Level 2 Safeguarding Children and Young People
Lead Trainer: ____________________________
Venue: ____________________________
Module 1: Foundations and Professional Practice
Section 17 (Child in Need): Threshold for support. Required when a child’s health or development is likely to be significantly impaired without services.
Section 47 (Child Protection): Threshold for protection. Triggered when there is reasonable cause to suspect significant harm.
Module 1 Assessment Answers
1. Anticipatory Duty: B) To have visual or digital reporting tools ready before the child ever needs them.
2. Threshold: A) Section 17: Child in Need.
3. Escalation: B) To follow the Escalation Policy and contact the MASH or Police directly.
Module 2: Recognising Abuse, Neglect and Vulnerability
Physical Abuse Case Study → Sara Sharif
Category: Physical Abuse
Location: Woking, Surrey
Year of death: August 2023 (convictions 2024)
What happened
Sara Sharif lived with her father and stepmother after being removed from her mother’s care. Over a prolonged period, she was subjected to severe and repeated physical abuse, including burns caused by heated objects, multiple fractures, extensive bruising, and blunt force injuries. Despite multiple contacts with professionals, Sara’s injuries were not escalated effectively. On the day of her death, her father fled the UK, leaving Sara’s body at home with more than 70 separate injuries.
Why this is classed as physical abuseInjuries were non-accidental and repetitive. Patterns of harm were consistent with chronic physical violence. Warning signs, including visible bruising, were missed or normalised by professionals who did not sufficiently challenge caregiver explanations.
OutcomeFather and stepmother convicted of murder. Uncle convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child. This case led to national scrutiny of safeguarding thresholds.
Safeguarding learning- Physical abuse often escalates when early injuries are missed.
- Repeated low-level concerns must be viewed cumulatively.
- Professional curiosity is critical when explanations do not align with injuries.
Sexual Abuse Case Study → Vincent Chan
Category: Sexual Abuse
Location: London
Years of offending: 2022–2024 (convictions reported 2025)
What happened
Vincent Chan was employed as a nursery practitioner at a large London childcare provider. While on duty, he sexually assaulted multiple toddlers aged between two and four years during routine care activities and nap times. Chan also created indecent images of children while at work. The abuse continued for an extended period before being detected.
Why this is classed as sexual abuseThe case meets statutory definitions because sexual acts were imposed on very young children incapable of consent. The abuse occurred within a position of trust and involved the creation of images for sexual purposes.
OutcomeGuilty pleas to multiple counts of sexual assault and making indecent images. Triggered a sector-wide review of vetting and supervision in early years.
Safeguarding learning- Abuse can occur in professional settings, assumed to be safe.
- Over-reliance on DBS checks alone is insufficient.
- Continuous supervision and a robust whistleblowing culture are essential.
Emotional Abuse Case Study → Arthur Labinjo-Hughes
Category: Emotional Abuse
Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Year of death: June 2020
What happened
Arthur lived with his father and stepmother during the COVID-19 lockdown. He was subjected to sustained emotional cruelty including repeated humiliation, verbal cruelty, being forced to stand for long periods, isolation, and the filming of his suffering as punishment. Arthur was ultimately killed after a head injury, but emotional abuse was identified as the primary contributor to his vulnerability.
Why this is classed as emotional abuseSerious Case Review findings showed Arthur was routinely demeaned and torched. Professionals underestimated this because physical injuries were not always visible, and lockdown isolation masked signals. Emotional abuse was wrongly treated as “secondary.”
OutcomeFather and stepmother convicted of murder and child cruelty. National reforms followed regarding the weight given to the child’s lived experience.
Safeguarding learning- Emotional abuse alone can be life-threatening.
- Children may comply or mask distress to survive.
- Professional curiosity is required during remote or isolated contact.
Neglect Case Study → Baby Victoria
Category: Neglect
Location: England (while parents absconded)
Year of death: January 2023 (convictions 2024)
What happened
Baby Victoria was born to parents already known to children’s services. They went on the run to avoid social services, living rough in winter conditions. They failed to provide warmth, shelter, or medical care. Victoria died from hypothermia in a makeshift shelter; her body was found in a shopping bag.
Why this is classed as neglectBasic physical needs (warmth, shelter, medical care) were intentionally not met. The neglect was foreseeable and preventable, directly causing the death of the infant.
OutcomeBoth parents convicted of gross negligence manslaughter and child cruelty. Triggered discussions on managing parents who evade oversight.
Safeguarding learning- Neglect can be fatal, especially for infants.
- Parental avoidance or disengagement increases safeguarding risk.
- Multi-agency tracking is essential when families abscond.
Module 2 Assessment Answers
1. Compliance: B) Potential “Fawn” trauma response.
2. Self-injury: B) Treat as a safeguarding indicator.
3. Hygiene: B) Check chronology and report to DSL.
Module 3: Contextual Safeguarding
Child Criminal Exploitation → UK Context
Category: Criminal Exploitation / County Lines
Location: London & Wales (UK Wide)
Timeline: 2020–2025 data
What happened
Frontline research documented serious assaults, stabbings and killings linked directly to criminal exploitation (gang involvement, drug transport). Frontline services report that of 179 incidents (2020–2024), 41 children caused serious harm and two were murdered within exploitation patterns.
Safeguarding SignificanceCases involve serious violence and fatal outcomes for children out of education or involved with drug “pipelines.” Specific deaths are often part of wider drug pipeline activity and “debt bondage.”
Safeguarding learning- Criminal exploitation requires cross-agency responses.
- Vulnerability is often linked to children out of education.
- High-value items (trainers, phones) are primary indicators.
Online Safeguarding Case Study → Molly Russell
Category: Online harm, emotional harm, suicide risk
Location: London, England
Year: Death 2017, Coroner’s conclusion 2022
What happened
Molly Russell was a 14-year-old girl who died by suicide after being exposed to large volumes of harmful online content on social media (Instagram, Pinterest) relating to self-harm and suicide. Content was pushed to her via recommendation algorithms, normalising hopelessness and self-harm themes.
Why this is an Online Safeguarding caseThe coroner concluded: “Molly’s death was the result of an act of self-harm while suffering from depression and the negative effects of online content.” Harmful content was algorithmically amplified without effective platform intervention.
Outcome and national impactCoroner recorded that online content contributed to the death. The case directly influenced the UK Online Safety Act and national guidance on digital risk.
Safeguarding learning- Online spaces are part of a child’s lived environment.
- Algorithms can act as silent perpetrators of harm.
- Safeguarding must include digital curiosity.
Module 3 Assessment Answers
1. Recognition: B) Treat as primary indicator of exploitation.
2. Conduct: B) Intervene immediately and record as Child-on-Child incident.
3. Boundaries: C) Do not reply, take a screenshot, and report to DSL.
Module 4: Responding and Recording
Module 4 Assessment Answers
1. Disclosure: B) “I can’t promise that, but I can promise I will listen and do my best to keep you safe.”
2. Factual Recording: B) “The child arrived at 08:55 crying. Their hair was visibly matted…”
3. Non-verbal: B) Use open prompts and visual aids and record the interaction exactly.
Module 5: Thresholds and Multi-Agency Working
Module 5 Assessment Answers
1. Threshold: B) Section 47: Child Protection investigation.
2. Referral: B) A factual chronology of concerns and the child’s baseline from the DDP.
3. Duty: B) Trigger the Professional Disagreement Protocol.
Module 6: Safer Culture and Individual Accountability
Module 6 Assessment Answers
1. Management: B) Within 24 hours of the concern being raised.
2. Whistleblowing: B) Report as a whistleblowing concern to the DSL or Headteacher immediately.
3. Culture: A) A “Low-Level” concern that must be reported to the DSL.
LMS Final Mastery Access
Trainer: Ensure the following is provided to all learners at the end of the session.
Login Name: ____________________________
Password: ____________________________