Our current training

This was formally known as Level 3 Safeguarding Training. WFSCP Working Together to Safeguard Children is intended for professionals who are required to work at level 3 competency within their statutory framework, particularly where responsibilities include keeping children safe.

You will need to have completed Level 2 Safeguarding Children (eLearning). To access the basic Level 2 eLearning course, log in to the Virtual College using the link below.

Virtual college

Any queries regarding this training course, please contact us at wfscptraining@cumbria.gov.uk

Tuesday 29 September - fully booked

Wednesday 14 October

12:30 - 16:30

12:30 - 16:30

Kendal Town Hall

Kendal Town Hall

The aim of the training is to develop a common understanding of risk management and to provide support to all professionals working with children so that everyone is clear about:

• the thresholds for access to services which support the actions needed to improve the outcomes for children
• understanding of roles and responsibilities
• identifying exemplars of good practice
• individual responsibility when working with children, young people and families
• responsibility of different agencies; and
• the tools in place to support professionals in their role

To book your place or if you have any queries, please email WFSCPTraining@cumbria.gov.uk 

All participants should arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the start time.

We offer two Contextual Safeguarding learning opportunities:

• Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 Training
• Contextual Safeguarding Network Events (formerly known as CE Champions)

Both are open to practitioners who have successfully completed the Level 1 Child Exploitation and Extra-Familial Harm eLearning.

To access the Level 1 eLearning, please log in to the Virtual College using the link below:

Virtual college

Level 2 Contextual Safeguarding

Contextual Safeguarding Network (Fearless)

Contextual Safeguarding Network (CADAS)

Monday 12 October 

Tuesday 14 July

Tuesday 22 September

13:00 - 16:00

12:00 - 13:00

10:00 - 12:00

Kendal Town Hall

MS Teams

Barrow Town Hall

• Recognise signs of child exploitation and extra-familial harm.
• Identify risk factors and vulnerabilities in children.
• Assess and respond to children at risk effectively.
• Apply safeguarding frameworks and legal responsibilities.
• Collaborate with multi-agency teams to protect children.
• Support children safely and appropriately.

To book your place or if you have any queries, please email WFSCPTraining@cumbria.gov.uk 

All participants should arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the start time.

• To begin to understand the transformation to becoming Trauma Informed Lancashire.
• To begin to explore how trauma affects our body, brain and behaviour
• To be able to recognise how trauma may present in people we work alongside
• To consider how a Trauma Informed Approach impacts on individuals and communities
• To begin to think about changes we can make to our working practices, services and organisations

To book your place or if you have any queries, please email WFSCPTraining@cumbria.gov.uk 

All participants should arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the start time.

This powerful and thought-provoking multi-agency training shares Tom’s voice—the voice of a child who lived through domestic abuse and tragically lost his mother to it. Developed as part of a Domestic Homicide Review, this session gives practitioners a rare and moving insight into the lived experience of children impacted by parental domestic abuse.

Using Tom’s own words, the training promotes child-centred, trauma-informed practice, encouraging professionals to reflect deeply on how domestic abuse, coercive control, and neglect affect children’s emotional wellbeing and development.

Participants will learn to:

• listen to Tom’s story and recognise what his and his family’s experiences can teach them
• explore the key themes of domestic abuse, coercive control and neglect, and understand how these can affect mental health
• reflect on how trauma and adverse childhood experiences shape children’s lives and future outcomes

Partner agencies across Westmorland and Furness are invited to attend the Social Care Reforms Partnership Briefing. This session aims to develop a shared understanding of the Families First Partnership Programme, what it means in practice, and how we collectively support children, young people and families.

What the Briefing Will Cover

The briefing will:

• Introduce the Families First Partnership Programme and its local implementation.
• Provide an overview of the core principles underpinning the national children’s social care reforms.
• Explore the key pillars of the social care reforms and how these translate into everyday practice.
• Create space for colleagues to share insight, professional experience and local knowledge to help shape delivery across Westmorland and Furness.

Why This Matters

The Families First approach depends on strong partnership working. This briefing will help to ensure that:

• Everyone understands their role within the social care reforms.
• Services are aligned, working to a shared language, vision and approach.

Through shared understanding and collaboration, we can deliver more coordinated, consistent and effective support for families across Westmorland and Furness.

• Children’s services
• Health and 0 to 19 teams
• Education settings
• Youth, community, and voluntary sector partners
• Police colleagues

This session, delivered by Westmorland and Furness Safeguarding Children Partnership will focus on the key learning from the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panels recently published thematic review of Neglect (published April 2026). The thematic analysis, examines multi-agency responses to child neglect in cases of serious harm or death. The session will summarise the main themes from the report and focus in on 

• Understanding and identifying child neglect
• Child centred practice
• Multi-agency working
• Interventions and planning

The session will also include reference to local learning, statistics and what different professionals need to consider within their roles in order to identify, assess and respond effectively to Neglect

• Understand what trauma is and how it impacts the brain, body, and behaviour. 
• Recognise trauma responses in children, young people and families. 
• Identify the core principles of trauma‑informed practice and why they are important. 
• Apply trauma‑informed approaches in everyday interactions and service delivery. 
• Reflect on personal and organisational practice to identify opportunities for trauma‑informed improvement.

Westmorland and Furness Safeguarding Children Partnership (WFSCP) and Cumberland Safeguarding Children Partnership (CSCP)  are pleased to welcome Recovery Steps to deliver this important training, which follows on from learning identified in recent local reviews.

This session explores the impact of parental drug and alcohol use on children and young people, drawing on learning from recent local reviews. It aims to strengthen practitioners’ understanding, confidence and multi‑agency responses when supporting families affected by substance use.

• Recognise signs and indicators of parental substance use and understand its potential impact on children’s wellbeing and safety
• Review learning themes linked to parental substance use both locally and nationally 
• Improve confidence in recognising and assessing the risks associated with parental substance use 
• Explore support available for families where substance use is a factor

Westmorland & Furness Council, in partnership with SafeLives, are offering the training opportunity to complete ‘Responding Well’ Domestic Abuse Training. This training has been agreed as the consistent, baseline DA Awareness across Cumbria. 

SafeLives are a UK-wide charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, for everyone and for good. They are independent, practical and evidence-led, with survivor voice at the heart of our thinking. They work with organisations across the UK to transform the response to domestic abuse.

• define Domestic Abuse with an update on the DA Act 2021 and the changes to current practice/legislation.
• ensure a thorough understanding of controlling and coercive behaviour and how abusive relationships develop.
• explore typologies of abuse using Michael Johnson’s model and consider how this impacts our assessment of risk and intervention for families.
• understand the importance of risk assessment- using tools such as the SafeLives DASH (as specific to Cumbria which uses a combined DASH) but also our professional judgement
• identify how trauma impacts survivors and how we can work in a more trauma-informed way.
• understand best practice when working with those impacted by DA and how to use our knowledge of DA to respond in a non-victim-blaming way.

For available dates and to book a place, please click on the link below

Book your place (Eventbrite)

If you have any queries regarding the training or you are having issues with booking, please contact Alison Goodfellow by email: alison.goodfellow@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk

Important Information - Police Officers/staff need not attend as Cumbria Constabulary have their own DA Matters Training.

• identify the signs of Domestic Abuse
• to be able to effectively assess risk with the use of the DASH Risk Assessment and combined homicide timeline

Anyone wishing to book onto any training can do so by contacting the EH Team via family.help.WAF@cumbria.gov.uk or contacting their named Early Help Officer directly.

For any questions on Family Help training please call 0300 373 2723.