Children's & Young People's Services

• Child Protection

Safeguarding Children

• Training
• Introduction
• Information for Course Participants
• Applying for a course
• Cancellation policy
• LSCB Training Policy
• Learning Agreement
• Training Courses
• Trainers
• Training Courses Application Form

Contact Details

• 020 8836 8055

Useful Links

• Adoption and Children Act 2002
• Every Child Matters

Children's & Young People's Services

Child Protection

Bexley Local Safeguarding Children Board
Training - April 2008 to March 2009

Introduction

The Local Safeguarding Children Board ( LSCB) is  a statutory requirement set out in the Children Act 2004 which gives duties to ensure that all agencies work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. 

The main responsibilities of the LSCB as set out in section 14 of the Children Act 2004 are to co-ordinate and quality assure the safeguarding children activities of member agencies in Bexley.  

Bexley LSCB operates a two tier structure. The main Board meets quarterly and is chaired by Deborah Absalom the Director of Children and Young People’s Services. The LSCB has senior representatives from the local authority Children’s Services, Health Services, Metropolitan Police Service, Probation, CAFCASS and the Voluntary sector. The LSCB sets the strategic priorities that reflect both government and local priorities for the  safeguarding agenda. The strategic agenda is then driven forward by the LSCB executive board which is chaired by Sheila Murphy Deputy Director children and Young People’ s Services Social Care. The safeguarding priorities this year in Bexley reflect the Government’s Staying Safe Action Plan and include:

• Making communities safer for children and young people through work on combating racism, harassment and bullying, domestic violence, and E Safety.
• Increasing the participation of children and young people in the work of the Board and developing staying safe materials.
• Ensuring that our organisations working with children are safe through the work on Safer Recruitment and Managing Allegations against staff and volunteers.                

As well as the core business of child protection these priorities are reflected through the LSCB Training Programme.  

The Working Together Guidance and the Statutory Guidance on Making Arrangements to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children under Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 outline in further details the role of the LSCB in the training and development of staff and volunteers to help them to safeguard and promote the welfare of children effectively. This includes being able to recognise when a child may require safeguarding and knowing what to do in response to concerns about the welfare of a child. Practitioners and managers also need to be able to work effectively with others both within their own agency and across organisational boundaries.

Individual agencies have a responsibility to ensure that their staff are competent and confident in carrying out their responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare. The development of this LSCB training programme reflects the LSCB’s commitment to supporting this responsibility with the aim of making Bexley a safer place for children and young people to live and thrive.  

Deborah Absalom
Director Children and Young People’s Services

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Information for Course Participants

Applying for a Course

In order to be considered for one of the LSCB courses you will need to complete the online application form which can be found here. Once this is signed by your line manager you will need to send your application to Dee Springham LSCB training administrator at the following address:

Organisational Development Team, Room 201, Hill View Offices, Hill View Drive, Welling, Kent DA16 3RY.

Email: dee.springham@bexley.gov.uk

Tel: 020 8836 8055
Fax: 020 8836 8080

Successful applicants will be sent joining instructions three weeks prior to the course starting. Please ensure that when applying for a course you note the dates that you are requesting down in you diary so as to ensure attendance.

At the present time all courses are free of charge. This may be reviewed by the LSCB in due course.    

All participants will receive a certificate of attendance after attending the course.

Cancellation Policy

The training needs analysis completed in 2004 identified that there are potentially 9000 professionals in Bexley who will need safeguarding training. Often LSCB courses are oversubscribed. Participants are carefully selected on each course so as to ensure representations from different agencies. Therefore it is important to maximise attendance on courses as far as possible.

If for any reason a course delegate is unable to attend a course they must advise the LSCB training administrator verbally in the first instance and then in writing no later than seven days prior to the course date.

Failure to do so will result in the delegate or their agency receiving an invoice for a cancellation fee of £50.00. In exceptional circumstances with valid reasons for cancellations this will not apply. Delegates may also provide a replacement from their own agency but would have to provide written confirmation of this to the LSCB training administrator.

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LSCB Training Policy

Bexley LSCB will offer a comprehensive programme of safeguarding training to staff and volunteers who work with children and their families residing in Bexley. The purpose of the training will be to achieve better outcomes for children and young people particularly in terms of staying safe.

The LSCB Training Officer in consultation with the LSCB Exec and  the Trainer’s Forum  is responsible for taking forward the training and development work of the LSCB. The LSCB Training Officer will devise a business plan each year which will ensure that through consultation and evaluation local needs and priorities including those outlined in the local workforce strategy are met. The business plan will be reviewed through the LSCB Exec.  

LSCB training courses will aim to be consistent with the “Common Core of Skills and Knowledge for the Children’s Workforce”, which sets out six areas of expertise which everyone working with children and their families should be able to demonstrate. These are as follows:

• Effective communication and engagement with children, young people and their families and carers.
• Child and young person development.
• Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child.
• Supporting transitions.
• Multi-agency working.
• Sharing information.

Training will be targeted at practitioners:

• Who are in regular contact with children, young people and their parents/carers. These are people who will be in a position to identify when there is a concern about the welfare of a child/young person.
• Who work regularly with children, young people and their parents/carers these are professionals who maybe directly involved in making referrals, identifying and assessing concerns, and planning and review.
• Who have particular responsibility for safeguarding children which is part of their day to day work. These are the professionals who will be directly involved in making section 47 enquiries or working with complex cases.
• Who have managerial responsibility who are directly responsible at an operational level such as recruitment of staff, managing teams and planning and decision making.
• Who have strategic management responsibility for commissioning and delivering children’s services.

All training courses will promote equality creating an ethos which respects and values diversity. In addition all courses will reflect an understanding of the rights of the child.

Both single agency and inter agency training will be delivered. Single agency training will be delivered by trainers to staff or volunteers working within the same agency. LSCB training is delivered by a combination of trainers from different agencies who will have completed the training the trainers’ course, the LSCB training officer or other specialist trainers.

Trainers who have knowledge and experience of safeguarding children will deliver LSCB and single agency training. Trainers who have more specialist knowledge and skills will provide more complex specialist training.

Training material will be informed by current research, lessons from serious case reviews, and changes in legislation and guidance both nationally and locally.

All training courses will be regularly reviewed to ensure that they are meeting the learning outcomes and needs of delegates. The Training Forum  will monitor and evaluate single and LSCB training to ensure that it is delivered to a consistently high standard.

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Learning Agreement

Bexley Local Safeguarding Children’s Board will:

• Provide you with up to date training in accordance with learning objectives set.
• Provide you with handout material as appropriate this may be in hard or E version.
• Ensure that you are kept informed about your place and any changes that may arise.
• Ensure that special needs are met where possible.
• Discrimination and/or oppressive behaviour or language will be sensitively challenged.
• Listen to comments made through evaluation with a view to making changes to courses where appropriate.
• Will create a safe learning environment where confidentiality will be maintained unless this impacts on the welfare of a child.
• Will raise concerns that may arise during training with regards to practice.
• Will evaluate and review courses on an annual basis.

We expect delegates to:

• Notify the LSCB administrator if they are unable to attend a course seven days prior to the course date.
• To keep to time and notify the LSCB training administrator if you are going to be late.
• To ensure that mobile phones are placed on silence or switched off.
• To contribute and take time to listen within the group.
• To respect each other’s differences.
• To be vigilant about the health and safety of others and comply with any evacuation procedures as appropriate.
• Complete evaluation forms after the course.

We expect line managers to:

• Sign and agree to the delegates application form.
• Spend time with the staff member or volunteer after the course to facilitate learning into practice.
• To organise the payment of a cancellation fee if the staff member or volunteer does not attend the course without giving seven days notice.

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Trainers