Council hosts event to help parents understand exploitation
Tuesday, 7 March 2023
We are hosting a free event for parents to help them understand more about exploitation.
The Power2Parents workshop aims to help parents gain a better understanding of child exploitation, how they can better safeguard and prevent it and how they can support professionals to disrupt perpetrators.
Councillor Sue Clark, Executive Member for Families, Education and Children, said:
Exploitation comes in many forms, and for children this can include selling drugs or carrying weapons for gangs. Protecting our young people is paramount, and we’re committed to working with our partners, including Bedfordshire’s Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit, to do so. But it’s really important our communities know how they can play a part in keeping children and vulnerable people safe, and that’s where the Power2Parents sessions come in.
It’s important that parents and carers understand the signs of exploitation, and what to do if they think their child or another young person is being exploited. We’re extremely grateful that a number of guest speakers will be attending the event to talk about their organisations and their own experiences, including Roseann Taylor whose son Azaan Kaleem was very sadly stabbed to death in 2018.
Parents will have the opportunity to have their say and talk to various services we work with to find out how we’re working together to keep young people safe.
Director of Bedfordshire’s Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit (VERU), Kimberley Lamb, said:
Events like these are fantastic opportunities to raise awareness of an issue that often goes undetected. Sadly, exploitation affects young and vulnerable people of every demographic, and we are pleased to be working alongside Central Bedfordshire Council to continue equipping our community with the knowledge needed to tackle exploitation at the earliest point.
In her work as Senior Youth Intervention Specialist at the VERU, Roseann has supported hundreds of young people to make choices that help them work towards a brighter future. The Power2Parents workshop provides yet another platform for her to share not only her lived experience, but her specialist knowledge in spotting and preventing violence and exploitation.
The next Power2Parents workshop takes place on Wednesday 22 March, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm at Redborne Upper School in Ampthill. Although the event is free, we are asking parents to book a ticket through Eventbrite.
For more information, details of the location and to reserve your space.