Safeguarding Support Package for Schools - Available Now!

The Education People are delighted to announce that our Education Safeguarding Service have created a 'Safeguarding Support Package for Schools' which will provide schools in Kent and beyond with annual access to an online suite of up-to-update resources, including a resource library, whole staff induction E-learning and webinar briefings for Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs).

Membership will offer cost saving benefits and will help schools working with children and young people aged four to 18, ensure they have a robust approach to implementing effective safeguarding practice in line with national requirements and recommended best practice.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll share some additional information about the package on our blog and through our communication channels, however in this post, the Education Safeguarding Service Training and Development Manager, Rebecca Avery, will explore some frequently asked questions about the package.

The Education Safeguarding Service is a team of qualified education professionals and registered social workers, some of whom advise on safeguarding and online safety practice at a national level, with extensive knowledge and experience of safeguarding children.

With our thorough understanding of legislation and statutory guidance related to safeguarding practice, we offer advice and guidance to schools and settings on a wide range of safeguarding and child welfare issues. We can also be commissioned to provide a range of high-quality training and a variety of review services to promote best practice and support schools in ensuring their learners as safe as they can be.

Since becoming part of The Education People, our team has been contacted by schools requesting additional safeguarding services and support. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have found there is a real appetite from schools for virtual training and resources and this will enable us to provide support to schools on a much wider scale, without compromising on the quality of our approaches.

Aware of the budget limitations that many schools are facing and in order to make our offer as cost effective as possible, we decided to bundle together resources for the most common requests and also to add in additional content which we think schools will find beneficial too!

The Safeguarding Support Package for Schools has been developed in line with national guidance and best practice recommendations and is suitable for use by schools throughout the UK. Whilst some documents and resources will include Kent specific links or versions, we will also signpost to national resources and make suggestions as to how schools outside of Kent can access relevant information.

Membership to the package will include:

• Training resources (PowerPoint slides and guidance packs) for DSLs to use to provide whole school staff safeguarding and online safety training internally.
• Whole school access to a basic safeguarding awareness induction E-Learning course.
• Access to a downloadable DSL resource library which includes time saving templates, resources and guidance.
• Annual update service, with a minimum of six new resources added to the DSL library and at least annual updates to all training resources and guidance content.
• One free place on our DSL twilight webinar briefings which will focus on key topics and emerging issues in safeguarding.

To find out more about the specific content available, please see Safeguarding Support Package for Schools.

Governing bodies and proprietors must have due regard to the ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (KCSIE) guidance and ensure that their schools comply with their safeguarding duties under legislation, including ensuring that Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) are given the time, training, resources and support to fulfil their responsibilities. Leaders also need to ensure that their school policies, procedures and training is effective, however all of this can be a difficult task as safeguarding is a constantly evolving field.

Membership to the package will support schools in keeping up-to-date with the frequent changes in guidance and legislation, as well as the emerging safeguarding risks and priorities. The package resources will also enable governors and school leaders to evidence that their safeguarding practice is in line with current legislation and requirements.

KCSIE states that DSLs and any deputies are expected to undergo appropriate training to provide them with the knowledge and skills required to carry out their role. In addition to this formal training, DSLs knowledge and skills should be refreshed at regular intervals, and at least annually.

Membership to the package will help to ensure Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) have access to a suite of resources and ongoing CPD opportunities which will help them keep them up-to-date with any developments relevant to their role, safeguarding requirements and best practice recommendations.

The package will include a range resources to update DSLs own knowledge on key topics, but also tools which can enhance practice and enable them to effectively raise awareness of safeguarding practice and expectations with their staff.

We believe the package offers fantastic value for money. The annual cost to join the package is £510 (plus VAT). Purchasing the whole package will save a school over £700 on purchasing everything individually!

Additionally, whilst some of the resources and training available through the package will be available for schools to purchase separately, some of the library content will be exclusive to members only, for example our safeguarding and online safety school self-audit tools.