my reports to see if I can pick up on any further use of language that I could adapt for further progression.” 

“Thank you. It’s made me really reflect on the language that we use on a daily basis.” 

“Really provocative, I enjoyed the ongoing challenge of how we use language and why.” 

“I am an experienced front line CSE worker but under no illusion that ‘I know it all.  It really helped me to reconnect with the importance of language and how it can feel for the young people that we support.” 

“Fantastic! Very worthwhile, great content delivered.” 

“I have a new appreciation of the way language can be used to dehumanise an individual or group of people. I really enjoyed it, the trainer was knowledgeable, and the subject was interesting.” 

“I like the trainer delivery, Sarah was really engaging and knew her subject matter, she put it into context and provided us research to back it up and just really very good. Sarah’s session was very insightful and widened my perspective and I thoroughly enjoyed the session.” 

Practitioners and Senior Managers have attended Mind Your Language and gone back to colleagues to talk about it, who have then attended the training themselves which has also led to bigger discussions about how we share the messages and learning from the webinar on a wider scale. The interest in the subject led to a number of Local Safeguarding Partnerships and Local Authorities commissioning the webinar for their areas.

The appropriateness of our language is a change so many want to happen and a change that young people, young adults and their families need to happen. On a personal level, I couldn’t be happier to go with each and every attendee on this journey and offer as much support as I can because this is important, and I think most people who have heard me speak on this subject would agree that my passion shows!  

Now, in June 2021, I am delighted that the NWG along with partners are launching “Making Words Matter”, a national knowledge and practice briefing on the importance of attending to language when working with children who have or who are being exploited or who are at risk of being exploited.

Mind Your Language webinars are scheduled right up until March 2022, available dates and to book your place can be accessed at  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/nwg-exploitation-network-10661324498

For anyone who would like to talk about Mind Your Language, or indeed any training please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me  [email protected]