SaFest 2026 weeklong programme

09:00   Welcome to SaFest 2026 - Nick, Jackie, Anna and Heather (The SaFest Team)

09:20   Welcome from Becky Hopkins, Deputy Director, Head of Children's Social Care

09:30   Keynote to be confirmed

10:30   SaFest on the sofa 

A conversation with Sarah-Lou Glover from Parental Minds. 

11:30   Break

11:45  Devon Families and Domestic Abuse - Hannah Ashford, Chief Executive Officer of North Devon Against Domestic Abuse (NDADA)

This session will explore the support available to families in the Devon County Area, signs of domestic abuse in children, the impact on families and future service development plans. There will also be the opportunity to ask questions. 

12:30   Lunch break 

13:00   A place of healing and hope for children - Dr Libby Sevink, Devon and Cornwall Sexual Assault Referral Centres

We are proud to be working in collaboration with the Stop It Now South West campaign run by child protection charity Lucy Faithfull Foundation to provide you with this webinar by Dr Libby Sevink.

This session will describe the work of SARCs, how they support children and families and how you can enable someone to access SARC services. You will also hear feedback from children and their families who have accessed SARC services.

As we are working in collaboration with Lucy Faithful Foundation please ensure you register for this session via this link: Register here

14:00   Using social pedagogy in children’s homes in the UK- inspired by Western European practices - Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang, Lighthouse Pedagogy Trust

Presentation overview:

• • • Where the idea came from to set up children’s homes in the UK, and our first exposure to social pedagogy 

• • • Visits to European children’s homes that used social pedagogy and what we learnt 

• • • High level similarities and differences between social pedagogy practice in the UK and Western Europe 
    • How social pedagogy can help tackle the challenges we see across the UK care sector

Potential discussion points:

• • • How we are using social pedagogy in our homes e.g. focus on education, recruitment principles, training, autonomy of practice, etc.
    • What lessons we have learnt about setting up our first home

14:30    SaFest on the sofa 

15:00   Break 

15:30  Safeguarding through a Trauma-Informed Lens  - Amber Canham, NHS Trauma Informed Project Lead Practitioner

More information coming soon

16:30   SaFest on the sofa (North) | Wrap up the day

16:45   Close of day

09:00  Welcome to SaFest 2026 - Nick, Jackie, Anna and Heather (The SaFest Team)​

09:30  The Bigger Picture: The impact of technology-assisted child sexual abuse - Megan Hinton, Marie Collins Foundation

The internet offers many exciting opportunities for childhood development, however, all too often it is used by others to facilitate the sexual abuse of children and young people. This presentation will highlight current best practice when working with victims of online sexual abuse and provide practitioners with resources to support children and young people on their recovery journey.

10:30 Ofsted’s new term, “strategic oversight” for safeguarding – What does it mean and how do we achieve it? - Jon Le Fevre, Educational Safeguarding Specialist

Curious about Ofsted's term "Strategic Oversight" of Safeguarding? Wondering what it really means and how to implement it effectively? This online session breaks it down in a friendly, easy-to-understand way. Perfect for educators and safeguarding leads wanting to engage in a professional conversation about this term and also how it can be achieved. Don't miss out on tips and insights that can make a real difference to your children and families.

11:15   Break

11:30  Preventing sexual harm before it happens - An exploration of Recovery Capital - Alex Burgess, Plymouth University

Alex will be presenting her PhD research into the prevention of sexual abuse via a strengths-based exploration into the capital possessed by people who may be at risk of committing a sexual offence. Framed by Granfield and Cloud's (2008) Recovery Capital model Alex will discuss how this model has been  applied to explore key development areas and areas of strength for people who may be at risk of harming others sexually with a view to enable primary and secondary prevention solutions.

12:30   The Harmful Impact of Online Misogyny: What Educators Need to Know - Natasha Eeles, Bold Voices

Online misogyny and its impact on young people has been dominating the news cycle of late; from the Netflix show Adolescence last year to the continued concern about so-called 'misogyny influencers' online. Many staff and adults working with children have become aware of the traction this type of online content has gained amongst young people, and even seen shifts in behaviour, language and attitudes that seem to reflect the ideas they are consuming online. This session will break down the messages young people are consuming through social media, where those messages sit within a wider culture of gender inequality, and ways that schools can start to proactively tackle misogyny and gender inequality. This session is informed by the work Bold Voices has done in over 200 schools across the UK with over 130,000 young people, staff and parents.

13:30   Lunch break 

14:00  Learning From Safeguarding Review of Sara Sharif

14:30  Supporting Parents/Carers in the Response to Repeat Missing Children - Maria Cassidy, NWG

An update of the National work being undertaken by NWG and partners to understand how we can enhance our response to parents/carers whose children are repeat missing as well as promoting new supporting resources including the NWG disruption toolkit.

15:30   Break

15:45  Equality, diversity and inclusions in exploitation - Sukhdev Rathore, NWG

Using Data to Drive Equality: This is a conversation starter about using data to explore disproportionality in responses to child exploitation.

Aims: We will explore how data can help us understand:

• • Who is over- or under-represented in services for child exploitation.
  • The influence of gender, ethnicity, and disability on these issues.

16:45   Wrap up of the day and what's to come!

09:00  Welcome to SaFest 2026 - Nick, Jackie, Anna and Heather (The SaFest Team)

09:30   Staying Safe in a Digital World: Helping Children Navigate Online Life - Amit Kalley, Founder, For working parents

From social media and messaging apps to gaming and online trends, the digital world is shaping how our children connect, communicate, and grow. But with new opportunities come real risks, as highlighted in the Netflix series, Adolescence, from exposure to harmful content and online predators to the pressures of social media and screen overuse.

In this practical, research-informed session, we’ll explore how children and young people are using the internet today, the language they use online (including emojis and acronyms), and the hidden dangers parents need to know about.

We’ll also look at the latest UK data on screen time and wellbeing, and discuss the role of platforms like Roblox, TikTok, and Snapchat. Most importantly, you’ll leave with simple, effective tools to help your child build a healthy relationship with technology. Learn how to start the right conversations, ask better questions, set boundaries that work, and strengthen your connection with your child in a digital age.

10:30  Sex is kind of broken now - Harriet Waldegrave, Head of Policy, Officer of the Children's Commissioner

A presentation on the Children’s Commissioner’s latest report on children’s exposure to online pornography, Ofcom’s response to regulation, and the wider impact the online world is having on childhood.

• • Online safety in context – an overview of the Children’s Commissioner recent census of schools, detailing their concerns about online safety and misogyny
  • Overview of children’s exposure to pornography prior to implementation of the Online Safety Act, including age and means of exposure, and exposure to violent content.
  • Children’s views on the impact of seeing pornography
  • The Children’s Commissioner’s views on the early days of the Online Safety Act – what is going well and what should we be worrying about?

11:30   Break

11:45   Personal, relational and societal implications of normalised pornography use - Gemma Kelly, Senior policy consultant

This presentation will focus on how pornography normalises violence against women and girls, shapes sexual scripts, grooms men and boys to perpetrate sexual violence, and has contributed to child-on-child sexual abuse. It will also explore the impact of consuming pornography on the human brain, and how users can escalate to consuming more violent and deviant content, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

It will also explore what legislative action has been taken in the United Kingdom to regulate the pornography industry, such as the introduction of age verification, and what more still needs to be done at every level of society, to curb the harms of this dangerous industry.

12:30   SaFest on the Sofa | Missing Young People- partnership responses to safeguarding children who go missing from home or care 

A conversation with Steve Parsons and Alan Thomas (Devon and Cornwall Police Missing Persons team)

13:00   Lunch break

13:30  Thriving not Surviving: An Educators Role in Early Help - Lewis Webb, Team Lead, Inclusion and Learning (Exeter/East)

As educators we know our families and children so well and are the masters of childhood development. But do we intervene early enough to lead change? Today’s short session is designed to empower leaders of safeguarding in schools to have impactful discussions early, respond to their gut swiftly and lead change at the source with families. We interact with children and families daily and it is our gift to make the most impactful change before it is too late.   

We will discuss how to ‘be more armadillo’ in our approach to family support. Dig beneath the surface with professional curiosity. Change challenging/ tricky conversations into impactful ones. Be part of the Early Help revolution and get families thriving not surviving… early!

14:30    SaFest on the Sofa | A conversation with Penny Goldsby-West and Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) students from the Virtual School

At SaFest, Penny will be joined by some of the UASC and young people, who will be sharing their experiences of arriving in the UK and reflecting on how we, as a community, can make them feel safe, welcomed, and valued.

15:30   Break

15:45  Child Neglect and links to CSA and Harmful Sexual Behaviour - Jane Wiffin, Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR) author and consultant

More information coming soon

16:45   Wrap up of the day and what's to come!

09:00  Welcome to SaFest 2026 - Nick, Jackie, Anna and Heather (The SaFest Team)

09:30  Using Solution focused approach to engage creatively with young people: A framework for co creating change -Leon Helsby and Steven Hancock, Essex Solution Focused Centre

How the Solution focused approach can be used to creatively work with young people, to give them a sense of autonomy in their own lives, help them to have their voice heard and provide a framework for change.

11:00   Break

11:15  Creating safety - increasing community guardianship for young people at risk of harm outside the home - Lisa Colombi, Service Manager, Family Help and Young & Thriving, Dorset Council

Community guardianship and engaging with non-traditional safeguarding partners are key elements of contextual safeguarding. In Dorset, the Pineapple Project is an innovative approach to creating safety for young women at risk of sexual harassment, violence and abuse in the community.  The project was developed by youth work and social work professionals who have recruited and trained community guardians within their local community, ensuring young woman have access to safe adults as well as raising awareness of gender based violence and the need for everyone to play a part in creating safety.

This session will share the key learning from the project, including the vital role youth work, and in particular detached youth work, has played in developing the approach. It will also consider how the approach can be adapted to address other forms of extra-familial harm.

12:30   Safeguarding on transport - Joe Clay, Railway Children 

The presentation will focus on safeguarding and the railway. It will explore the safeguarding issues that arise on a daily basis, what the rail industry is doing to respond to these issues and how you can support the ongoing work to make the railway a safer place. 

13:30   Lunch break

14:00   Safeguarding Without Boarders...Contextual Safeguarding Across TheSouth-West Peninsula - Nick Meller (Devon CC), Katie Buckley (Torbay CC)  and Natasha James (Cornwall CC)

More information coming soon

15:00   SaFest on the Sofa 

A conversation with Emma Phillips, Head of the Devon County Council Virtual School

15:30   Break

15:45   Keynote title to be confirmed - Rachel Cunningham, Y-SMART

More information coming soon

16:45   Wrap up of the day and what's to come!

09:00  Welcome to SaFest 2026 - Nick, Jackie, Anna and Heather (The SaFest Team)

09:15   Places to go and things to do - Claire Richardson, Devon Participation team and Devon Youth Council 

More information coming soon

09:45   Safe isn't simple - talking about safety to young people with SLCN - Emma Black and Elinor Pepperell, Bridges

Talking about safety with young people who have Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) isn't easy. This session explores the complexity of the language and concepts that crop up in conversations about safety.  We'll share some practical strategies for making these tricky conversations more accessible and meaningful.

11:00   Break

11:15   Young people and homelessness - Jenny Lynch and James Simpson - Young Devon

More information coming soon...

12:00  Where's the Line?: A Comprehensive Continuum of Sibling Sexual Behaviour - Maria Socolof and Brandy Black are cofounders of 5WAVES

This session will be based on our collaborative work, led by Maria, to come up with a useful tool for assessment and evaluation of potentially harmful sexual behaviour that is specific to siblings.

13:00   SaFest on the sofa

A conversation with Jack Newton, Deputy Director for Devon Inclusion and Learning

13:30   Wrap up of the day and week