The Preventing Child Abuse Conference 2025: A Proactive Approach to Safeguarding and Prevention

Past and Present Supporters Include:

Overview:

Cases of child abuse continue to grow in the UK. Around 107,000 exploitation offences were reported in 2022, a 7.6% increase compared to 2021 and nearly quadruple the figure from 10 years ago. Moreover, evidence suggests many offences of exploitation against children go unreported. In the previous three years, the government has introduced the Online Safety Bill (2023) to support authorities in tackling child sexual abuse and exploitation, however:

• An estimated 1 in 20 children in the UK have been sexually abused (NSPCC, 2024)
• There were over 61,000 police-recorded offences related to emotional abuse in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2022/23 (NSPCC, 2024)
• Two thirds (68%) of local authorities, and four in ten (39%) Police and Crime Commissioners have not commissioned any child sexual, criminal or combined exploitation services in the past 12 months (Barnardo’s, 2024)

Join us at the 2025 Preventing Child Abuse Conference: A Proactive Approach to Prevention and Safeguarding to hear the latest updates and guidance on preventing child abuse. Engage with a broad collection of prevention and safeguarding strategies that seek to combat the rise of abuse, especially online. You will also have the opportunity to network with senior colleagues from across the public and voluntary sector to discuss challenges you face in protecting children from harm and exploitation.

For more information or to make a booking please call 0330 058 4285

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Agenda

• 9.30am

  Registration

• 9.45am

  Chair’s Opening Remarks

  Dr Debra Allnock, Associate Professor, Safer Young Lives Research Centre, University of Bedfordshire (CONFIRMED)

  

   

• 10.00am

  Keynote: Latest Government Updates on Child Abuse Prevention

  • Considering the latest child safeguarding priorities of the new government
  • Outlining the latest updates from the implementation of the Online Safety Act (2023)
  • Considering how the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has shaped safeguarding policies
  • Implementing a practical system of prevention that includes Primary Prevention, Secondary Prevention and Tertiary Prevention strategies
  • Insights into the latest funding and resources available for initiatives working to tackle child exploitation

  Frances Frost, Director of Advocacy and Communications, Lucy Faithfull Foundation (CONFIRMED)

  

• 10.20am

  Keynote: Lived Experience: Amplifying the Voices of Survivors

  • Empowering victims of child abuse to speak openly about their experience and collaborate to develop recovery pathways and support plans
  • Embedding the lived experience of child abuse survivors into policy and practise to create a positive impact in survivor outcomes
  • Reframing debates and discussions of child abuse away from the perpetrators and towards the voices of victims to increase their visibility
  • Insights into the barriers to access which prevent some children from speaking out and accessing support services
  • Outlining good practise in supporting victims, such as, trauma informed practice, transitional safeguarding and complex safeguarding

  Karen Garland, Research and Policy Officer, Marie Collins Foundation (CONFIRMED)

  Megan Hinton, Victim and Survivor Advocate, Marie Collins Foundation (CONFIRMED)

  

• 11.00am

  Questions & Answers 

• 11.20am

  Comfort Break

• 11:35am

  Keynote: The Role of Local Authority Designated Officers (LADO) in Tackling Child Abuse and Exploitation

  • Outlining the key responsibilities LADO’s have in safeguarding children
  • Ensuring that local multi-agency strategies and systems are in place so that children being exploited or at risk of exploitation get a timely response
  • Identifying children who could be at risk of exploitation, such as children in care/care leavers, unaccompanied migrant children and abusive family environments
  • Highlighting lived experiences of victims/survivors in their area, specific locations causing concern and the particular periods when children are more at risk

  Andrea Garcia-Sangil, Local Authority Designated Officer, Hertfordshire County Council (CONFIRMED)

  

• 11:55am

  Keynote: Multi-Agency Approaches to Combatting Child Abuse

  • Supporting effective partnership working across different local contexts; providing a common language and framework to better respond to child abuse and extra-familial harm
  • Emphasising the importance of information sharing and collaboration between agencies so that professionals can fully understand any risks a child may be exposed to and take appropriate action to keep them safe
  • Prioritising children’s care by making informed decisions that are reached by supporting and challenging each other in an environment that has positive working relationships and good communication
  • Monitoring the impact of multi-agency work on children in local areas and working with other agencies to evaluate and improve practice

  Senior Representative, University of Oxford (invited)

• 12.15pm

  Questions & Answers 

• 12:35pm

  Lunch Break & Networking

• 1.25pm

  Case Study: Supporting Young People Online

  • Outlining the specific content that children can be exposed to that could cause them harm, specifically, pro-suicide, pro-self-harm and pro-eating disorder
  • Describing how positive online content can support young people with encouraging and supportive advice
  • Considering how social media algorithms influence what young people see online and limiting their exposure to negative content
  • Insights into how children feel when seeing negative online content, especially when they are already experiencing low self-esteem or worrying thoughts related to body image and mental health,

  Ella Bradshaw, Policy and Public Affairs Officer, NSPCC (CONFIRMED)

  

• 1.45pm

  Protecting Children from AI-Generated Sexual Abuse

  • Explaining how AI tools are being exploited to create and distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and drawing upon real cases
  • Outline the UK’s new laws criminalising the possession, creation and distribution of AI-generated CSAM
  • Detail new powers given to the police to investigate and prevent AI-driven exploitation
  • Advocating for tech companies to implement safeguards against AI misuse

  Hannah Swirsky, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Internet Watch Foundation (CONFIRMED)

  

• 2.05pm

  Questions & Answers 

• 2.25pm

  Breakout Networking

  This session will provide you with the opportunity to discuss the main challenges you face in safeguarding roles to protect children from abuse. We encourage you to share how you are currently working in partnership to increase awareness of child abuse, focus on the lived experience of survivors and discuss your most up-to-date safeguarding initiatives. Take this time to share your experiences and network with senior colleagues.

• 3.00pm

  Comfort Break

• 3.20pm

  Case Study: Preventing Sexual Exploitation, Grooming and Abuse

  • Identifying the current deficiencies in supporting vulnerable children, such as the lack of effective support available for high-risk children
  • Highlighting why disclosures of child sexual abuse to a responsible adult did not always lead to action being taken
  • Updates on the introduction of mandatory reporting duty and the implication for children’s services in England
  • Interrogating the conditions in which children do not report sexual abuse that they have either witnessed or been subjected to and reducing this vulnerability

  Candice Harris, Lived Experience Consultant and Author of Indescribable (CONFIRMED)

  Gemma Halliwell, CEO, The Green House (CONFIRMED)

  

• 4.00pm

  Case Study: Implementing Practical Proactive Safeguarding Strategies to Prevent Child Abuse

  • Outlining the recommendations from the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel
  • Ensuring practitioners can fulfil their roles and responsibilities in identifying and responding to child sexual abuse by reviewing and updating initial training, early career and ongoing professional development
  • Identifying clear safeguarding pathways that supports practitioners that are first identified through investigation, assessment and the provision of help
  • Ensuring there is a multi-agency approach to preventing child abuse in the family setting

  Anna Glinski, Deputy Director, CSA Centre, (CONFIRMED)

  

• 4.20pm

  Questions and Answers

• 4.40pm

  Chair’s Closing Remarks

  Dr Debra Allnock, Associate Professor, Safer Young Lives Research Centre, University of Bedfordshire (CONFIRMED)

  

• 4.50pm

  Conference Close 

Confirmed Speakers

Frances Frost

Director of Advocacy and Communications

Lucy Faithfull Foundation

Karen Garland

Research and Policy Officer

Marie Collins Foundation

Megan Hinton

Victim and Survivor Advocate

Marie Collins Foundation

Ella Bradshaw

Policy and Public Affairs Officer

NSPCC

Testimonials

Why You Should Attend

✓ Hear high-level keynotes on the latest updates and guidance on combating child exploitation

✓ Gain practical insights into identifying victims, creating effective referral pathways, and engaging with parents and carers

✓ Engage with senior colleagues from across the sector to discuss strategies for keeping children safe from abuse while online

✓ Gain 8 hours of CPD points towards your yearly quota

Who Should Attend?

Pricing Options

Sponsorship

Raise your Profile, Showcase Your Solutions, Generate New Business

If your products, services, and solutions can support our audiences in their roles, and you want to make connections and generate new business with key stakeholders, decision makers, and influencers, then please contact us HERE

IMPORTANT: There are only a small number of sponsorship opportunities available to ensure maximum exposure and ROI – contact us today to secure your place.

Virtual vs F2F

Whilst F2F provide better options for networking, there are many distinct advantages of sponsoring our online conferences including:

• Wider geographical reach of delegates and a different audience who prefer online to f2f
• Lower sponsorship package costs
• No travel/accommodation
• Less time out of the office
• No stand materials required (lower costs)
• 1 of only 2 sponsors involved – less competition on the day
• Prime speaking slot in the morning of the conference including Q&A – less distractions and easier for delegates to hear/absorb information
• Receive all delegate data after the conference to follow-up directly with those who attend and don’t attend (small % but still key stakeholders)
• Ongoing exposure via OnDemand access (coming soon)

To find out more and discuss your specific objectives, please contact us below: