Complex Needs Learning Pathway
We are delighted to launch the complex needs learning pathway to support you in your work and give you the knowledge and curiosity to look below the surface to protect are most vulnerable children and young people.
This pathway has been developed in response to the learning identified in the Doncaster inquiry and the EDDIE SAR and is result of many years of work from Operation Lemur Alpha the Doncaster inquiry where Surrey children were placed far from home.
This learning is not just about the young people featured in this learning. It is about all children and young people with complex needs and what we need to do and be knowledgeable about to protect them.
SSAB-SAR-Eddie-Executive-Summary-Report-August-2024.pdf
Safeguarding children with disabilities and complex health needs in residential settings – Phase 2
Children with disabilities and complex health needs are among the most vulnerable in our care. This learning will explore the critical responsibilities we all share in ensuring their safety, dignity, and wellbeing. It is essential for all staff working in children’s services, health, education, and related sectors.
This pathway commences with a webinar Safeguarding Children with Disabilities and Complex Health Needs that will challenge us to look beyond surface-level compliance and visibility, and to reflect deeply on what effective safeguarding truly means in practice. It will highlight the importance of professional curiosity, robust oversight, and the courage to act when something doesn’t feel right.
Key Highlights:
- Patricia Denney, Director from Surrey County Council, shared a powerful message to move from passive observation to proactive protection, and what it means to truly see and hear the children and young adults in our care
- Dame Christine Lenehan, previous Director of the Council for Disabled Children, now DFE lead for SEND, offers her insight following decades of advocacy for children with disability and complex health needs. Dame Lenehan’s work has shaped national policy and practice, always with a relentless focus on the needs of children and families
- Operation Lemur Alpha: Learn from the findings of this significant investigation into Doncaster residential homes, led by Marisa de Jager and colleagues from Nib Shared Vision ltd., which exposed serious safeguarding failures and systemic blind spots. ‘Children with disabilities and complex health needs are some of the most vulnerable in our society but they are too often overlooked and forgotten.’
- ‘Visibility alone is not safeguarding’.
Resources:
Complex Needs Training Pathway for Partners Oct 2025
Toolkit Resources for Complex Needs Pathway
Communicating with Children with Disabilities: Best Practice Guidance