Coronavirus has seen society’s most vulnerable people isolated by remote work/learning. That doesn’t mean we need to give up on safeguarding them just yet.
Safeguarding training is essential in any business where your staff routinely deal with vulnerable people. This means that if you are an educator, you have encountered it in the past. It is through learning this process that we can identify areas of concern in the lives of those we teach or work with. There are lots of reasons why this practise is still relevant, even if we all work from home. Let’s review.
What is Safeguarding Training?
Over the years, our society has come to realise there are those among us who need extra special care. These are the vulnerable ones; the young, the old, those with disorders or disabilities, and anyone you consider that needs care other don’t.
Safeguarding training is a defined set of guidelines which help us to equip those who work closely with these vulnerable groups to spot issues. Issues could include abuse, neglect, or other maltreatment. It isn’t just about harm caused to vulnerable youngsters, though. It also helps educators spot when something isn’t quite right with the way a child learns. We can identify difficulties across the board in educational establishments, but only if we have trained our educators to spot it.
What Types of People are Vulnerable?
Typically we use this term to describe the very young and very old. It applies to the infirm and to those with mental or physical disorders or disabilities. For example, children with down’s syndrome are known to display affection. This, combined with their inability to effectively communicate their experiences, leaves them at risk of abuse.
You can find a fuller description of how businesses should protect young people in the UK through the .gov site.
Why We Still Need Safeguarding Training in a Remote Organisation?
If we look at an industry standard package like Hays Safeguarding Training, we see that the courses themselves can be studied remotely. This echoes the digitalisation of a society that has kept us afloat during the pandemic. It highlights that the principles learned for in-school learning and remote learning are the same.
You can still spot the signs of abuse or neglect in a child that is schooled through video link, as you can in a child that you are teaching in person. Of course, it may be harder to tell. Refresher courses in safeguarding training for educators is a wise business move at this juncture.
We still need safeguarding training because those children, elderly people, and disadvantaged people, still exist. Now, they are more vulnerable to the pressures they face at home than ever. If you live in an abusive household and have to lockdown in it for several months at a time, you are in greater danger than before. Similarly, learning difficulties and disabilities in the young are difficult to spot when lessons are shorter.
Our Advisement on Safeguarding Training in 2022
We suggest that educators and support workers engage in refresher courses for safeguarding training. This will help them spot symptoms of issues with children and help keep your organisation compliant.