The online world and digital technologies have become an integral part of children and young people’s everyday lives. However, despite their many opportunities and advantages, digital technologies ranging from social media to artificial intelligence and immersive technologies create new risks and have given rise to new forms harm and abuse ranging from digital assault to cybertrauma to cyberrape, phantom touch, and digital self-harm. These and other forms of abuse pose significant risks for safeguarding and new challenges for all services and professionals working with children and young people.
In fact, NSPCC (2024) indicates that “Almost 87,000 sexual offences against children were recorded by police in the past year.”
Therefore, HCUK and the Centre for Safeguarding and Wellbeing Research and Practice have brought two of the country’s leading experts in cybertrauma, online harm and safeguarding (Dr. Peter Buzzi and Claudia Megele) to host this conference, and they’ll be joined by Safeguarding Leaders from Health, Social Care, and Policing to offer you the findings from national research and developments including research on sexual abuse by the Police Foundation and an innovative approach to safeguarding children and young people online.
The conference covers a range of important areas and contemporary issues and including:
Experiences and voices of young people
Cybertrauma and online abuse
Sexual abuse and criminal exploitation of children and young people
Artificial intelligence and generative AI
Immersive technologies and their impact
Understanding and identifying perpetrators in a hyper-real world
Safeguarding children and young people from a multiagency perspective (Health, Social Care, Education and Police)
An innovative approach and tools to assess and manage online risks across services
This conference will enable you to:
Network with colleagues who are working to improve adolescent and young adult safeguarding practice
Learn about the 10 C’s Framework: An evidence-informed approach to safeguarding children and young people online
Learn from national research on sexual abuse and safeguarding children and young people
Understand the national context of your safeguarding practice
Reflect on the lived experience of children and young people and their motivation in use of social media and digital technologies
Understand how you can develop and embed a restorative, evidence-based and strength-based approach to safeguarding
Better understand the new forms of abuse, risk and harm and the implications of Artificial Intelligence and generative AI
Better understand the impact of social media on young people’s identity, development and well-being
Enhance your skills in assessing online risks and safeguarding children and young people online
Consider a restorative trauma-informed approach to safeguarding
Learn about collaborative and evidence-based tools and approaches to managing online risks and promoting digital resilience
Update your knowledge on current issues and research on sexual abuse, identification of online risks, online perpetrators
Learn about impact of artificial intelligence, generative AI, cybertrauma, phantom touch and the changing nature of online abuse
Ensure the risks faced by vulnerable adolescents are addressed
Improve partnership working across services
Reflect on your own practice and policies and approaches to safeguarding
Supports CPD professional development and acts as revalidation evidence. This course provides 5 Hrs training for CPD subject to peer group approval for revalidation purposes
