SaferEd Conference 2025 Developing a Safeguarding Culture in Education
Hosted by Safeguarding Network
Online
1st - 4th July 2025
Creating, embedding, developing and managing your safeguarding culture within a whole organisation / school approach is an increasingly complex task for Designated Safeguarding Leads and senior leaders.
This Conference will explore key issues related to the challenges we face and explore potential solutions as we all strive to keep young people safe and ensure that everybody working in a school or college understands their safeguarding responsibilities.
We are delighted to invite you to attend in-depth Keynote sessions from three truly inspirational speakers:
Professor Carlene Firmin - Safeguarding via inclusive school cultures
Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, CBE - A culture of safeguarding
Dr. Jon Needham - Navigating the complex challenges within a whole-school approach
Tailored Workshops: Attend ten practical workshops throughout the week led by experts from organisations like Safeguarding Network, Lucy Faithfull Foundation, SWGfL, and Anna Freud. All workshops and Keynotes can be watched on demand after the event.
Cutting-Edge Insights: Explore the latest research and trends in safeguarding in education, and uncover solutions to the challenges we all face in keeping young people safe.
Free DSL Planner: all participants will receive a copy of our hugely popular annual Designated Safeguarding Lead Planner 2025-26.
Continuing Professional Development: Participants can attend ALL Workshops; plus watch all Keynotes and Workshops on demand for a limited amount of time, totalling over 2 days of Continuing Professional Development.
All prices are subject to VAT. All attendees receive a free Designated Safeguarding Lead Planner 2025-26. Non-Members can save £50 per ticket by subscribing to Safeguarding Network.
Programme
We want to create a space for honest, open dialogue where we can challenge our own and others thinking in a safe space.
The 3 Keynotes are on July 1st, and the Workshops are scheduled from 1st July to 4th July.
Participants will be able to attend ALL the Workshops throughout the week, with the added flexibility of watching all Keynotes and Workshops on demand for a limited amount of time.
Tuesday 1st July
Welcome
KEYNOTE 1: Professor Carlene Firmin - Safeguarding via inclusive school cultures
WORKSHOP 1: Safeguarding Online. Graham Lowe, SWGfL
KEYNOTE 2: Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, CBE - A culture of safeguarding
KEYNOTE 3: Dr. Jon Needham - Navigating the complex challenges within a whole-school approach
WORKSHOP 2: How student voice strengthens a safeguarding culture. Hannah Smart, Transforming Futures
Wednesday 2nd July
WORKSHOP 3: ‘Everyone’s Safer’. Laura Nott, Lucy Faithfull Foundation.
WORKSHOP 4: Introduction to supervision in education - how safeguarding supervision can promote staff mental health and wellbeing. Sharon Hand, Safeguarding Network
WORKSHOP 5: Creating a mentally healthy culture in your school. Vicky Seward, Anna Freud.
Thursday 3rd July
WORKSHOP 6: How VR can enable practitioners to have an insight into a child’s perspective. Abby Cooke and Shalene Lemmie, Cornerstone VR.
WORKSHOP 7: IRL – The motivation for sexting in UK teenage boys. Dr. Jon Needham.
WORKSHOP 8: Empowering student voices: a framework for managing extra familial risks to children. Jason Tait, The Student Voice.
Friday 4th July
WORKSHOP 9: Speaker and topic TBC. Association of Childcare Protection Professionals.
WORKSHOP 10: Speaker and topic TBC. CPOMS.
This conference is for:
Head teachers
Principals
Heads of department
Heads of teaching and learning
Deputy headteachers
Designated Safeguarding Leads and DDSLs
School business managers
MAT leaders
Governors
Senior leadership team
Pastoral leads
and others with a passion for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of young people in education settings.
About Safeguarding Network
We are here to help reduce the DSL’s burden. We provide a wide range of resources, tools, training, and expert advice to help DSLs and staff with safeguarding responsibilities, to meet their setting''s needs, saving time and making safeguarding more robust.
Non-members can save £50 per ticket by subscribing to Safeguarding Network.
We are delighted to invite you to three inspirational Keynote sessions from Professor Carlene Firmin, Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, CBE, and Dr. Jon Needham.
Safeguarding via inclusive school cultures
Professor Carlene Firmin
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and within education settings this starts with day-to-day practices. Using examples of effective approaches with comments from staff and students who have been involved, Carlene will look at how safeguarding in school and college contexts requires professionals to move beyond referral-based responses and instead nurture inclusive and anti-discriminatory cultures.
She will highlight the ways in which behaviour or sanction-dominant policies can undermine contextually focused approaches to safety, and signal ways to create safe school contexts within, and independent of, multi-agency partnerships.
Carlene is Professor of Social Work at Durham University. Since 2008 Carlene has researched young people’s experiences of community and group-based violence and advocated for comprehensive approaches that keep young people safe in public places, schools and peer groups. She coined the term Contextual Safeguarding in 2015 as a result of her doctoral work, and has gone on to apply the idea through a multi-research project programme first at the University of Bedfordshire, and since 2021, at Durham University.
She is Principal Investigator of Contextual Safeguarding: The Next Chapter, as well as Co-Investigator on Contextual Safeguarding Across Borders and the Innovate Project (in partnership with Sussex University).
A culture of safeguarding
Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, CBE
Jasvinder will share her thoughts and experiences of effective safeguarding cultures, the tensions that exist and how survivor voice is central to effective safeguarding practice. Drawing on her own experience she will highlight the need for safeguarding to take precedence over the perceived culture of individuals, groups, organisations and society at large. She will highlight the signs of forced marriage and how we can work together to prevent this, and explore the building blocks of safe organisational cultures, including empowering staff to act where they have concerns.
Participants will…
Feel energised and motivated to effect change for young people and their families
Be clear about the things to look for in honour based violence, forced marriage, FGM
Be equipped with 3 or 4 practical things they can do to build the safeguarding culture in their organisation
Understand why survivor voice IS safeguarding, rather than just an add-on
Jasvinder was awarded a Damehood in The King’s Birthday Honours list in 2024, in recognition of her remarkable accomplishments and service to people throughout the UK. She was born and raised in Derby and is a survivor of a forced marriage. Jasvinder is the founder of Karma Nirvana, a national charity that has been operating for 30 years and provides support to both men and women affected by honour-based crimes and forced marriages.
Jasvinder is an acclaimed international speaker and serves as a leading expert advisor to the Courts for child and criminal proceedings. Her memoir, ''Shame'', was a Sunday Times Top 10 Bestseller and was described in the House of Lords as a ''political weapon''.
Jasvinder is currently employed by Harrods as their Independent Survivor Advocate to support those abused by former owner Mohammed Fayed.
Navigating the complex challenges within a whole-school approach
Dr. Jon Needham
‘Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility’ is a phrase everybody uses, but what does this mean in reality? This session will explore how a culture of safeguarding is created and applied within the context of a school environment.
The role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is an increasingly complex one, with new responsibilities added with each new iteration of Keeping Children Safe in Education.
The focus of this session will be around the strategic leadership of safeguarding within a school by the DSL and the acknowledgement that all the issues cannot be left to one person. Included in the talk will be a challenge to ‘ring fence’ the DSL.
The talk will identify the steps required to ensure the ethos of the school reflects effective safeguarding practice and that each member is playing their part.
Outcomes from this Keynote will include:
Increased Responsibilities: acknowledging that the role of the DSL is becoming more complex
Strategic Leadership: recognising the DSL's leadership role strategically within a school
Shared Responsibility: Highlighting the need for collective involvement in safeguarding rather than it being the sole responsibility of the DSL
Protecting DSL Capacity: ensuring the DSL has dedicated time and resources for their role
School-wide Safeguarding Ethos: emphasising the steps to ensure all staff members contribute to a culture of effective safeguarding
Jon originally trained as a nurse specializing in adolescents with life limiting illness before moving to become an advisor to a strategic health authority and a health commissioner. He worked briefly as a specialist advisor on two World Health Organization projects before becoming the lead for early help within a large unitary authority.
He worked as an education safeguarding advisor supporting 530 schools and for the past 6 years has worked as the National Director of Safeguarding & Mental Health in a multi-academy trust.
He holds a PhD in Education (Safeguarding) from Liverpool Hope University. He also acts as a mentor to five young men starting in business ensuring that they develop to their full potential. In his spare time, he is a voluntary youth worker. When (if) he ever relaxes he is a keen fan of Korean dramas (though must use subtitles).
Workshops
We have a wide range of online workshops around our conference theme of developing a safeguarding culture in education, scheduled across Tuesday 1st July to Friday 4th July.
Participants will be able to attend ALL the Workshops throughout the week, with the added flexibility of watching all Keynotes and Workshops on demand for a limited amount of time.
Click on each workshop to find out more.
WORKSHOP 1: Safeguarding online
Graham Lowe, SWGfL
WORKSHOP 1: Safeguarding online
The presentation is designed for professionals working with young people to familiarise themselves with the current online safety landscape, covering technologies and the behaviours that develop around them. We will provide an overview of current trends, threats and issues as well as signposting useful resources and support.
Outcomes from this workshop will include:
Understanding the evolving threat landscape
Covering basic online safety advice
Providing available tools and resources
Looking at trends and data for harm recognition
Understanding the evolving nature of childrens online behaviour
Graham is the Safeguarding Lead Consultant and online safety subject-specialist for South West Grid for Learning. Graham has worked across the education sector for over 20 years, supporting schools and organisations to develop and improve safeguarding practice.
As a former Safeguarding Advisor in the North West of England, Graham has broad and extensive experience of working on a child-focussed, multi-agency approach with Schools, Colleges, Safeguarding Partnership Boards, Local Authorities, Police and Health colleagues. Developing safeguarding provision to embrace both the challenges and benefits of new and emerging technologies has been a recurring theme with local and national partners, advising on best practice, self-assessment and audit reviews.
Graham has held a deep and recurring passion for technology and child-centric safeguarding throughout his career. His keen desire to support practitioners to understand the risks and leverage the benefits of the online environment is an ever developing and constantly evolving aspiration.
WORKSHOP 2: How student voice strengthens a safeguarding culture
Hannah Smart, Transforming Futures Trust
WORKSHOP 2: How student voice strengthens a safeguarding culture
This workshop explores the critical role of student voice in creating and maintaining a robust safeguarding culture within educational settings. Participants will explore strategies to empower students to actively contribute to the ‘sense of safety’ leading to more effective safeguarding practices and a safer, more inclusive environment for all.
Key themes covered in the session include:
The Importance of Student Voice: Understanding how student input helps identify potential risks, concerns, and areas for improvement in safeguarding systems
Empowerment and Ownership: How involving students in decision-making processes gives them a sense of responsibility and encourages them to speak out about issues affecting their well-being
Practical Strategies: Implementing tools and platforms that encourage student feedback, such as surveys, student councils, or peer mentoring programs
Building Trust: Fostering a culture where students feel confident that their voices will be heard, respected, and acted upon
Collaboration with Staff and Leadership: Developing strong partnerships between students, teachers, and school leadership to create a united approach to safeguarding
By the end of the workshop, participants will gain additional strategies for their ‘student voice toolbox’ including actionable insights on how to increase levels of student advocacy, integrate student voice into their safeguarding practices to ensure that students are not only protected but also actively involved in shaping the safety culture around them.
Hannah Smart is a passionate and dedicated educational leader with extensive experience in driving school improvement and fostering inclusive learning environments. As the Interim Deputy CEO of Transforming Futures Trust and Executive Headteacher at ACE Tiverton, Hannah leads with a commitment to ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background or individual challenges.
WORKSHOP 3: ‘Everyone’s Safer’
Laura Nott, Lucy Faithfull Foundation (LFF)
WORKSHOP 3: ‘Everyone’s Safer’
LFF share what they have learnt from a three-year action research project on managing and preventing harmful sexual behaviour in schools.
By the end of this interactive workshop, participants should be able to:
Understand the context, aims and design of Lucy Faithfull Foundation’s ‘Everyone’s Safer’ action research project
Recognise the key research outcomes by identifying cross-cutting themes and evidence-based promising practice
Reflect upon what our findings mean for wider education policy and explore how their own professional practice could be supported by our recommendations.
With a background in probation and voluntary sector service management, Laura moved to the Lucy Faithfull Foundation to develop their multi-disciplinary schools’ team. Working alongside researchers from the University of Surrey, Laura led ‘Everyone’s Safer’: a three-year action research project gathering evidence on what works to manage and prevent harmful sexual behaviour in schools.
WORKSHOP 4: Introduction to supervision in education - how safeguarding supervision can promote staff mental health and wellbeing
Sharon Hand, Safeguarding Network
WORKSHOP 4: Introduction to supervision in education - how safeguarding supervision can promote staff mental health and wellbeing
Why does safeguarding supervision matter and what difference does it make to children, young people and your organisation? In this workshop, we will explore some of the rationale and research behind the development of a strong and sustained supervision culture, focusing on how safeguarding supervision can promote staff mental health and wellbeing.
Working in safeguarding can create levels of anxiety in professionals. Stress and a sense of being overwhelmed can be transferred between children, families and the staff working with them. The personal toll for staff working with emotional trauma without sufficient support can be significant.
Stress is endemic in schools, with senior leaders particularly affected. Many highlight a real need for more support, and the employer’s duty of care includes the provision of clear guidance and a reflective space which can help to reduce such stressors.
Supervision is a cornerstone in leading a strong safeguarding culture resulting in better outcomes for children, a high-quality safeguarding approach from professionals, alleviating staff demotivation or disillusionment and reducing staff absence through stress and mental health difficulties.
Sharon is an experienced practitioner having worked in leadership roles in secondary education for 17 years. Her breadth of experience encompasses working as a Designated Safeguarding Lead, Inclusion Manager, Senior Mental Health Lead and Designated Teacher for children in care. She is also experienced in leading and supporting school pastoral teams and has worked intensively with parents and carers as a Triple P practitioner.
Prior to entering the education sector, Sharon worked in social care for 18 years, supporting and developing services for vulnerable adults and young people in the community.
She currently works for Safeguarding Network supporting DSLs in supervision as well as delivering staff training and contributing to the development of resources to support safeguarding in education settings.
WORKSHOP 5: Creating a mentally healthy culture in your school
Vicky Saward, Anna Freud
WORKSHOP 5: Creating a mentally healthy culture in your school
This workshop equips participants with the tools to critically evaluate their current approach to mental health and wellbeing. Participants will examine how school systems, staff, and ethos can foster student connections and enhance feelings of belonging, which are crucial for student success.
The workshop provides evidence-based guidance on policies and frameworks to help leaders implement a whole-setting approach to wellbeing. Participants will consider the importance of supporting and empowering staff to effectively assist students whilst recognising the role of nurturing relationships as a central component of school culture.
We will explore the research supporting the benefits of increased student belonging and connection alongside strategies to share with colleagues to embed a mentally healthy culture in their school.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to…
Lead a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing
Review their current school culture and ethos
Understand the importance of supporting staff wellbeing as part of a holistic strategy
Adopt a relational approach as part of trauma-informed practice
Embed strategies to enhance connectedness and belonging within their school community
A recognised expert in holistic approaches to mental health and wellbeing, Vicky Saward leads the Schools Training team at Anna Freud, a leading children''s mental health charity. With over 15 years of experience in the field, Vicky is a passionate advocate for creating mentally healthy environments where every child can flourish. With her team of education experts and clinicians, her expertise guides the design and delivery of evidence-based training programmes focused on whole-school wellbeing alongside a range of specialist mental health courses. Vicky has a deep understanding of the complex challenges facing schools, including rising levels of need and leading wellbeing support for staff and students. Her background encompasses teaching and school leadership, managing wellbeing research programmes, and training in student and staff wellbeing. She has been instrumental in the success of government and privately funded initiatives (Senior Mental Health Lead training and Nord Anglia Education) both locally and internationally to improve children and young people’s mental health.
WORKSHOP 6: How VR can enable practitioners to have an insight into a child’s perspective
Abby Cooke and Shalene Lemmie, Cornerstone VR
WORKSHOP 6: How VR can enable practitioners to have an insight into a child’s perspective
Abby and Shalene will showcase Cornerstone VR. They will share their thoughts and experience of how VR can enable practitioners to have an insight into a child’s perspective and the impact this understanding and perspective can have on professionals working alongside children in education settings.
Examples of use will be given from schools and virtual schools across the UK.
Cornerstone VR is a groundbreaking trauma-responsive programme designed to foster deep empathy and understanding of trauma and its enduring impact from childhood through adulthood.
Through immersive, realistic scenarios, it empowers users to approach situations with profound insight: recognising potential trauma, triggers, and emotional responses, thereby enhancing the quality of care, support, and guidance they provide across all age groups.
The programme covers a wide range of critical topics, including abuse, neglect, Child Criminal Exploitation Child Sexual Exploitation adolescent brain development, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder knife crime and youth violence, and the influence of social media and digital platforms.
Abby Cooke and Shalene Lemmie are registered social workers with extensive experience across statutory children’s services, as both practitioners and managers. In their roles as VR Service Managers they work closely with our partners to embed VR into their service, including within the education sector, and have a good understanding of the challenges they're facing.
WORKSHOP 7: IRL – The motivation for sexting in UK teenage boys
Dr. Jon Needham
WORKSHOP 7: IRL – The motivation for sexting in UK teenage boys
The workshop will examine the sexting behaviours of teenage boys in the UK as they reflected on the motivations associated with self-generated explicit images and messages (sexting). Data from a cross-sectional study showed 14-18 years old were examined using a Motivational Determinants Model that mapped individual cognitive characteristics and contextual determinants that impacted on the boy’s sexting behaviours.
The workshop will challenge curriculum, policy and practice development relating to how the concept of teenage sexting is framed; resulting in a new typology model that addresses the ‘why’ behind the motivation to sext, rather than the ‘what’ associated with message content.
Outcomes from the workshop will include:
Develop a modern definition of a sexting
Understand the motivational determinants that prompt sexting behaviour
Examine the data about sexting incidence
Identify a typology model that moves beyond ‘content’ to address ‘motivation’
Consider the role of education in addressing this issue
Jon originally trained as a nurse specialising in adolescents with life limiting illness before moving to become an advisor to a strategic health authority and a health commissioner. He worked briefly as a specialist advisor on two World Health Organization projects before becoming the lead for early help within a large unitary authority.
He worked as an education safeguarding advisor supporting 530 schools and for the past 6 years has worked as the National Director of Safeguarding & Mental Health in a multi-academy trust.
He holds a PhD in Education (Safeguarding) from Liverpool Hope University. He also acts as a mentor to five young men starting in business ensuring that they develop to their full potential. In his spare time, he is a voluntary youth worker. When (if) he ever relaxes he is a keen fan of Korean dramas (though must use subtitles).
WORKSHOP 8: Empowering student voices: a framework for managing extra familial risks to children
Jason Tait, The Student Voice
WORKSHOP 8: Empowering student voices: a framework for managing extra familial risks to children
Driven by a contextual safeguarding framework that places understanding the voice of the child at its core, this workshop will develop our understanding of how to evidence and respond to extra familial harms. Emphasis will be placed on how an authentic relationship-based collaboration between young people and local authority services can support colleagues and organisations in Working Together to Safeguard Children. Case study examples will be presented throughout as to how this can be achieved on a practical level.
Outcomes from this workshop will include:
A practical implementation of contextual safeguarding for schools
How contextual safeguarding and student voices can be embedded into your safeguarding and organisational culture
Implementing Working Together To Safeguarding Children guidance for schools, police, social care and local authority
Jason Tait is the Director of Pastoral Care and Designated Safeguarding Lead at a leading independent international school in the UK. In addition to having specific responsibilities for all aspects of pastoral care and safeguarding across the school, Jason has particular interests and expertise in positive psychology and contextual safeguarding.
Jason is also the co-founder of the award-winning Student Voice, a contextual safeguarding tool, currently supporting 50,000 young people and children, that seeks to create brave spaces that empower young voices and inspire society to develop safer communities.
WORKSHOP 9: TBC
Association of Child Protection Professionals
WORKSHOP 9: TBC
TBC
The Association of Child Protection Professionals is a registered charity and membership association - the only one in the UK that provides training, support and professional development opportunities for those working across multiple disciplines within child protection and adult safeguarding. Through sharing knowledge, research and examples of best practice, what started as a small inter-professional membership association grew and today we are the only multi-disciplinary professional membership association, with charitable status, of its kind.
WORKSHOP 10: Developing a culture of safe data sharing
CPOMS
WORKSHOP 10: Developing a culture of safe data sharing
TBC
CPOMS is the trusted provider of safeguarding, wellbeing and pastoral software used by over 20,000 settings worldwide. Its systems support a wide range of establishments, including nurseries, primary and secondary schools, colleges, charities and sports clubs, in ensuring the wellbeing of pupils and staff. The systems also aid Local Authorities by simplifying the sharing of sensitive pupil information to streamline the safeguarding process. As part of the Raptor Technologies family, CPOMS continues to expand its capabilities and partnerships.
“The event was an inspiring blend of engaging talks and workshops, all centred around the crucial topics of safeguarding and mental health. It was truly enlightening to hear from leading experts and to gain new insights and practical strategies that can be applied to our daily work.”
Safeguarding and Mental Health Conference 2024 Attendee
Meet our sponsor
CPOMS is the trusted provider of safeguarding, wellbeing and pastoral software used by over 20,000 settings worldwide. Its systems support a wide range of establishments, including nurseries, primary and secondary schools, colleges, charities and sports clubs, in ensuring the wellbeing of pupils and staff. The systems also aid Local Authorities by simplifying the sharing of sensitive pupil information to streamline the safeguarding process. As part of the Raptor Technologies family, CPOMS continues to expand its capabilities and partnerships.