Workshop one – Strategic planning

Recommendation one: Safeguarding partners should consider the findings of this national review and develop a local action plan to respond to its recommendations as it affects local multi‑agency practice.

 

National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment (2024)

About the workshop

This workshop is part one of six online sessions to support safeguarding partners to reflect, plan and lead the implementation the recommendations for Safeguarding Partners in England set out in the 2024 National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment.

The workshop is focused on Recommendation one , for safeguarding partners to develop a ‘local action plan’ to respond to child sexual abuse. All safeguarding children partnerships have a leadership role to play in developing responses to child sexual abuse, so that children and young people receive the protection and support they need, wherever they live.

To help partnerships respond to this recommendation, in this workshop we will introduce you to Developing your strategic response to child sexual abuse: A guide for safeguarding children partnerships. It is designed for all those working with local and regional safeguarding children partnerships and offers practical advice on how partnerships can overcome the strategic challenges of responding to child sexual abuse in their area, develop a new strategy or monitor, review and improve their existing strategy.

The guide covers each level of partnership’s response to all forms of child sexual abuse, in every context in which it happens – from top-level governance and accountability, to an effective action plan that professionals everywhere, in each agency, can easily follow. By using this guide, partnerships can start to build a shared vision of their response to child sexual abuse, and importantly being to address the concerns highlighted in the Panel’s landmark review.

About the speakers

Dr Natasha Sabin is a Forensic Psychologist with professional experience in child sexual abuse, and the author of our Developing your strategic response guide. She has worked within Youth Justice as a practitioner and manager specialising in harmful sexual behaviour. Natasha has also had roles within secure hospitals and custodial environments where she has  predominantly worked with adult males who have committed sexual offences. Natasha is a visiting lecturer at the University of Birmingham, facilitating teaching sessions to Forensic and Clinical Psychologists in training.

Jenny Coles is a member of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel and was appointed to the Panel in December 2021. She is a qualified social worker and has been a senior manager in local authority children’s services since 1997. She has worked extensively in children’s safeguarding, looked after children and quality assurance, and has also managed integrated youth and youth justice services, education and special educational needs and disability services.

What is the National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment?

In 2024, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published their National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment, conducted by the CSA Centre. It studied the experience of 193 individual children and uncovered significant and long‑standing systemic issues in the identification of and response to child sexual abuse in family settings. Sadly, the review found that children who are sexually abused are frequently not being identified by practitioners, nor are they receiving the response needed for their ongoing safety and recovery.

The final report, “I wanted them all to notice”: Protecting children and responding to child sexual abuse within the family environment, made 10 recommendations for national government and a further six recommendations for local safeguarding partnerships which they can implement immediately without waiting for changes at a national level.

About the workshop series

This is part one in our Strengthening multi-agency leadership in responding to intra-familial child sexual abuse series of workshops. Each free session takes a closer look at the recommendations of the National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment. Throughout the year we are holding five more workshops covering topics from improving professional knowledge, skills and practice, to how to talk to children about sexual abuse.

You can find out more about the series here, and book your place on the next sessions below or from our Events page.