Helpful Safeguarding Courses Worth Knowing About

Every person has the right to live free from harm, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, or religion.  However, children, young people, the elderly, and persons with disabilities are more susceptible to abuse and neglect.  For this reason, the UK has created several laws and regulations to protect the welfare of vulnerable groups.  Whether or not you work directly with people at risk, it is crucial to know what you can do to help safeguard their rights and well-being.  

What is Safeguarding?

Safeguarding is a set of measures that protect children, young people, and vulnerable adults from abuse, harm, or neglect. Its main goal is to guard people at risk from maltreatment, prevent impairment to their health and well-being, and ensure they live in a safe and caring environment.

Any individual who works with children or people at risk must undergo online child safeguarding training. The most minimal level of training tells you how to identify abuse or neglect and where to report them. The higher level teaches you how to reduce the likelihood of ill-treatment. You will also learn when to act and when to refer the concern to proper authorities.

Job roles commonly in contact with vulnerable groups include teachers, caregivers, paediatricians, rehabilitation workers, welfare rights officers, school nurses, sexual health staff, police officers, social workers, and doctors.

E-safety 

In simplest terms, e-safety means staying safe on the internet. Sounds uncomplicated on the surface, but the internet is a vast world that is constantly growing and keeping up with it is challenging. 

An e-safety course helps you identify the potential dangers of the internet and the best way to deal with them. Examples of abusive behaviours and acts online include cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, grooming, and emotional manipulation. The training will also keep you up to date on the latest policies, legislation, and regulations on internet safety.

Working with Children with Learning Difficulties 

Children with learning difficulties have trouble reading, writing, spelling, reasoning, remembering, or processing information. They could be as intelligent or even more intelligent than other children. However, their brains are “wired” differently, making it difficult for them to grasp concepts by themselves or if taught conventionally. The most common learning disabilities include dyslexia, dyscalculia, auditory and processing disorders, and nonverbal learning disabilities.

Training will help you understand different learning disabilities and how to handle them. Awareness will help you better engage these children in their learning. You will also know the relevant regulations relating to disability, including equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Self-Neglect 

Self-neglect occurs when a person stops caring for oneself, whether it’s ignoring personal hygiene, not eating, not taking medications, or skipping medical check-ups. It could happen to anyone but is most common among the elderly. Self-neglect is hard to detect and could be a symptom of other physical, mental, or emotional issues. The most common warning signs of self-neglect include rapid weight loss, unkempt clothing, poor hygiene or body odor, delirium. There is no one specific cause for self-neglect. However, among the risk factors are social isolation, dementia, severe depression, and substance misuse.

Individuals working with vulnerable adults need to understand the underlying reasons for self-neglect, how it impacts those suffering from it, and how to handle the situation.  Training will guide you on how to make safe decisions for you and the vulnerable person. The course will also help you balance your task of caring for them without violating their privacy.