Safeguarding IS everybody’s business

Safeguarding Week 2021

Ordinarily we would have spent the past 6 months planning for lots of face-to-face events taking place locally across the county, and of course hosting a large conference for safeguarding professionals as part of the Safeguarding Week campaign.

But these are not ordinary times and as the restrictions imposed by the  Coronavirus pandemic continue to ease, Safeguarding Week 2021 will be a little different this year.

Partners from Safeguarding Adults Boards, Children’s Safeguarding Partnerships, Community Safety Partnerships across North Yorkshire, the City of York and East Riding have come together and developed an extensive programme of learning events, seminars and interactive sessions which all underpin this year’s theme – ‘Safeguarding is everybody’s business’.

All our communications, information, conversations and promotional material are online this year. We will be using social media and our websites to highlight real and important safeguarding matters, which affect communities and individuals across North Yorkshire.

In addition to these resources, Partners from Safeguarding Adults Boards, Children’s Safeguarding Partnerships, Community Safety Partnerships across North Yorkshire, the City of York and East Riding have come together and developed an extensive programme of learning events, seminars and interactive sessions which all underpin this year’s theme – ‘Safeguarding is everybody’s business’.

The virtual conference boasts a packed programme of sessions for anyone wanting to learn more about safeguarding or develop their skills and knowledge.

Covering topics such as suicide prevention, keeping safe in care and support settings, self-neglect, loneliness and isolation, modern slavery and domestic abuse, the sessions have been designed to stimulate discussion, spark innovation and share best practice. Each session will be delivered by inspirational and motivational speakers, all of whom are experts in their field.

Over the coming week we will highlight key areas of abuse or risk and some of the terrific work that is going on to address and support those who need it most. Despite the challenges of the pandemic and lockdown, some people do not feel safe and are not safe in their own homes or communities and there are those who wish to exploit and further harm other who may be isolated, vulnerable and worried.

We will highlight how to raise concerns about abuse or the risk of abuse, and using the hashtag #SafeguardingIsEverybodysBusiness will aim to raise awareness and understanding of the nature of the safeguarding risks in all our communities, even now.

Across this county, every one of us should be able to feel safe in our homes, schools, places of work and in our communities. We should be able to fulfil our potential, feel confident and thrive. There are many professionals, who work across different agencies whose job it is to keep us safe. We are enormously grateful to them all, especially in these difficult times. However, each of us as citizens also have a responsibility to keep an eye out, to look out for our families, friends, neighbours and those we don’t know in our communities; to report any concerns about abuse to the agencies (999 in an emergency, or 01609 780780, if not in immediate danger) and to work together to keep us all safe from harm or the risk of harm.

By reporting abuse you can bring it to an end. Together, we can stop abuse.

Safeguarding is everybody’s business

#TellUsYourConcerns @NYSAB1

Dr Sue Proctor

Independent Chair, NYSAB