POLITICS
Safeguarding training: Why, when and how? Everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play in Safeguarding, however those that have a specific role or responsibility need to receive appropriate training to help them understand those responsibilities and feel confident in preventing and responding to situations as they arise. Churches can be a busy places and it can sometimes be tempting to cut corners to ease the burden on volunteers and staff. However, training workers effectively, as well as being a requirement, also means your organisation will be able to ensure you’re creating safer places for all, not just those you care for, but for your workers as well.
The frequency of training needs to be such that workers are competent and knowledgeable in relevant legislation and practice (for safeguarding this will be every 3 years). Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards (LSCB) and Adult Safeguarding Boards (SAB) often encourage voluntary agencies to attend their training courses.
The Provision of Training
The church should also ensure that new workers are given induction training and supervision during the first six months. During this time the organisation should arrange support for the worker, including regular meetings with a supervisor to discuss how the job is going and to make any adjustments.
In order to implement the policy in relation to training, organisations need to ensure relevant role specific training is available for those who work with children. This might include safeguarding training, but also includes other areas of training such as health and safety, first aid and food hygiene.
General safeguarding awareness training is particularly useful to organisations as it provides information about definitions of abuse, identifying abuse and how to pass this on to the appropriate statutory authorities. This is often referred to by its old term of ‘Level 1’ training. Children’s workers, leaders and those with specific safeguarding responsibility e.g. the safeguarding co-ordinator, should undertake what is often referred to (again by their old terms) as Level 2 and Level 3 training.
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