Unit 1: Introduction

Child protection is a difficult topic, which needs to be discussed with the utmost sensitivity. Safeguarding and within that, child protection, are the responsibility of every member of staff, whatever their role in the school.

Safeguarding training is important for a number of reasons, not only because it is a requirement in statutory government guidance but to ensure that all staff are aware of their role and responsibilities to keep children safe in school.

This unit provides an opportunity to inform new staff and remind existing staff of school policies and procedures relevant to their safeguarding responsibilities and to focus on both early help and online safety.

• Agree ground rules for the training: acknowledge the sensitive nature of the content and confirm the importance of respecting what others have to say and that any personal information revealed in the training is not shared outside the training room.
• Clarify the role of the designated safeguarding lead (DSL): ensure that all colleagues are aware of the DSL’s responsibilities.
• Provide context by conveying a sense of the extent of abuse (including neglect) in England and the UK more broadly and the key role school staff play in preventing it and addressing it where necessary.
• Raise awareness of the school’s policies relevant to safeguarding and highlight key points relating to early help and online safety.
• Outline the purpose and process of early help and staff's role in identifying needs and the part they play in pupils’ online safety.

• Welcome, ground rules, course content and Unit 1 content
• The role of the designated safeguarding lead (DSL)
• How common are abuse and neglect?
• What we do to keep pupils safe
• Early help
• Online safety