Home Podcasts The Safeguarding and Domestic Abuse Sector Podcast
The Safeguarding and Domestic Abuse Sector Podcast

The Safeguarding and Domestic Abuse Sector Podcast

Donna Ohdedar 100 Episodes Oct 22, 2026

This podcast focuses on improving safeguarding and domestic abuse review processes, emphasizing learning rather than blame. Host Donna Ohdedar shares her thoughts on sector-led improvement and introduces professionals who are taking positive action. The show aims to offer honest discussion, practical takeaways, and inspiration for those involved in child safeguarding, domestic homicide, and adult safeguarding reviews. Listeners can expect weekly episodes that encourage connection and motivation to create meaningful impact.

Episodes

Active Bystander Intervention - The 5 D's
Active Bystander Intervention - The 5 D's Oct 22, 2026 09:04 In this week's episode, I explore the 5 Ds of Active Bystander Intervention, drawing on guidance from the Domestic Abuse Volunteer Support Service (DAVSS), and consider what this framework can teach us about safeguarding, professional curiosity and organisational culture. In this episode I discuss: What are the 5 Ds of Active Bystander Intervention What prevents us from speaking up or challeng
Identifying and recording domestic abuse
Identifying and recording domestic abuse Oct 15, 2026 08:29 In this week's episode I reflect on the changes to the way domestic abuse will be identified and recorded within the criminal justice system. In this episode I discuss: The intention of the new Judicial Finding of Domestic Abuse Why recognising patterns of coercive and controlling behaviour is essential The difference between information sharing and information use, and why making informa
Preferring to Stay in an Abusive Relationship Rather than Going to Court
Preferring to Stay in an Abusive Relationship Rather than Going to Court Oct 8, 2026 10:36 In this week's episode I reflect on the recent Sky News investigation into the experiences of domestic abuse victims within the Family Court. In this episode I discuss: Why culture change must sit alongside legislative and procedural reform The importance of understanding domestic abuse cumulatively and in context, rather than viewing incidents in isolation  What it really means to hear the
Changes to information sharing
Changes to information sharing Oct 1, 2026 05:15 A new information sharing duty came into force on 30th September, introduced by the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act under a new section 16LA of the Children Act 2004. In this episode I look at the new statutory guidance and what the duty means for organisations. In this episode I discuss: What the new information sharing duty requires Consent and proportionate information sharing The re
Changes to regulated activity
Changes to regulated activity Sep 24, 2026 05:17 The rules around regulated activity with children in England have changed and organisations working with children need to understand what that means for their safeguarding and safer recruitment arrangements. In this episode I explore what the new rules mean, which organisations need to take notice, and why this change closes a potential gap in safeguarding arrangements. In this episode I discuss:
Recognising the Risk: What We Now Know About Strangulation
Recognising the Risk: What We Now Know About Strangulation Sep 17, 2026 07:18 Have you seen the new Impact Report from the Institute for Addressing Strangulation (IFAS), looking back at its work from 2022 to 2026? The report tells us about the growing recognition of non-fatal strangulation in domestic abuse cases and why the language used to record these incidents matters enormously for safeguarding professionals and independent reviewers. In this episode I explore
New Home Office Guidance
New Home Office Guidance Sep 16, 2026 08:00 After a long period of consultation and anticipation, the new statutory guidance for reviewing deaths following domestic abuse has been published. In this episode I explore: The move from DHRs to DARDRs, including the wider recognition of deaths that have, or appear to have, resulted from domestic abuse as defined within the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. How the transitional arrangements work: notif
Decriminalising care leavers
Decriminalising care leavers Sep 10, 2026 06:02 Children in care are still significantly more likely to enter the criminal justice system than their peers. But when we look at their experiences, are we focusing too heavily on the behaviour of the child and not enough on the system surrounding them? In this episode, I consider the Government's new youth justice white paper alongside the Joint Committee on Human Rights report and what both mean f
The Family Court's Contact At All Costs Culture with Natalie Page
The Family Court's Contact At All Costs Culture with Natalie Page Sep 3, 2026 45:04 In this week's episode I am joined by campaigner, author and family court consultant Natalie Page for a thought-provoking conversation about domestic abuse, family court proceedings and the experiences of mothers and children within the family justice system. In this episode we discuss: The campaign to change the presumption of parental involvement, and why Natalie argues for a more neutral posit
10 years of change & improvement driven by high profile child protection tragedies
10 years of change & improvement driven by high profile child protection tragedies Aug 27, 2026 16:38 Why do some of us reach a point in our careers where we want to do something differently? For me, part of the answer lies in the decade between 2003 and 2013. In this episode, I look back at a period of enormous change in child safeguarding and some of the cases that shaped not only national policy and practice, but my own thinking about how systems learn when things go tragically wrong. In this e
The challenges of working with larger sibling group families
The challenges of working with larger sibling group families Aug 20, 2026 13:20 When we are working with a large sibling group, it is harder to be confident that we really understand the experience of every child within that family? In this episode, I explore some of the challenges of working with larger sibling group families. In this episode I discuss: Why it's harder for professionals to understand lived experience of the child within a large sibling group Why children wi
Recognising domestic abuse in young people
Recognising domestic abuse in young people Aug 13, 2026 07:11 When we talk about domestic abuse, how often do we picture an adult relationship? And how often do we stop to consider that the person experiencing coercion, control, sexual violence or physical violence might be 15, 16 or 17 years old? In this episode, I explore domestic abuse within teenage relationships. In this episode I discuss: The prevalence of violent and controlling behaviour within tee

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