Redbridge local safeguarding children board

News:   2 March 2026

New! 🌙 Safer Sleep Week 2026: Keep it simple to keep it safe

Safer Sleep Week 2026, running 9 – 15 March, is The Lullaby Trust’s national awareness campaign dedicated to protecting babies and empowering everyone who cares for them with simple, life‑saving safer sleep advice.  Every year in the UK, around 700,000 babies are born, and sadly around four babies a week still die from SIDS – many of these deaths could be prevented through consistent safer sleep practices. Greater awareness truly saves lives.

This year’s theme is Baby Necessities.  With so many baby products on the market – and conflicting advice – it can be overwhelming for parents to know what’s really needed. This year, The Lullaby Trust is helping families cut through the noise by focusing only on the essential items your baby needs for safe sleep.

The Lullaby Trust’s expert guidance emphasises simple, evidence‑based practices that significantly reduce the risk of SIDS:

  • Place babies on their back for every sleep.
  • Keep the sleep space clear – no pillows, loose bedding, soft toys, or products near their face or head.
  • Maintain a room temperature between 16–20°C.
  • Room‑share with your baby for at least the first six months.

Help us spread safer sleep awareness and protect more families by sharing The Lullaby Trust’s Safer Sleep Week resources and signpost parents and carers to trusted guidance and support services.

Below for download is the North East London Health & Care Partnership Safer Sleep Standard. This standard has been developed to provide a consistent approach to improving safer sleep guidance which will assist in reducing the deaths of infants who have died due to unsafe sleeping or where unsafe sleeping has been a contributory factor

Webinars on Safe Sleep awareness and risks for SUDI and SIDS

These sessions will raise awareness of risk factors associated with SIDS and provide professionals, such as midwives, health visitors, social workers, early years staff, child minders, foster carers, physios, community nurses and neonatal nurses with updated information to support families around safe sleep practices to reduce and prevent future deaths from SIDs or SUDI. Any professional or person that works with families where there are young babies are welcome to attend.

Find all campaign materials and safer sleep advice through The Lullaby Trust: https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/about-us/our-campaigns/safer-sleep-week/

Working together in Redbridge:  Supporting Children & Families – Guidance for Professionals

Following changes and new ways of working as part of the Government’s Families First Pathfinder, we have been working on re-drafting our local guidance on making referrals and accessing services for children and families.  We have opened a consultation on the draft which will run until close of business on Monday 9 March 2026.  The document can be downloaded via the link below:

Please send your comments to RedbridgeSCP@redbridge.gov.uk.  We are particularly keen to hear view from professionals and volunteers across all agencies working with children and families in Redbridge on the following points:

  • Title – does it clearly reflect the purpose and content of the document?
  • Case Examples – are those given helpful?
  • Amendments – any corrections that are required to the information, particularly the links throughout the document and contacts (page 25)
  • Levels of Need and Services – are these clear? (pages 12 – 23)
  • Key Terms – any missing from the glossary? (page 27)
  • Accessibility – does anything further need to be considered to improve accessibility?

Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) – Consultation

Consultation on the new draft KCSIE guidance for 2026 is now open.  The new guidance reflects substantive changes that strengthen or clarify existing content, changes to multi agency working ahead of any legislation changes in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, where appropriate the recent Casey Audit, and adds content in relation to Violence Against Women and Girls.  Information about the proposed changes is available on the government website, with a link to the consultation which runs until 22 April 2026.

Fostering for Redbridge

Redbridge Council are looking for foster carers to offer a loving home to some of our most vulnerable children.

If you would like to know more about fostering, call the Team on 020 8708 6068 or view the details on the Council’s website, where you can book onto a ‘virtual’ information session.

Independent Parental Advocacy Service

The Borough have just launched a new Independent Parental Advocacy Service for parents that are going through safeguarding procedures with their children.  Further information can be found in the leaflet and flyer below:

Autism and Suicide Awareness Training

A free elearning module is available from Zero Suicide Alliance.  The course, which has been co-produced with people from the autistic community, lasts approximately one hour and can accessed via the link below:

The course provides information about the link between autism and suicide risk, shares real experiences, and provides guidance to spotting the signs and supporting an autistic person.  It is recommended for those working with people with autism.

Reminder – Contact with Local Authority – Children’s Social Care

This is a reminder that professionals wishing to make a safeguarding referral, request for information or services, or a notification should contact LBR Children’s Services direct using the on-line portal (link below):

Please do not send referrals, copies, or information sharing requests to the Redbridge Safeguarding Children Partnership (RSCP), which is a multi-agency strategic body that doesn’t commission nor deliver services, or hold case records.  Any case work communication with the RSCP outside of Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (CSPRs) could represent a data breach and will also potentially cause a delay in response.

RSCP Training Programme 2025 – 2026 

Our 2025/26 Redbridge Safeguarding Children Partnership Training Programme, provides learning opportunities for multi-agency professionals and volunteers working with children and families in Redbridge.  This year’s Programme offers a mix of in-person and online training and some free online briefings, arranged in four parts:

  1. Understanding Safeguarding Risks and Responding to Learning
  2. Contextual Safeguarding and Child-on-Child Abuse
  3. Responding to Local and National Priorities
  4. Creating Safer Settings for Children and Families

If you are not currently on our mailing list, you can sign up here for regular updates.  Please forward this email to any of your colleagues or partners who you think would benefit.  Don’t forget there’s lots of information and resources on safeguarding on our website.

To book your place on any of our courses or briefings, please use our online booking form.  (N.B. if the course you’re interested in still has dates to be confirmed, you won’t be able to book yet but we’ll advertise dates as soon as they’re set).  For notes on training fees and cancellation policy, please click here and visit our website for full details of our training programme.  Please note we charge for non-attendance in most instances, even if the course is free to attend.  We look forward to seeing you on one of our briefings or courses soon!