Ellie Collier | The Hub | High Speed Training

Internet Safety Posters for Schools

Ellie Collier — Fri, 05 May 2023 08:30:00 +0000

Online activity now plays a large part in most children’s lives. There are many positive benefits to this – in terms of social interaction, learning and development. However, online activity can also mean exposure to potential online risks and harms

To reduce the number of risks, it’s essential that children know how to keep themselves safe online and what to do when something isn’t quite right. If you are a teacher, displaying, and referencing, internet safety posters in your classroom can be a good way to inform students and keep them regularly reminded.

We’ve made a set of internet safety posters for schools that you can download, print and display as you wish.

Social networking is a hugely popular online activity. Despite most social media platforms carrying age limits of 13, many children and young people regularly access social media. This includes websites and apps, such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, where users can share content, interact with content generated by others and network with people online.

Social media can expose children to all four of the categories of online risks defined by Keeping Children Safe in Education. These are:

Content risks – being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful content.
Contact risks – being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users.
Conduct risks – online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm.
Commerce risks – risks with a financial implication.

Social media can bring risks of child on child abuse, including bullying and harmful sexual behaviour, accessing inappropriate content and grooming, amongst others. Groomers often use social media to target children. Grooming is when somebody builds an emotional connection with a child and gains their trust for the purpose of abuse, including sexual abuse (online or in person), sexual or criminal exploitation, or radicalisation.

Therefore, teaching children the importance of social media safety is essential. We’ve made a social media safety poster that demonstrates the often ‘dark’ world of the internet. It shows a child taking a picture of themselves and sending it to someone else. This person then screenshots the image and shares it around, before it eventually ends up with a suspicious looking character. The aim of this poster is to make children think twice before they send pictures. You can download this poster below.

Top 10 Tips to Stay Safe Online Poster

We’ve created a poster showing our top 10 tips for staying safe online. You could put this on the wall of your classroom or in a corridor where everyone can see it – it’s a good reminder for children to be cautious in their online behaviour, reinforcing your teaching around online safety within the curriculum. You can download the poster below.

Keeping Safe Online: Log Out Poster

It’s crucial that children know the importance of logging out of computers and their accounts, such as email and gaming accounts, on shared devices. If they don’t log out, then somebody may easily gain access to the data contained on that computer, including photos and personal documents.

We’ve made an internet safety poster for children that shows the importance of logging out of computers. It shows a stereotypical image of a robber, stealing from a computer – comparing staying logged in to leaving your front door wide open. You wouldn’t leave your home open for anyone to wander in, so you shouldn’t do the same with your computer either. You can download this poster below.

Need a Course?

Our Online Safety and Harms Course will help you understand the potential online risks and harms children face, to recognise signs that might indicate online harm or abuse and to effectively address online safety in school.

Password Safety Poster for Children

Computer security is important for everyone for a variety of reasons, such as to avoid your accounts being hacked or having strangers gain access to your personal information and documents. Children should be taught the importance of computer security at a young age, so that they can protect themselves online and carry this knowledge through into their adult lives.

We’ve created an internet safety poster for schools that introduces children to the importance of having strong passwords. It shows a child writing a ‘weak’ password on a board in the classroom, which another child can see. This shows that you should never write your password down and that it shouldn’t be an obvious one or one that is easily guessed. You can download this poster below.

E-Safety Poster: Masked Man

When we are online, we never really know who is at the other side of the screen. We can usually be sure that our friends are who they say they are, but this isn’t the case for everyone. The lack of face-to-face contact that comes with the internet gives groomers the anonymity they need to target children. They can lie about their name, age, and occupation and they can pretend that they know the child’s friends or family to try and build a relationship with them. Often, groomers will use information a child has posted to make a connection. Details such as school uniforms in posts or regularly ‘checking in’ to places on social media feeds can provide them with a great deal of information. It’s crucial that children know the importance of not connecting with strangers and understand that not everyone online is who they say they are.

We’ve created an online safety poster that demonstrates this. The poster shows a masked figure sitting behind a computer screen. It illustrates that people are not always who they say they are and so you shouldn’t talk to somebody unless you are certain who they are. You can download this poster below.

Children can encounter a range of online harms and risks, and it is part of a school’s safeguarding duty to make sure that they know how to keep themselves and others safe online. Displaying, and regularly referring to, internet safety posters in your school, like those we have shared with you in this article, acts as a constant reminder of online risks and how children can protect themselves from harm.

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Methods of Human Trafficking and Recruitment

Ellie Collier — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 11:12:00 +0000

Human trafficking is a highly organised and widespread crime, impacting many people all across the world. It can affect people of all genders and ages and have devastating consequences.

We can all contribute towards tackling this awful crime, and knowing the methods that traffickers use, and the signs associated with them, is an important part of this.

Within this article, we will explain what human trafficking is, who is most likely to be a victim and the methods that traffickers use to exploit people. Finally, we will explain what you must do, should you suspect that human trafficking is occurring.

What is Human Trafficking?

As defined by the Modern Slavery Act 2015, human trafficking is ‘the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, using:

Threats and force or other forms of coercion;
Abduction;
Fraud and deception;
Abuse of power or abuse of a position of vulnerability, and
The giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve control over another person for the purpose of exploitation.’

Human trafficking is a global issue. Traffickers take people from one area of a country to another, or across borders, and force them into exploitation when they arrive.

Trafficked people can be exploited sexually, placed in domestic servitude, agricultural work, manufacturing or construction, or forced to beg or participate in organ harvesting, amongst a range of other exploitative activities.

Why Does Human Trafficking Happen?

Perpetrators of human trafficking do so for monetary and financial gain. They are aided by the fact that it remains a very hidden crime and one that is difficult to detect. Many victims live in fear of their exploiters and will never speak up about what they are enduring.

Who are Human Trafficking Victims?

Human traffickers deliberately target people who they believe will be ‘easy to exploit’. They provide false promises of lucrative jobs, stability, education, income or romance to attract people.

Victims might be any gender, adults, children or even newborn babies, and they can have varied educational, socio-economic, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Human trafficking is not restricted to a certain demographic.

However, we do know that certain groups of people are at higher risk of being trafficked, including women and girls for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Refugee camps are also commonly targeted by traffickers – for those experiencing poor living conditions, promises of a job and home elsewhere seem much more convincing.

Signs of Human Trafficking

As we have said, victims of human trafficking will likely not disclose what they are experiencing. This is why having an awareness of the signs and remaining vigilant is crucial. A person who has been trafficked may:

Show signs of physical and emotional abuse, including injuries and low self-esteem.
Appear malnourished, have untreated medical problems and have an unkempt appearance.
Live in overcrowded and dirty conditions.
Avoid eye contact and social interaction.
Act like they have been instructed by someone else, particularly with what to say in conversations, and like they have been coerced into doing something.
Appear to be monitored or watched closely by someone else.
Have little or no official documentation, including a passport.
Have little or no personal possessions. For example, they may wear the same dirty clothes every day.
Ask for permission or struggle to make a decision on simple things, such as to use the toilet.
Be distrustful of authorities.

Methods of Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is based on the deception and exploitation of innocent, unsuspecting people. Common methods used to traffick humans include:

Seduction and romance.
False job advertisements.
Lies about educational or travel opportunities.
Sale by family.
Recruitment through former slaves.
Abuse of religious beliefs.
Abduction.
Forced pregnancy or sale.

We will cover each of these in more detail through the rest of this article:

Seduction and Romance

One of the most common methods of human trafficking is the use of seduction and romance. In these cases, a person (sometimes referred to as a ‘Loverboy’ or ‘Romeo Pimp’) seduces someone else, in order to force them into prostitution or other illegal work. It is a form of grooming and abuse.

These people form romantic relationships with their victims, however the relationship quickly turns into an emotionally abusive one. Blackmail and violence is often used to intimidate victims into compliance.

They might also paint a picture of a better life together abroad or elsewhere in a country. This is with the aim of isolating the victim from their family or community and, in some cases, forcing them to move to a country where they can’t speak the common language. Using romance in this way makes it easier for traffickers to move their victims across borders, as they will often go willingly.

False Job Advertisements

Another common method that traffickers use is enticing people with false job advertisements or travel opportunities.

They often post job opportunities on legitimate websites, using a registered business as a front. They also target places where they know people are looking for ways to leave or make a life elsewhere, such as countries experiencing an economic downtown or instability. These jobs are often for nanny or au pair positions, or in the hospitality or tourism industry.

Trafficked people will usually pay for their own flights and arrive in the country legally with all their documents. On arrival, these are seized and the victim is forced to comply through a series of abusive acts, including torture and the forced consumption of drugs and alcohol.

Sale by Family

In some areas of the world, unimaginable levels of poverty, debt, desperation and displacement cause families to sell their children to traffickers. It is also the pressure to alleviate these hardships and bring some money to the family that causes some families to sell a child into modern slavery.

In rare cases, some families build relationships with traffickers and will misrepresent the nature of the work to persuade other families to sell their children.

Recruitment through Former Slaves

In some cases, former slaves might recruit new people into the trafficking network. They may earn ‘commission’ from their exploiters for each new person they recruit, or be promised greater freedoms if they do so.

Abuse of Religious Beliefs

Religious beliefs are often exploited by traffickers as a way to recruit and coerce victims and ensure compliance. This is achieved through suggestions that this is the way things are meant to be and ‘God’s will’.

Victims may be made to take oaths, swearing that they will obey their trafficker, repay their ‘debts’ and not run away. These oaths act as psychological bonds, placing victims in a state of compliance without having to use threats or violence.

Abduction

Although it does still happen, abduction is a rarer method of human trafficking than deception through romance or job advertisements, for example. This is because abducted victims are more likely to escape during their transportation if they have not gone willingly.

Forced Pregnancy or Sale

In some cases, human trafficking happens even before babies are born. The term ‘baby factory’ (also known as ‘baby harvesting’ or ‘baby farming’) refers to the forced impregnation, sale or illegal adoption of an infant, in a location where a woman or girl is held against her will. Most of the time, these girls are underage and their babies are sold once they are born.

Baby farming operations usually happen in registered organisations. These are disguised to look like hospitals, maternity homes, orphanages and rehabilitation centres, and the people working in them are unregistered.

Responding to Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is an inhumane and dreadful crime. In order for it to be reduced, it is important to build awareness. Learning about human trafficking, the methods traffickers use and the signs of its occurrence is the first step you can take to build your own awareness and increase your vigilance.

If you believe that it is happening in your area, or you believe that somebody you know is a victim of it, you must speak out. Do not leave it to someone else. Victims will often not speak out themselves as the trafficker may have threatened them or their family if they do so, or language barriers may prevent them from asking for help, so you could be their only lifeline. You can contact the police or report it directly to the Modern Slavery Helpline.

Human traffickers use a variety of methods to exploit people, including false job advertisements, lies about opportunities and abduction. We all have a responsibility to be aware of such methods and to act if we believe somebody is at risk of, or is, being trafficked. Our Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery course can help you to learn more about your responsibilities and this issue.

Further Resources:

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Careers in Health and Social Care

Ellie Collier — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 09:30:00 +0000

The scope of the health and social care sector is vast, and is consistently growing and adapting to meet the needs of the population. It is estimated that the sector employs one in ten of the working population, with almost three million people in positions. Due to the wide-ranging scope of the sector, it offers a wide variety of job roles, and can be a popular choice for those wishing to start their careers.

If you are considering a career in health and social care, you may want to know a little bit more about the options available and the different routes into the sector. It’s also crucial that you understand the skills required and some of the typical responsibilities, so that you can reach an informed conclusion about which role may be best for you. In this article, we will outline all of these and explain how you can get started in your health and social care career.

Health and social care is an industry based on hard work and commitment. However, it is also one of the most rewarding. We all need care and support at some point in our lives, and being able to offer that support to people when they need it most comes with a huge sense of fulfilment.

If you are looking to get into the sector at an entry level, some popular jobs available to you could include:

Care worker. This role can vary on a daily basis, but it might typically involve supporting people with social and physical activities, eating and drinking, shopping and getting dressed, personal care, monitoring conditions and helping with medication. Care workers can be positioned within care homes or out in the community offering domiciliary care.
Personal assistant. This is similar to a care worker, except that you will be employed directly by an individual and you will usually support them in their own home or go out into the community. Your role is crucial for helping the individual to live as independently as possible, and you will be able to provide the consistent and ongoing support that they require.
Activities coordinator. This is a rewarding role that involves helping people to take part in activities. Your main role will be to organise activities, and you will always work in a person-centred way – talking to people about what activities they enjoy, tailoring the activities accordingly and supporting them to take part. You will be crucial in bringing people together and offering fulfilment. You might be positioned in a care home, a day centre, a person’s own home or in the community. Find more about how to become an activities coordinator here.
Rehabilitation worker. This role involves helping people to live more independently after they have been ill or had an accident. You may be required to teach people daily life skills, organise activities for them, provide advice on certain equipment and complete assessments about the type of care and support they need. Although an entry level job, you may still need experience of working with adults in need in the past.
Advocacy worker. This role involves promoting and supporting individuals’ rights, including helping them to access services and being involved in planning their care and support. You will help people to represent themselves (self-advocate), speak up on their behalf and help them to make informed decisions. Although an entry level job, you may still need experience of working with adults in need in the past.
Social prescriber. Social prescribing is a relatively new role, and it does not currently have any entry requirements. The role can involve finding local support services for people to go to, referring people to a range of activities and assessing the support they need. You can choose to specialise in one specific area, such as helping people with learning disabilities to access services in the community. You will usually be positioned in a GP surgery, health centre or community centre.
Supporting roles, such as in a catering, administrative or maintenance role in a care home. If you undertake a role in one of these areas, you will be responsible for the smooth running of organisations and ensure that individuals always have a suitable and safe environment to be in.

As we have said, working in health and social care can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also involve a lot of hard work. Before taking the leap into the sector, you may want to think about your current skill set, read job descriptions carefully and decide which one best matches you and your skills.

Generally, some vital skills that need to be demonstrated by those working in the sector include:

Communication skills. Being able to communicate is one of the most important skills you can have in health and social care. Whether it be communicating with service users, their families or friends, other organisations or your colleagues, you must be able to communicate effectively to ensure individuals get the best care.
Time management. You will have a lot to do, with lots of different and competing priorities, so being able to manage your time effectively is essential.
Resilience. You may encounter challenging situations and see things that are upsetting. Developing your resilience is important for being able to handle such situations.
Adaptability. Anybody who works in health and social care will be able to tell you that no two days are the same. You will likely have ever-changing demands placed on you, so make sure that you can easily adapt.
Emotional intelligence. Unwavering empathy, compassion and selflessness is what makes the health and social care workforce so incredible. You must be able to put the needs of service users first and provide them with the high-quality care that they deserve.
Teamwork. It is essential that you are able to successfully work in a team and with other people. You will have many demands placed on you, so knowing how to work effectively with others will help you to get everything done.
Being able to fulfil legal obligations. All those working within the sector have a legal duty of care towards individuals they support, and your care must always be person-centred.

Your specific roles and responsibilities will depend on your job role and its associated job description. Typically, however, your responsibilities will centre around the following:

Communicating with a range of other people and services, such as GP surgeries, hospitals and other care organisations, to ensure that there are clear plans in place for a person’s care.
Writing, reviewing and understanding care plans. These must always be up to date to ensure they capture all necessary information about a person’s care. Typical information you might find in a care plan includes details of how a person’s care and support should be delivered and their medication requirements.
Providing person-centred care. You are responsible for providing care that is person-centred and takes the needs, wishes and preferences of individuals into account.
Helping individuals with daily activities. This might include getting dressed, eating and drinking, washing and personal care, moving around, taking care of personal affairs and administering medication.
Researching and planning activities. You may spend a portion of your day looking into new activities, planning logistics and contacting people to ensure activities can be effectively facilitated.
Resolving conflicts. Health and social care environments can often be highly emotive places. Good conflict resolution processes need to be in place, and you will need to be able to handle and resolve conflicts effectively, to ensure that outcomes are reached that everyone is happy with.

If you are considering a career in health and social care but you’re not sure where to start, there are many options available to you.

If you’re new to the sector, there are lots of routes and entryways that do not necessarily require previous work experience or qualifications. Many of the jobs we have outlined above fall into this category although, as discussed, it is preferential for certain positions if you have some experience of interacting with adults in need. This experience could come from a previous social care role, any volunteering you have done or if you have cared for a family member who was in need.

All roles will involve a thorough training process, as it is vital that you have the skills and knowledge to be able to care for people safely and appropriately. Many entry level roles will require you to complete the Care Certificate, which has been helping to standardise the training of people working in the health and social care sector since its introduction in 2015. If you are required to complete this as part of your role, this will be made clear to you and available when you take up the role.

You may choose to apply directly to a job you have seen advertised, volunteer to gain some experience or complete a relevant apprenticeship. Whichever option you choose, beginning a career in the sector will open you up to various opportunities for progression and growth. Many of the jobs we have discussed enable you to also complete qualifications, including a range of diplomas and NVQs.

If you are interested in regulated professional roles in the sector, such as becoming a social worker, occupational therapist, counsellor or nurse, you will need to achieve relevant qualifications in the specific area, such as an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. If this is something you are interested in, take a look on a range of university websites to look at their entry requirements and whether this would suit you.

Working in health and social care involves a lot of hard work, but it is also one of the most rewarding sectors you can be a part of. If you are good at communicating, managing your time and working as part of a team, and you are passionate about making a difference in people’s lives, a career in health and social care might just be the perfect fit for you.

Further Resources:

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Safeguarding Checklist for Schools

Ellie Collier — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 15:20:43 +0000

Keeping vulnerable people safe, and ensuring they are protected from harm, should be a priority for everyone, regardless of profession and environment. However, for those who work in schools, and interact with children on an everyday basis, safeguarding these children is a top priority.

Need Safeguarding Training?

Our range of safeguarding training courses aim to provide you with the required knowledge to carry out your work whilst meeting safeguarding training requirements. Take a look at our course library where you’ll find everything from Designated Safeguarding Lead to Challenging Behaviour.

While the extent of safeguarding is vast, having one overall safeguarding checklist is a handy way of ensuring you keep up to date with relevant legislation and safeguarding procedures. We’ve produced a safeguarding in schools checklist to help you stay on top of legislative requirements and keep children safe.

How Can a Safeguarding Checklist Help in Schools?

Safeguarding is a huge consideration in schools. However, it can often be a bit of a minefield and is overwhelming when you consider just how vast its scope is. School staff must always be alert to any potential issues with children and must know when, and how, to act on concerns. Not only this, but school staff must ensure they are knowledgeable on relevant legislation and understand the structure of safeguarding in their school. Most of the time, it can be difficult to tell whether you’re doing enough to keep children safe, or whether you should be doing more.

A safeguarding checklist can give you a brief overview of all your responsibilities and help you to keep on top of your safeguarding requirements in a quick and digestible way. It is a self-assessment tool and must be considered alongside your other safeguarding procedures. It is brief enough to help you keep on top of your responsibilities but not detailed enough to cover all safeguarding procedures and responsibilities.

You should aim to use this safeguarding checklist at least once a year, such as every September before the start of the new school year.

Will Ofsted Accept a Safeguarding Checklist?

One thing that Ofsted will look for when they visit your premises is that you have effective safeguarding arrangements implemented throughout your school. You must have the knowledge, as well as policies and procedures in place, to demonstrate that you are doing everything in your power to safeguard children and promote their welfare within your school environment. Without being able to demonstrate this, you will not be able to receive a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating.

Therefore, although inspectors are unlikely to ask to see a safeguarding checklist specifically, they will want to see evidence that you are being proactive in your safeguarding procedures. By using a safeguarding checklist, you will be able to keep on top of your safeguarding responsibilities and therefore satisfy Ofsted’s safeguarding requirements.

Free Safeguarding in Schools Checklist

We’ve developed a safeguarding checklist to help your school keep on top of your safeguarding responsibilities.

The checklist outlines the minimum measures that your school should be considering in terms of safeguarding. Remember that this must be used alongside your school’s specific safeguarding policy and further policies and procedures. It is not a substitute for a comprehensive safeguarding policy. Use this checklist as a resource, ticking things off where appropriate and making a note of the things that you identify as missing.

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Safeguarding Responsibilities of School Staff

Ellie Collier — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 09:01:38 +0000

Anybody who works in an education setting has a duty to protect the welfare of children who attend. This applies to governors, headteachers, Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs), teachers, teaching assistants, dinner staff, and anyone else who spends time with children.

It’s widely accepted that, because those who work in education have daily contact with students, they are well-placed to identify and recognise when there’s a potential issue. Because of this, it’s crucial that you understand your responsibilities and the role you play in safeguarding.

This article outlines safeguarding responsibilities in schools and the role that you play in ensuring students’ safety.

Safeguarding Responsibilities in Schools

Section 175 of the Education Act 2002 sets out a requirement for schools – including nurseries, early years, and further education providers – to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Furthermore, the educational standards board Ofsted place safeguarding at the centre of any inspection.

In schools, you must create an environment where children feel safe to learn, play, and grow. Children should feel comfortable in their surroundings and know that they can approach you with any problems.

Sadly, however, many children who suffer from abuse are too scared to speak out or may perceive their mistreatment as ‘normal’. Therefore, you must be able to identify any children who are at risk of harm, and know the characteristics of abuse or neglect. If you suspect or confirm harm then it’s essential you know what actions to take.

Statutory safeguarding guidance for schools is set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education, which all staff in education settings should be aware of. It’s especially important to keep this awareness up to date, as KCSIE regularly receives amendments with new and enhanced guidance and advice.

To learn more about safeguarding guidance and its regular updates, you can read our dedicated article: Keeping Children Safe in Education: Key Changes.

Teacher Safeguarding Responsibilities

If you’re a teacher, you need to be aware of particular safeguarding issues. You should understand the following:

Preventing Radicalisation. In 2006, the government introduced Prevent – a strategy to help prevent terrorism and radicalisation. As part of this, you have a duty to recognise when somebody is vulnerable and at risk of radicalisation and targeting from extremist groups. Take a look at our guidance pack for teachers for more information on the Prevent Duty.
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE). This is a form of sexual abuse that occurs when an individual or group coerce, manipulate, or deceive a child or young person (under 18) into sexual activity.
Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE). This occurs when a child or young person (under 18) is coerced, controlled, manipulated, or deceived into carrying out criminal activity (e.g. moving drugs from one area to another – known as county lines activity).
Grooming. This is when someone builds an emotional connection with a child to gain their trust for the purposes of sexual abuse, exploitation, or criminal activity. Grooming can happen online or in the real world. The perpetrator can be a stranger or someone the child knows, and can be any age and gender.
Forced Marriage. This is a marriage in which one, or both, people don’t, or can’t, consent to the marriage. It’s a criminal offence and a serious abuse of human rights. Forced marriages could be decided in advance, years before the child is old enough to marry.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). FGM is a traumatic procedure where the external part of the female genitals are surgically removed. It’s usually performed by someone who isn’t medically trained and doesn’t have a professional or sterilised blade. The procedure is often carried out in the first weeks of life, in mid-childhood (usually between the ages of 8 and 10), or before puberty. FGM has no medical purpose, so it subjects young women to physical and psychological trauma for no reason. It is an illegal practice in the UK.
Bullying. Bullying can happen anywhere at any time, such as directly in the classroom or anonymously online. It can have damaging effects on a child’s confidence and, frighteningly, has even pushed children to suicide. Bullying becomes a child protection issue where there is ‘reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm.’
Self-harm and self-neglect. These are distinct signs that something’s wrong in a young person’s life, for example, they may suffer from another type of abuse or depression. The reasons for this are individualistic and you must tailor your response to the student in question.
Child on child abuse. Students are capable of abusing their peers, even at a young age. This can take many forms, such as acts of violence or sexual assault. If this causes significant harm, or a risk of harm, you must take steps to deal with it.

It’s a requirement for all teachers to take safeguarding training. This is so that they know more about the subject, how to recognise when a child is at risk, and how to deal with concerns. High Speed Training offer an online course on Safeguarding Children in Education that can help you gain this knowledge.

Governor Safeguarding Responsibilities

The Governing Body is responsible for ensuring that the school complies with safeguarding duties. As a result, there are a number of issues that you must be aware of:

Safer Recruitment of Staff. You must ask anyone you hire to provide a Disclosure Barring Service Check (DBS) to ensure they’re safe to work with children. This is the minimum requirement, but many schools ask teachers for a new check every 3-5 years. All staff must undergo safeguarding training during their induction. You can also find some safeguarding interview questions for teachers, here.
Continued Safeguarding. Staff should regularly renew their safeguarding training, especially if statutory guidance changes as it often does. The standard renewal period for staff training is every three years.
School Security. You must have thorough security procedures and systems. This includes gates and railings to prevent strangers from entering the grounds, CCTV where appropriate, and policies for child collection. For example, if another family member is coming, use a secret word that only you and the family member know. You must also implement thorough security checks on your computer systems. These should prevent anybody from accessing your systems and confidential information, and stop dangerous people from potentially contacting your students.
Monitoring Attendance. You must track students’ attendance and take action if they miss a lot of school time. In addition, you should regularly communicate with local authorities about ‘students missing from education’. These are students who are at school age but are not registered at a school and don’t receive suitable education by other means. As a result, they’re at significant risk of underachieving and being victims of harm, exploitation, or radicalisation.

Designated Safeguarding Lead Responsibilities

A Designated Safeguarding Lead must ensure everyone follows safeguarding policies. If you’re a DSL, you need to fulfil some essential responsibilities:

Draw up and enforce the safeguarding policy.
Recognise issues.
You’re the first point-of-call for staff who have safeguarding concerns.
Make referrals to social services (where appropriate).
Work with families.

As the Designated Safeguarding Lead, it’s essential that your knowledge of child protection procedures is in-depth and up-to-date. High Speed Training offer an online Designated Safeguarding Lead training course to teach you more about what the role involves.

You may also be interested in reading our DSL article to find out more about the specific roles of a Designated Safeguarding Lead.

How to Report Safeguarding Concerns

If you have any safeguarding concerns about a child, you must report them.

If you believe the child is in immediate danger, don’t delay. Call the police on 999 straight away. Furthermore, under the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003, you must call the police if you’re informed that a girl under 18 has undergone FGM.

You can also report concerns in the following ways:

Contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000. They will then pass the concern onto the local child protection team who will investigate it.
Report your concern directly to your local authority child protection team. You can find your local team here.
Report it to your Designated Safeguarding Lead. (If you are the DSL, choose one of the above two steps).
Call the NSPCC’s Whistleblowing advice line on 0800 028 0285 or email them on help@nspcc.org.uk. They offer free advice and support to anyone who’s concerned about how child protection issues are handled in an organisation.

We hope that this article has provided you with a useful outline for safeguarding responsibilities in schools. Everyone has a duty to protect the safety and welfare of students and ensure they live a happy life.

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What is the Care Certificate & Why is it Important?

Ellie Collier — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 08:30:00 +0000

All those working in health or social care are required to undertake rigorous training to be able to carry out their job role effectively. This is not only a legal requirement, but it is essential if individuals are to be kept safe and receive the personalised, high-quality care that they deserve. One such type of training that health and social care workers may undertake is the Care Certificate.

The Care Certificate has been helping to standardise the training of people working in the health and social care sector since its introduction in 2015. It aims to ensure that everyone is delivering consistent, high-quality care, and that everyone has received the same level of training. In this article, we will outline what the Care Certificate is, why it was introduced, its components and how you can achieve it.

What is the Care Certificate?

The Care Certificate is a training requirement that forms part of the induction process for those who are new to health and social care. It was designed jointly by Skills for Care, Skills for Health and Health Education England. Skills for Care define it as ‘an agreed set of standards that define the knowledge, skills and behaviours expected of specific job roles in the health and social care sectors.’ It therefore ensures that those working in health and social care have received the same level of training and understand what is expected of them.

The Care Certificate is a key part of a person’s induction, which an employer must provide to meet legal obligations and the essential standards set out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). However, it does not replace the employer’s own induction, which will be specific to their setting and cover the particular skills and knowledge relevant for that role.

Interested in Learning More?

Our Care Certificate Course offers you the knowledge component needed to complete the Care Certificate, helping to ensure that all health and social care professionals know how to provide high-quality and compassionate care and support.

The training is designed as an introduction and provides health and social care workers with a basis from which they can build upon as their career progresses. For example, the knowledge from the Care Certificate can be used as recognition of prior learning and can be mapped and linked to Regulated Qualification Framework (RQF) units from Level 2 Diploma in Care, Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care, Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support, and Level 2 Diploma in Emergency Care Assistance.

Although the Care Certificate is designed for those who are new to health and social care, it can also be beneficial for staff who have worked in the sector for a longer period of time and may want to refresh their training, skills and knowledge.

Who Needs to Complete the Care Certificate?

There is no statutory requirement for health or social care providers to implement the Care Certificate. However, CQC – the independent regulator for health and social care services in England – expect you to complete it if:

You are new to care.
You are being inducted as a Healthcare Assistant, an Assistant Practitioner, or a Care Support worker – either a Healthcare Support Worker (HCSW) or Adult Social Care Worker (ASCW).
You provide direct care in a residential home, nursing home, hospice, or you are a home care worker.

Regulated professions within the sector, including doctors, social workers and occupational therapists, are not required to complete the Care Certificate, as they will achieve similar skills and knowledge as part of their professional training.

Care Certificate Standards

The Care Certificate is made up of 15 standards:

Understand your role
Your personal development
Duty of care
Equality and diversity
Work in a person centred way
Communication
Privacy and dignity
Fluids and nutrition
Awareness of mental health, dementia and learning disabilities
Safeguarding adults
Safeguarding children
Basic life support
Health and safety
Handling information
Infection prevention and control

Each of these 15 standards will be assessed and only once an assessor is satisfied all 15 have been met will they award the certificate.

The Care Certificate follows a specific assessment framework, which lists all of the learning outcomes that must be achieved for each standard. For example, within standard one there are four objectives: understand their own role (learning objective 1.1), work in ways that have been agreed with their employer (1.2), understand working relationships in health and social care (1.3), and work in partnership with others (1.4). Each standard has its own set of objectives which you must meet.

Why Was the Care Certificate Developed?

The Care Certificate was developed to ensure that all health and social care workers receive the same training, and are provided with the information and know-how to be able to carry out their daily job role.

In 2013, the Francis Inquiry report was published which examined the reasons for failings in care. This report identified serious failings in the provision of healthcare and a review, as appointed by the Secretary of State and which was named The Cavendish Review, was commissioned as a result. This review found that there were clear inconsistencies in the training of healthcare assistants and support workers for their roles.

The report that followed this review recommended that a Certificate of Fundamental Care should be developed to ensure that everyone receives the same training and can work at the same standard. This led to the development of the Care Certificate, which was launched in April 2015.

The Care Certificate aims to address everything health and social care workers need to know to carry out their daily role through its 15 standards. It addresses inconsistencies in training so that those receiving care and support, and their families, can be confident that all staff have the same knowledge and skills to be able to deliver safe, high-quality, and compassionate care.

How Do You Complete the Care Certificate?

The Care Certificate is typically completed within two parts: the knowledge and theoretical components, and the practical assessment. To be awarded the Certificate, you will be assessed in your workplace and by a suitable assessor.

It is the role of the employer to appoint an assessor – that is, somebody who assesses whether you meet the standards as set out in the Care Certificate. The assessor must be somebody who is competent in the standard they are assessing, such as a social worker, health professional (such as a nurse) or the employer themselves.

For the knowledge component, you will learn about the theory behind each standard. For example, for Standard 5 (Work in a Person-Centred Way) you will learn about what person-centred care is and how to ensure you always deliver it. You will then be expected to explain what you have learnt, which may be through presentations, records of simulated activity, and written and oral answers to questions. These answers are typically recorded in a set of 15 booklets, with one for each standard.

For the practical aspect of the Care Certificate, you will be observed demonstrating what you have learnt. For example, to complete Standard 5, the assessor would observe you conducting your normal work duties to determine whether you are delivering person-centred care. You may also be required to complete practical work, such as role play, if a relevant situation doesn’t arise and you need to show that you can meet the standard.

The Care Certificate will only be awarded when the assessor is satisfied that there is sufficient evidence that you meet the requirements of each standard. This evidence must be:

Valid – it must be relevant to the particular standard.
Authentic – the learner must have produced it.
Current – the assessor must be confident that the learner still possesses the same level of skills and knowledge.
Reliable – it must genuinely represent and reflect the learner’s skills or knowledge.
Sufficient – it must meet, in full, the requirements of the standard.

What Role Can E-learning Play?

E-learning can play a fundamental role for those completing the Care Certificate. An e-learning course, such as that offered by High Speed Training, can cover the knowledge and theoretical components of the Care Certificate. You can learn, in detail, about each of the 15 standards, check your learning through exercises and activities throughout, and have all of your learning in one place. You can also complete the course at your own pace and fit it around your commitments.

What’s more, High Speed Training’s e-learning Care Certificate course includes a downloadable and fully-editable learning portfolio, which comprises all 15 standards and allows you to write answers to a series of questions for each standard. This removes the need for the 15 separate booklets and can be used to show your assessor evidence of previous learning. High Speed Training is a Skills for Care Endorsed Provider, and has received the Skills for Health Quality Mark Digital, meaning that you can learn in confidence that the course meets the highest standards.

The Care Certificate comprises 15 standards and forms part of the induction process for those who are new to Health and Social Care. It helps to tackle inconsistencies in training and ensure that employees have the know-how to deliver high-quality and compassionate care to those they support.

Further Resources:

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Duty of Care in Health and Social Care: Responsibilities & Examples

Ellie Collier — Fri, 21 May 2021 08:30:00 +0000

Working in health and social care means you have a responsibility to care for individuals, promote their wellbeing, and prevent them from anything that results in harm. This is your legal duty of care and something you must always abide by.

This article will explain your duty of care, how it relates to safeguarding and how to demonstrate this responsibility, even when you are faced with potential dilemmas.

Interested in Learning More?

A duty of care is a legal and professional obligation to safeguard others while they are in your care, using your services or are exposed to your activities. This means always acting in their best interests, not acting – or failing to act – in a way that causes harm, and acting within your abilities without taking on anything that lies outside of your competence.

As a health and social care worker, your legal duty of care extends to those you support, yourself, your colleagues and anybody else who is present in your work setting. For example, if you work in a care home, your duty of care is just as important towards maintenance workers and cleaners as it is towards service users.

Your duty of care is not something that you can opt out of. In health and social care, the duty is included within the code of conduct for healthcare support workers and adult social care workers, and it typically forms part of your job description. This shows how important it is to understand the duty and have the knowledge, understanding and competencies to apply it in your role.

Why Does Duty of Care Contribute to Safeguarding?

While a duty of care applies in any setting – for example, a business operating in an office block would still have a duty of care towards employees and visitors – it is particularly important in health and social care settings due to safeguarding. This is because such settings often care for those who are most at risk of harm or abuse, such as children or adults with support needs.

As a result, safeguarding and your duty of care go hand in hand. You have a duty to safeguard individuals, promote their wellbeing and ensure that people are kept safe from abuse, harm or injury. You also have a duty to act if you believe that others are not upholding their duty of care – for example, reporting it if somebody you work with is mistreating adults, or whistleblowing if you are concerned about organisational wrongdoing.

Finally, your duty not to work beyond your competencies also closely links to safeguarding. For example, if an individual confides in you that they are being abused by a family member, you have a duty to escalate this and respond to it in accordance with your workplace policies and procedures. However, it would not be your duty to take the matter into your own hands – for example, by confronting the family member yourself – as this lies outside your competencies.

Working in accordance with your duty of care and safeguarding adults is not only a legal requirement, but will benefit those you care for by helping you to deliver high quality care, reduce workplace incidents and make it a safer environment, and empower people to raise any concerns they have.

As a health and social care worker, your duty of care should be ingrained in all of your work and must be factored into everything you do. For example, if you are helping an individual to make a decision, you must bear in mind that your duty of care specifies that you need to support independence and their right to make their own choices as much as possible.

Some other ways that health and social care workers demonstrate duty of care as part of their work activities include:

Communicating well and in a way that meets individual needs. Individuals in your care may have certain communication needs, and meeting these is essential if you are to comply with your duty of care.
Addressing any concerns, such as those of abuse or neglect. Following your workplace’s policies and agreed ways of working when responding to these concerns is a crucial part of your duty. You must also address any comments or complaints, and respond appropriately to conflicts, as part of your duty of care.
Ensuring that an individual’s privacy and dignity is maintained at all times – for example, knocking on the door or announcing your arrival before entering an individual’s room, or gaining consent if you need to go through their belongings.
Completing care plans for all individuals to ensure that their care is person-centred and recognises their individual wants and needs. Any changes in a person’s care must be documented in this plan.
Conducting risk assessments to make sure that the individual is not in any danger and to prevent them from harm.
Keeping training up-to-date so that staff understand their responsibilities and are well-placed to notice any safeguarding concerns and act accordingly.

Below are some examples of how your duty of care may look in practice.

Example 1 – You are a healthcare support worker and you need to carry out personal care for an individual. You must ask for their consent before you touch them, explain what you are going to do and ensure their body is discreetly covered at all times. This helps to maintain their dignity and uphold your duty of care.

Example 2 – You provide domiciliary care to an individual who has Parkinson’s disease. You notice that they have not been eating much food recently and when you ask them about it, they tell you that they are struggling to clasp utensils. As part of your duty of care, you must ensure that they are able to eat and drink. You provide them with some adapted cutlery and crockery and monitor the situation to see if it improves.

Example 3 – You are a manager in a care home and you have two new members of staff. As part of their job role they need to be able to use hoists to help move individuals. You undertake a risk assessment and discover that they have not had training in this area for a number of years. You have a duty of care to ensure they are trained in using hoists safely before you allow them to use them. Failing to do so may cause harm to your staff and residents, resulting in a breach in your duty of care.

Addressing Responsibilities and Managing Duty of Care Dilemmas

Your duty of care requires you to promote the safety and wellbeing of individuals and prevent them from coming to harm. However, you must also uphold their right to make their own choices, even if you believe it’s an unwise choice. Individuals have a right to live as independently as possible and make their own decisions. If they are legally capable (i.e. they have the mental capacity), this must be supported and not taken away from them.

It’s likely that you will care for individuals who make decisions that you don’t necessarily agree with, but you still have to support their decisions. This is where dilemmas may occur. In a lot of situations, the individual’s right to make their own choices (even if they are poor ones) overrides your duty of care.

For example, you may support an individual who has been strongly advised to stop smoking as it is exacerbating their lung disease. They have gone three months without a cigarette, but now they say they want to have one and go to a shop to buy one. Although you know it is dangerous for the individual to have the cigarette, you cannot stop them from having one as they have the right to make their own decision.

If you are in a situation where you are faced with a dilemma between your duty of care and an individual’s right to make choices, it’s important that you tread carefully. Ensure that the individual is informed about their choices and explain what would happen if they make that choice. Look at ways the risk can be reduced, such as by completing a risk assessment, and support them in making the decision and promoting their independence.

The only exception to this is if you believe that abuse is taking place, you have concerns about the individual’s ability to understand the implications of their decision, or if serious harm would occur to the individual – or others – if the decision was made.

Your duty of care is a legal obligation and something you must abide by. You have a duty to promote individual wellbeing and act in their best interests, protect them from harm, and always act within your competencies. You may sometimes encounter dilemmas in your duty of care, but it’s important you support individuals to make their own decisions, even if you believe the decision is unwise.

Further Resources:

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Promoting Effective Communication in Health and Social Care

Ellie Collier — Mon, 10 May 2021 08:30:00 +0000

Communication plays an instrumental role in health and social care and is a core aspect of your working relationships. Being able to communicate effectively is a skill that has a range of benefits, perhaps most importantly that it helps you to deliver person-centred, high-quality care.

However, communication isn’t as straightforward as it might first appear. It’s not simply about what we say, but about relationships, understanding, and ensuring that our needs are met and our wishes are addressed. It is a two-way process involving one person expressing themselves and being understood by another.

This article outlines the role of communication in health and social care, examining its benefits and providing you with the knowledge you need to overcome any barriers and communicate effectively.

The role of communication in health and social care is an incredibly important one. The nature of health and social care environments means that you will be interacting with multiple people on a daily basis, and it’s essential that you are able to communicate effectively with them.

It’s important to remember that communication looks different to everyone. There are many ways that people communicate, including verbal communication (speaking aloud), written communication, such as sending emails or keeping records, and non-verbal communication, such as hand gestures or facial expressions. However, there are also many additional ways that people communicate, depending on what works best for them and their needs. For example, individuals may communicate using sign language, Makaton or Braille. It’s important that all types of communication are supported.

Interested in Learning More?

If you’re looking for an in-depth and effective way to improve communication in a health care setting, our Communication Skills in Health & Social Care Course will provide you with the information and guidance you need to develop your existing skills and use a variety of communication methods.

Finally, developing good communication skills is essential if health and social care workers are to develop other skills. For example, you would be unable to offer person-centred care if you couldn’t communicate well with the individual in your care and understand their needs and preferences. Similarly, you need to be able to communicate well with individuals in order to uphold their privacy and dignity and promote their independence.

Why is It Important for Healthcare Professionals to Have Effective Communication?

Being able to communicate well helps to ensure that you can carry out your role effectively. It is central to finding out service users’ needs and wishes, delivering high-quality care, and building good relationships with service users, any visitors and your colleagues.

Service Users

Being able to communicate effectively is crucial for having good relationships with your service users. You will be able to find out their needs and wishes and avoid any potentially distressing misunderstandings and miscommunications. What’s more, if you communicate effectively with a service user, they are much more likely to have confidence in what you tell them and put their trust in you.

Communicating poorly with service users can have a range of consequences. For example, if you adopt closed body language such as crossing your arms, they may feel like you are unapproachable or unfriendly. Similarly, if you miscommunicate and share inaccurate information, a person’s care and support could be affected – for example, if they have an allergy and you miscommunicate this to kitchen staff.

Your Colleagues

Communication is also the foundation of your working relationships. Your job role will likely involve you sharing relevant information with colleagues about service users, making decisions, listening to the views of others and acting on them.

Communicating effectively with colleagues is key if you are to deliver your mutual goal of providing high-quality care to individuals. For example, if an individual wants to change something about how their care is delivered, then it is also important that you share this information effectively with colleagues who care for the individual so that they are aware and meet the individual’s needs. Additionally, it’s crucial that you communicate this change formally in the individual’s care plan so that it is documented and everyone who cares for them can see it.

Visitors

Finally, being able to communicate effectively is central to the relationship you have with visitors, such as an individual’s family. A key part of communication is confidentiality – respecting all individuals’ personal data and protecting it by ensuring that it is only shared with others on a need-to-know basis and with consent.

If an individual gives you consent to share information with somebody, it’s crucial that you communicate this information in a professional manner. Speak to the person out of earshot of other people to avoid sharing information with those who don’t need to know.

It’s also important that your communication is empathetic and understanding. There may be times when you have to deliver bad news to a service user’s family and it’s crucial that you communicate sensitive topics in a suitable and professional manner.

While it’s clear to see how important communication is, there are a number of barriers that may prevent you, and those who you care for and support, from communicating effectively. These can include:

Emotions and attitudes – these can play a large role in communication. For example, if you rush a conversation with a service user because you are busy, or come across as abrupt, you may make them feel frustrated and unlikely to want to communicate. Similarly, if an individual feels upset or angry, they may not want to communicate with you or may struggle to communicate without letting their emotions take over.
Language – if you and the service user speak different languages, this may make it difficult to communicate. Additionally, even having a strong accent or speaking in a dialect associated with where you live can make it difficult for others to understand you.
Health conditions – some individuals in your care may have a health condition that makes it difficult for them to communicate. For example, if they have had a stroke, or if they have dementia, this may have affected their ability to think rationally and reason clearly. Additionally, if someone is experiencing a mental health condition such as depression, they may find it difficult to express how they are feeling.
Physical barriers – someone may be physically unable to communicate, such as if they are breathless or in pain. Additionally, the use of PPE, such as face coverings, can make it especially difficult for some people to communicate -for example, if they are deaf and rely on lip reading, if they use facial expressions to help them understand, or if they have hearing difficulties and can’t hear people clearly through the face covering.
Environment – certain environments can make it difficult to communicate in – for example, if the room is noisy and you struggle to hear others. Additionally, if the environment is uncomfortable for the service user, such as if it is too dark or too warm/cold, they may be less likely to want to communicate.

While there are many barriers to effective communication, you need to overcome them if you are to offer person-centred care. Recognising when someone is struggling to communicate and putting actions into place that will help them can vastly improve their quality of life.

Remember that communication is a two-way process: it involves both giving and receiving messages. Therefore, to be able to promote effective communication, you need to consider the way you give messages as well as receive them from others. If you are wanting to promote more effective communication, you should think about the following:

Consider the Environment and Distance

Think about the way that you position yourself in relation to a service user. For example, your chairs should be facing each other if you are sitting and having a conversation. Additionally, it’s important to think about how close you are to them in distance. If you are too close, they may feel uncomfortable and as though you are invading their personal space.

The nature of health and social care means that you may sometimes have to get closer to an individual, such as if you are taking a blood sample or providing personal care. Ensure you always inform the individual of what you are about to do before you move closer to them.

Listen Actively

When an individual communicates with you, it’s important that you employ active listening skills. This means listening closely to what they are saying and then employing certain techniques, such as nodding to encourage them to keep talking, changing your facial expression so that you are smiling or raising your eyebrows in response to what they have said, and adopting open body language such as open arms and uncrossed legs. This is important for making an individual feel valued and as though they are being listened to.

Give Them Time

Give people enough time to communicate and don’t rush them. For certain individuals, such as some who have learning disabilities, they may take longer to process information and gather their thoughts, so giving them plenty of time is crucial. Additionally, there may be some people who have reduced energy levels, such as if they are in hospital with illness, who may need a bit longer to think before they respond. Ensure that you are guided by the individual and communicate at a pace that is comfortable for them.

Ask Questions

Don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t quite understand what someone is saying, rather than guessing what you think they mean or making assumptions about what you think they’ve said. For example, concluding that someone has expressed they want their care to be delivered in a certain way based on assumptions can be damaging if they meant something completely different.

Similarly, if you haven’t heard someone, ask them to repeat themselves rather than pretending to hear or guessing what you think they said. Physical barriers to communication, such as the use of face masks, can make this especially difficult, so ensure that you ask questions to avoid any miscommunications or misunderstandings.

Listen to More Than Just Words

Communication is about so much more than simply what somebody says. It also includes:

Tone of voice – this is about the way somebody speaks. Tone of voice is important for conveying meaning; if somebody is feeling low they may speak in a monotonous tone, or if somebody is excited their tone may be more varied and enthusiastic.
Pace – this refers to the speed at which somebody speaks. For example, somebody may speak quickly if they are excited.
Body language – this can be open or closed. Closed body language, such as fiddling or turning away, can indicate that someone is disinterested or nervous.
Gestures – these can emphasise what is being said or act as an alternative to speech. For example, somebody may use hand movements to express or emphasise what they are feeling.
Facial expressions – these can show emotions or reactions, such as smiling when you are happy or raising your eyebrows when you’re interested.

However, it’s important not to make assumptions about how somebody is feeling or what they’re trying to communicate. For example, we may think that if somebody is maintaining eye contact they are engaged, and if they are looking away they are disengaged. However, in some cultures eye contact is considered impolite. Avoid making assumptions and ensure you take the interaction as a whole, asking questions if you are unsure.

Communication is a central part of health and social care, and being able to communicate effectively with service users, colleagues and visitors is a crucial part of delivering high-quality and person-centred care. Avoid making assumptions about what you think people mean, address any barriers to communication, and remember that communication is a two-way process.

Further Resources:

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Signs of Abuse in Adults

Ellie Collier — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 08:30:00 +0000

Data published by NHS Digital reports that 475,560 concerns of abuse for adults were raised during 2019-20. This was a 14.6% increase on the previous year. Neglect and acts of omission made up the largest number of concerns raised, with 31.8% of all concerns falling within this category.

This number is worryingly high already, but what’s worse is that the actual number will likely be much higher as a large number of cases go unreported. This might be because the abuser is skilled at hiding their abuse, the victim is too fearful or cannot speak out about their abuse (for example, if they have had a stroke that resulted in communication difficulties), or the victim lacks the capacity to understand that what they are experiencing is abuse. As a result, if you work with adults, it’s crucial that you are aware of the signs that may indicate an adult is being abused.

Types of Adult Abuse

Abuse or neglect can be categorised depending on their type. While there are many different types, the Care Act 2014 provides ten categories that adult abuse may form part of:

Physical abuse
Domestic violence
Psychological abuse
Sexual abuse
Financial or material abuse
Modern slavery
Discriminatory abuse
Organisational abuse
Neglect and acts of omission
Self-neglect

Many instances of abuse often co-exist; for example, an adult who is being domestically abused may also be suffering from psychological and sexual abuse.

Abuse may be a one-off occurrence or multiple incidents, and one person may be affected or it may form part of a wider pattern of harm – for example, if organisational abuse affects all service users in an organisation. Exploitation is a type of abuse that forms part of this: those who are criminally exploited may unknowingly be part of a much wider criminal network.

Anybody may fall victim to abuse, with all adults (those aged 18 and over) potentially being affected. However, there are some situations that put an adult at increased risk of harm. For example, people with particular care and support needs, such as dementia or a learning disability, may struggle to communicate what is happening to them, or their communication may be misinterpreted as a symptom of their condition. Sadly, abusers target these adults knowing this. This is why it’s so crucial for you to know the signs.

Signs of Physical Abuse in Adults

Physical abuse is any deliberate act of force against a person that results in physical harm, injury or trauma. This includes hitting, kicking, burning, scalding, biting, or pushing. It also

includes the misuse of medication, forced feeding or withholding of food, and incorrect use of restrictive practices – where there is unauthorised use of restraint against an individual or unwarranted confinement.

Signs of physical abuse are often evident, although they may be well hidden by the abuser. The victim may also hide any physical evidence: they may love the perpetrator and not want to get them into trouble, or be too fearful to speak out or be questioned on it. Potential indicators of physical abuse include:

Broken bones, bruises, marks on the body, or bite, burn or scald marks.
Frequent injuries that are unexplained or inconsistent with the account of what happened.
Unexplained falls.
Signs of malnutrition.
Missed medical appointments or medical conditions left untreated.

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Signs of Domestic Abuse in Adults

Domestic abuse is abuse between two people who are over the age of 16 and who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members. It encompasses controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour and violence.

This type of abuse can include lots of other types of abuse, including physical, psychological, sexual, and financial, as well as ‘honour-based’ abuse such as forced marriage. As a result, you may be able to detect domestic abuse through the indicators of other types of abuse. This includes:

Physical indicators, such as bruising or broken bones.
Psychological indicators, such as being isolated from friends or family, low self-esteem, blaming themselves for things (including their abuse), and humiliation in front of others.
Financial indicators, such as limited access to money and damage to the home or other property, such as cars.

Coercive control is a core aspect of domestic abuse. This is any behaviour designed to control an individual, and includes behaviours such as regulating behaviour, punishing or frightening someone, isolating them, exploiting their resources or money, or assaulting, threatening, humiliating or intimidating them.

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Signs of Psychological Abuse in Adults

Psychological (also referred to as emotional) abuse is any type of behaviour that involves emotional mistreatment of a person. It includes threats of harm or abandonment, enforced social isolation (such as preventing someone from seeing their family or accessing external services, like education), not respecting privacy, intimidating, coercing or threatening someone, cyber-bullying, or preventing someone from meeting their religious and cultural needs, their expression of choice and opinion, or meaningful activities and stimulation. In relationships, psychological abuse can also include harassing partners about imagined affairs or other false claims.

Signs of psychological abuse include:

Low self-esteem, or withdrawal or change in the emotional state of the person.
Changes in appetite, or weight loss or gain.
Insomnia.
Tearfulness and other signs of distress, including anger in some cases.
Fearfulness or silence when a particular person is around.

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Signs of Sexual Abuse in Adults

Sexual abuse is where an individual is forced, pressured or tricked into taking part in sexual activity with another person. The person may have expressed that they didn’t want to be involved, may not be able to give consent or may not have the capacity to understand what is happening.

Sexual abuse includes rape, indecent exposure, inappropriate looking or touching, sexual harassment, teasing or innuendo, sexual photography or subjection to pornography or witnessing sexual acts that the adult has not consented to or was pressured into consenting to. Sexual abuse can occur in relationships – for example, if somebody rapes their partner or regulates their access to birth control.

Signs of sexual abuse include:

Bleeding, pain, itching or sores around the genitals.
Pain or discomfort when walking or sitting.
Bruising, especially on the thighs, buttocks, upper arms and neck.
Torn, blooded or stained clothing (e.g. from discharge).
STIs, unexplained genital discharge or incontinence that is unrelated to a medical diagnosis.
Unexplained pregnancy, for example in a woman who is unable to consent to intercourse.
Sleeping difficulties, self-harm, withdrawal, poor concentration, apprehension about relationships, or reluctance to be left alone with a certain person.
Not wanting to receive help with personal care.
Explicit use of sexual language or changes in attitude and behaviour towards sexual activity.

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Signs of Financial or Material Abuse in Adults

Financial or material abuse involves someone using or misusing money to control a person’s actions and their freedom, and using their funds or belongings without their permission. Types of financial abuse include scams (both online and in-person), theft, fraud, coercion of an adult for their financial affairs or arrangements – such as their will, property or inheritance – or the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits.

Financial or material abuse may present itself in some health and social care environments – for example, misuse of personal allowance in a care home, arranging less care than is needed to ‘save money’ (and then pocketing the difference or maximising inheritance) or denying assistance to access benefits. Additionally, those adults who live alone may be more at risk of scams or rogue trading – where unnecessary, poor-quality or overpriced property repairs are carried out, or fail to be carried out after being paid for.

Signs that may indicate financial or material abuse in adults are:

Unexplained lack of money, withdrawal of funds from accounts, or misplaced personal possessions.
Rent arrears or evictions.
Disparity between the person’s living conditions and their finances.
People showing an unusual interest in the individual’s finances and assets.
Changes in the deeds or title to an adult’s property.
Lack of financial records in a care service.

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Signs of Modern Slavery in Adults

Modern slavery is any act of recruitment, movement, harbouring, or receiving of people through the use of force, coercion, abuse of power, deception, or other means, for the purpose of exploitation.

Modern slavery is a very serious and broad category of abuse and encompasses slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude. For victims of modern slavery, their life is completely out of their own control, so being aware of its signs and acting on them is very important.

Signs that an adult may be a victim of modern slavery are very similar to signs of other forms of abuse, often because a person who is victim of modern slavery will experience other types of abuse as well. You should be concerned when a person:

Appears malnourished or unkempt; for example, they wear the same clothes every day.
Seems withdrawn, avoids eye contact or appears hesitant or frightened of others.
Is isolated, rarely being allowed on their own or seemingly being under the control and influence of others.
Has few, or no, personal possessions.
Lacks identification documents.
Lives in poor conditions, such as dirty, cramped, or overcrowded places.
Fears law enforcement officers.
Shows signs of physical and psychological abuse.

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Signs of Discriminatory Abuse in Adults

Discriminatory abuse occurs when an individual or group is treated unequally because they possess one of the protected characteristics outlined by the Equality Act 2010. These characteristics are age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, and religion or belief.

This type of abuse includes derogatory comments, jokes or slurs, denying access to services, hate crime, ignoring someone’s views, unfair treatment, and denying somebody’s rights to healthcare, education or employment because of a protected characteristic. For example, denying access to communication aids (such as an interpreter or lip-reader) because of the religion somebody follows would be discriminatory abuse.

Signs that an adult is experiencing discriminatory abuse include:

Behavioural changes, including an individual becoming withdrawn, isolated, angry, frustrated, fearful and anxious.
A lack of support for an individual’s needs. For example, if they need to use a wheelchair but are denied access to ramps.
An individual beginning to reject their own cultural background, personal beliefs, sexual preferences or lifestyle choices.

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Signs of Organisational Abuse in Adults

Organisational abuse is where an organisation prioritises their own needs over those of their service users and people they support. Examples include making all service users in a care home eat dinner at the same time so that kitchen staff can finish earlier, or making all service users go to bed at the same time so that it’s ‘easier’ for staff.

It also includes neglect or poor care practice within an institution or specific care setting, such as no respect for privacy and dignity, discouraging visits, failing to respond to complaints, not promoting choice and independence, and failing to assist with eating where necessary. Organisational abuse may be a result of an organisation’s policies, structures or procedures, or it may be caused by high staff turnover, lack of leadership or supervision, or rigid routines being enforced by management.

Signs of organisational abuse include:

Rigid routines and a lack of flexibility and choice for service users.
Lack of staff training, development and support.
Poor standards of care, including people being hungry or dehydrated.
Misuse of medication.
Inadequate staffing levels, procedures and record-keeping.
Lack of individual care plans.
Few social, recreational and educational activities, and an absence of visitors.
Lack of privacy and confidentiality, including public discussion of personal matters, and exposure when somebody is using the toilet or bathing.

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Signs of Neglect in Adults

Neglect and acts of omission occur when somebody who has responsibility for the care of an adult fails to provide the amount and type of care that the person requires. For example, not providing adequate food, shelter, clothing, activity, personal or medical care, and aids such as glasses, dentures and hearing aids. It also includes mistreatment, such as delivering care in a way a person dislikes, ignoring or isolating them, and ignoring someone’s specific care needs (including physical, medical, cultural and recreational needs).

Neglect may be a result of deliberate mistreatment, but it may also be an unintended consequence of somebody not having the ability to care for someone. For example, an elderly couple may both reside at their own home and one of them may have dementia. The other person may not be able to provide the level of care that the person with dementia requires and some of their care needs may be neglected. This neglect would be the result of an inability to provide full and appropriate care, rather than deliberate mistreatment.

Signs that an adult may be experiencing neglect include:

A dirty or unhygienic environment.
Poor personal hygiene.
Inadequate clothing.
Injuries or medical problems untreated, pressure sores or ulcers, or malnutrition or unexplained weight loss.
Lacking contact with medical or social care organisations.
Build-up of untaken medication.

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Signs of Self-Neglect in Adults

Self-neglect is the name given when an individual fails, or refuses, to take care of their own basic needs. It includes a lack of self-care to the extent that it threatens health and safety; for example, they may hoard things in their home which create a trip hazard, or they may refuse to take their medication which can have detrimental effects on their health.

It also includes not caring for personal hygiene, health or surroundings, an inability to avoid self-harm, failing to seek help from medical services or access services, or an inability or unwillingness to manage their own personal affairs.

There are many reasons for self-neglect – an individual may face difficulties with their mental health, struggle with addiction or lack the mental capacity to care for themselves.

Signs of self-neglect in adults include:

Poor personal hygiene and an unkempt appearance.
Lack of essential food, clothing or shelter.
Poor living conditions, including living in unsanitary conditions, neglecting household maintenance or hoarding.
Malnutrition and/or dehydration.
Unwillingness to take medication, treat illnesses or injuries or comply with health or care services.

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What Can I Do if I Recognise Abuse?

If you recognise any of these signs, and are concerned an adult is the victim of abuse, then it’s essential you act on your concerns. Failing to act may make the perpetrator think they are getting away with it, and the abuse may escalate or they may begin to target other adults. Speaking out about abuse can even save somebody’s life.

If you think that somebody is being abused, you can firstly talk to them and see if there’s anything you can do to help. Remember that they may not want to talk about it straight away, especially if they have spent a long time hiding it, if they are being coerced or threatened, or if the abuser is someone they know and trust, and even love. Talk to them in private and mention some signs you’ve noticed that concern you. Give the individual a chance to talk as much as they want to.

If they do confide in you about abuse, stay calm and don’t let your shock or emotions show. Do not promise them that you will keep it a secret. Ask them what they would like to do, informing them who they can talk to about their abuse or that you are able to help them and get support on their behalf. Give them time to think about what they want to do – however, if there is an immediate threat to their safety, contact the police without delay.

If somebody wants your help, you can:

Contact professionals, such as the adult’s GP or social worker (if they have one).
If you work in an organisation that provides care and support to individuals (such as a care home), speak to your line manager or the person with lead responsibility for safeguarding and report your concerns, following your organisation’s agreed ways of working.
If the abuse is part of a wider pattern of harm and wrongdoing in your organisation, you could proceed by whistleblowing.
Contact the individual’s local council – every local authority has a dedicated adult safeguarding team. You can find the details you need for local councils online.
Speak to the necessary services; if a crime has been committed, the police should be informed, or if somebody is seriously hurt as a result of abuse then you should call for an ambulance.
Make contact with a dedicated helpline or charity, such as Hourglass (Action on Elder Abuse) or Refuge (for victims of domestic violence) who will be able to help.

At all times, remember to support the adult, reassure them that the abuse was not their fault and you are here to help them, and keep them informed as any inquiries progress.

Remaining vigilant to signs of abuse in adults is extremely important – in some cases it could save an individual’s life. The ten types of abuse often coexist and signs overlap, so it’s possible an adult who is being abused may show many different signs and indicators. Speak to the adult if you have any concerns, and do not delay if they are in immediate danger.

Further Resources:

The post Signs of Abuse in Adults appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

How to Promote Positive Mental Health in Schools

Ellie Collier — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 09:30:34 +0000

Children’s Mental Health Week 2024 runs from the 5th to 11th of February. Each year, Place 2 Be choose a different awareness theme to shine a spotlight on the importance of considering young people’s mental health. This year, the theme is My Voice Matters, because all children and young people should be able to say – and believe – that their voice matters.

We looked at mental health in schools and what teachers can do to help. Whilst mental health problems can affect anyone, on any day of the year, awareness days are positive for enabling a conversation and coming together to show support for those who may be struggling. In this article, we hope to provide a point of reference for school staff with some actionable suggestions you can use for creating a positive mental health culture in your school. Please let us know if you try any and feel free to share your own tips and ideas.

The Current State of Mental Health in UK Schools

Young people’s mental health is something we all must take seriously. Suicide is the leading cause of death in young people in the UK, so promoting mental health in schools isn’t just desirable – it’s essential. Statistics reveal that:

75% of mental illnesses start before a child reaches their 18th birthday.
50% of mental health problems in adult life start before the age of 15.
10% of school children have a diagnosable mental illness. This means that, in a class of 30 students, three will have a mental health problem.
75% of young people with a mental health problem aren’t receiving treatment.
51% of young people feel embarrassed about mental illness.

Furthermore, the children’s charity NSPCC report that they delivered more than 3,000 counselling sessions on exam stress in 2017. Of this number, 22% called in May – the month when deadlines and exams are looming.

What are the Challenges Affecting Young People?

A number of factors contribute to poor mental health in young people, including:

Exam pressures. The overwhelming pressure and number of exams can have a significant effect on students’ mental health. The old modular style of GCSEs has been scrapped to make way for more tough and challenging GCSEs, where testing is almost exclusively through end of course exams. Students are stressed by the amount of information they need to know and the pressure to succeed. Most are also fearful that a poor grade will ruin their future.
The modern technological world. Young people now spend much more time indoors online rather than outside. A game of football in the park is being replaced by online games. Furthermore, young people are at a number of risks online, including exposure to upsetting content and cyberbullying, that will all affect their mental health.
Growing social media. Social media platforms are evolving and growing in popularity daily. Sites such as Instagram produce feelings of inadequacy as teens compare themselves and their lives to those of their peers. Social media also leads to reduced communication skills and reduced human interaction with friends.
LGBTQ+. Students who identify as being LGBTQ+ often find it difficult to tell their friends and family about themselves. This could lead to feelings of loneliness, isolation, and worry as they try to remain true to themselves. Learn more about how you can promote LGBTQ+ inclusive education in schools here.
Demands on young people. As well as the heavy pressure of exams, students often have further responsibilities that contribute to a growing amount of stress and worry. For example, there are around 700,000 young carers in the UK and 80% of this number miss out on childhood experiences. This commonly leads to exhaustion and puts these children at risk of various mental health difficulties.

Want to Learn More?

Our range of Safeguarding Training Courses aim to provide you with the required knowledge to carry out your work whilst meeting safeguarding requirements. Take a look at our course library where you’ll find everything from Child Mental Health Training to Mental Health Training for Teachers.

How Can Schools Promote Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing?

Teachers and school staff have a responsibility to promote mental health in schools. Often, even small changes can go a long way in helping somebody feel better.

Encourage Social Time

Schedule in 30 minutes or an hour every week where students can be social and focus on something other than the curriculum. Encourage them to chat with their peers and complete a task together, like a difficult problem or a challenge.

Run Lunchtime Clubs

Give students the opportunity to take their mind off things at lunch by running lunchtime clubs. These clubs could be for any activity – arts and crafts, baking, drama clubs, book clubs, film clubs, etc. The sense of community will help students feel included and will relieve the pressure of work for a while.

Have an Open-Door Policy

It’s essential that students know they can come and talk to you about any issues or concerns they have. Communicate this to your students so they know you’re always there to listen. You could even appoint a designated teacher for each year group who can support any students struggling. This person should ideally have training in child mental health and know how to help.

Make Mental Health Known

Sadly, mental health is still seen as a bit of a taboo subject and something that sufferers feel embarrassed to talk about. Many also feel judged if they explain their problems. As a result, you should make mental health a focus in your school. Discuss it in PHSCE lessons, address it in assemblies, and celebrate awareness days, like world mental health day, to let students know they’re not alone. You can find our Mental Health Resource Pack for Schools for further guidance here.

You could also invite charities, such as Mind and Rethink, into school to give talks about their work and address the topic of mental health. Invite both students and parents to attend.

Organise a Wellness Week

To really put wellbeing at the heart of your school, arrange a wellness week in your school. This will benefit both staff and students alike. For your wellness week, you could:

Encourage connections – get students to talk to each other and interact with people they wouldn’t usually talk to.
Host a sports/activities day – exercise is known to boost endorphins, so make use of this and get students and staff involved in a range of activities. Encourage students to set themselves goals (nothing too major) so they get a great self-esteem boost when they achieve it.
Give to others – organise charity events, such as a bake sale or a fancy-dress day, and donate the proceeds to mental health charities. Giving to others is known to reduce stress and improve emotional wellbeing.
Be mindful – host mindfulness sessions and create a calming environment.

Promoting mental health in schools is something we must all prioritise. Mental health issues could affect anyone at any time, so it’s important we get it right and help our students as much as possible.

What to Read Next:

The post How to Promote Positive Mental Health in Schools appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

Ellie Collier | The Hub | High Speed Training

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