Course outline:

This year’s SACPA and BSA Annual Safeguarding Conference promises to bring a day packed with expert speakers from a range of disciplines and perspectives who aim to inform, challenge, and invigorate delegates on a range of key and contemporary safeguarding topics and learning.

Addressing key issues from our members, sessions will consider the current safeguarding landscape the conference closes with the awards ceremony for SACPA Annual Safeguarding Awards.

SACPA and BSA will facilitate questions directly from members to our experts throughout the day and encourage delegates to come prepared with questions for our panels.

Unable to attend? A post conference recording will be available for purchase. This does not include the student-led session.

Training topics will include:

• Keynote address
• Responding to Child-on-Child Abuse
• Working with Affluence
• Gearing up for the impact of AI and Virtual Reality
• Developing safeguarding practice with international families
• Presentation of SACPA Safeguarding Awards 2023-24.

Learning outcomes:

• Delegates will be updated abut the latest trends and where their focus should be in the immediate future
• Delegates will be updated on what works in responding to child-on-child abuse
• Delegates will consider the impact of power relations on safeguarding practice in fee paying schools and what this means for the lived experience of affluent children living in neglectful circumstances
• Delegates will understand how the Virtual Reality Risks Against Children videos for children and toolkit for safeguarding leads in schools can be incorporated into the preventative education offer and help children navigate virtual worlds more safely.
• Delegates will benefit from the experience of leaders working with international families and how safeguarding practice has developed to improve outcomes for children
• Delegates will have the opportunity to celebrate with runners up and winners of the SACPA Annual Safeguarding Awards

SACPA Members Safeguarding Awards 2024

The conference will conclude with a presentation to announce the winners of the annual SACPA Safeguarding Awards for 2023-24. Please click here to enter the awards. The deadline for entries is September 30, 2024. Please note, the awards are open to SACPA members only.

Audience: All those involved in safeguarding

Platform: Zoom (online) – conference

Cost:

• SACPA/BSA Member Rate: £235
• SACPA/BSA Additional Full Member Fee: £110
• BSA Affiliate Member Fee: £335
• BSA Additional Affiliate Member Fee: £145
• Non-member Rate: £470*

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*If you would like to become a member and access discounted rates for Sacpa CPD and events, please click here.

Programme:

09:30 – 10:15

Keynote Address

In our keynote session SACPA and BSA Safeguarding and Child Protection advisory board chair reviews current trends in safeguarding practise. What are the key themes, what can we expect in the near future, and what should we planning to address right now.

• Chair: David Walker, Executive Director, Boarding and Director BSA/TIOB
  • Speaker: Karl Hopwood, E-safety Expert

10:15 – 11:15

Responding to Child-on-Child Abuse – Panel Discussion

Settings for children have been implementing child-on-child abuse practice for some time. In this session our panel members discuss the challenges, lessons learned and innovative practice responses to this complex area of safeguarding practice.

• Chair: David Smellie, Farrer  
  • Speaker: Simon Hill, Deputy Head, Christ College Brecon
  • Clare McDonnell, Safeguarding Lead, Fettes College
  • Delyth Lynch, Director of Safeguarding, Wellington College
  • Simon Cane-Hardy, Head of Senior School, Gordonstoun 

Break  11:15 – 11:45

11:45 – 12:45

Working with Affluence

In this session our speaker presents findings of what we know about working with affluence. How may power relations impact the delivery of safeguarding practise in fee paying schools and what does this mean for thresholds, and the lived experience of affluent children living in neglectful circumstances.

• Chair: Claire Dan, SACPA and Director of Safeguarding, BSA Group 
  • Speaker: Professor Claudia Barnard, Professor of Social Work, Goldsmiths University of London

Lunch 12:45 – 13:30

13:30 – 14:30

Children Playing in Virtual Reality: reviewing the VIRAAC toolkit and resources

In this session our speaker explains the background to the Virtual Reality Risks Against Children Project, it’s published findings, the resource and toolkits that result from the project. Our panel of child and adult reviewers will then give their views on using the toolkit and resources.

• Chair: Dale Wilkins, Executive Director, Scotland/Wales and Accredited/Compliance
  • Speaker: Claire Dan, SACPA and Director of Safeguarding, BSA Group 

Break 14:30 – 14:45

14:45 – 15:30

Developing Safeguarding Practice with International Families

Working with international families, their understanding of safeguarding in the UK and the backdrop of practitioners cultural competence, and family cultural expectations creates a complex safeguarding context in which the child can very easily be lost. Our speakers summarise the key issues for safeguarding practitioners, and describe how thier safeguarding practice with international families has developed and improved outcomes of children.

• Chair: Bethan Hudson, Executive Director Specialist Services and Director, BAISIS, BSA Group
  • Speaker: Mario Di Clemente, Education Consultant

15:30 – 16:00

Conference close and presentation of SACPA Safeguarding Awards 2023-24

Join SACPA to celebrate the success and achievement for children and adults. We announce the organisations and safeguarding professionals who have been recognised for achieving excellence in safeguarding tis year and are winnders and runners up of the SACPA Annual Safeguarding Award.

• Chair: Claire Dan, SACPA and Director of Safeguarding, BSA Group 
• Dale Wilkins, Executive Director, Scotland/Wales and Accredited/Compliance

16:00

Conference close

Speakers:

Claire Dan, Director of Safeguarding, BSA Group and Director, SACPA

Claire is Director of Safeguarding and Director, Sacpa and leads on the provision of safeguarding advice and support to members and the development and delivery of CPD and safeguarding consultancy services. Claire is a safeguarding specialist and leader with a background in education welfare, youth justice, and early help contexts which have involved a strong focus on diverse and collaborative partnerships, professional development and supervision of front-line safeguarding colleagues, and leading multi-disciplinary teams and projects. Between 2006 and 2013 Claire was involved with Luton Safeguarding Children Board as a lead multi-agency safeguarding trainer, developing and delivering single and multi-agency safeguarding training, and since 2013 has delivered pieces of bespoke consultancy work, and providing a range of safeguarding consultancy on a freelance basis.

Dale Wilkins, Executive Director, Scotland/Wales and Accredited/Compliance

Dale joined the BSA during Summer 2017 with responsibility for safeguarding and standards, having previously been a course tutor since 1998. In July 2019 he also assumed responsibility for the BSA’s training programme, including both day seminars and accredited training courses. Dale leads on all safeguarding and inspection matters for the BSA, including managing the Commitment to Care Charter and has also developed a process of BSA Accreditation for our international members. He also liaises with ISI, Ofsted and DfE on matters relating to compliance and inspection standards, and compiles the BSA Self-Assessment toolkit, which he first produced in 2002, since which time he has been closely involved in inspection in state and independent boarding.

For 31 years Dale was a boarding practitioner. After boarding positions at Norwich School and Tettenhall College, Dale became a Housemaster at Old Swinford Hospital in 1992, and was promoted to Deputy Head in 2007, and subsequently also DSL. He has also been a multi-agency trainer for the Dudley Safeguarding Children’s Board.

David Walker, Executive Director, Boarding and Director BSA/TIOB

David is the Executive Director, Boarding and Director BSA/TIOB  and joined the BSA group in August 2023. He has over 20 years’ experience in boarding schools and has worked in a range of schools in the UK and Africa, alongside being a prep school governor and a trustee of a MAT. Before taking up his post at the BSA, David was Deputy Head Pastoral at a large co-ed independent school in the South-East.

Bethan Hudson, Executive Director Specialist Services and Director, BAISIS, BSA Group

Bethan Waddington joined the BSA team as Training Manager in September 2017. Bethan has worked in two independent boarding schools in the UK and Switzerland, the latter as Housemistress to 36 pupils. Following her time in Switzerland, she was a Pastoral Manager for an inner-city state academy before working in the charity sector for Debrett’s running the ‘Debrett’s Foundation’ training programme.

In her role, Bethan plans and manages all Day Seminars, Conferences, INSET and Consultancy, as well as being Director of BAISIS. She believes boarding can be a positive force for young people and in order to fully support their needs staff can never learn too much. As such she is passionate about the CPD BSA delivers to our pastoral communities in the UK and worldwide.

Karl Hopwood, E-safety Expert

is an independent online safety expert. He is a member of UKCIS (UK Council for Internet Safety) and sits on the UKCIS evidence group, education working group and the early warning group as well as on the advisory board for the UK Safer Internet Centre. He also sits on the Roblox trust and safety board where he represents the Insafe network. He was recently part of an expert steering group with TikTok looking at harmful and dangerous online challenges.

Karl has worked for a number of key players in the UK and abroad including CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre), BECTA (British Educational and Communications Technology Agency), the European Commission, the UN and several Local Authorities within the UK and in Europe.

As an ex primary headteacher, he continues to work closely in schools across Europe with children, young people, parents, teachers and governors to develop safer online behaviours and the promotion of digital literacy. Karl has been employed for the last 16 years as an in-house consultant for INSAFE which is the coordinating node of the EU Better Internet for Kids programme where he is responsible for the coordination of safer internet helplines across Europe. Karl was the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Marie Collins Foundation for 7 years, a charity which supports young people who have been sexually abused and exploited online and is Chair of the board of trustees of Childnet international and Chair of the executive committee of SACPA (Safeguarding and Child Protection Association). Karl has recently worked with a team developing a national online safety strategy in Rwanda and chaired the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) working group to re-write their Child Online Protection Guidance.

David Smellie, Head of Safeguarding Unit, Farrer & Co

David Smellie for many years headed the firm’s employment team and schools group, and today, whilst remaining a key member of both, he separately leads the firm’s market leading safeguarding unit.

In advising schools David focuses on issues relating to staff, pupils and parents – from sensitive dismissals to pupil exclusions and parental complaints.  David’s leadership of the safeguarding unit stems from many years of advising schools on safeguarding and child protection.  He founded the firm’s safeguarding unit in 2015 which advises organisations either working or coming into contact with children.  These include schools, universities, charities, churches and religious organisations, visitor attractions, sports clubs and the medical sector.  David advises on the full range of safeguarding issues, from creating safer systems to handling live cases and carrying out retrospective reviews.  He is particularly well known for his role in advising on the Southbank International Vahey case where he led the Farrer & Co team in conducting the Independent Review of Hugh Davies QC and in advising Chelsea FC on its independent reviews of non-recent child sexual abuse, current safeguarding systems, and non-recent racial abuse.

Delyth Lynch, Director of Safeguarding, Wellington College

Delyth has been on the Senior Leadership Team at Wellington College for 10 years, having previously been Deputy Head (Pastoral). This followed a long career in boarding as a Director of Extra-Curricular activities and Housemistress at two schools.

In 2018 she was awarded the BSA Research Fellowship; Delyth conducted her research on ‘Abuse in Boarding Schools, probing into an area where there was little research or literature available. Her paper won the National Research Award (2019). Her innovative work in the pastoral education of parents saw her winning the TES ‘Boarding Initiative of the Year’ award (2016) and in 2020 the inaugural Wellington College ‘Community Mental Health Day’ was recognised with them winning the BSA ‘Wellbeing and Mental Health Initiative of the Year’. Wellington College currently holds the Gold Status in School Mental Health through the Carnegie Centre of Excellence.

Delyth is the Safeguarding Governor and Vice Chair of Governors at a local school and leads the Local Independent Schools DSL cluster group. She has also been a BSA course tutor on the Certificate and Diploma Courses and her work in the area of abuse in boarding schools was cited by IICSA in their recent inquiry into abuse in residential settings.

In her spare time, Delyth enjoys running around with her 4 year old daughter and triathlon.

Simon Hill, Deputy Head, Christ College Brecon

Simon grew up in Eastbourne, East Sussex and was educated at Eastbourne College. He gained a BA (Hons) Geography at Kings College London University and a PGCE at the Institute of Education, London. He started his career as a teacher of geography at King Edward’s School, Surrey, before moving to Glenalmond College, Perth where he was Senior Housemaster. In 2010, Simon was appointed as Director of Boarding at Brisbane Grammar School, Queensland, before moving back to the UK to join Christ College as Deputy Head (Pastoral) in 2016.  His focus is on pupil wellbeing, the second curriculum and sport of all types.  He also runs the school’s annual pupil exchange programme to Japan.

Clare McDonnell, Safeguarding Lead, Fettes College

Clare studied Classics at the University of St Andrews and then went straight to the University of Cambridge to do her PGCE in Classics teaching. She started her teaching career at Oundle School, where she was also the Assistant Houseparent in a girls’ boarding house, and the Deputy Child Protection Officer. After four years Clare moved to Fettes College as a Classics teacher and was delighted to be back in Scotland. She was the Assistant Houseparent in a girls’ boarding house for five years, and has been the Child Protection Co-ordinator since 2018. She joined the Senior Management Team in 2023 as the Safeguarding Lead.

Professor Claudia Barnard, Professor of Social Work, Goldsmiths University of London

Claudia Bernard is Professor of Social Work at Goldsmiths, University of London. She has a background in social work and her research interests lie in the areas of safeguarding, child abuse and neglect, and the impact of systemic equalities on child and family welfare. She has written widely on these topics, including a book entitled Constructing Lived Experiences: Representations of Black Mothers in Child Sexual Abuse Discourses (2nd Edition, Routledge, 2017), and an edited collection entitled Safeguarding Black Children: Good Practice in Child Protection (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2016). Her latest book Intersectionality for Social Workers: A Practical Introduction to Theory and Practice (2022) is published by Routledge. Professor Bernard has pioneered research on child neglect in affluent families.

Simon Cane-Hardy, Head of Senior School, Gordonstoun 

Simon studied History at Cardiff University and worked in London before undertaking teacher training. He then taught History, became a Head of Department, Boarding Housemaster and Head of Boarding. He coached Rugby and Cricket and plays sport to an average level! In 2016 Simon moved to Prior Park College in Bath as Deputy Head. He moved to Gordonstoun as Head in 2023 where he lives on campus with his wife Helen and their three children, who attend the Gordonstoun Prep School.

Mario Di Clemente, Education Consultant

Mario is a modern languages graduate and qualified teacher who started out as Head of Spanish at Woldingham School before taking up a Director of Studies post at MPW London where he eventually became Vice Principal in 2001. He has occupied senior leadership and management positions ever since including as Principal of three colleges with international students: Cambridge Tutors College in Surrey, CATS College in London and Bishopstrow College in Wiltshire. He has also served as Chief Operations Officer of an Academy Trust in London and as a secondary school governor. Mario’s experience extends to both the independent and state sectors and in both day and boarding schools. He has led schools through highly successful inspections and has served as an ISI school inspector. He has also been a trustee on the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) and served as Chair of the Council for Independent Further Education (CIFE). Mario has been involved with BAISIS for over a decade and shares the priority of its members to provide a soft landing, nurturing environment and a memorable British educational experience for its diverse international student community.