GPSJ Autumn 2024 ONLINE - Flipbook - Page 30
GPSJ
EDUCATION & LEARNING
Strengthening student voices to
build safer communities
Trevor Cook, Assistant Director of Education Services at HES (Havering Education Services), delves into
how amplifying the student voice can enhance community safeguarding and improve young people’s
wellbeing.
L to r: Stephen Willoughby (CEO, The Student Voice)
Trevor Cook (Asst. Dir. of Education Services), Carol Rockey
(Safeguarding Advisor), Jason Tait (Chief Safeguarding Officer,
The Student Voice)
Stephen Willoughby
30
As mental health challenges,
bullying, online safety concerns and
other complex issues increasingly
affect young people, the importance
of safeguarding in schools and
communities has never been more
critical. Effective safeguarding is
not just about reacting to issues
after they occur—it’s about creating
environments where children feel
safe, supported and heard every
day. Central to this is empowering
students with the tools and
confidence to communicate their
experiences, share their concerns
and shape the world around them. At
HES, we recognised that we could
do more to provide students with
these opportunities, so we set out
to develop a strategy that would not
only protect young people but also
enable them to become advocates
for their own safety and wellbeing
within the Borough of Havering.
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL AUTUMN 2024
A new perspective on
safeguarding
The foundation of our approach
is based on the fundamental idea
that children have the deepest
understanding of their own lives and
challenges. Therefore, encouraging
and supporting them to open up
and share their own experiences,
or observation of others - whether
that be at school, home or in the
community – is key to improving
lives and society. However, the
challenge many children face
is knowing how to disclose any
concerns they might have in a way
that feels safe and productive.
Historically, safeguarding efforts
have relied heavily on adults’
observations and interventions,
which are often reactive and can
overlook the nuanced realities that
young people experience.
At HES, we’ve long been committed
to supporting schools in addressing
safeguarding needs, but we
wanted to shift the focus from a
top-down approach to one that
actively involves students. Our
aim was to develop a system
where young people could not
only report their concerns but also
feel empowered to drive change
in their communities. This required
a solution that could ensure their
voices were heard in a confidential
and secure way, breaking down
the barriers that often prevent
young people from speaking out.
By gathering real-time, actionable
insights, we sought to build a
proactive culture of safeguarding,
where early intervention and
information sharing would be the
norm.
Empowering the community to
