There are a range of podcasts on safeguarding matters from Community Care Inform available on Soundcloud.
Real Safeguarding Stories
Stronger Families in County Durham
Stronger Families is a way of working with County Durham families who’d like support with any problems or difficulties they may be having.
The following training courses are available to Lead Professionals supporting families on the Stronger Families Programme or supporting Early Help.
- Reducing Parental Conflict Training (2 x 3 hr virtual sessions via Microsoft TEAMS). This training will provide practitioners with an increased ability to recognise parental conflict, to understand the causes of conflict and provide practical tools and resources to enable practitioners to support families they are working with.
- Bereavement Briefings (90-minute virtual session via Microsoft TEAMS). This training will provide practitioners with an increased knowledge of the different stages of grief and how they can affect a person.
- Understanding Teenagers (2 x 2 hr virtual sessions via Microsoft TEAMS). This training will provide practitioners with an increased knowledge of the stages of adolescence, an understanding of the key brain developmental changes and the impact of trauma on adolescent development.
- Introduction to the Durham Way (2 x 2.5hr Virtual sessions via Microsoft Teams). The Durham Way Event introduces the vision and principles of ‘Thinking Family’. The event aims to build positive relationships between services and promote integrated working practices.
- Working with Dads & Male Carers ( 1 x 3hr virtual session via Microsoft Teams). To provide front line staff and managers with the confidence, knowledge and skills to engage with and work effectively with Dads and Male Carers.
To book, go to Stronger Families in County Durham and select the link for training.
Humankind
Humankind can provide accredited training, workshops and consultancy for professionals and young people regarding a range of LGBT+ related topics.
They are currently delivering CPD accredited training and consultancy workshops for professionals on the following topics:
- LGBT+ Awareness
- Gender Identity Awareness
- Creating an LGBT+ Inclusive Environment
- Creating LGBT+ Inclusive Policies
The also offer the following workshops for young people:
- Being an LGBT+ Ally
- Inclusive Sexual Health
Visit their site to find out more LGBT+ Training – Humankind
County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service offer free of charge substance misuse related training sessions to those who live and work within the county:
- Alcohol Awareness and Brief Intervention
- Basic Drug Awareness
- Basic Harm Reduction
- Energy Drink Awareness
- Domestic Abuse and Substance Misuse
- Substance Misuse in a Homeless Setting
- Blood Borne Virus and Substance Misuse
- Nitrous Oxide Awareness
- Understanding Opiates
- Cannabis Awareness and Brief Intervention
- Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness
County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service Booking Form.
Cyber Stalking and Domestic Abuse
The aim of the session to increase participants awareness of cyber stalking. The session will be facilitated by Simon Finch who will cover:
- An Overview of cyber and digitally assisted, stalking and legislation.
- The challenges and benefits of relationships in the digital age.
- How technology and social media are used to stalk and harass.
- Key strategies and actions to identify and remove surveillance apps and technology.
- Sources of help and support.
More dates coming soon
Coercive Control Workshop
The aim of this session is to increase participants awareness of Coercive Control. The session will be facilitated by Laura Duncan and a member of the Early Help Service. The learning outcomes are:
- Learners will understand and recognise the signs of Coercion and Control and how to respond.
- Learners will understand the impact of Coercion and Control on children and families.
- Learners will challenge their own beliefs and language in response to Coercion and Control.
- Learners will start to consider how they can change professional practice, responses and
interventions to Coercion and Control.
More dates coming soon
Domestic Abuse Practitioner Standards Level 1 – Basic Awareness
The aim of this course is to raise participants’ knowledge and understanding of the nature and impact of domestic abuse. By the end of the course, the learner will:
- Know the statutory definition of domestic abuse.
- Explore the different types of abusive behaviours used by perpetrators of domestic abuse.
- Comprehend the impact of domestic abuse on victims and survivors.
- Know the prevalence of domestic abuse.
- Recognise the myths relating to the causes of domestic abuse.
- Explore how discrimination in society contributes to the experience and impact of domestic abuse.
- Know the specialist support services and interventions available for victims, children and perpetrators.
This is a basic level awareness raising course therefore no prior knowledge is necessary. The course is suitable for anyone who may come into contact with people subjected to domestic abuse, perpetrators and / or children living in families where abuse is occurring.
HALO Briefing
The Halo Project is an award-winning national charity that has been providing confidential advice and culturally-sensitive support to Black, Asian and minoritised victims and survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence and hidden harms for over a decade; specialising in cases of forced marriage (FM), female genital mutilation (FGM), and honour-based abuse (HBA).
Evidence shows that those best placed to train frontline practitioners are specialist support services, as they have a greater knowledge of the behaviours involved and the cultural awareness in understanding specific needs (Baillot et al., 2014).
The Halo Project has been commissioned by Durham County Council to deliver accredited training sessions to practitioners across the Durham area.
Halo Project’s accredited awareness training aims to increase knowledge and raise awareness of FM, HBA and FGM, helping delegates with:
- Understanding the difference between ‘forced’ and ‘arranged’ marriage.
- Recognising honour-based abuse and what it includes.
- Understanding and gaining an insight of the cultural context of FM, HBA and FGM.
- Looking at prevalence, which communities are most affected.
- Insight into the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community; the additional barriers in accessing support.
- Spotting the signs.
- Insight into the effects on victims of FM, HBA and FGM.
- Dealing with disclosure, dos and don’ts.
- What are the options? Who can help?
- An understanding of the legislation around FM, HBA and FGM.
- Know what action to take if someone is at risk.
- Case Studies – learn best practice when handling cases of FM, HBA and FGM.
More dates coming soon
Harbour Financial Control Briefing Session
Financial Abuse in intimate relationships is a way of controlling a person’s ability to acquire, use, and maintain their own money and financial resources. Financial abuse is widespread. One in five women and one in seven men in the UK have experienced financial abuse according to the largest and most recent study.
The session will be facilitated by Emma Goding from Harbour, the session will cover:
- What is financial abuse and control.
- The impact of financial abuse and control.
- Support available for those experiencing financial abuse and control.
- Increase knowledge of how economic abuse operates within the context of domestic abuse.
- Help to recognise and respond to signs of economic abuse including post-separation abuse.
- Increase understanding of the challenges faced by victims of economic abuse.
More dates coming soon
Harbour Support Services Briefing
Harbour Support Services offer a range of services designed to support families whose lives have been affected by Domestic Abuse.
The session will be facilitated by Emma Goding from Harbour, the session will cover:
- Understand the services offered by harbour across County Durham.
- Increase knowledge of referral pathways into services.
- Gather information on referral criteria and how services are working together.
- The different ways Harbour support victims.
- Support for Children and Young People.
- Support for those causing harm.
- How Harbour can work with other services to provide holistic support.
More dates coming soon
The Impact of Domestic Abuse on Children
We know that Domestic Abuse (DA) is persistent and widespread. The prevalence of Domestic Abuse means that there are many children who are also affected. As a result of The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 a child who sees or hears, or experiences the effects of, domestic abuse and is related to the person being abused or the perpetrator, is also to be regarded as a victim of domestic abuse in their own right.
The purpose of this session is to explore the impact Domestic Abuse has on children and the risk factors known to increase risk of harm towards children, with a particular focus on the impact of Coercive Control on children and how children can be drawn into the coercive and controlling behaviours by abusers as a tactic of abuse against mothers.
Aims of the session:
- To increase awareness and understanding of the nature and impact of DA on children.
- To increase awareness and understanding of the nature and impact of DA on children.
- To increase awareness and understanding of Coercive Control.
- To increase awareness of the impact of Coercive Control on Children.
- To increase awareness of the impact of Coercive Control on Family Functioning.
- To increase awareness of the impact of post separation coercive control
The Impact of Domestic Abuse on Children Booking Form
LGBT+ Experiences of Domestic Abuse (Pride)
This virtual briefing is delivered by Mel Metcalfe from Durham PRIDE via Microsoft Teams. The aim of this session is focus on LGBT+ experiences of Domestic Abuse.
The session will cover
- The appropriate terminology for a range of sexual orientations and gender identities.
- Issues often faced by LGBT+ people.
- The Myths in relation to the LGBT+ community and Domestic Abuse.
- The additional barriers the LGBT+ community face in accessing support for Domestic Abuse.
- An overview of the work that PRIDE do to support.