This episode will stop you in your tracks.

Bev Nickson shares the reality of living through three years of stalking by someone in a position of trust.

There was CCTV, witnesses and 19 separate stalking behaviours identified by a barrister.

And yet no arrest, no criminal charge and no safeguarding red flag.

Instead, Bev was left to navigate the civil courts alone, at a significant personal cost.

But the most concerning part isn’t just what happened to Bev, it’s what happened next.

The individual responsible continued working in education…and even became a school governor.

In this conversation, we unpack a critical gap in safeguarding that many organisations don’t even realise exists.

Because if we’re relying on DBS checks alone, what are we missing?

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Bev is now campaigning to close this loophole through a UK Parliament petition, calling for civil harassment and stalking orders to be included on Enhanced DBS checks to better protect children and vulnerable people.

If this conversation matters to you, you can support that change here:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/740041

About Bev:Bev is an Employment & Career Coach, Professional Mentor, and Specialist Employment & Career Consultant.

Connect with Bev Nickson:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bev-nickson

Useful Links:

• https://buymeacoffee.com/cornerstonesafeguarding - Every coffee you buy helps us keep creating practical tools and content for safeguarding professionals like you

• To find out more about Cornerstone Safeguarding - www.CornerstoneSafeguarding.co.uk

• Email us at Cornerstone: info@cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk

• Book in a meeting to discuss your safeguarding needs:

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ0ZwllED1_R0eAmzurUNbXW6dk92TtCp9BE8oysOnlPwBl3L2vNEooyvSJ3fQaQBk_q1onKflh4

• Subscribe to Cornerstone Connect -

https://cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk/resources/cornerstone-connect-sign-up/

- for fresh safeguarding insights, priority access to support, and exclusive discounts.

• Chris East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-east-801496174/

• Leah East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-east-cornerstone/

Producers of this episode: Chris East, Leah East

Host of this episode: Chris East

Safer recruitment is not a formality, and it is not just an HR process. It is one of the most important safeguarding measures any organisation has.

In this episode of Safeguarding Redefined, Chris is joined by Jon Pettit from Safeguard-Me and Klaudia Ratajczak from Patronus Safeguarding to unpack what safer recruitment really means in practice, and where organisations still get it wrong.

Together, they explore:

• why safeguarding starts long before someone’s first day

• how weak recruitment processes create real risk,

• and why job adverts, application forms, interview questions, references, induction, and low-level concerns all matter more than many organisations realise.

This is a practical and thought-provoking conversation for anyone responsible for recruiting staff or volunteers, especially in organisations working with children or vulnerable people.

This episode is part of Collective Insights, brought to you by The Safeguarding Collective: Cornerstone Safeguarding, Safeguard-Me, and Patronus Safeguarding.

Connect with The Safeguarding Collective:

Safeguard-Me: https://www.safeguard-me.co.uk/

Patronus Safeguarding: https://www.patronus-safeguarding.com/product

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Useful Links:

• https://buymeacoffee.com/cornerstonesafeguarding - Every coffee you buy helps us keep creating practical tools and content for safeguarding professionals like you

• To find out more about Cornerstone Safeguarding - www.CornerstoneSafeguarding.co.uk

• Email us at Cornerstone: info@cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk

• Book in a meeting to discuss your safeguarding needs:

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ0ZwllED1_R0eAmzurUNbXW6dk92TtCp9BE8oysOnlPwBl3L2vNEooyvSJ3fQaQBk_q1onKflh4

• Subscribe to Cornerstone Connect -

https://cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk/resources/cornerstone-connect-sign-up/

- for fresh safeguarding insights, priority access to support, and exclusive discounts.

• Chris East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-east-801496174/

• Leah East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-east-cornerstone/

Producers of this episode: Chris East, Leah East

Host of this episode: Chris East

Burnout is everywhere in safeguarding. But what if the real cause isn’t workload?

In this episode of Safeguarding Redefined, Chris East is joined by former police officer and burnout specialist Jonny Bevan to explore why the very traits that make someone great at safeguarding can also push them towards exhaustion.

Perfectionism. Relentless responsibility. The need to fix everything.

Together they unpack:

• the hidden emotional cost of safeguarding

• why high-achieving ‘fixers’ are most at risk of burnout

• how our definition of strength may actually be making things worse

• why vulnerability is not weakness but a pathway out of burnout

This conversation challenges some of the deepest assumptions professionals hold about resilience, strength and coping in high-pressure safeguarding roles.

If you work in safeguarding, you may recognise more of yourself in this conversation than you expect.

Connect with Jonny Bevan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonny-bevan-348155297/

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Useful Links:

• https://buymeacoffee.com/cornerstonesafeguarding - Every coffee you buy helps us keep creating practical tools and content for safeguarding professionals like you

• To find out more about Cornerstone Safeguarding - www.CornerstoneSafeguarding.co.uk

• Email us at Cornerstone: info@cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk

• Book in a meeting to discuss your safeguarding needs:

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ0ZwllED1_R0eAmzurUNbXW6dk92TtCp9BE8oysOnlPwBl3L2vNEooyvSJ3fQaQBk_q1onKflh4

• Subscribe to Cornerstone Connect:

https://cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk/resources/cornerstone-connect-sign-up/

- for fresh safeguarding insights, priority access to support, and exclusive discounts.

• Chris East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-east-801496174/

• Leah East on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-east-cornerstone/

Producers of this episode: Chris East, Leah East

Host of this episode: Chris East