Safeguarding Associates for Excellence

In 2023, London witnessed 103 homicides—a stark reminder of the work still needed to combat violent crime. Over 60% of these incidents involved stabbings, with young people disproportionately affected. In 2024, the violence persisted. MyLondon’s analysis of deadly incidents reported over the year highlights 12 shootings, 51 stabbings, and 25 assaults leading to murder investigations. Their data also suggests violent crime remains concentrated north of the River Thames, particularly in North and East London. Link: https://lnkd.in/efd3PjQf These are not just statistics—they are lives lost and communities grieving. As professionals committed to public safety, we must go beyond enforcement. Violence thrives in environments marked by socio-economic disparities and limited opportunities, particularly for youth. This means: • Strengthening partnerships between law enforcement, schools, and community organizations. • Establishing a healthy and sustained dialogue with our youth—not just listening to them, but truly hearing their concerns, needs, and aspirations. • Expanding youth outreach programs that address the root causes of violence. • Tackling the negative impact of online content that fuels offline harm, including the acquisition of weapons and the glorification or glamorization of their carriage and usage. As Ofcom’s Harms Lead for Firearms, Knives, and Other Weapons, I believe this work is critical to creating a safer online and to cut the impact of the online to offline. Every platform in scope must assess their risks and implement protections in 2025. The stakes are high for inaction. This includes targeted measures to address: • The glamorization of weapon carriage and violence. • The dissemination of illegal content, including exposing for sale firearms, prohibited knives and other weapons and 3D-printed weapon files and instruction manuals. Check out one of my earlier post here for more: https://lnkd.in/e7MSr97v. Together, through coordinated action and accountability, we can offer young people a future free from violence, both online and offline. We cannot tackle this alone. A coordinated effort is essential—bringing together our youth, law enforcement, policymakers, educators, and community leaders to create lasting change. Together, we can build safer communities and offer young people a future free from violence. Let’s keep the conversation going and the momentum strong. I am committed to making 2025 the turning point. Action on Armed Violence Annual Reports: https://lnkd.in/edxZbpGi #Leadership #CommunitySafety #YouthEmpowerment #OnlineSafetyAct #IllegalHarms #SafetyByDesign #Ofcom #AntiSocialMedia

A new Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan launched in the UK by the National Police Chiefs' Council and the Crown Prosecution Service commits police and prosecutors to work together more effectively and at earlier stages of investigations in order to increase successful judicial outcomes as well as improving the service to victims, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports. ❝We have seen through our work to improve rape investigations and prosecutions that when we come together quicker to identify issues and reasonable lines of inquiry, we can build cases which result in guilty pleas or convictions at trial.❞ - Baljit Ubhey, Crown Prosecution Service Director of Strategy and Policy ❝Communicating early in high-harm, high-risk DA cases, considering protective orders from the outset, ‘robustly pursuing’ those who breach bail conditions and protective orders, and considering if their behaviour amounts to a new offence.❞ - Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan ❝Under the police action points, forces will quality-assure their DA response against Authorised Professional Practice to ensure that victims receive the best possible service.❞ ❝We want women and girls to feel safe and confident reporting any instances of abuse to the authorities. One of the ways we can reassure and support victims is by ensuring that when they do come forward, swift action is taken to prevent any further harm.❞ - AC Louisa Rolfe, National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) lead for Domestic Abuse [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] https://lnkd.in/ecJA_9zZ #lawenforcement #policing #police #investigation #crime #domesticabuse

You might not want to think about it, but your kids are sharing nude images online. It’s awkward, but you need to talk about it. Don’t get angry. Talk about it. Get help & advice at https://lnkd.in/eEvGktgt. Help us spread the word & share with your networks. #ThinkBeforeYouShare #AwarenessCampaign

I've got a lot of respect for Louise Casey, but I despair when I read that her independent commission "is an opportunity to start a national conversation about long term solutions" for social care. Start a conversation? Start? There's a real disconnect between the announcement this morning and simultaneously being told about the urgent need to look after older and vulnerable people over the next few days to make sure they don't freeze to death in cold weather. How many older people have died prematurely while they wait for a local authority care assessment that never comes? Wes Streeting has rightly talked about 'prevention', preventing or delaying the need for care. We know that housing, support for families, longer domiciliary care visits, falls prevention, social contact, to name a few examples, help people live well for longer. What will be different in 2028 when the commission reports? People that need care and work in care are chronically undervalued. They need help now. This delay and procrastination is another kick in the face for all of us. #socialcare

As many of you may know, I am in my final year of studying for a Diploma in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy. I am currently working on my final assignment of the four year diploma, which is a research project. My job for the past 4.5 years has been as an Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA), supporting women who have experienced sexual violence to navigate the criminal justice system. My time as an ISVA has shown me just how profound an impact the system can have not only on the survivors I supported, but on the practitioners as well. My research will therefore seek to answer the question "what is the impact on professionals supporting survivors through the criminal justice system?". With the increased court and police delays, backlogs, and high caseloads, this research comes at a crucial time for the sector. If you or someone you know has worked with survivors as they navigate the CJS, I would be very grateful if you could complete my research questionnaire. This could be as an ISVA, as a therapist/counsellor offering pre-trial therapy support, or in another role that offers specialist support to survivors navigating the CJS. The survey should take 10 - 20 minutes to complete. It can be completed anonymously, though there is the option to provide contact details at the end. I have provided information within the survey about my approach to ethics. The deadline to respond to the survey is Sunday 9th February 2025. The link to the survey is here: https://lnkd.in/eBDravue Any questions you can leave a comment, send me a message, or email helenatherapy@hotmail.com. Wishing you all a peaceful end to 2024.

As a new year begins, I want to hear from as many children as possible & to make sure what they really think is heard by politicians & decision makers. Children can let me know their views any time, any day of the year through #TheBigConversation https://lnkd.in/g7Yduagu

As we go into 2025, there's only one wish I have as a victim and survivor of #csa and that is for Della’s Law to finally be implemented. 7 long years campaigning this coming year. It absolutely breaks my heart that every day that passes, more children and vulnerable people are put at risk from a loophole that successive governments knew about way back in 2004, when the Bichard Inquiry reported its findings. It really is a no brainer! This must be the year we see real legislative change. Happy New Year all ❤️