2 March 2020
- Around 600 people recently underwent training in the area of Child Exploitation
- Two-week training programme focused on the signs and symptoms of exploitation
- Next steps are to continue to ensure that the Exploitation Strategy that has been developed is embedded into practice within all sectors
Around 600 people, including leads from the Health, Education, Police and Children and Adults Social Care Directorates, other SHG Directors, Elected Members, Faith leaders and Brownie and Guide Leaders, recently underwent training in the area of Child Exploitation by visiting consultants from the UK, Philippa Holmes and Rosie Flatman.
Both Philippa and Rosie have led exploitation teams in the UK and have delivered training and intervention with children and young people who have been the victims of exploitation in the North West of England.
The two-week training programme focused on the signs and symptoms of exploitation, online grooming, trafficking and harmful relationships. Two assemblies were held at Prince Andrew School and a package was provided to the Primary schools to use regarding safe and healthy relationships. A training session was also conducted with Ascension Island.
Philippa commented:
“Firstly what an amazing experience we had on the Island meeting so many dedicated professionals and leaders.
“For St Helena, the issue of exploitation is pertinent on the Island as it is in any forward thinking society. The Island was subject to scrutiny via the WASS Inquiry and from speaking to resident Saints they found this a difficult time. It became apparent whilst on the Island that the resident Saints know the issues within their community and have an appetite to safeguard, protect and care for the vulnerable, including adults and children. This cannot be done in isolation and requires agencies and the community to work together to promote awareness of and prevent any form of abuse for the vulnerable.”
Philippa and Rosie’s visit was to start the conversations and raise awareness of child exploitation. The next steps are to continue to have dialogue, hold leaders to account and ensure that the Exploitation Strategy that has been developed is embedded into practice within all sectors.
Philippa added:
“In my view there needs to be wider participation with harder to reach communities, awareness of the laws that govern, including ages of consent and greater preparation and awareness of online abuse in readiness for the arrival of the subsea cable.”
Director of Children & Adults Social Care, Tracy Poole-Nandy, concluded:
“I am pleased to reflect upon the recent exploitation training that managed to reach far and wide in terms of people working with children and vulnerable adults across the Island. The training also reached students of Prince Andrew School by means of assembly materials and their parents during a parents evening.
“The feedback that I received to date has been extremely positive and the community at large has stated that there is a need to ensure that the messages from this training continue and we ensure that our Island is a safer place to live and work.
“The work started by the consultants will continue and we will endeavour to launch our Exploitation Strategy across all SHG directorates, private and third sectors in the coming months.”
Background information available at: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/2020/press-releases/exploitation-training-to-be-delivered-on-st-helena/
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SHG
2 March 2020