We're always reflecting on ways in which we can improve.
Our Safeguarding Workplan combines the Six Principles of The Care Act in England and The Social Services and Well-Being Act in Wales with our MacIntyre DNA.
But, our commitment doesn't just live on paper. It is intrinsic to our culture.
So, what does that look like day-to-day? Culture and Communities Manager, Kathryn Yates, explains our approach to safeguarding.
As an organisation we think of different ways to promote an open and transparent culture. One of those ways is by investing in training for our local managers to deliver safeguarding training. This means that staff are taught by managers they recognise who know the people they are supporting and the teams and contexts they are working in. It means our managers have the confidence to talk about safeguarding regularly in a way that staff understand the processes and their roles and responsibilities. And crucially know that they will be supported within that. This helps to bring those stories to life and people learn through local examples how we can provide the best support to people.
Jenny, local manager and trainer explained.
“We are applying the knowledge with a local focus to support our teams to gain a better understanding. It’s been really beneficial development for me as I have gained so much confidence to support that open and honest culture. We are able to explain Making Safeguarding Personal, that this is not a process that we do for or at people. It’s something that people are involved in and we understand exactly what people want to happen as a result of a safeguarding concern.”
We know this works for people from the feedback we have had and also reflections from people when they have participated in the training and then gone on to use it. Christine (not her real name) says;
“I have had the training on safeguarding and didn’t really think about how it would feel if anything ever happened. I saw a couple of things that worried me about a colleague’s behaviour on shift one day. I knew I had to tell my manager and phone the on call. Even though I had the training and I knew I was doing the right thing it felt really difficult and emotional. I was amazed at how supported I was by my manager and the area manager. It helped a lot and meant that although it was not nice, it was still the right thing to do and I was well supported.”
Kate reflects on the training experience,
“I was incredibly impressed with the Train the Trainer training. After many years working within Education and attending numerous refresher sessions I already had a good grasp of the concept of Safeguarding. However, it was useful to have in-depth discussions during each section of the training with employees that had different roles. During this training we were encouraged to do a short presentation each, it was great to give and receive feedback. All of this makes me feel more confident in my role ensuring that the people we support and staff feel comfortable and safe to raise anything that they are worried about and that ultimately make sure we provide the best support to people.”
If you would like to find out more about Our Approach, please click here.
