Safeguarding Redefined

More policies. More restrictions. More fear of getting it wrong.

But are we actually creating safer environments?

In this episode Chris East and Benedict Sutton explore the uncomfortable reality that safeguarding can sometimes become so defensive, risk-averse, and compliance-driven that it unintentionally weakens the very relationships that keep people safe.

Yet sometimes the safest-looking decision on paper isn’t the safest decision at all.

Together, they unpack:

• the hidden cost of ‘cover your back’ safeguarding

• how fear creates bottlenecks, rigidity, and isolation

• why leadership culture matters more than policy volume

• and what it takes to build safeguarding cultures rooted in trust, judgment, accountability, and human connection.

This is a powerful conversation about moving beyond performative safeguarding and creating systems that are not only defensible, but supportive, relational, and achievable in real life. 

Useful Links: 

• https://buymeacoffee.com/cornerstonesafeguarding  - Every coffee you buy helps us keep creating practical tools and content for safeguarding professionals like you

• To find out more about Cornerstone Safeguarding - www.CornerstoneSafeguarding.co.uk 

• Email us at Cornerstone: [email protected]

• Book in a meeting to discuss your safeguarding needs: 

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ0ZwllED1_R0eAmzurUNbXW6dk92TtCp9BE8oysOnlPwBl3L2vNEooyvSJ3fQaQBk_q1onKflh4

• Subscribe to Cornerstone Connect - 

https://cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk/resources/cornerstone-connect-sign-up/

- for fresh safeguarding insights, priority access to support, and exclusive discounts. 

• Chris East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-east-801496174/

• Leah East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-east-cornerstone/

Producers of this episode: Chris East, Leah East

Host of this episode: Chris East

⚠️ Content warning: This episode contains discussion of sexual violence, coercion, pornography, misogyny, and online abuse.

Drawing from over 50,000 anonymous testimonies submitted to Everyone’s Invited, this episode explores what happens when sexual violence, misogyny, and online abuse become so common that young people begin to believe they are simply 'normal'.

Chris speaks with Alex Somers about the culture young people are growing up in and the realities many adults still don’t want to face.

Together, they unpack:

• why pornography is increasingly shaping young people’s understanding of sex, consent, and relationships
• the rise of violent sexual behaviours becoming normalised among teenagers
• the toxic online narratives influencing both boys and girls
• the dangerous gap between what young people experience and what adults are willing to talk about
• how shame, silence, and fear stop young people from speaking out
• and whether schools, parents, tech companies, and government are failing to keep up with the realities young people are navigating every day.

This is an uncomfortable but essential conversation.

Connect with Everyone'e Invited:

If you want to reach out to Alex or the team at Everyone's Invited, please email them at [email protected].

Instagram: @everyonesinvited for regular updates on what the charity is up to.

Website: https://www.everyonesinvited.uk/

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Useful Links: 

• https://buymeacoffee.com/cornerstonesafeguarding  - Every coffee you buy helps us keep creating practical tools and content for safeguarding professionals like you

• To find out more about Cornerstone Safeguarding - www.CornerstoneSafeguarding.co.uk 

• Email us at Cornerstone: [email protected]

• Book in a meeting to discuss your safeguarding needs: 

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ0ZwllED1_R0eAmzurUNbXW6dk92TtCp9BE8oysOnlPwBl3L2vNEooyvSJ3fQaQBk_q1onKflh4

• Subscribe to Cornerstone Connect - 

https://cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk/resources/cornerstone-connect-sign-up/

- for fresh safeguarding insights, priority access to support, and exclusive discounts. 

• Chris East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-east-801496174/

• Leah East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-east-cornerstone/

Producers of this episode: Chris East, Leah East

Host of this episode: Chris East

What if burnout isn’t just a wellbeing issue?

What if it’s already affecting safeguarding decisions in schools?

In this brutally honest episode, Chris chats down with organisational psychologist Karen Forshaw to unpack the safeguarding risks created by chronic stress and impossible workloads.

Because stressed safeguarding professionals don’t just feel exhausted - they'll miss things, become too reactive, and eventually the system will start failing the very ones it was designed to protect.

This episode explores:

• why overloaded DSLs become vulnerable to decision fatigue
• how safeguarding cultures silently create risk
• the link between burnout and flawed judgement

This is a conversation every school leader needs to hear!

Connect with Karen:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenforshaw/

Human Edge Performance: https://www.humanedgeperformance.com/

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Useful Links: 

• https://buymeacoffee.com/cornerstonesafeguarding  - Every coffee you buy helps us keep creating practical tools and content for safeguarding professionals like you

• To find out more about Cornerstone Safeguarding - www.CornerstoneSafeguarding.co.uk 

• Email us at Cornerstone: [email protected]

• Book in a meeting to discuss your safeguarding needs: 

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ0ZwllED1_R0eAmzurUNbXW6dk92TtCp9BE8oysOnlPwBl3L2vNEooyvSJ3fQaQBk_q1onKflh4

• Subscribe to Cornerstone Connect - 

https://cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk/resources/cornerstone-connect-sign-up/

- for fresh safeguarding insights, priority access to support, and exclusive discounts. 

• Chris East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-east-801496174/

• Leah East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-east-cornerstone/

Producers of this episode: Chris East, Leah East

Host of this episode: Chris East

We’re closing our stalking series with a crucial perspective.

Recorded last November, Chris speaks with Jane Harvey, CEO of the Hollie Gazzard Trust, exploring what often comes before stalking is recognised.

Because it rarely begins where we think it does.

What if the real risk isn’t the moment someone turns violent, but the months, even years, leading up to it?

In this episode, we explore:

• How fixation turns into obsession
• Why stalking behaviours are so often minimised or dismissed
• The subtle warning signs that are explained away
• How victims gradually lose control of their daily lives

From digital footprints to so-called 'harmless' jokes, this conversation challenges the narratives that allow harmful behaviour to go unchecked.

If the previous episodes showed you the impact, this one helps you see it coming.

Resources mentioned:

Am I Being Stalked tool: ⁠https://www.suzylamplugh.org/am-i-being-stalked-tool⁠

Hollie Guard App: ⁠https://hollieguard.com/⁠

Connect With Jane Harvey on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeharveyuk2024/⁠

Hollie Gazzard Trust on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/hollie-gazzard-trust⁠

Hollie Gazzard Trust website: ⁠https://holliegazzard.org/⁠

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Useful Links: 

• https://buymeacoffee.com/cornerstonesafeguarding  - Every coffee you buy helps us keep creating practical tools and content for safeguarding professionals like you

• To find out more about Cornerstone Safeguarding - www.CornerstoneSafeguarding.co.uk 

• Email us at Cornerstone: [email protected]

• Book in a meeting to discuss your safeguarding needs: 

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ0ZwllED1_R0eAmzurUNbXW6dk92TtCp9BE8oysOnlPwBl3L2vNEooyvSJ3fQaQBk_q1onKflh4

• Subscribe to Cornerstone Connect - 

https://cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk/resources/cornerstone-connect-sign-up/

- for fresh safeguarding insights, priority access to support, and exclusive discounts. 

• Chris East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-east-801496174/

• Leah East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-east-cornerstone/

Producers of this episode: Chris East, Leah East

Host of this episode: Chris East

This episode is not easy listening - but it’s one you need to hear.

Lorna Allen shares what it’s really like to live through coercive control, stalking, and abuse that doesn’t end when the relationship does.

From the outside, it didn’t look obvious - there was no single moment, no defined line. Just a slow, confusing change in behaviour that only made sense in hindsight.

“I didn’t even know I was a victim… until the police told me.”

In this conversation, Lorna speaks openly about:

• Why leaving isn’t the end of the story

• The reality of coercive and controlling behaviour

• The daily impact most people never see or understand

• How systems meant to protect can still leave people exposed

Lorna also shares why she made the difficult decision to go public, and what needs to change to protect others.

This isn’t just awareness, it’s a lived reality.

And for many, it doesn’t end when the relationship does.

Useful Links: 

• https://buymeacoffee.com/cornerstonesafeguarding  - Every coffee you buy helps us keep creating practical tools and content for safeguarding professionals like you

• To find out more about Cornerstone Safeguarding - www.CornerstoneSafeguarding.co.uk 

• Email us at Cornerstone: [email protected]

• Book in a meeting to discuss your safeguarding needs: 

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ0ZwllED1_R0eAmzurUNbXW6dk92TtCp9BE8oysOnlPwBl3L2vNEooyvSJ3fQaQBk_q1onKflh4

• Subscribe to Cornerstone Connect - 

https://cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk/resources/cornerstone-connect-sign-up/

- for fresh safeguarding insights, priority access to support, and exclusive discounts. 

• Chris East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-east-801496174/

• Leah East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-east-cornerstone/

Producers of this episode: Chris East, Leah East

Host of this episode: Chris East

This episode will stop you in your tracks.

Bev Nickson shares the reality of living through three years of stalking by someone in a position of trust.

There was CCTV, witnesses and 19 separate stalking behaviours identified by a barrister.

And yet no arrest, no criminal charge and no safeguarding red flag.

Instead, Bev was left to navigate the civil courts alone, at a significant personal cost.

But the most concerning part isn’t just what happened to Bev, it’s what happened next.

The individual responsible continued working in education…and even became a school governor.

In this conversation, we unpack a critical gap in safeguarding that many organisations don’t even realise exists.

Because if we’re relying on DBS checks alone, what are we missing?

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Bev is now campaigning to close this loophole through a UK Parliament petition, calling for civil harassment and stalking orders to be included on Enhanced DBS checks to better protect children and vulnerable people.

If this conversation matters to you, you can support that change here:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/751115

About Bev:

Bev is an Employment & Career Coach, Professional Mentor, and Specialist Employment & Career Consultant.

Connect with Bev Nickson:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bev-nickson

Useful Links: 

• https://buymeacoffee.com/cornerstonesafeguarding  - Every coffee you buy helps us keep creating practical tools and content for safeguarding professionals like you

• To find out more about Cornerstone Safeguarding - www.CornerstoneSafeguarding.co.uk 

• Email us at Cornerstone: [email protected]

• Book in a meeting to discuss your safeguarding needs: 

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ0ZwllED1_R0eAmzurUNbXW6dk92TtCp9BE8oysOnlPwBl3L2vNEooyvSJ3fQaQBk_q1onKflh4

• Subscribe to Cornerstone Connect - 

https://cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk/resources/cornerstone-connect-sign-up/

- for fresh safeguarding insights, priority access to support, and exclusive discounts. 

• Chris East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-east-801496174/

• Leah East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-east-cornerstone/

Producers of this episode: Chris East, Leah East

Host of this episode: Chris East

Safer recruitment is not a formality, and it is not just an HR process. It is one of the most important safeguarding measures any organisation has.

In this episode of Safeguarding Redefined, Chris is joined by Jon Pettit from Safeguard-Me and Klaudia Ratajczak from Patronus Safeguarding to unpack what safer recruitment really means in practice, and where organisations still get it wrong.

Together, they explore:

• why safeguarding starts long before someone’s first day

• how weak recruitment processes create real risk, 

• and why job adverts, application forms, interview questions, references, induction, and low-level concerns all matter more than many organisations realise.

This is a practical and thought-provoking conversation for anyone responsible for recruiting staff or volunteers, especially in organisations working with children or vulnerable people.

This episode is part of Collective Insights, brought to you by The Safeguarding Collective: Cornerstone Safeguarding, Safeguard-Me, and Patronus Safeguarding.

Connect with The Safeguarding Collective:

Safeguard-Me: https://www.safeguard-me.co.uk/

Patronus Safeguarding: https://www.patronus-safeguarding.com/product

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Useful Links: 

• https://buymeacoffee.com/cornerstonesafeguarding  - Every coffee you buy helps us keep creating practical tools and content for safeguarding professionals like you

• To find out more about Cornerstone Safeguarding - www.CornerstoneSafeguarding.co.uk 

• Email us at Cornerstone: [email protected]

• Book in a meeting to discuss your safeguarding needs: 

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ0ZwllED1_R0eAmzurUNbXW6dk92TtCp9BE8oysOnlPwBl3L2vNEooyvSJ3fQaQBk_q1onKflh4

• Subscribe to Cornerstone Connect - 

https://cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk/resources/cornerstone-connect-sign-up/

- for fresh safeguarding insights, priority access to support, and exclusive discounts. 

• Chris East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-east-801496174/

• Leah East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-east-cornerstone/

Producers of this episode: Chris East, Leah East

Host of this episode: Chris East

Burnout is everywhere in safeguarding. But what if the real cause isn’t workload?

In this episode of Safeguarding Redefined, Chris East is joined by former police officer and burnout specialist Jonny Bevan to explore why the very traits that make someone great at safeguarding can also push them towards exhaustion.

Perfectionism. Relentless responsibility. The need to fix everything.

Together they unpack:

• the hidden emotional cost of safeguarding 

• why high-achieving ‘fixers’ are most at risk of burnout

• how our definition of strength may actually be making things worse

• why vulnerability is not weakness but a pathway out of burnout

This conversation challenges some of the deepest assumptions professionals hold about resilience, strength and coping in high-pressure safeguarding roles.

If you work in safeguarding, you may recognise more of yourself in this conversation than you expect.

Connect with Jonny Bevan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonny-bevan-348155297/

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Useful Links: 

• https://buymeacoffee.com/cornerstonesafeguarding  - Every coffee you buy helps us keep creating practical tools and content for safeguarding professionals like you

• To find out more about Cornerstone Safeguarding - www.CornerstoneSafeguarding.co.uk 

• Email us at Cornerstone: [email protected]

• Book in a meeting to discuss your safeguarding needs: 

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ0ZwllED1_R0eAmzurUNbXW6dk92TtCp9BE8oysOnlPwBl3L2vNEooyvSJ3fQaQBk_q1onKflh4

• Subscribe to Cornerstone Connect:

https://cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk/resources/cornerstone-connect-sign-up/

- for fresh safeguarding insights, priority access to support, and exclusive discounts. 

• Chris East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-east-801496174/

• Leah East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-east-cornerstone/

Producers of this episode: Chris East, Leah East

Host of this episode: Chris East

What if the answer to rising violence wasn’t more enforcement, but more presence?

As part of our charity spotlight, in this episode Paul Blakey MBE shares how Street Angels began in Halifax’s so-called “Wild West” and grew into a UK-wide movement supporting vulnerable people on nights out, at festivals and even in train stations.

From partnership with police, to preventing fights with lollipops, to a 14-year-old who said her life changed because someone decided she was worth looking after.

This is relational safeguarding in action.

Visible. Human. Present in the darkest of moments.

Find out more about the Street Angels here:

https://www.streetangels.org.uk/

https://www.festivalangels.org.uk/

Connect with Paul Blakey MBE:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulblakeymbe/

Website: https://www.paulblakeymbe.com/

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Useful Links: 

• https://buymeacoffee.com/cornerstonesafeguarding  - Every coffee you buy helps us keep creating practical tools and content for safeguarding professionals like you

• To find out more about Cornerstone Safeguarding - www.CornerstoneSafeguarding.co.uk 

• Email us at Cornerstone: [email protected]

• Book in a meeting to discuss your safeguarding needs: 

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ0ZwllED1_R0eAmzurUNbXW6dk92TtCp9BE8oysOnlPwBl3L2vNEooyvSJ3fQaQBk_q1onKflh4

• Subscribe to Cornerstone Connect - 

https://cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk/resources/cornerstone-connect-sign-up/

- for fresh safeguarding insights, priority access to support, and exclusive discounts. 

• Chris East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-east-801496174/

• Leah East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-east-cornerstone/

Producers of this episode: Chris East, Leah East

Host of this episode: Chris East

Rejection hurts.

That’s just part of being human.

But what happens when we don’t know how to handle it?

In the final episode of our Let’s Talk About Sex (and Safeguarding) series, PJ Livett explores the emotional impact of romantic rejection, and why learning to accept “no” may be one of the most important safeguarding conversations we can have.

We unpack:
• Why rejection strikes at our deepest need for belonging and identity
• The difference between persistence and coercion
• How to teach resilience without minimising pain

Because “no” is a complete sentence.

And if we don’t teach young people how to say it, or how to hear it, the consequences can be serious.

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PJ Livett, is the founder of rePHRASE, an organisation that Provides Healthy Relationships And Sex Education (without the awkwardness!). She works with a variety of organisations, across the country, including state and independent schools, sixth form colleges, youth groups, parents, teachers, YMCA, The Amber Foundation, HM Probation Service, Devon and Cornwall Police and domestic abuse survivors. 

rePHRASE helps equip young people with the knowledge and skills to: 

• build and maintain healthy relationships;
• empower them to know their worth and build self-esteem;
• help individuals recognise the importance of boundaries and choice within relationships; 
• support young people to develop skills/resilience to deal with the influences of modern technology / social media on relationships and sex;
• enrich learning experiences through relevant, interactive teaching methods that deepen learning, increase retention and improve confidence. 

Connect with PJ:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pj-rephrase/

RePhrase: https://www.rephrasesw.co.uk/

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Useful Links: 

• https://buymeacoffee.com/cornerstonesafeguarding  - Every coffee you buy helps us keep creating practical tools and content for safeguarding professionals like you

• To find out more about Cornerstone Safeguarding - www.CornerstoneSafeguarding.co.uk 

• Email us at Cornerstone: [email protected]

• Book in a meeting to discuss your safeguarding needs: 

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ0ZwllED1_R0eAmzurUNbXW6dk92TtCp9BE8oysOnlPwBl3L2vNEooyvSJ3fQaQBk_q1onKflh4

• Subscribe to Cornerstone Connect - 

https://cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk/resources/cornerstone-connect-sign-up/

- for fresh safeguarding insights, priority access to support, and exclusive discounts. 

• Chris East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-east-801496174/

• Leah East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-east-cornerstone/

Producers of this episode: Chris East, Leah East

Host of this episode: Chris East