Priority 3. - Supporting the Approach to Contextual Safeguarding with a Focus on Online Harm and Abuse

Overarching Principle: “The Partnership will; support all agencies to work together to drive continuous learning, improving practice and evidencing the impact for children and families.”

For 2024 - 2027 the Safeguarding Children Partnership have chosen to focus on 3 key priorities; Tackling Child Sexual Abuse, Supporting the Approach to Neglect with a focus on addressing Educational Neglect and Supporting the Approach to Contextual Safeguarding with a focus on Online Harm and Abuse. 

This is a 3-year plan which will be overseen by the Delegated Safeguarding Partners on behalf of the Lead Safeguarding Partners.

In preparation for setting our  priorities, as a partnership, we took into account:
• What children and young people have told us
• What workforce have told us
• What our data indicates
• Learning from  local case reviews
• Learning from National Reviews
• Key findings from the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel Annual Report
• Existing links between the Community Safety Partnership, the Safeguarding Adults Board priority work areas.

Priority 3 - Supporting the Approach to Contextual Safeguarding with a Focus on Online Harm and Abuse

Why is it a Priority for Cheshire West & Chester? 

We are seeing younger and younger children being susceptible to harm online. This is now as prevalent in primary schools as much as in secondary schools. Parents and carers in general, don’t have a sufficient knowledge base of the pervasive and predatory online dangers that their children need protection from. There are (inter)national social network platforms that fail to address/block the harm caused to children through online abuse which means that locally, the partnership needs to prioritise work to educate, protect and challenge the presenting dangers to effect local change.