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Listen "21: Steps to Safety programme"
Episode Synopsis
Listen to this week’s episode to learn about:
the Steps to Safety programme, including the research behind the service and its development process
what the outcomes were from the feasibility study and what we learnt from the service
how practitioners assessed parents, delivered sessions and modules and used Video Interaction Guidance (VIG)
the challenges practitioners encountered whilst implementing the pilot programme
how children’s voices were considered at each stage to ensure the service was delivered safely.
Read the podcast transcript on the NSPCC Learning website.
💬 About the speakers
Nicola McConnell is a Senior Evaluation Officer within the NSPCC’s Evidence Team who has over 20 years of experience in evaluating health and social care services for children and families, including training and supporting others to undertake this work. She has researched and published a range of evaluation reports across different topic areas such as child protection, domestic abuse and preventing child abuse.
Roberta Neill is a qualified social worker and Children’s Services Practitioner working at the NSPCC’s Belfast Service Centre. During her time at NSPCC she has delivered domestic abuse services including DART and Steps to Safety as well as a number of different sexual abuse services. She has also been delivering a Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) service since 2011 across Northern Ireland.
Paula Telford is a qualified social worker with over 40 years’ experience in both delivering services and managing teams. She has largely worked in child protection, especially sexual abuse and in mental health. She is currently a Development and Impact Manager at NSPCC and led on the Steps to Safety Service among others. Paula is working with a team of colleagues to take forward the learning from Steps to Safety into other services.
📚 Related resources
> Discover how to recognise, respond and prevent domestic abuse happening to a child
> Learn more about what early intervention services are and the benefits of early help
Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros
the Steps to Safety programme, including the research behind the service and its development process
what the outcomes were from the feasibility study and what we learnt from the service
how practitioners assessed parents, delivered sessions and modules and used Video Interaction Guidance (VIG)
the challenges practitioners encountered whilst implementing the pilot programme
how children’s voices were considered at each stage to ensure the service was delivered safely.
Read the podcast transcript on the NSPCC Learning website.
💬 About the speakers
Nicola McConnell is a Senior Evaluation Officer within the NSPCC’s Evidence Team who has over 20 years of experience in evaluating health and social care services for children and families, including training and supporting others to undertake this work. She has researched and published a range of evaluation reports across different topic areas such as child protection, domestic abuse and preventing child abuse.
Roberta Neill is a qualified social worker and Children’s Services Practitioner working at the NSPCC’s Belfast Service Centre. During her time at NSPCC she has delivered domestic abuse services including DART and Steps to Safety as well as a number of different sexual abuse services. She has also been delivering a Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) service since 2011 across Northern Ireland.
Paula Telford is a qualified social worker with over 40 years’ experience in both delivering services and managing teams. She has largely worked in child protection, especially sexual abuse and in mental health. She is currently a Development and Impact Manager at NSPCC and led on the Steps to Safety Service among others. Paula is working with a team of colleagues to take forward the learning from Steps to Safety into other services.
📚 Related resources
> Discover how to recognise, respond and prevent domestic abuse happening to a child
> Learn more about what early intervention services are and the benefits of early help
Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros
More episodes of the podcast NSPCC Learning Podcast
77: Safeguarding in a multi-academy trust
09/09/2025
69: Mental health first aid kits
31/01/2025
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