Monday 13 October 2014

Safeguarding and Child Protection. It Needs To Be Taught, Not Caught!

DY 3Solutions is pleased to announce that we are developing a separate identity to deliver our work that addresses many facets of Safeguarding. This will be delivered under the trading heading of URIncluded. But for now, here's a write up some training we delivered last week. There's a mixture of really positive outcomes and a few serious concerns about how and when training is accessed.






Safeguarding Related issues seem to be bubbling close to the surface again in Birmingham. We recently delivered our standard “Awareness Raising” programme to a group of enthusiastic and committed teachers within a Primary Training Partnership.
Here’s the feedback.

First, the group was asked to comments on how well we had met the Learning Objectives for the session



Second, the group was asked to comment on how we had contributed to Competencies


In each area 84% "Excellent", 16% "Good"



Here are some of the evaluation comments received on the day:

In dealing with the issue

  • Dealt with issues in a ‘nice’ manner.
  • In detail, approachable with a difficult subject.
  • Very professional and friendly manner used to approach a difficult subject.
  • Good content/approach to difficult topic

Taking back to the working environment

  • I feel confident about my role in School and what I should expect from the School.
  • I can leave with a much clearer understanding of safeguarding in schools and peoples responsibilities and duties regarding children.
  • Feel a lot more confident about what we should look out for in a classroom situation.
  • Confidence to trust instincts
  • Gave so many hints and tips I can use in the classroom – links to the curriculum.
  • All relevant to schools and settings we work in.

General safeguarding

  • The ‘signs’ of problems and what I can do about it are clearer.
  • Great insight into the role of safeguarding.
  • An eye-opener as to how easily child abuse can slip through the net.
  • Highlighted main issues/areas for concern.
  • Gave us very clear indicators to look out for.

Case Study

  • Case study was particularly important to me.
  • Case study was interesting
  • Good use of case studies to highlight areas of concern.
  • Good case study activity.
  • Case studies to look at – to pick apart the signs.
  • [The case study] makes you think of warning signs and then in discussion what you can do about them.
  • Case study really interesting!
  • Case study – being able to pick up signs for ourselves.

Information

  • Informative
  • Very informative lesson.
  • Very straight to the point and full of a lot of good information.
  • Information about the process you should follow and what should be done.
  • Informative – what we can do, where we can go – process.
  • Do and Don’t on how to keep your notes very helpful.
  • Do’s and Don'ts about notes.
  • Great information on policies, signs, what to do if you spot signs etc.
  • Good content – essential information.
  • Extremely useful information.
  • A full-on experience, really informative.
  • Very informative.

Delivery

  • Enjoyed being referred to as ‘colleagues’ and included in lecture as opposed to just being spoken to/at.
  • Good information delivery.
  • Delivery of the lesson
  • Good pace to the afternoon.
  • Good slides
  • Engaging speaker.
  • Lots of information presented well and clearly.
  • Really good afternoon. J
  • Well explained
  • Presented himself well, [and I can] clearly see his passion for teaching and learning.
  • Interactive.
  • Engaging
  • Clear Objectives
  • Clear Instructions.
  • Key information presented well and clearly.
  • Educational
  • Really highlights the importance but not in a statistical boring way.
  • Eye opening.

Improvements for next year

  • Safeguarding updates would be useful around the year.
  • Heavy session. Maybe break up part 1?
  • Longer time spent working on this area.
  • Maybe have him teach other sessions.
  • Longer session – maybe on when we should be concerned – difference between attitudes of children.

The programme was delivered over 3 hours.  I was supported by an experienced co-facilitator and we helped 19 people who are beginning their journey in the teaching profession to understand a few key points. Here they are:

  • Front line workers are the “eyes and ears” of Safeguarding
  • Children and young people will talk to people who they feel are “safe and can be trusted”, this could be anyone on the school community.
  • How to deal with disclosure-what to do/what not to do
  • How Child Abuse cuts across socio-economic, ethnic and cultural boundaries
  • Healthy organisations accept that “It can happen here”
  • Policies are one thing, knowing how to implement them is another
  • There are clear protocols for reporting suspected abuse and there’s no excuse for not following them
  • Abusers hide in plain sight.



There were 19 people in our group that day: this was the first exposure they have had to Safeguarding Training,  We both reflected with incredulity, sadness and anger that this vital area should be "Taught Not Caught" prior to members of our the Education Workforce entering the classroom in any capacity.

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