The Stockport Safeguarding Children's Partnership (SSCP) and Stockport Safeguarding Adults Partnership (SSAP) have a joint business plan with priority areas.
The first 4 priorities are below and information is contained under each heading about some of the activity, guidance and training linked to these. The fifth priority is an SSAP priority only.
Priority 1: Improve partnership working and information sharing
Priority 2: Effective transitions from childhood to adulthood
Priority 3: Understanding complex trauma and assessing risk
Priority 4: Working with men
Priority 5: Working with adults to manage risk effectively and make safeguarding personal
Priority 1 - Partnership working and information sharing
Working Together is the multi-agency guidance produced and revised by The Department For Education (DfE). It outlines safeguarding responsibilities for statutory and non-statutory partners and provides guidance and advice on how to respond to a range of safeguarding topics, such as strategy meetings and section 47 enquires under the Children Act 2004. We recommend that you save the document as a favourite on your web browser.
Accompanying this guidance is a new document which give advice for safeguarding practitioners on when and how to share information about children and families.
Another fantastic resource and again one we recommend saving on your browser, is the GM Safeguarding Procedures online, often referred to as Tri-X.
This gives information about responding to children and young people where there are safeguarding concerns and provides guidance about all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs procedures. This is also the place you can find information about Early help right through to immediate safeguarding protocols such as that for bruising on non-mobile babies.
The SSCP offer training for the partnership which covers processes for sharing information and partnership working for practitioners. You can find out more and book a place on our Introduction to Safeguarding course which is run 5 times a year.
We also offer regular briefings for practitioners on our Rapid Reviews and Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (CSPR’s), as well as many other safeguarding topics. Invites to these are shared via our networks. Read more about CSPR’s.
Priority 2 - Effective transitions from childhood to adulthood
The SSCP offer training on importance of transitions and adolescent safeguarding. We facilitate the Greater Manchester Complex Safeguarding Hub’s “Understanding Exploitation Package.”
We also run Neglect and the Graded Care Profile 2 training 4 to 5 times a year in which there is a focus on neglect in adolescence and impact on future parenting.
Practitioners can book onto both training sessions.
Priority 3 - Understanding complex trauma and assessing risk
Stockport is a restorative local authority and across Stockport Family (the health and social care organisation in Stockport), restorative practice forms the foundation of approaches to families and is at the heart of trauma informed approaches.
Whilst every social worker is expected to have attended the full 3-day restorative practice training, it is open to other practitioners working with children and families. The course is accessed via Learning Pool:
The SSCP multi-agency training program offers a range of courses for practitioners which cover understanding complex trauma and assessing risk including:
- perinatal and infant mental health (PIMH) multidisciplinary training
- safeguarding children and adults: Multi Agency Public Protection (MAPPA) awareness raising session
- introduction to domestic abuse including how to complete DASSH risk assessment and MARAC process
Stockport Safeguarding Partnerships Trauma Conference 2024
On 28 November 2024 the Stockport Safeguarding Children's Partnership (SSCP) and Stockport Safeguarding Adults Partnership (SSAP) presented our Trauma Conference at Stockport Town Hall.
The event was made possible by funding from Trauma Responsive Greater Manchester. On the day of the event, we had 185 attendees from a range of organisations across adults and children’s service in Stockport. This included members of the voluntary and community sector and hearing from those with lived experiences. We also had a range of stalls from local services providing trauma responsive services. These included:
- Family Nurse Partnership Case studies - Stockport Council
- LOCALA sexual health services
- Dad Matters
- Somebody’s Dad
- OWLS GROUP
- Mentell
- Stockport and District Mind
- Stockport Women and Girls Network (SWAG)
Priority 4 - Working with men
At the SSCP and SSAP we recognise the importance of involving men in our work. The “hidden male” has been a feature in many local and national reviews (CSPR’s) and have highlighted the need to make sure we speak to men who may be involved in children’s lives, be they dads, partners, grandads or other relatives and connected carers.
The SSCP delivers training for practitioners on working with fathers and men.
In addition to this there have been several strands of work in Stockport:
Family Hubs have commissioned Dad Matters to support training and a strong mental health offer for Dads with children up 2 years old
Caring Dads™ is a 17-week group programme for fathers or partners where conflict and domestic abuse have been present. Focus is on supporting fathers and men to improve their relationships with children and children’s mothers. You can also email caringdads@stockport.gov.uk
New Beginnings offers support via a men’s group
Useful documents
In January 2022 the SSCP facilitated a learning briefing called “Getting alongside marginalised fathers”, delivered by Dr Georgia Philip, from the University of East Anglia, and Dr Lindsay Youansamouth from Lancaster University. Use the link below to find out more about their research projects: