The Isle of Man Protecting Children Board has this week hosted a conference to highlight the importance of actively listening to children and young people.
In particular, the event at the Villa Marina focused on improving skills and knowledge around recognising different ways in which experiences of abuse or neglect are communicated.
Professionals involved in the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in the Island were invited to hear contributions from a number of high-profile speakers from the UK.
The line-up included Jim Gamble, who established the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, Sue Minto, Head of ChildLine, Dawn Rees, a former national adviser to the UK Government on child and adolescent mental health, and Sue Zeitlin, a Designated Doctor with particular knowledge of children with additional needs.
The conference was held on Tuesday and repeated on Wednesday to provide an opportunity for almost 400 local practitioners to take part in the discussions.
It was the first event of its type to be held by the Protecting Children Board which coordinates and monitors how the Isle of Man’s services work together to protect children from abuse or neglect. Some of the Island’s young people had contributed to the conference, identifying what professionals could do to support them.
Barbara Trevanion, Independent Chair of the IoM Protecting Children Board, said: ‘The two days were very successful and achieved our main aim of raising further awareness of a range of important issues. The conference provided staff from our partner agencies with information and guidance from a panel of experts and helped to enhance the knowledge and confidence of practitioners when it comes to actively hearing what children are saying about their circumstances.’
She added: ‘Our speakers also highlighted the need for a highly developed professional curiosity when working with children, and to see beyond the obvious when observing their speech and behaviour. The Protecting Children Board is committed to making an effective contribution to the Isle of Man Government’s national priority of protecting the vulnerable, and this week’s conference will strengthen the good work that is already taking place on the island.’
Juan Watterson MHK, Minister for the Department of Home Affairs, commented: ‘Child protection issues are not something most people see on a day to day basis. However, it is important for the public to know about the good work that the Protecting Children Board does in driving better communication and best practice, helping vulnerable young people and their families on a daily basis.’
