Where to Get Support

Safeguarding is a complex subject and you are not expected to be able to deal with everything yourself.

Support within your organisation

The most direct support that is available to you comes from within your own organisation. It is important that you know who your Designated Safeguarding Lead is. This is the person to whom you should report any safeguarding concerns. They will also be able to advise you should you need to discuss any concerns you have or if you are unsure about anything to do with safeguarding. You can also seek advice from your line manager or the setting manager. It is never a breach of confidentiality to speak to these people.

Your setting will also have policies, procedures, codes of conduct, risk assessments etc. It is important that you are familiar with these and that you follow them since these are in place to ensure that you, your colleagues and, most importantly the children that you care for, are protected from harm.

In addition, you will be provided with training so that you can handle any concerns that arise. You should receive formal safeguarding training every three years (2 years if you are the Designated Safeguarding Lead) and should complete an informal update activity at least annually.

Local external support

In addition to this internal support, there is other, less direct support that you can access.

The Leicestershire and Rutland Safeguarding Partnership website has a large amount of useful information. It can be found here:

Leicestershire and Rutland Safeguarding Partnerships Business Office – Leicestershire and Rutland Safeguarding Children Partnership (lrsb.org.uk)

The Leicestershire County Council website is another useful resource:

Child protection and safeguarding | Leicestershire County Council

Early years | Leicestershire County Council Professional Services Portal

There is also information available on the Phasic website:

Phasic Ltd | Supporting & enabling organisations to achieve best practice in safeguarding (phasic-ltd.co.uk)

National Support

There are also resources and information that is available nationally. The national guidance such as Working together to safeguard children can be found at www.gov.uk. For more information about national guidance see the “Legal responsibilities and duties” section of this course.

There is also a wealth of information on the NSPCC website.

NSPCC | The UK children’s charity | NSPCC

There are, of course, many other useful resources that are available on the internet.