Safeguarding Matters with the Ann Craft Trust

We Matter Too! is a project that addresses the needs of disabled young people facing domestic abuse.

The project was funded by the Lloyds Bank Foundation as part of a series of projects looking at domestic violence.

It explored gaps in domestic abuse service provisions and awareness of practitioners working with disabled young people, as identified by SafeLives and Women’s Aid. ACT, in partnership with Anita Franklin at Coventry University, carried out work that specifically addresses the needs of young disabled people.
We Matter Too – National Launch Event

To officially launch the We Matter Too project, we’re hosting an open event. Our event is for anyone working with young people and disabled people. It’s also aimed at anyone working in police, healthcare, and social care to support young people, disabled young people, and adults at risk – both in the statutory and voluntary sectors.

Date: 09 December 2019

Time: 10:30am – 4:30pm

There are 60 free places at this event.

We’ll provide lunch and refreshments.

What to Expect From Your Day

This is a great opportunity to network, and to reflect on numerous challenging areas of practice. We’ll discuss the best ways to reach out to young people facing abuse and harm in relationships.

The agenda includes:

• Feedback and presentations exploring how disabled young people and adults experience domestic abuse,
• Why do disabled young people face higher risks of domestic abuse?
• The challenges of practice: How do young people understand domestic abuse? How do practitioners understand domestic abuse? Do practitioners fully understand learning disabilities and ASC?
• What role can we play in making a difference? How can we make a difference in practice?

Book Your Place

Laura Thorpe, Safeguarding Adults Manager at The Ann Craft Trust, talks to Daniela Smith and Jessica Johnson from Our Dementia Choir.
Our Dementia Choir uses music to bring happiness, connection, and comfort to people affected by dementia. The choir performs throughout the country and offers support and resources to raise awareness and funds.
Laura, Daniela, and Jessica discuss the work of the choir, the importance of person-centred support, and the amazing power of music to bring people together. They also offer some tips on how listeners can use music to transform their own worlds.

Nicola chats with Nick Slinn from the CPSU, and ACT CEO Deborah Kitson about a long and fruitful partnership.
ACT and the CPSU have been working together for some years now to help spread awareness and best practice about safeguarding adults in sport. Here they talk about how the partnership came to be, before exploring why the work they're doing is so important.

The Safeguarding Adults in Sport and Activity project is funded by Sport England to help National Governing Bodies, Active Sports Partnerships, regional partnerships and sport and activity organisations to develop best practice in safeguarding adults at risk.

As part of this project we have been holding discussion forums (focus groups) with sports participants and staff to develop shared understandings of what safeguarding means and what individuals, clubs and organisations can do to keep people safe. Amongst other things we discuss possible safeguarding risks, whose responsibility it is to keep people safe and explore good practices for ensuring this happens.

The data we collect from these discussions is being collated in order to provide the evidence base that will inform and support the development of effective policies and procedures to ensure all of those involved in sport are empowered to keep themselves and others safe.
We are still running discussion forums all over the country with all sorts of sporting groups. We would like to hear from anyone interested in hosting a forum.

Nicola chats with Denise Richards from The CPSU following an online conference focused on creating safer cultures in sport and activity.

The conference took place over two mornings on 19 and 20 January 2022.

From Learning Lessons to Taking Action, the conference challenged attendees to create a safer place for all children and adults in your organisation, whatever their role. 

The conference explored:

• How you ensure that your organisation is operating a safer culture for participants of all ages, abilities, race, cultures, sexuality, sex, and gender
• How you protect and safeguard the well-being of those taking part
• How you ensure that everyone feels able to share any concerns at an early stage
• How you ensure that everyone feels confident to interrupt or question poor practice or behaviour that they feel is 'out of line'.

This keynote presentations and workshops addressed:

• The learning from recent reviews about safeguarding and welfare concerns in sport and other settings
• The new strategies from government and sports councils
• Initiatives to embed best practice in safeguarding
• The response to the voices of those with lived experience within sport and physical activity
• The development of Safer Cultures

In this podcast, Nicola and Denise reflect on the conference's themes, and discuss some of the key messages from the presentations and workshops.