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Safeguarding is everyone’s business

Hilary Garratt, Director of Nursing for NHS England and Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England sets out her aspirations for the fourth National Safeguarding Conference: Commissioning for a contemporary safeguarding system: values, legislation and practice.

I am constantly reminded how the newer priorities in safeguarding are becoming more prominent in all our lives and communities.

I only have to switch on the television and see the face of a victim of modern slavery, or think about the sight, smells, desperation and dreams of people in the Calais ‘Jungle’ to understand how the services we provide today and design for tomorrow should accommodate the needs of the most vulnerable people living in our society.

I am pleased to host the fourth National Safeguarding Conference, welcoming 250 expert colleagues to an event that will stimulate discussion and sharing of great things.

I want us to use this time to think through how we continue to ensure we use our leadership to support systems, organisations and individuals to be able to adapt and respond to national and global safeguarding issues by influencing policy and improving practice.

I would like us to think about how we ensure the values we embrace as safeguarding leaders based on care, compassion, commitment, courage, communication and competence, continue to shape services for the future. Furthermore, I would also like us to think how we, as safeguarding leaders, demonstrate how we lead change and add value to the outcomes and experiences of vulnerable individuals who often look to us for support to rebuild their lives.

Professor Jane Cummings, Chief Nursing Officer for England will be the key note speaker today, setting the scene for us to think about how our role as safeguarding leaders will influence service design and transformation.

I am also delighted to welcome a variety of speakers from a wide range of partner organisations that will also help us to think about the next steps we need to take to improve practice. We will focus on issues from modern slavery, to policy reform, which we know will change the landscape of safeguarding across England.

I am excited to welcome Tim Campbell, MBE.  Tim won the first BBC Apprentice and founded the Bright Ideas Trust which works with disadvantaged young people, supporting them to get involved in enterprise. Tim’s experience highlights how working together, we can help vulnerable young people create a future by helping them to help themselves.

I am sure that by the end of this year’s conference, we will feel even more motivated to continue to work together to demonstrate our values based leadership that lead to safe services that improve people’s lives.

We all know that safeguarding is everyone’s business; follow the conversation on twitter and make sure you use the hashtag #NSGCon2017.

Enjoy the day.

Hilary Garratt

Hilary Garratt CBE, BSc, MSc, RGN, SCPHN (RHV), PGCE is the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Hilary leads the implementation of a range of national programmes that focus on safeguarding vulnerable people and programmes that support the professional development and leadership of the nursing profession.

Hilary is a registered Nurse and Health Visitor, with 36 years’ experience of working in clinical, public health and Executive leadership roles in the NHS. Hilary has held a number of Executive Director posts across both commissioning and provider organisations in addition to holding and Deputy Chief Executive post for both. Hilary has been working at National Director level for the last 7 years.

In addition to her professional life, Hilary enjoys volunteering at the front line and also for the third sector. From 2013 – 2017 Hilary worked for BBC Children in Need as a committee member that undertook grant making for the North of England. Hilary also engages in hands on volunteering, working with the homeless and other vulnerable groups in her home city.

Hilary received a CBE in the 2017 New Years Honours for services to Nursing and her national work to safeguard some of the most vulnerable people in society. In 2018 Hilary was nominated as one of the country’s 400 Women of Achievement and Inspiration.

Follow Hilary on Twitter: @HilaryGarratt.