The Preventing Child Abuse and Exploitation Conference 2026: Keeping Children Safe from Harm

Past Supporters Include:

Overview:

Every day, children are harmed in homes, schools, communities, and online spaces, often hidden in plain sight. While reported cases continue to rise, professionals know the true scale of abuse is far greater than the data suggests. In response, the UK has introduced landmark reforms: the new Child Protection Authority and the Freedom from Violence and Abuse Strategy to tackle child exploitation and ensure stronger and quicker support for victims. These developments mark a pivotal moment in safeguarding, signalling a shift from reactive responses to proactive, system-wide protection, however:

• Children make up only 20% of the population but are the victims in 40% of all sexual offences recorded by the police. (Gov UK, 2025)
• 13.6 million people aged 18 years and over (29.0%) had experienced “any abuse” before the age of 18 years (ONS, 2024)
• 300 million+ children under the age of 18 have been affected by online child sexual exploitation and abuse in the last 12 months worldwide (WeProtect, 2024)

Join us at the Preventing Child Abuse Conference 2026: Keeping Children Safe from Harm to explore the latest policy updates, evidence-based prevention strategies, and practical interventions. Hear from leading experts, connect with senior colleagues from public, voluntary, and statutory sectors, and engage in discussions that will help you turn national strategy into frontline action. This conference is your opportunity to understand emerging risks, strengthen multi-agency collaboration, and ensure children are protected before harm occurs.

Agenda

• 9.30am

  Registration

• 9.45am

  Chair’s Opening Remarks

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

• 10.00am

  Keynote: Latest Government Updates on Child Abuse Prevention

  • Exploring the role of the new Child Protection Authority in improving national oversight and accountability
  • Understanding how recent reforms, including the Freedom from Violence and Abuse Strategy and extension in the pilot ensuring faster support for child exploitation victims, strengthen safeguarding systems
  • Practical guidance on integrating national policy into local prevention and intervention strategies
  • Insights into funding, resources, and collaboration opportunities to protect children from exploitation

  Josh MacAlister OBE, Minister for Children and Families, Department for Education (invited)

• 10.20am

  Keynote: Systemic Safeguarding Reform and Accountability

  • Understanding the role of national oversight in driving consistent safeguarding standards
  • Learning from national inquiries and practice reviews
  • Embedding lessons from serious cases into local safeguarding practice
  • Strengthening multi-agency collaboration and professional accountability

  Sir David Holmes CBE, CEO, Family Action and Chair, Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel (invited)

• 10.40am

  Keynote: Identifying and Responding to Child Abuse Effectively 

  • Ensuring quick identification of abuse or exploitation to minimise risk of harm
  • Supporting a child’s physical and emotional well-being during the process of reporting abuse and beyond
  • Outlining what steps to take when a referral is not made or the threshold for intervention is not met
  • Embedding trauma-informed, child-centred practice at every stage of identification and response

  Anna Glinski, Deputy Director: Knowledge & Practice Development, The Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse (invited)

• 11.00am

  Questions & Answers 

• 11.20am

  Comfort Break

• 11.40am

  Keynote: Utilising Multi-Agency Working to Tackle Child Abuse and Exploitation

  • Using intelligence and local data to highlight hotspots, emerging threats, and periods of heightened risk
  • Incorporating victim and survivor experiences to inform proactive policing strategies and multi-agency interventions
  • Strengthening communication and operational protocols between agencies to improve early identification, investigation, and safeguarding outcomes
  • 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

  Androulla Vai Nicolaou, Child Exploitation Prevention Officer, Avon and Somerset Constabulary (CONFIRMED)

  

• 12.00pm

  Case Study: Child Exploitation: Drawing Parallels Between County Lines Grooming and Radicalisation

  • Examining how children are coerced or groomed into criminal networks across counties
  • Understanding the drivers of county lines exploitation, including poverty, vulnerability, and social pressures
  • Identifying early warning signs and intervention points for schools, social services, and law enforcement
  • Multi-agency approaches to disrupt networks, protect children, and provide trauma-informed support
  • Insights from survivor experiences to inform prevention and rehabilitation strategies

  Jenna Ellis, Associate, Criminology Services (CONFIRMED)

  

• 12.20pm

  Questions & Answers 

• 12.40pm

  Lunch Break 

• 1.40pm

  Case Study: Keeping Children Safe Online: Deepfakes and Online Grooming

  • Outlining the risks of AI-generated content, deepfakes, and online grooming
  • Understanding UK laws and police powers to combat online exploitation
  • Practical guidance for schools, parents, and tech platforms to spot early signs of online grooming and technology facilitated abuse
  • Supporting children who have been targeted or harmed online through trauma-informed responses

  Will Gardner OBE, CEO, Childnet (invited)

• 2.00pm

  Keynote: Preventing Radicalisation: Insights from PREVENT

  • Understanding the PREVENT strategy and its application to safeguarding children at risk of radicalisation
  • Identifying early indicators of radicalisation and vulnerable populations
  • Integrating community engagement, education, and frontline professional awareness into safeguarding approaches
  • Navigating the balance between safeguarding and freedom of expression in schools and communities

  Neil Lemon, Prevent Manager, London Borough of Redbridge (invited)

• 2.20pm

  Questions & Answers 

• 2.40pm

  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.

• 3.10pm

  Comfort Break

• 3.30pm

  Case Study: Safeguarding Children with Disabilities

  • Identifying the heightened risks of abuse and exploitation among children with physical, learning, or sensory disabilities
  • Tailoring safeguarding pathways, communication strategies, and protective interventions
  • Training for frontline professionals to recognise abuse and respond effectively
  • Working with families, carers, and specialist services to deliver coordinated, child-centred protection

  Lucy Davis, Designated Safeguarding Lead and Safeguarding Disabled Children Trainer, The Garden School Hackney (invited)

• 3.50pm

  Keynote: Providing Trauma Informed Therapy and Support for Survivors of Childhood Abuse

  • Exploring evidence-based therapeutic approaches for children and adults affected by abuse
  • Understanding the long-term psychological and emotional impacts of childhood trauma
  • Integrating trauma-informed practice into safeguarding systems and frontline services
  • Highlighting survivor voices to shape effective, empathetic, and culturally sensitive interventions

  Gemma Halliwell, Director, The Bluestar Project (invited)

• 4.10pm

  Questions & Answers

• 4.30pm

  Chair’s Closing Remarks

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

• 4.40pm

  Conference Close 

Get in Touch

Previous Speakers

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 using the enquiry form below.

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: