Working together… to safeguard?!

As humans we have gotten so used to everything being digital, entertainment, friends, work, etc. And don’t get me wrong, technology is great (I probably wouldn’t have my job without it!). But we have so wrapped up in technology being our everyday norm, that a lot of the time I think we can forget how effective working together, face-to-face, genuine human interaction and collaboration, is.

Working with technology can feel quite isolating.

Safeguarding is all about people, so why do we so often choose to do it without other people? I’ve spoken about this topic before in a separate article, so I won’t go into that again (Beyond the Screen: The Importance of in-Person Training - It’s worth the read). Safeguarding involves complex and difficult decision making, and working together provides the opportunity to consider the situation from different perspectives. When making decisions alone, issues can quite easily fall through the cracks, be brushed over or discounted by our own internal biases – a scary responsibility when you must handle it by yourself.

The Foden case

There are many cases where we’ve seen this happen, and the results have ended tragically. A recent example of this is the Neil Foden case. In 2025, a headteacher of almost 30 years, was sentenced to 17 years in prison, charged with 19 cases of sexual abuse. The sad fact is that the headteacher “could have been stopped”. Concerns were made by teachers about the man in 2019, but it was chosen to not be investigated. A parent of one of his victims said “They could have stopped it… That's the key factor. Nothing changed in his behaviour”. This is a very real, heartbreaking story, that was finally exposed just a few months ago, and if he had been stopped sooner, Foden’s four victims, four young, teenage girls, may have not had to be the subject of his traumatic abuse. One of the girls in court, "He exploited my body and mind… I used to be light-hearted… now I am colder, and I don't care.". When it comes to keeping children safe, we must take every precaution we can to make sure that nothing is missed. One of these precautions is making decisions carefully and in cooperation.

It is essential that decisions aren’t made alone for this reason, but if we understand the importance of making decisions together, why do organisations so often choose to train their staff, not only from a screen, but by themselves, with no room to ask questions or explore key themes together

Going further, what about different organisations collaborating when it comes to safeguarding. There are so many benefits to this, and once again, safeguarding children and vulnerable adults is never an area where we should choose convenience over quality and effectiveness. Collaboration between organisations, whether you’re in the same industry or not, provides you with insight from other people with the same desire to keep vulnerable people safe is so valuable.

Victoria Climbie

The case of Victoria Climbie is another heartbreaking story that unfolded at the end of the 1990’s (again, we have another article written about this case - 10,000 children a year! The unique identifier for every child is 25 years overdue – so I won’t go into detail).  This beautiful young girl, described by a nurse who treated her seven months before her death as “a very friendly and happy child” was neglected and abused until she tragically passed away from this abuse in February 2000, when she was 8 years old. This is yet another case where there were many opportunities for the abuse to be found; signs of physical harm had been noted, accommodation was deemed unsuitable, lack of professional care or curiosity, failure to report child protection issues, false diagnosis and so many more. Many of the adults who should have had a duty of care of Victoria (doctors, teachers, police, social services), have admitted since to highly regretting their decisions and making several mistakes in her case. Off the back of this tragic story, government recommendations were made for an increase in multi-agency working. Working in isolation means these gaps still exist in places, and we still see children unnecessarily slipping through the protective net, resulting in neglect, abuse and sometimes even death.

Encouraging collaboration in safeguarding is essential. Don’t choose convenience over value in this sector.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0mxk1g2vnjo

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz99dep5y62o

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7c5edeed915d696ccfc51b/5730.pdf