Professor Michelle McManus is Professor of Safeguarding and Violence Prevention and Director of the Institute for Children’s Futures (ICF) at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her expertise lies in multi-agency safeguarding systems and public protection, working across policy, practice and research to improve responses to exploitation, violence and abuse Michelle’s work spans all forms of exploitation and harm, with a particular focus on child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE), child criminal exploitation (CCE), online harms, county lines, domestic abuse and sexual violence. She has a strong international profile for her research on safeguarding systems, collective responsibility and the limitations of procedural responses in complex, high-risk contexts. Earlier in her career, Michelle co-created the original Kent Internet Risk Assessment Tool (KIRAT), an intelligence-led risk assessment tool used by law enforcement agencies to identify individuals most likely to progress from online child abuse offences to contact sexual abuse against children. KIRAT has informed international law enforcement approaches and has been used internationally across Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Her contribution to this work received formal commendations from Kent Police for innovation and impact globally in child protection. Her recent commissioned work includes leading national research for the UK Department for Education in response to recommendations arising from the grooming gangs inquiry, examining how child sexual abuse and exploitation is identified, recorded and responded to within children’s social care systems. This builds on a wider body of national safeguarding research, including England-wide analysis of safeguarding partnership responses to county lines, serious youth violence and exploitation. Michelle has also led major safeguarding reform work in Wales, including national analysis of child and adult safeguarding practice reviews, helping to identify recurring system failures and improve multi-agency learning and accountability in these significant, often fatal, incidents. This work has contributed to the development of national frameworks and practical tools designed to strengthen safeguarding responses and prevent future harm. Alongside her academic work, Michelle regularly advises governments, policing bodies and safeguarding organisations. She has provided written and oral evidence to Parliament on numerous occasions, including to inquiries relating to children’s social care, violence against women and girls, and domestic abuse. She is currently Special Adviser to the House of Lords Domestic Abuse Act 2021 Committee and serves as Independent Chair of the Safeguarding Advisory Panel for the Diocese of Salford.