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?

---

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

-----

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/

---

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

What if the answer to rising violence wasn’t more enforcement, but more presence?

As part of our charity spotlight, in this episode Paul Blakey MBE shares how Street Angels began in Halifax’s so-called “Wild West” and grew into a UK-wide movement supporting vulnerable people on nights out, at festivals and even in train stations.

From partnership with police, to preventing fights with lollipops, to a 14-year-old who said her life changed because someone decided she was worth looking after.

This is relational safeguarding in action.

Visible. Human. Present in the darkest of moments.

Find out more about the Street Angels here:

https://www.streetangels.org.uk/

https://www.festivalangels.org.uk/

Connect with Paul Blakey MBE:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulblakeymbe/

Website: https://www.paulblakeymbe.com/

---

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

Rejection hurts.

That’s just part of being human.

But what happens when we don’t know how to handle it?

In the final episode of our Let’s Talk About Sex (and Safeguarding) series, PJ Livett explores the emotional impact of romantic rejection, and why learning to accept “no” may be one of the most important safeguarding conversations we can have.

We unpack:
• Why rejection strikes at our deepest need for belonging and identity
• The difference between persistence and coercion
• How to teach resilience without minimising pain

Because “no” is a complete sentence.

And if we don’t teach young people how to say it, or how to hear it, the consequences can be serious.

--

PJ Livett, is the founder of rePHRASE, an organisation that Provides Healthy Relationships And Sex Education (without the awkwardness!). She works with a variety of organisations, across the country, including state and independent schools, sixth form colleges, youth groups, parents, teachers, YMCA, The Amber Foundation, HM Probation Service, Devon and Cornwall Police and domestic abuse survivors.

rePHRASE helps equip young people with the knowledge and skills to:

• build and maintain healthy relationships;
• empower them to know their worth and build self-esteem;
• help individuals recognise the importance of boundaries and choice within relationships;
• support young people to develop skills/resilience to deal with the influences of modern technology / social media on relationships and sex;
• enrich learning experiences through relevant, interactive teaching methods that deepen learning, increase retention and improve confidence.

Connect with PJ:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pj-rephrase/

RePhrase: https://www.rephrasesw.co.uk/

----

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

When a nude image is shared without consent, why is the first question still,
“Why did they take it in the first place?”

In this latest instalment of Let’s Talk About Sex (and Safeguarding), Ruth Heneke Eliot, trainer, workshop facilitator and co-founder of Training Works, joins us to challenge the narrative that young people “should have known better” and to expose the culture that allows image-based sexual abuse to thrive.

We explore:

• How victim blaming quietly shapes safeguarding responses

• Why boys often collect nudes for status, power and validation

• How shame-based messaging shuts down disclosure

• What it really means to respond in a trauma-informed way

This episode is a call to rethink our rhetoric, shift accountability where it belongs, and ensure young people know they will not be shamed when they ask for help.

Because safeguarding is all about 'interrupting the potential for harm'.

Connect with Ruth:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthhenekeeliot/

Training Works: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trainingworksuk/

----

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

How do you respond when someone discloses chemsex, all without panic, judgment, or stripping away their dignity?

In this episode, Matthew Fuller joins us to explore the complex realities of chemsex and why traditional safeguarding approaches often miss the mark.

We unpack sexualised drug use, stigma, and why chemsex is so often misunderstood as “too risky” rather than deeply contextual.

Matthew challenges professionals to look honestly at unconscious bias, cultural competency, and the real harm caused when safeguarding frameworks prioritise control over autonomy.

This conversation is about more than drugs or sex. It’s about trust, empowerment, and why dignity is not optional if safety is the goal.

---

Matthew previously worked as a Care Coordinator & Keyworker for 'Controlling Chemsex', a charity created and run by professionals with a long experience of providing Chemsex support.

Matthew is now an LGBTQ+ Recovery Support worker, as well as a Change and Accountability Coach.

You can connect with Matthew:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewctfuller/

----

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

Sex education doesn’t fail because young people are immature.

It fails because adults are carrying unprocessed sexual shame.

Sexologist, sex therapist and consent trainer Sian Johnson joins us to unpack why sex education, consent conversations and sexual disclosures are so difficult for adults, not because they’re ‘awkward’, but because they activate shame carried in our bodies, beliefs and nervous systems.

This episode delves into:

• The difference between healthy shame and toxic sexual shame

• Why sexual shame can stop people reporting abuse or exploitation

• Why asking teachers to deliver RSE without proper support is setting them up to fail

• How shame shows up in classrooms, safeguarding roles and professional responses

This is an honest, nuanced conversation about what adults bring into safeguarding spaces, often unknowingly, and why ignoring that reality puts both professionals and young people at risk.

Because safeguarding is also about what’s happening inside those who hold responsibility.

Connect with Sian Johnson:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sian-johnson-37385416/

Website: https://sianjohnson.com/

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://www.cornerstonesafeguarding.co.uk/cornerstoneconnectsignup - 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