The P Pod

Get in touch with us at The P Pod What if the key to safeguarding infants lies in understanding the often-overlooked complexities of family trauma, rapid mobility, and concealed pregnancies?  Sally Shearer OBE, a leading expert from the National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, shares ground breaking insights from their latest report, Protecting All Vulnerable Babies Better . This episode...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod Most professionals underestimate the crucial role of safeguarding when it comes to preventing radicalisation. In this episode, Kira Baker, Regional Prevent Officer, unpacks how safeguarding principles are seamlessly integrated into Counter-Terrorism strategies like Prevent, emphasizing their importance in everyday practice. Kira provides the clarity frontline work...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod Most of us find it incredibly uncomfortable to discuss child sexual abuse openly—and for good reason.  Jeremy Indika, founder of Something to Say and advocate for survivors, joins us to unravel why talking about abuse remains taboo and how we can break down those barriers. His powerful personal story, alongside expert insights, shines a light on the unseen complex...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod In todays episode we're fortunate to be joined by Dr. Alex Bailey, Forensic Psychologist from The Lucy Faithful Foundation as we look to gain a greater understanding of differing typologies of female perpetrators of CSA, the risks and additional barriers to children when the perpetrator of abuse is female and the support available for both actual and potentia...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod Most professionals shy away from conversations about child sexual abuse because they fear doing harm or making mistakes — but what if confidence and simple, compassionate communication tools could change everything? In this episode, we dive deep into the updated practical resources from the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, designed to empower everyone—fr...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod We are back with a new series of The P Pod after a short hiatus with today's episode with SSCP's Business Manager, Jasmine Wark where we bring you the key highlights of the changes that have been made in the recently published update to Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026. If you'd like to find out more about the Families First Programme men...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod It's that time of year again when we deck the halls, hang up our stockings and, more stress inducing for the SSCP Business Unit, our host, SSCP Training Manager Steve Macabee cajoles the rest of the team to join him in recording a Christmas Special P Pod where they reflect on everything that they've been up to in 2025 and begin to look towards 2026. Anot...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod Today you join us for a very special P Pod Episode indeed as we're joined not only by the National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel's Sally Shearer OBE, who talks about the National Panels review into Interfamilial Child Sexual Abuse, but also over 130 others who joined us for this livestreamed podcast recording. We also hear from those who joine...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod In this episode of the P-Pod, Steve Macabee speaks with Tamsin Sheldrake from the NSPCC about the organization's vital role in safeguarding children.  Tamsin discusses her work within the Schools Service Team, focusing on various programs designed to educate children and support schools in addressing safeguarding issues.  The conversation covers the NSPCC&apo...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod  In todays episode of the P-Pod, Steve Macabee speaks with Alison Jenkinson and Tim McDonald from Avon and Somerset Police’s Lighthouse Safeguarding Unit. They unpack the unit’s vital role in protecting children and vulnerable individuals, handling over 100,000 tasks annually and work to liaise across multiagency partners and respond to the complex needs of famili...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod Recently I was asked how if a Young Person had a concern about exploitation or any type of crime how can they report this as many of the reporting routes we talk about are aimed at professionals, so in todays episode I've been lucky enough to speak to Lauren and Georgie from Fearless - part of Crimestoppers about exactly that. As well as talking about reporti...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod And we're back for Season 3 of the P Pod and kicking things off we talk to Tracey Sweetland, Sport Welfare Officer from Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP) and member of the Sport Welfare Officer Network to talk about the importance of safeguarding children in sports and activities and how organisations can be supported to safeguard children effec...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod In this episode of the P-Pod, we discusses the evolving landscape of online safety with Matt Mustafic, an expert advisor in computing and online safety and explore the challenges schools face in educating children about online risks, the importance of engaging parents, and the need for a proactive approach to online bullying.  The conversation highlights the signi...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod In this episode of the P-Pod, Steve Macabee speaks with Lin Sands from the National Working Group (NWG) about the organisation's mission to combat child exploitation and modern slavery. They discuss the importance of collaboration with various partner organisations, the role of local networks in safeguarding, and the challenges faced by professionals in the f...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod This week we bring you an extended special episode, following on from our June 2025 forum week of webinars that took place, focusing on the subject of Children, Violence and Vulnerabilities. Throughout the week we have amazing guest presenters join us, including the Youth Endowment Fund, the NWG, Beyond Equality and UNICEF to name just a few. Join us for this spec...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod In todays episode we speak with Natalie Hanna, Headteacher and Executive member of the SSCP, representing the education sector where we explore the evolving role of education within the safeguarding partnerships, both in Somerset, and nationally.  We highlight the challenges and opportunities faced in integrating education as a statutory partner and the complexiti...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod Summary Today's episode explores the vital role of SWISH, the Somerset-wide integrated sexual health service, in supporting young people's sexual health needs.  The discussion highlights the challenges faced by young people, including peer pressure, social media influences, and barriers to accessing services. The importance of consent, safeguarding, and...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod In today's episode we're lucky enough to be joined by Dr. Lou Newbury, Named Doctor for Child Safeguarding from Somerset Foundation Trust who talks to us about the importance of understanding non-fatal strangulation for both adults and children and how crucial it is that we understand the signs, symptoms and risks associated with it, as well as how this...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod In today's episode we've been lucky enough to speak to Fiona Phur, who we manage to catch just hours before she retired from a long and effective career where she has worked tirelessly with children and young people across Somerset to gain their voices and represent their views at the highest level to those who effect change. Fi talks to us about the imp...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod In todays episode we're pleased to be joined by Helen McInnes and Iain Gibson from Route1 Advocacy to talk about the work they do to gain the voices of children & young people and provide top tips on how you can gain their voices as well, from direct conversation, to practical engagement and observation. You can find out more about Route1 Advocacy, or abo...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod We're so pleased to be joined back in the studio today by Sally Shearer from the National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel to provide an overview of the latest Annual Report findings, based on 330 reviews that have taken place nationally between 2023-24. In this episode we explore the key themes from the report, what this looks like in practice and ho...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod In todays episode we continue from our previous 2 Part episode on Engaging with Fathers to look at an initiative to provide new fathers with support and advice for their physical and mental health pre and post birth. We speak with Dr. Jo Nicholl, Designated Doctor for Safeguarding Children about the 'New Dads Supporters in Somerset' project she is leadin...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod In todays episode we're joined by Dr. Anna Riddell, Consultant Paediatrician and Sexual Offences Examiner about the importance of recognising the prevalence and impact of Child Sexual Abuse and more crucially how victims are supported once a disclosure has been made. As part of this we explore the findings from the recent National Child Safeguarding Practice...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod In todays episode we continue our conversations with Dr. Jeremy Davies from The Fatherhood Institute, as well as colleagues from Public Health Nursing and Children Social Care to talk about the work they're undertaking to improve father engagement in order to safeguard children and help them to thrive. If you'd like to find out more about The Fatherhood...

Get in touch with us at The P Pod Todays episode has been in the works for some time and we've been lucky enough to be able to do a deep dive into the topic of how services can better engage with fathers and male carers. This is an area that's been highlighted in countless case reviews around the country, in recent national case reviews and through reports including " The Myth of In...