Safeguarding FAQs

Training

1. I am a safeguarding professional; do I need to complete church training?
2. What modules do I require for my role?
3. Are all the courses run by the diocese?
4. How do I access the courses which are on the national training portal?
5. Who do I contact if I have a problem with the national portal?
6. How do I know which online courses I have completed on the national portal?
7. Can the national online courses be done as a group?
8. How often do I need to refresh/renew my training?
9. My Leadership Module is due for renewal. What should I do?
10. How has the Leadership Module changed?

1. I am a safeguarding professional; do I need to complete church training?

This is a question that has been specifically determined by the House of Bishops.

You will still need to do the Church of England training relevant for your role in the church.

The official answer can be found in the House of Bishops Safeguarding Learning and Development Practice Guidance 2021.

This is a quote from the practice guidance that explains the decision:

‘No accreditation is given against the core safeguarding training modules for prior learning that has not been provided by the Church of England framework.’

This is due to church core safeguarding training modules situating safeguarding practice within the unique context of the church and providing participants with the opportunity to relate their learning to their faith.’

2. What modules do I require for my role?

If you don’t know what level of training you require then click here to read the Safeguarding Training Newsletter from November 2021.

The tables in the November 2021 Safeguarding Training newsletter show the learning requirements for 2022-2025.

• Table 1 will assist you in looking up learning via a course.
• Table 2 will assist you looking up learning via a role.
• Table 3 gives the links to book a course.

Table 3 also indicates a course’s duration, and whether it is online or delivered virtually via Zoom

3. Are all the courses run by the diocese?

No, things have changed a great deal since the implementation of the Safeguarding Learning and Development Practice Guidance in January 2022.

Some courses that used to be delivered by the diocese, and on occasion by ThirtyOne:Eight, have now been replaced with online courses which are designed and run by the National Safeguarding Team.

In addition, the length and make-up of some of the courses, how they are accessed, and the necessity to use IT has caused some confusion and uncertainty.

The courses on the national portal are:

• Basic Awareness (formerly module C0)
• Foundations (formerly module C1)
• Safer Recruitment and People Management (formerly module S1)
• Domestic Abuse (formerly module S3)

The courses delivered by the diocese are:

• Leadership (formerly module C2)
• Parish Safeguarding Officer Induction Course (new)
• Leadership for PTO (formerly module C2)

Please note that anyone can find clear information about what modules you need to do for your role, how often, and how to access them, in the Safeguarding Training Newsletter from November 2021.

4. How do I access the courses which are on the national training portal?

Click the following links for instructions on how to access the national online module you require:

• Safeguarding: Basic Awareness
• Safeguarding: Foundations
• Safer Recruitment and People Management
• Raising Awareness of Domestic Abuse

5. Who do I contact if I have a problem with the national portal?

Please contact the national help desk at elearning@safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org

Please note that as St Albans Diocese has no control over the national portal, please only direct your enquiries to the national help desk.

6. How do I know which online courses I have completed on the national portal?

If you have not been on the national training portal before then you will not have completed any of the courses on there. You will need to register the first time you go on there and you will be able to log in with your email and password from there on.

To check which online courses you have completed, once you have logged into the national portal, click on your profile (top right) and scroll down that page and ‘badges’ will be shown of the courses you have already done.

If there is no badge for a particular course, then it means you have not completed that course.

If you have a Basic Awareness or Foundations badge that underneath reads ‘expired’, you have still completed the course and there is no need for you to retake it. This expiration only applies to those who as part of their role have to retake Basic Awareness and Foundations every three years as refresher training.

7. Can the national online courses be done as a group?

Although the national expectation is that the national online courses should be completed as individuals, so that all completed modules are recorded, it is clear that for some, this is not possible.

The diocese do allow the national courses to be completed as a small group, but only for those who do not have access to IT or have insufficient understanding of IT to be able to complete it.

The small group work would ideally be completed by the Parish Safeguarding Officer, with the questions raised within the training being discussed as a group.

The date of the training, the module, person’s name, role and parish should be recorded locally and also sent to Catherine Boon, the Diocesan Safeguarding Administrator safeguardingtraining@stalbans.anglican.org

Certificates will only be issued to individuals who have registered online for a course.

8. How often do I need to refresh/renew my training?

Refresher learning should be completed at a three-yearly interval to keep knowledge and skills up to date. It is expected that everyone will have completed all required modules for their role before refresher learning being undertaken at the highest required level for the core pathways Basic Awareness, Foundations and Leadership. It is not necessary to complete every level more than once.

Safer Recruitment and People Management, as well as Domestic Abuse must also be refreshed on a three-yearly cycle.

National learning modules will be updated as required by changes in practice and to supplement the programme of learning.

9. My Leadership Module is due for renewal. What should I do?

Catherine Boon safeguardingtraining@stalbans.anglican.org is the administrator for all safeguarding learning in regard to the new framework and will be pleased to address any enquiries.

Catherine will contact all individuals who need to complete this module before they are due to and give instructions about how to book on a course.

The national online courses Basic Awareness (previously module C0) and Foundations (previously module C1) must have been completed before you book on any leadership course. They only need to have been done once before. You will not be  able to take part on the leadership course if the prerequisite courses have not been completed.

10. How has the Leadership Module changed?

Sessions will be delivered via Zoom but this will be regularly reviewed.

This module will consist of pre-course work and two paired Zoom sessions. Please note: Leadership for PTO modules only have one Zoom session, not two.

The sessions will be one to two weeks apart. You must be able to attend both sessions.

There will be further work required between the sessions.

Four to six weeks after the second session, delegates are required to submit a reflection about how they have applied their learning from this course.

Each session will be run by a theologically educated facilitator and a safeguarding trainer.

The same facilitator and trainer will deliver the same paired sessions.

Delegates are required to attend the same paired sessions to ensure continuity including pre and post course work.

A certificate will be awarded upon completion of the self-evaluation.