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 Sep 17, 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

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
Deprivation of Liberty Part 2
Deprivation of Liberty Part 2 Aug 6, 2026 06:08 The legal landscape around deprivation of liberty has changed. In this episode, I continue the conversation about the recent UK Supreme Court judgment following the reference by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland. The decision marks a significant shift in how practitioners should determine whether someone is deprived of their liberty, moving away from the familiar Cheshire West "acid test"
Deprivation of Liberty Part 1
Deprivation of Liberty Part 1 Jul 23, 2026 07:13 The legal framework around deprivation of liberty has changed following the Supreme Court's AGNI judgment. But what does that actually mean for safeguarding professionals and independent reviewers? In this episode, I explore the Department of Health and Social Care's interim guidance, why this judgment matters beyond its legal implications, and why good safeguarding has always been about far more
Breaking Cycles Through Storytelling with Louisa Herridge
Breaking Cycles Through Storytelling with Louisa Herridge Jul 23, 2026 21:14 In this episode I am joined by writing coach and publisher Louisa Herridge to explore why storytelling matters and how it link to creating meaningful change. Together we discuss the power of lived experience, finding your voice, and why the stories we choose to tell can influence individuals, organisations and even future generations.   In this episode we discuss: Why everyone has a story worth t
Why Family Voices Matter in Reviews
Why Family Voices Matter in Reviews Jul 23, 2026 07:55 What is it like for a family member or someone close to a victim to take part in a safeguarding review? In this episode I speak with Sue, who participated in the Safeguarding Adults Review following her best friend's death. Together we explore what it feels like to contribute after a traumatic bereavement, why family and those closest to the person matter so much, and how meaningful participation
Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews which analyse domestic abuse part 2
Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews which analyse domestic abuse part 2 Jul 16, 2026 06:35 In this episode, I continue my series exploring what Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews teach us about domestic abuse and the impact on children. This time, I'm discussing the research report Rethinking Domestic Abuse in Child Protection: Responding Differently and some of the important questions it raises about how we respond to families experiencing domestic abuse. In this episode I discuss: W

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