National Safeguarding Week focuses on support for rural communities

8 November 2023

Safeguarding our rural communities is the theme of a wide-ranging programme taking place across Mid and West Wales for National Safeguarding Week, starting on Monday, 13^th November.

The now well established annual event and programme has been co-ordinated by CWMPAS and CYSUR, the regional safeguarding boards, and designed in response to some of the challenges children and adults at risk face in the communities across the region in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Powys.

A highlight of the week includes a conference taking place on the 16^th November at the Royal Welsh showground, Builth Wells with a focus on mental health.

The event will be attended by professionals who play a key role in safeguarding children and adults in our communities, including police officers, nurses, social care staff and education professionals.

Other events taking place during the week include:

• a webinar on safeguarding our farming communities and their families supported by Tir Dewi hosted by Ceredigion Local Authority
• a webinar on Prevent and counter terrorism focussing of some of the emerging ideologies vulnerable people can become exposed to
• an event on suicide prevention hosted by Pembrokeshire Local Authority supported by PAPYRUS (Prevention of Young Suicide)
• an event to support practitioners managing risk and trauma, supported by the centre of expertise on child sexual abuse 
• a formal launch event of a new regional strategy to support victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

"The aim of Safeguarding Week is to raise awareness and highlight issues that affect children and adults at risk in our communities and what we can do to better support them," said Jake Morgan, Chair of the Mid and West Wales Safeguarding Board.

The regional program will be supported by national events taking place across Wales. This includes the launch of a new safeguarding training framework to accompany standards that were launched last year by Social Care Wales and an event being hosted by the National Independent Safeguarding Board in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University that will include a recently published thematic analysis of child practice reviews in Wales.

More information on the regional programme can be found at: https://cysur.wales/media/cgclh0qx/2023-programme.pdf

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