Draft Sheffield Safeguarding Children Board S Training Strategy

North Tyneside Safeguarding

Children Board

Training Strategy

April 2016 – March 2019

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Contents

Introduction 1

1. Purpose of the strategy 1

2. Context of the strategy 2

3. Principles of the NTSCB Strategy 3

4. Creating and supporting a learning culture 4

5. Multi-agency training programme 5

6. Single agency training 5

7. Strategic Training Sub-Group 6

8. Risk management 8

9. Quality Assurance, evaluating and monitoring the effectiveness of training 8

10. Charging Policy 9

11. Multi-agency Training framework and target audience 10

12. Risk Assessment 12

Introduction

The North Tyneside Safeguarding Children Board (NTSCB) Training Strategy, has been developed to set out how the NTSCB will support its commitment to providing a high quality multi-agency training programme which supports professionals, volunteers and the independent sector in their work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and families.

This is clearly set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children (2015) which requires LSCBs to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of training, including mutli-agency training. NTSCB promotes the premise that, by organisations and agencies working together children can be effectively safeguarded by:

· A shared understanding of roles, responsibilities and information sharing

· A common understanding of key terms, definitions and thresholds for action

· Effective communication and working relationships between services, including an ability to work in multi-disciplinary groups or teams

· Effective assessment and decision making processes, and learning from Serious Case Reviews (SCRs), including child deaths and learning reviews

Training Strategy will be reviewed and refreshed on a 3 yearly cycle.

1. Purpose of the strategy

This strategy provides a framework to support safeguarding children training in North Tyneside, so that those who work with children, young people and families are appropriately skilled, competent and confident in carrying out their responsibilities in regard to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

The training strategy sets out;

· The context in relation to safeguarding children training

· The principles around the delivery of safeguarding training

· A framework for the delivery of multi-agency training and the type of training required for different roles

· How safeguarding training will be delivered in North Tyneside

· How North Tyneside will fulfill its requirements to monitor the effectiveness of safeguarding training.

2. Context of the strategy

This training strategy is aligned with and informed by;

· Children Act 1989 & 2004; places a duty on local authorities to make arrangements through which key agencies co-operate to improve the well-being of children and young people.

· Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015; covers the legislative requirements and expectations on individual services to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; and a clear framework for Local Safeguarding Children Boards to monitor the effectiveness of local services.

· A child-centred System: The Governments response to the Munro Review of Child Protection 2011; challenges us all to work towards a child protection system that is centred on the child or young person and to build a child protection system where the focus is very firmly on the experience of the child or young person’s journey from needing to receiving help.

· Common core of knowledge and skills for the children’s workforce (2010);describes the skills and knowledge that everyone who works with children and young people is expected to have.

· North Tyneside Children and Young People’s plan 2014 – 2018; sets out the strategic framework for commissioning and delivering children’s

services in North Tyneside.

· The NTSCB Learning and Improvement Framework; enables the Board, partner organisations and local partnership bodies to be clear about what needs to be learnt (including from reviews), where services and practice require improvement, and to improve services as a result.

· NTSCB Business Plan; sets the strategic direction for the Board’s work, sets out the key achievements against each priority and identifies the key challenges for the year ahead.

· North Tyneside Prevention and Early Intervention Strategy (2016) ensures partners achieve a more sustainable balance between preventative / early intervention services and remedial provision.

· Wood Report 2016; a fundamental review of the role and functions of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) within the context of local strategic multi-agency working, included consideration of the child death review process, and how the intended centralisation of serious case reviews (SCRs) would work effectively at local level.

3. Principles of the NTSCB Strategy

This strategy is underpinned by the following principles which ensure that all training will:

· be child focused so that the voice of the child and the child’s welfare remain paramount

· be delivered by trainers who are knowledgeable about safeguarding, child protection and promoting welfare. When delivering on complex areas trainers will have relevant specialist skills and knowledge

· be informed by current research, lessons from serious case reviews and child deaths and national and local policy and practice developments

· be underpinned by the values contained within Working Together 2015

· be regularly reviewed and evaluated to ensure that it meets the agreed learning outcomes and has a positive impact on practice

· be delivered using a variety of teaching and learning methods, such as example; face-to-face, e-learning, briefings, conferences and ‘expresso’ events

· enable practitioners to build capacity to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and share the learning across their organisation/teams

· embed a ‘whole family’ approach to safeguarding and the principles of the Prevention and Early Intervention model

· be evaluated and ensure it is fit for purpose and measures the impact on practice

4. Creating and supporting a learning culture

The NTSCB recognises that professionals learn in a variety of ways and absorb information from a variety of sources.

Many factors contribute to their continuing professional development, including experiences in the workplace, reading, peer discussion, co-working, supervision and professional reflection.

It is essential that the NTSCB actively promotes a learning culture, which enables practitioners to apply learning to practice, and encourages them to continue to reflect when they return to their work environment. The traditional approach to this has been through face to face delivery. This is a highly effective means of learning as it enables a greater understanding and richness of dialogue between partner organisations. However partner organizations are having to reconsider the frequency of this delivery method in light of diminishing resources. This has led to a focus on alternative means of delivering multi agency training in order to maintain a learning culture moving forward. This includes;

· ‘Classroom based’, multi-agency face-to-face’ learning

· Specific learning events, such as conferences

· ‘Expresso’ events – short interactive workshop style sessions

· Learning through experience in the workplace

· E-learning and blended learning

· Peer learning and peer support

· Reflective supervision

· Reading and research

· Individual reflection

· Learning from ‘Resolving Professional Concerns’ procedure; and

· Learning from the Professional Conversations framework for locality teams

The Strategic Training Group also recognizes that there is a need to expand our interface across to adults safeguarding which will lead to a greater understanding and dialogue between Safeguarding Adults Board and the NTSCB, ensuring maximum opportunities to exploit the learning. Furthermore the Wood report makes recommendations for more sub regionally working within safeguarding of children. These will further develop a more integrated and strategic approach to workforce development within the safeguarding area.

5. Multi-agency training programme

The NTSCB has a comprehensive programme of training and learning events that is linked to the NTSCB priorities and Business Plan which;

· Ensures it meets the needs of a wide range of practitioners across statutory, non-statutory, private, voluntary and community sector organisations.

· Provides opportunities for multi-agency staff to learn from reviews, the development of new skills and knowledge about specific issues that impact on children’s safety, emotional health and welfare and;

· Offers key multi-agency staff access to training that is linked to and shaped by; local priorities, learning from reviews, audits, analysis of performance and outcome of complaints, surveys from children and young people, parents and carers and practitioners.

The training programme is flexible to enable the Board to respond to national guidance, the development of new ways of working and to new government policy, changes in procedures and learning from critical/significant local/national events.

The training prospectus is made available on the NTSCB Website and is also circulated via the partner members of the Strategic Training Sub-group.

The framework in appendix 1 provides a guide for practitioners, on appropriate NTSCB training routes, in order to continue to develop their knowledge and skills in safeguarding children.

6. Single agency training

Employers are responsible for ensuring that their staff are competent to carry out their responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and creating an environment where staff feel able to raise concerns and feel supported in their safeguarding role;

Staff should be given a mandatory induction, which includes familiarisation with child protection responsibilities and procedures to be followed if anyone has any concerns about a child’s safety or welfare.

Partner agency staff with responsibility for safeguarding, are encouraged, through their agency representative, to attend NTSCB multi-agency training as appropriate. This ensures they continuously improve their practice and keep abreast of local and national learning from reviews.

In line with requirements under section 11 of the children Act 2004 to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, all agencies should have systems in place to:

· identify the safeguarding training needs of their employees

· have adequate safeguarding training opportunities available to their workforce and can evidence the effectiveness and impact of their safeguarding training.

Evidence of this will be captured in the section 11 audits and used to inform the NTSCB training work plan. The Strategic Training Sub-group will ensure it quality assures and challenges this evidence as appropriate and uses the information to inform planning.

A detailed annual training plan will be developed and implemented by the Strategic Training Sub-Group, and will be underpinned by the NTSCB Business plan and Board priorities. The work plan will be regularly reviewed and monitored by the Training Sub-Group.

7. Strategic Training Sub-Group

The NTSCB Strategic Training Sub-group takes responsibility for the delivery and monitoring of a programme of multi-agency training and events. The sub-group will consider available resources when developing training in response to current and emerging strategic issues.

The Strategic Training Sub-Group (STSG) will be made up of senior or strategic managers or lead persons for safeguarding training who will be expected to act on behalf of their organisation.

Members will have sufficient authority to make decisions in relation to the training strategy, and be able to allocate resources to support the strategy, or ensure that required actions are implemented.

The voluntary representatives will provide the group with a broad view from a voluntary perspective.

The Strategic Training sub-group will:

· Identify training needs across partner agencies

· Develop and implement a safeguarding training strategy

· Identify and share key learning from reviews

· Embed learning into training in order to inform and update

practitioners

· Provide a safeguarding training programme, accessible to all partner

agencies, which is flexible and adapts in response to emerging needs

· Publicise the safeguarding training programme

· Monitor the effectiveness of multi-agency training

· Implement quality standards for training facilitators

· Provide regular progress reports to the Business Sub-Group

· Share examples of good working practice

· Oversee Section 11 audits in relation to single agency training

· Identify and minimise identified risks of delivering the strategy

All NTSCB member organisations have an obligation to provide the Board with reliable resources (including finance) that enable it to be strong and effective. Members should share the financial responsibility for the LSCB in such a way that a disproportionate burden does not fall on a small number of partner agencies.

In relation to the NTSCB training programme, agencies provide suitably experienced trainers to contribute to the development and delivery of the programme, or alternatively the use of free training venues.

Governance of the Strategic Training Sub-group

The NTSCB Strategic training sub-group will meet bi-monthly, and will report to the NTSCB Business Sub-group. The sub-group will use the RAG rated action plan, as a mechanism to monitor progress and to feedback to the Board.

The Strategic training sub-group will provide quarterly progress reports, which will include a summary of the delivery of and attendance at training, the contribution made by partner agencies and the impact of the effectiveness of training. In addition, the sub-group will also provide an annual training report, which will inform the NTSCB Annual Report.

8. Risk management

The NTSCB Strategic training sub-group will identify potential risks to the successful development and implementation of the training strategy. This will include what might stop the present or future arrangements going forward. The sub-group will also identify and implement ways to minimise or eradicate the risks. See table in appendix 2.

9. Quality Assurance, evaluating and monitoring the effectiveness of training

The Training Associates who make up the ‘pool’ of trainers, who deliver on the programme, will be supported through the NTSCB Induction programme and monitored through the Quality Assurance Protocol for trainers. This includes observation of their teaching practice and a record of their strengths and any areas for development.

All multi-agency training is subject to rigorous evaluation that aims to measure the effectiveness and impact of the training programme and to address any issues by;

· monitoring and reporting on attendance and non-attendance at training to ensure equal access, best use of resources and attendance at appropriate levels of training for different groups of staff

· monitoring and reporting on the contribution made by partner agencies to ensure effective use and sharing of resources and the sharing of learning and expertise from a wide range of professionals

· collating feedback from evaluation sheets completed at the end of the training events in order to review and update teaching and learning

· considering feedback from the section 11 audits provided by the Quality Improvement Learning and Performance Sub-group

· using follow up electronic surveys, to measure the impact of training on practice from practitioners and managers

· discussing reflections from supervision and performance reviews within the STSB to identify any unmet needs

· implementing a quality assurance protocol for NTSCB trainers, including observation of their teaching practice.