In this episode, I’m joined by specialist psychiatric nurse Nicola Noel to unpack one of the most difficult but necessary conversations in safeguarding today—how risk is repeatedly missed, and why the consequences can be fatal.

Using the findings from the Southport inquiry as a starting point, we explore the uncomfortable truth:
the warning signs were there… and the outcome was preventable.

This isn’t about blame.
It’s about understanding where systems are failing—and what needs to change.

We cover:

• Why focusing on isolated incidents instead of patterns allows risk to escalate
• How early warning signs in childhood are often misunderstood or dismissed
• The impact of poor information sharing and lack of accountability across services
• The dangerous gap between mental health and criminal justice systems, and how risk gets passed between them
• Why exclusion, labelling, and minimisation can make situations worse—not better
• How the same behavioural patterns seen here mirror those in domestic abuse and coercive control cases

We also explore a critical question:
Are we too focused on avoiding criminalisation… at the cost of protecting lives?

This conversation goes beyond one case.
It highlights a much bigger issue:

👉 Risk is not always obvious
👉 It is not always easy to evidence
👉 And when we don’t understand it—we don’t just miss it
We create the conditions for harm

Whether you’re a professional working in safeguarding, mental health, education or policing—or someone trying to make sense of your own experience—this episode will challenge the way you think about risk, responsibility, and intervention.

Because the reality is this:

Patterns save lives.
But only if we’re trained to see them.

You can check out Nicola's work here:

And as always if you are impacted by abuse and need support or your a professional wanting to expand your own professional lens, head to the link tree:

https://linktr.ee/breakthecyclemovement