Staff may not carry caseloads but still come into contact with children, families or carers. This could be over the telephone or face to face. All staff that come into contact with children, families or carers need to have an awareness of safeguarding. This involves being able to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse and know how to manage and record a disclosure of abuse. This can feel overwhelming to staff who have not had training in this vital subject area.

Individuals also need to understand their safeguarding policy and procedure and how to apply them in practice. Well trained staff are more confident, they know what to do and they ensure that safeguarding is at the forefront of the organisation.

Module 1 – Understanding key terms of safeguarding and child protection. 

This module takes you through the terminology of safeguarding, building your safeguarding knowledge and providing a basis for the rest of the course.

• Definitions; safeguarding, child protection, abuse, harm, neglect.
• Acts of commission or omission.
• Key legislation and guidance.
• Roles and responsibilities.
• Creating a culture of safeguarding.

Module 2 – Types of abuse and indicators.

This module explains the four types of abuse, we will look at signs and symptoms to look out for and indicators of abuse. We also cover financial abuse, whilst not a category of abuse it is a risk that children face

• Emotional/psychological
• Neglect
• Physical abuse
• Sexual.

Module 3 – Extra-familial safeguarding.

In this module we cover risks outside the home, including:

• Bullying and cyber bullying.
• radicalisation, child exploitation.
• Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) including gang related activity.
• Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
• Peer on peer abuse.

Module 4 - Awareness of family circumstances.

This module covers heightened risk factors within the home, whilst these do not indicate abuse, harm or neglect, they increase the risk of the child requiring additional support.

Module 5 - Responding to a safeguarding concern.

This module outlines what to do if you have a concern about a child and how a disclosure might happen, barriers and how to act appropriately. How to use TED (Tell, Explain, Describe) and gaining consent if possible.

Module 6 – What happens after making a referral.

This module looks at what happens after you submit a concern to your Designated Safeguarding Lead and the next steps. We cover safe and secure information sharing and the role of children’s services.