Courses

Social media engagement with vulnerable family members

The aim of the session is to reduce the risk of kidnap and exploitation posed by social media by increasing knowledge and understanding of risks & protective factors and by strengthening communication and relationships within the family.

By the end of the session delegates will be able to:

Identify common risks posed by personal open source material from social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram).
Outline nationally recognised safety guidelines for protecting children and young people on line.
Review the safety strategies in place within your family.
Reduce the risk of being taken hostage by communicating the danger and developing strategies for problem solving and reducing risky behaviours within the family.
Summarise individual safety plans for the family.

Trainer profile: Bekki Richens

Whilst working as a detective in Thames valley police I specialised in the prevention and detection of serious sexual and violent crime, including kidnap. I worked closely with the Lucy Faithful foundation and CEOP in investigating child abuse which included listening to hundreds of suspects and child witnesses.

I moved into children's services and the prevention of these crimes where I managed a multi-agency family support team, learning how to holistically strengthen families to enable them to thrive. I am trained in many evidence-based parenting programmes such as strengthening families, strengthening communities which focus on enabling parents to develop skills to improve family communication.

For 4 years I ran a successful teen Triple P parenting programme with the Youth Offending Service, where we diverted young people from crime and disorder into pro social activities. I'm also trained in therapeutic communication with children. This TFS course draws on many of these evidence-based techniques. More recently I have moved into adult education where I'm a vocational manager, developing accredited adult education courses to support people into work.