Sydney was just 13 years old when she went missing for 5 days from the Children’s Home she was living in at the time. Upon her return, she disclosed that she had been held against her will, sexually assaulted by older males and had been given alcohol and drugs. This podcast episode looks at the findings of the subsequent review published jointly by Lancashire Safeguarding Children Partnership and Devon Safeguarding Partnership.

Learning themes include:

-Sensitive and appropriate reactions to children’s disclosures

-Listening to the voice of children and families

-The usefulness of chronologies

-The impact of delayed diagnoses

-Internet Safety – see Google’s Be Internet Awesome interactive educational game for young people

-Follow up of actions, suggestions and recommendations

-Use of specialist services

-Effectiveness of risk assessments

- Philomena Protocol