NSPCC Learning Podcast

By NSPCC Learning

Welcome to the NSPCC Learning Podcast - a series of episodes that cover a range of child protection issues to inform, create debate and tell you about the work we do to keep children safe. At the h

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FAQs about NSPCC Learning Podcast:

How many episodes does NSPCC Learning Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 83 episodes available.

NSPCC Learning Podcast episodes:

February 09, 2026 78: Male experiences of domestic abuse
Men can be both survivors and perpetrators of domestic abuse, and both experiences present distinct safeguarding challenges.
Drawing on practice experience from the NSPCC Helpline and Childline, this podcast episode centres on male experiences of domestic abuse. You’ll learn about the challenges of working with male perpetrators of domestic abuse, the barriers that male survivors of abuse face when coming forward, and the effects of domestic abuse on parent-child relationships.
You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website.
💬 About the speakers
Emily Harrison is a Domestic Practice Advisor on the NSPCC Helpline, with extensive experience in the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector. Her roles include service management, Specialist Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA), Chair of the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC), and member of the Domestic Abuse Scrutiny Committee. She has also provided training for first responders, equipping them with the skills to support those affected by domestic abuse effectively.
Adrian Somerville has been Helpline Practice Manager with the NSPCC for six years. Before this, he was a NSPCC Helpline Practitioner for over five years. Adrian is a qualified and accredited Counsellor, currently providing support to children and young adults in relation to anxiety and self-esteem issues. He has also previously worked with male survivors and perpetrators of domestic abuse.
Cormac Nolan is a Service Head with Childline. He holds responsibility for certain Childline bases delivering the live service as well as for the Childline website and social media.
Stephen Pilling is a Helpline Practitioner at the NSPCC. Before joining the NSPCC, worked as a Group Leader in residential settings, supporting both adults and children with additional needs and disabilities.
📚 Resources mentioned in this episode
> Learn more about protecting children from domestic abuse
> Learn how the NSPCC Helpline’s Domestic Abuse Practice Advisors support children and families experiencing domestic abuse

Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros
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25min
September 09, 202577: Safeguarding in a multi-academy trust
This podcast episode is hosted by the NSPCC’s Local Services Director Karen Squillino, who is also chair of the wellbeing and safeguarding committee for Lift Schools.

She spoke to Jill Fuller, Head of Safeguarding for Lift Schools and Habib Hussain, who is Lift Schools’ regional DSL for London and the south.

The conversation covered:
the safeguarding roles and responsibilities of a multi-academy trust
the importance of DSLs sharing their experiences to support each other
how to ensure DSLs are continuously learning and adapting to new safeguarding challenges
the benefits and challenges of Lift Schools’ regional approach.
You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website.

💬 About the speakers

Karen Squillino has over 30 years safeguarding and child protection experience. She has been with the NSPCC since 2011 and currently serves as the Director of Local Services. In addition to her role at the NSPCC, Karen is a trustee at Lift Schools, where she chairs the Wellbeing & Safeguarding Committee.

Jill Fuller is the Head of Safeguarding for Lift Schools with responsibility for developing and implementing a comprehensive safeguarding strategy across a network of 57 schools, monitoring and supporting safeguarding practices and contributing to the overall educational vision. Her experience spans education, children's social care and multi-agency partners, leading workforce transformation projects and driving rapid performance improvements in children's services.

Habib Hussain has been in education for 21 years and spent 20 years in Lift Aylward. He is currently Deputy Head at Lift New Rickstones and Regional DSL for London and the South, working alongside 11 primary, secondary and special schools. Habib offers support and guidance to all the schools in his region and ensures they are compliant in all aspects of safeguarding and driving rapid performance.

📚 Resources mentioned in this episode

> Find out more about Lift Schools

> Take our designated safeguarding lead training

Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros
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31min
August 05, 202576: Protecting boys from financially motivated sexual extortion
Online sexual extortion can be financially motivated sexual extortion and blackmail using both real and AI generated images of boys and young males. Although this is not a new issue the National Crime Agency and the NSPCC has seen an increase in the last two years of boys experiencing online sexual extortion.

In this podcast episode, the NSPCC's Danielle Harris, Childline manager, discusses online sexual extortion with Marie Smith, who oversees the CEOP education programme based within the National Crime Agency.

The discussion covered:
what online sexual extortion is
how to spot the signs
how to support boys who are experiencing online sexual extortion
how to report real and AI generated images.
You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website.

💬 About the speakers

Danielle Harris is the NSPCC's Childline Team Manager. Danielle has been part of the Childline family since 2018, starting out on the night service and moving up to Senior Supervisor before taking on their current role as Childline Team Manager.

Marie Smith is a Senior Manager who oversees the CEOP education programme that's based within the National Crime Agency.

📚 Resources mentioned in this episode

> View the CEOP alert for education settings on financially motivated sexual extortion

> Find out more about the Childline Behind the Screen campaign, raising awareness of the sexual coerced extortion of boys

> Read the CEOP financially motivated sexual extortion guidance for parents and carers

> Share Childline’s page for young people about trusting others online

> Find out more about Report Remove

> Read the UK government guidance on responding to incidents of sharing nudes

Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros
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25min
July 03, 202575: Child criminal exploitation and the importance of early intervention
Child criminal exploitation (CCE) is a form of child abuse where a child or young person is forced or coerced to engage in criminal activity or commit any type of crime.

In this episode, the NSPCC Helpline’s Service Head, Denise Ellis spoke to Tara Mellowes who is a Detective Constable in the exploitation team with Leicestershire Police.

The discussion covered:
what CCE is and the different forms it can take
why children can be targets for CCE
signs of CCE that professionals working with children should look out for
why early intervention is so important and what that may look like
how the police can respond to CCE.
The episode was recorded in January 2025. Since then, the Crime and Policing Bill has been introduced into Parliament, which would introduce a new specific criminal offence of child criminal exploitation. This would target the adult as the primary offender in causing harm to the child by exploiting them to commit criminal activity.

You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website.

💬 About the speakers

Denise Ellis is the service head for the NSPCC Helpline and has almost 43 years’ experience of working with children and families. She previously worked for Manchester Safeguarding Unit and currently delivers training to professionals on identifying the signs of child criminal exploitation.

DC Tara Mellowes joined Leicestershire Police in 2020 and works in the field of child criminal exploitation helping vulnerable young people caught up in county lines. She is passionate about helping shape how we respond to and tackle child criminal exploitation and is proud to have been part of Leicestershire Police’s first prosecutions against CCE offenders.

📚 Resources mentioned in this episode

> Learn more about Childline

> Find out more about the NSPCC Helpline

> Take our elearning course on county lines

> Learn more about county lines

> Find out more about child criminal exploitation

Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros
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28min
May 30, 2025 74: Protecting babies from the effects of domestic abuse
Research by For Baby's Sake suggests that domestic abuse was a factor in almost 50,000 babies a year being referred to children's social care in England between 2021 and 2023.

Our NSPCC Helpline domestic abuse project lead, Paddi Vint, spoke with Lauren Seager-Smith, CEO of the For Baby's Sake Trust, about this research and what we can learn from it.

They offered insight into the importance of services for pregnant families and babies being able to identify concerns and provide support. The discussion covered the difficulties with working out exactly how many babies are impacted by domestic abuse, blockers to parents seeking support and how important accurate language is to reduce shame and stigma around domestic abuse.

You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website.

💬 About the speakers

Lauren Seager-Smith is the CEO of The For Baby's Sake Trust, pioneering trauma-informed and therapeutic support to break cycles of domestic abuse and give babies the best start in life. Lauren is an experienced charity leader, with previous roles as CEO of Kidscape and the National Coordinator of the Anti-Bullying Alliance. Lauren is a regular media spokesperson specialising in domestic abuse, online safety, and bullying. Lauren has held numerous board positions and currently serves on the Action for Children England Committee. Lauren is an Associate of the Institute of Responsible Leadership (IRL).

Paddi Vint is a Quality and Development Manager overseeing the NSPCC Helpline domestic abuse project. She has been with the NSPCC in Belfast for over five years, joining as a Helpline practitioner and then working as a practice manager.

📚 Resources mentioned in this episode

> Read the For Baby’s Sake research revealing almost 50,000 babies are referred to children’s social care in England with domestic abuse as a factor

> Watch the Channel 4 report on For Baby’s Sake’s research

> Find out more about For Baby’s Sake

> Learn more about protecting children from domestic abuse

> Find out why domestic abuse is so prevalent during pregnancy with this For Baby’s Sake article

Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros
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30min
May 01, 2025 73: Supporting Black mothers facing perinatal mental health challenges
Mental health difficulties can have a big impact on parents’ ability to provide responsive care for their babies, especially if parents aren't getting the support they need. Black mothers are disproportionately affected by mental health difficulties and are less likely to receive adequate perinatal mental health support.

In January 2025, Alexis Golden and Chi Mumbi from the NSPCC’s Pregnancy in Mind service spoke to Sandra Igwe Founder and Chief Executive at The Motherhood Group about the experiences of Black mothers and the importance of providing inclusive support for maternal mental health.

You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website.

💬 About the speakers

Alexis Golden has been with the NSPCC since 2022 and is a Project Development Manager. She develops evidence-based services for families within the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect in the Early Years Theme. Recently, she led the redevelopment of the Pregnancy in Mind service. With a background in education and early childhood development, Alexis is passionate about the wellbeing of children and young people and is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Sandra Igwe is a trailblazing thought leader in Black maternal health, TEDx speaker, and founder of The Motherhood Group and Blackmums. She leverages community engagement, technology and advocacy to improve outcomes for Black mothers. Sandra is Co-Chair of the National Inquiry into Racial Injustice in Maternity Care, a Trustee of Birthrights Charity, and author of 'My Black Motherhood: Mental Health, Stigma, Racism and the System'. Her work has been recognized by Vogue UK and Forbes as an 'Influential Woman of the Year', and she has received the National Lottery Game Changer Award and Santander Social Entrepreneur of the Year.

Chi Mumbi is a Children’s Services Practitioner and Social Worker at the London and South East Hub and is the Lead Practitioner for Pregnancy in Mind. Chi is passionate about the intersection of perinatal mental health and race.

📚 Resources mentioned in this episode

> Learn more about The Motherhood Group

> Find out more about Pregnancy in Mind

> View the full list of Pregnancy in Mind delivery locations on the NSPCC website

Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros
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26min
March 13, 2025 72: The work of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel – part two
At the end of 2024, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published a national review exploring the challenges in identifying, assessing and responding to child sexual abuse within the family environment. They also published their annual report for 2023-24, which covers the Panel’s work from April 2023 to March 2024.

This is the second half of our discussion with Annie Hudson, the Chair of the Panel, and Jenny Coles, a Panel member, about what these reports mean for anyone working with children and young people.

In this episode, you’ll hear about how the Panel translates the learning from its reports into improvements to safeguarding practice.

If you haven't done so already, listen to part one, covering the findings of the two reports.

You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website.

💬 About the speakers

Annie Hudson is the Chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel. A social worker by profession, Annie has held a range of practice, leadership and academic posts, including Strategic Director of Children’s Services for Lambeth London Borough Council and Director of Children’s Services for Bristol City Council.

Jenny Coles has been a member of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel since December 2021. Jenny is a qualified social worker and has been a senior manager in local authority children’s services since 1997. Jenny was the President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services from April 2020 to April 2021.

📚 Resources mentioned in this episode

> Read our CASPAR briefing summarising the National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment

> Read our CASPAR briefing summarising the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel annual report 2023/24

> View our full collection of CASPAR briefings, including those covering previous Panel annual reports

> Read our CASPAR briefing on the national review into the murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson

Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros
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24min
March 13, 2025 71: The work of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel – part one
At the end of 2024, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published a national review exploring the challenges in identifying, assessing and responding to child sexual abuse within the family environment. They also published their annual report for 2023-24, which covers the Panel’s work from April 2023 to March 2024.

In January 2025, we spoke to Annie Hudson, the Chair of the Panel, and Jenny Coles, a Panel member, about what these reports mean for anyone working with children and young people.

In the first half of the discussion, you’ll learn about the findings from the two reports.

Part two covers how the Panel translates the learning from its reports into improvements to safeguarding practice. Listen to part two.

You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website.

💬 About the speakers

Annie Hudson is the Chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel. A social worker by profession, Annie has held a range of practice, leadership and academic posts, including Strategic Director of Children’s Services for Lambeth London Borough Council and Director of Children’s Services for Bristol City Council.

Jenny Coles has been a member of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel since December 2021. Jenny is a qualified social worker and has been a senior manager in local authority children’s services since 1997. Jenny was the President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services from April 2020 to April 2021.

📚 Resources mentioned in this episode

> Read our CASPAR briefing summarising the National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment

> Read our CASPAR briefing summarising the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel annual report 2023/24

> View our full collection of CASPAR briefings, including those covering previous Panel annual reports

> Read our CASPAR briefing on the national review into the murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson

Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros
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26min
February 28, 2025 70: Online safety – a young person’s perspective
The online world is constantly changing, and young people are often more informed about online trends than adults. Young people are equipped with their own knowledge and understanding of what they need to know and do to stay safe online. It’s important to listen to their thoughts and opinions, and try to incorporate their voice into your online safety work.

In this podcast episode, you’ll hear from Will and Zara, two young people from the NSPCC’s Voice of Online Youth Group. They provide an insight into what life online is like for them, what makes them feel safe online and what online safety topics they’d like to learn more about. The discussion touches on a wide range of topics, including moderation, privacy settings, algorithms, generative AI and online misinformation.

You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website.

💬 About the speakers

Will and Zara are members of the NSPCC’s Voice of Online Youth, a group of young people aged 13-17 who help advise the NSPCC and the wider online safety sector on how to help children have safe and happy experiences online.

📚 Resources mentioned in this episode

> Access all of NSPCC Learning’s free online safety resources

> Take our highly-rated online safety elearning course

> Read our new research report on the impact of Generative AI on children’s safety

> Find out more about the NSPCC’s Voice of Online Youth and read their manifesto
for change

Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros
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27min
January 31, 2025 69: Mental health first aid kits
Mental health is as important to a child’s safety as their physical health; mental health issues can sometimes lead to safeguarding and child protection issues. By recognising when a child is struggling with their mental health, and intervening to provide appropriate support, professionals working with children can help prevent mental health problems from escalating into crisis.

A mental health first aid kit is one tool that can be used to help. The kit contains a selection of resources to help young people manage their mental health if they’re struggling, such as ways to distract oneself, relax or calm down, and pointers to further support.

Listen to this podcast episode to learn more about the mental health first aid kit and how you can use it with the young people you work with.

You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website.

💬 About the speakers

Gawain Griffiths is a Practitioner in the Childline Online Services team. He works to develop resources and content for the Childline website to help and empower young people using the Childline service.

Alice and Douglas are members of the NSPCC’s Young People’s Board for Change. They meet monthly to discuss issues they care about, giving young people the chance to shape and influence the NSPCC’s work and ensure the young people’s voices are heard both inside and outside the organisation. Mental health is one of the priority areas in the board’s 2023-25 manifesto.

📚 Resources mentioned in this episode

> Access the Childline mental health first aid kit resource

> Find out more about child mental health

> View Childline’s mental health information page for young people

> Learn more about promoting mental health and wellbeing

> Take our mental health and wellbeing safeguarding course

Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros
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21min

FAQs about NSPCC Learning Podcast:

How many episodes does NSPCC Learning Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 83 episodes available.

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