NHS trust and local authorities host education event for professionals to protect vulnerable children

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is hosting an education event for professionals to improve the practices in place between organisations to safeguard children from harm. The event is being hosted in partnership with Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield safeguarding children’s boards.

The Trust provides specialist mental health and learning disability services to people in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. The education event has been organised as part of the Trusts responsibility to safeguard children that it comes into contact with and as part of its work with the three safeguarding children boards in its localities to support the training and education of professionals.

The education event will be held on Friday 12th November at the Trust’s Fieldhead hospital in Wakefield. It will feature presentations from a number of speakers addressing the issue of why adults seriously harm children. Guest speakers include Jane Read, the head of psychology at Wakefield prison and Dr Mike Ventress consultant forensic psychiatrist at the Bretton Centre, Fieldhead hospital.

The event will give professionals the opportunity to consider their role in protecting children at risk and to share good practice about how organisations are already working together to safeguard children in their area.

Julie Lodge, the trust’s named nurse for safeguarding children said, "The Trust takes its responsibility to safeguard children as a top priority and we have worked closely with the three local safeguarding children boards in Wakefield, Kirklees and Calderdale to arrange this education event. It will be an opportunity to raise awareness amongst professionals of the practices they should be adopting to protect children in their areas. Over 90 delegates are expected to attend this event and further events have been planned for 2011 so we can continue to work together and protect vulnerable children."