Welcome back to another episode of our Safeguarding Shorts side series, where we unpack key safeguarding topics and explore their relevance in everyday practice.

In this episode, we’re focusing on Consent and Healthy Relationships: what they really mean, why they matter, and how we can support children and young people to understand them with clarity and confidence. Consent is far more than a one-off conversation; it’s a fundamental part of respecting boundaries, promoting autonomy, and helping young people navigate relationships safely.

We’ll explore practical ways to talk about consent in age-appropriate, empowering ways, and examine how early education around healthy relationships can foster emotional wellbeing, resilience, and respectful behaviour. We also discuss common misconceptions, links to safeguarding concerns such as exploitation and harmful sexual behaviour, and how practitioners can create environments where children feel safe to express their boundaries.

Join us as we break down real-world examples, highlight current themes from national safeguarding guidance, and share actionable strategies to strengthen your practice and support children in developing positive, respectful relationships.

Supporting Links:
Showcase Monthly Newsletter: ⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/showcasetraining/subscribe-to-showcase-training⁠⁠
Showcase Safeguarding Newsfeed: ⁠⁠https://showcasetraining.co.uk/safeguarding/⁠⁠
NSPCC CASPAR Newsletter: ⁠⁠https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/newsletter/caspar⁠⁠
Hampshire Safeguarding Children Partnership Webinars: ⁠⁠https://hampshirescp.event-booking.org.uk/⁠⁠

Showcase Training are an Early Years-specialist training provider based on the south coast of the UK. Meet our hosts, Gemma and Ellen! ⁠⁠https://showcasetraining.co.uk/2025/01/09/podcast-meet-the-hosts/⁠⁠

We’d love your feedback on the episode, including comments and ideas for future discussions! Email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ and visit our website for more safeguarding guidance and resources: ⁠www.showcasetraining.co.uk⁠.