1. Mid and west Wales Regional Safeguarding Board has published the Concise Practice Review into death of a young child.
in respect of a young child who resided in Pembrokeshire, and who tragically died on 21 July 2020. The review says:

“This is a tragic case which culminated in an unprovoked and violent attack on a young child (“child A”) by their mother’s partner (“Male B”) on the evening of 16 July 2020 and the morning of 17 July 2020. Child A was pronounced dead on 21 July 2020, age 2 years and 10 months old. Child A had lived with her mother, Male B, and her younger and older sibling in the mother’s home.”

A 7-minute briefing provides an overview of the report and is a useful recourse for sharing the learning from the review.

2. Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting responds to the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) report outlining failings in Valdo Calocane's care and calls for the recommendations made by an independent review to improve mental health services to be implemented across the country following the tragic death of 3 people in Nottingham.

Valdo Calocane was known to police and mental health services prior to the attack in June 2023 where he killed Ian Coates, Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar and seriously injured 3 others with a van. He had previously been treated by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust for mental health issues.

Earlier this year, the government commissioned CQC to carry out a rapid review into the local NHS trust and mental health services provided, in order to get answers for the victims’ families and ensure any failings are urgently addressed. The report published today is the final strand of that review, which has found that failings in Calocane’s care may have contributed to the tragic events after he was discharged from the trust’s mental health services.

Other measures the NHS has already undertaken include:

• ensuring every provider of mental health services has clear policies and practice in place to treat patients with serious mental illness
• issuing guidance to trusts reiterating instructions not to discharge patients with serious mental health issues if they do not attend appointments
• commissioning an independent investigation into the incident, which will be published by the end of 2024
• increasing funding to community mental health services by £2.3 billion per year to transform services
• continuing to improve data on community mental health services including developing metrics around access to psychological therapies for severe mental health problems and outcomes for people accessing community mental health services
• establishing an expert advisory group to oversee the development of core standards for safe care in community mental health services

While there is no single point of failure identified in the report, part 2 of CQC’s review, published August 13, identified serious shortcomings in Valdo Calocane’s care including being discharged too early and failings in follow ups when he evaded contact with the community mental health team.

The findings of the first part of the section 48 review, which were published in March 2024, assessed the progress made at Rampton Hospital as well as patient safety and the quality of care provided by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Strip searching of children in England and Wales: First complete dataset for 2018–2023, including new data July 2022-June 2023 published 19 August 2024 which presents a complete analysis of strip searches conducted by police across England and Wales across five and a half years of data, from 2018 to 2023, including new data for 2022 to 2023. The issues are not confined to London and there are indications that outside of London the issues are even more deeply entrenched.

Throughout England and Wales, police continue to strip search children as part of stop and searches, revealing concerning practices and widespread failure to comply with safeguarding procedures designed to protect children.

The majority of police forces have made procedural changes to how they carry out strip searches and nearly half of searches between July 2022 and June 2023 resulted in the force making a safeguarding referral – a significant increase from previous years and an indication that an increasing number of children who experience a strip search are receiving support afterwards.

In total, 457 searches were conducted on children between July 2022 and June 2023 in England and Wales – which is equivalent to one child every 19 hours over this period, on average. Of these, half resulted in no further action being taken – calling into question the necessity of such an intrusive search in the first place.

The report says the current system still lacks effective safeguarding procedures. It relies heavily on frontline officers, who are not specialists, to always act correctly, without adequate scrutiny to ensure adherence to vital safeguards, and with little consideration of the impact on vulnerable children. It cannot be the job of police officers alone – we need health and children’s social care services to step up as the other statutory safeguarding partners and consider how to commission mental health and neurodiversity support. Consideration also needs to be given to bringing in education, youth work and youth justice services.

Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR)

1. Learning from Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR)’s Inquiries: Dominant behaviour in charities

Part of the work of the Scottish Charity Regulator is to carry out inquiries in response to concerns from the public, charity staff and other sources. Reflecting on some of the inquiry cases that they have dealt with recently, they have identified several common themes and lessons that charities, and those who work with charities, can learn from to help improve their governance and avoid potential problems.

On the 2 August they published the second in a series of reports going into further details about these common themes and lessons, focusing on the topic of dominant behaviour in charities. At OSCR there is an increasing concern about dominant behaviour in charities. Dominant behaviour in a charity’s governance happens when one person (or a small group of people) makes all the decisions in a charity and prevents the charity’s trustees, as a whole, from acting collectively and doing their job properly or force the charity trustees to legitimise their decisions at a later date. It can and does result in beneficiaries, staff and funders losing confidence in a charity.

The report, Learning from OSCR’s Inquiries: Dominant behaviour in charities, discusses:

• Why dominant behaviour arises in charities
• Why dominance is a problem
• How to prevent dominance from happening
• How you should tackle dominant behaviour
• Further sources of help and guidance

The first report in the series, Learning from OSCR’s Inquiries: Financial Management, details ten key lessons to support good financial governance.

Charity Commission

2. Very Important News for Charities in England and Wales Charity Commission statement in response to riots and public disorder

As a regulator, the Commission recognises that some charities are responding to unfamiliar circumstances and unclear risks. The response says What matters is that trustees make decisions in good faith, guided by their charity’s best interests and act reasonably on the information available. The Commission provides guidance that can help trustees, who know their charities, communities, and circumstances best, make good decisions. As the regulator we stand by charities as they navigate this challenging time and stand ready to support them as they do what they do best - bring communities together, protect society’s most vulnerable and work to make our country and world a better place.

3. Regulator disqualifies charity trustees for inadequate financial and safeguarding practices
The Charity Commission has published its inquiry report into Salvation Proclaimers Ministries Limited, also known as SPAC Nation. The Christian charity, which has been removed from the register, held religious services at venues in London and organised community and outreach events. The report concludes that the charity’s trustees are responsible for serious misconduct and/or mismanagement over safeguarding practices and financial failures over a substantial period of time. Further to this, the trustees failed to act with reasonable care and skill, including while the inquiry was open. The trustees also repeatedly failed to address the Commission’s regulatory concerns.

The Commission has used its powers to disqualify three current trustees from being a charity trustee for a period of 12 years each and a former trustee for 10 years.

In December 2019, the Commission opened an inquiry into the charity after it identified serious financial, governance and safeguarding concerns. These included that the majority of the charity’s income and spending was not going through a bank account and being used outside of the charity’s purposes. Our intervention prevents three current trustees and one former trustee from holding trustee or senior roles in other charities and so helps to protect the wider sector.”

The full report detailing the findings of the inquiry can be found on gov.uk.

1.‘Exponential increase in cruelty’ as sextortion scams hit younger victims
Reports involving sexual extortion are on the rise as criminals become more ‘adept’ at targeting younger children.

Children as young as 11 are being preyed on in sextortion scams, as criminal gangs are targeting younger victims and girls in an “exponential increase in cruelty”. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) is warning that younger children, as well as increasing numbers of girls, are now being exposed to sexual extortion, commonly known as “sextortion”. This is where a criminal will coerce or trick a child into sharing nude or sexual imagery, often while pretending to be someone else, then threaten to share the imagery with the victim’s family and friends, or on the open web, if money is not sent. Children and young people targeted this way are exposed to violent threats and abuse, and made to feel isolated and humiliated. Some children and young people have even taken their own lives as a result of the shame and distress inflicted on them by the criminals.

The IWF, along with Childline, runs the Report Remove helpline – a world-first service which gives children the power to identify and report images of their own sexual abuse. If this imagery is criminal, the IWF can then remove from the internet, or pre-emptively block them before scammers or other criminals can share them on the open web.

2. Child protection groups warn there’s nothing to stop imagery sent to Hugh Edwards spreading further on WhatsApp.

Sexual images of children sent to Huw Edwards could still spread on WhatsApp “today, tomorrow, and the next day” amid warnings Meta is failing to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material.
Edwards admitted having indecent imagery of children as young as seven, including Category A imagery, the most extreme category of child sexual abuse imagery in the UK which can include penetration, rape, sadism, or even bestiality.

The material was sent to Edwards via WhatsApp, an end-to-end encrypted messaging service, where even the company itself cannot see, let alone block, the criminal files being shared.

3 SWGfL Provides Top Tips for Reporting Harmful Content Online

Social media has transformed how we communicate, share information, and connect with others, which has created new and positive opportunities for many people. However, alongside these benefits, social media platforms can also introduce individuals to harmful content. From cyberbullying and harassment to the spread of misinformation and impersonation, the impact of harmful content on social media can have a significant impact on others.

SWGfL’s Report Harmful Content service has seen first-hand how harmful online content can affect others, and works alongside participating platforms as a national alternative dispute resolution service empowering anyone over the age of 13 and living in the UK to report online harm.

Going back to school? Top frauds targeting young people revealed as Action Fraud warns about a total loss of £143.7 million last year.

Source: Action Fraud published on this website Wednesday 28 August 2024

Students and those going back to university are being warned about the top fraud types affecting young people, as new data reveals almost 69,000 reports were received from people aged between 11 and 29, losing a total of £143.7 million in 2023.

Action Fraud, the national fraud and cybercrime reporting service, has launched a student safety campaign, revealing the top frauds to look out for and how to prevent themselves from becoming a target.

Action Fraud has some guidance to help students and others protect themselves online, whilst starting the new the school or university year.

• Protect your online accounts: the password you use for your email account should be different from all your other passwords for online accounts. Use three random words to create a strong and memorable password, and enable 2-step verification (2SV).
• Be cautious about how you send money: avoid paying via bank transfer and don’t be pressured into transferring large sums of money. Any trusted organisation will not force you to transfer money on the spot and only a fraudster will try to rush you. For making purchases online, use a credit card if you can.
• Be wary of unsolicited emails, texts or contact on social media: from seeing unbelievably good deals on tickets, to seeing a suspicious rental property advertised, always double check the authenticity of what you are going to buy online before making a purchase or paying upfront fees.
• Report suspicious emails by forwarding them to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Report suspicious text messages or spam calls free of charge to 7726
• For more tips on student safety: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/studentsafety

If you’ve lost money or provided your financial information to someone, notify your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.

1. NICE recommends digital technology to help diagnose ADHD in children and young people: Consultation
Source: National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published on this website 1 August 2024

A consultation has been held on diagnostics advisory committee guidance that recommends the QbTest alongside a standard clinical assessment to aid diagnosis of ADHD in children and young people aged 6 to 17. The QbTest is a computer-based test that tracks the movement of participants whilst measuring three core symptoms of ADHD: inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. The results are then compared to data from a control group made up of people without ADHD of the same age and sex.

2. Church of England issue statements regarding BBC File on Four Blackburn Cathedral case

A number of allegations were made about the Canon over a number of years and a risk assessment was conducted according to the House of Bishops 2017 safeguarding guidance. In the event, none of the allegations resulted either in a conviction in the criminal courts, or in a determination of misconduct in the independent Church courts through the Clergy Discipline Measure.

He was removed from office on health grounds by the former Bishop of Blackburn, in 2021, under the Church Dignitaries (Retirement) Measure 1949, but the Canon then brought a claim in the High Court for judicial review of that decision and payment was made in settlement of that claim. The Church of England is currently reviewing the disciplinary procedure for members of clergy (Clergy Discipline Measure), as recommended by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, IICSA and a review of the risk assessment regulations and guidance is under way.

Finding support

If you or anyone you are in contact with are affected by the publication of this report and want to talk to someone independently please call the Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 or visit safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk

Alternatively, you may wish to contact the diocesan safeguarding team in your area or the National Safeguarding Team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
There are also other support services available.

3. The NSPCC report over 300% increase in contacts to their Helpline about physical punishment against children

The NSPCC says:
“The new government needs close the legal loophole in England and end the use of physical punishment against children.
“In the last year, the NSPCC has received triple the amount of calls to their Helpline surrounding concerns about children experiencing physical punishment.

“45% of these calls were serious enough to require a referral to social services or the police.

“The new government must scrap the defence of 'reasonable punishment' and give equal protection against assault for both adults and children.”

1. Court Report: Eastbourne man who raped and assaulted a young girl has been convicted at court.

Keith Matthews, 60, of Tintern Close in Eastbourne, subjected a girl to multiples rapes, and physical and sexual assaults, in May, 2020.The victim was under 13 years old at the time of the offending. The incidents were reported to Sussex Police after the victim confided in a family member, who raised the alarm. She was given support by specialist officers and our partners, while Matthews was arrested. He was subsequently charged with four counts of rape of a child, and one count each of assault by penetration of a child, sexual assault of a child and cruelty to a child. Following a five-day trial, he was found guilty by a jury at Lewes Crown Court on Friday, 2 August. He has been remanded in custody to be sentenced at a court to be confirmed on 20 September.

If you are a victim of sexual offending, please report it to the police online or via 101; or contact your local Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in England and Wales. In Scotland contact the NHS Scotland sexual assault self-referral phone service and, in Northern Ireland, the Rowan Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC)
Always dial 999 in an emergency.

2. Northamptonshire Police publishes vetting review in the wake of sacking of former chief who lied in his application for the top job

A full-scale review into vetting processes for the most senior officers and staff has been published by Northamptonshire Police , on the 6 August, in the wake of the sacking of former Chief Constable Nick Adderley. Mr Adderley was dismissed following a Gross Misconduct Hearing in June during which evidence was heard that he had perpetuated a false narrative around his military service, including allegations he had served in the Falklands when he was actually only 15 at the time of the conflict and failing to correct wholly inaccurate reporting of his service in the media. The full extent of the deceit around his naval service was subsequently set out in a damning 43-page report at the beginning of last month and a case file focusing on the allegations has been passed on to the Crown Prosecution Service by the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC).

Within days of the hearing, Acting Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet carried out checks on the Chief Officer team and Chief Superintendent/staff equivalent ranks to ensure they all had the requisite qualifications and proof of them. He also commissioned today’s report designed to explore fully the failings around the vetting processes and pre-employment checks ahead of Mr Adderley’s appointment to the top job in August 2018.

Failures revealed included that when he joined, Mr Adderley had Developed Vetting – (DV, national level), but an assumption was made he therefore held Management Vetting, (MV Force level) from his previous Force. Northamptonshire Police failed to check this and did not carry out its own MV.

Equally concerning, the report reveals, was that when he submitted his MV and DV vetting renewal in 2023, while Chief Constable, he gave different details on each and this was never picked up.

The report goes on to make a number of recommendations, including a tightening up and review of pre-employment qualification checks, dip sampling of vetting files and a requirement for detailed and comprehensive responses to HM Forces checks.

The Force also intends to approach the Home Office to ensure enhanced information sharing and cross-checks takes place.

3. Woman admits to taking and distributing indecent images of her child
A woman has appeared in court after she sent indecent images of her child to a man who had a sexual interest in children.The man, who lives out of county, was arrested after he had been talking to what he thought was a child online. However, he was communicating with an undercover police officer. His devices were seized and on examination, indecent images of a child were found.

Following investigative work the images were established to have been taken in Gloucestershire, and the Constabulary's Indecent Images of Children team took on the case. The woman was arrested and following an investigation she was charged with taking and distributing category C indecent images of her child.

Data from her phone showed that she knew the man she had been having an affair with had a criminal history, the nature and severity of his offending and therefore that he might pose a risk. The woman is due to be sentenced at a later date and is on court bail with conditions to have no unsupervised contact with anyone aged under 18. The man, who had 17 previous convictions, admitted to sexual communication with a child and possession of indecent images of children.

If you are worried about someone's behaviour towards a child, or something you have seen, heard or been told, you can use Sarah's Law to find out if that person is a risk to children. The Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme lets you formally ask the police whether someone who has contact with a child or children has a record for child sexual (paedophile) offences or poses a risk to the child or children for some other reason. If you are concerned for a child's safety, you can report this to police by calling 101 for non-emergencies or 999 in the case of an emergency.

If you have concerns about your own use of the internet or inappropriate thoughts or behaviour about children, or you are worried about how someone you know behaves, then contact the Lucy Faithfull Foundation

You can also call the confidential Stop It Now! helpline: 0808 1000 900 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Nationwide call to surrender all zombie-style knives and machetes

From 24 September 2024, it will be illegal to own zombie-style knives and machetes as they will be added to the list of dangerous prohibited items already banned, including zombie knives, butterfly knives, Samurai swords and push daggers. Ahead of the new ban coming into force, anyone who has one of these weapons is being urged to hand them over – safely and legally.

This scheme will be run at police stations across England and Wales for four weeks between 26 August and 23 September, without repercussions for surrendering these potentially dangerous knives safely. Individuals can also anonymously dispose of these weapons using safe, surrender bins, by contacting their local police, council or an anti-knife crime charity to find out about alternative options, other than police stations, in their area. After 24 September, anyone caught with a zombie-style knife or a machete faces time behind bars.

Participating police stations are spread across the country, and people should contact their designated police station first to get advice on how to package up any weapons and bring them into the station. Members of the public who may be in possession of these weapons should read the government guidance to find their nearest designated police station and for further information about how they can hand these weapons in.

This scheme is just one part of the government’s pledge to halve knife crime in a decade. Next steps will include further bans, stronger rules to stop online sales, and tough action to stop young people being drawn into crime.