
What is National Safeguarding Week?
National Safeguarding Week is an annual event which is organised by the Ann Craft Trust. It is an opportunity for organisations to come together to raise awareness of important safeguarding issues. The aim is to highlight safeguarding key issues, facilitate conversations and to raise awareness of safeguarding best practice. The main theme of this year’s safeguarding week is Creating Safer Cultures. All of the information about National Safeguarding Week has been taken from the Ann Craft Trust website.
What do we mean by Safer Cultures?
Promoting safer cultures is all about how organisations and individuals can take steps to minimise harm occurring in the first instance, whilst also ensuring correct policies and procedures are in place so that safeguarding concerns that are raised, are recognised and responded to effectively.
What do Safe Cultures look like?
- Listening – organisations should listen to members and create an environment where people’s concerns are listened to and addressed appropriately (be that service users, participants, volunteers or employees). Individuals should feel confident about how to respond to, report and refer any safeguarding concerns either within their organisation or community
- Leading – organisations should ensure they have the correct policies and procedures in place to minimise the risk of harm and to respond effectively should concerns be raised. This could include having a detailed safeguarding policy and ensuring that staff and volunteers receive regular safeguarding training
- Learning – it is important that organisations and individuals within them, take the time to learn from safeguarding incidents and reflect on what actions could be altered in the future to facilitate best practice and minimise the risk of harm
Each day of National Safeguarding Week focuses on a different safeguarding theme, please see the sections below which provide a summary of each daily theme along with useful resources:
Monday – Emotional Abuse and Safeguarding Mental Health
Emotional abuse can have a devastating impact on mental as well as physical health. To have safer cultures, we need to prioritise wellbeing, and create a culture where people can speak out, be listened to and respected. Today at an individual level we are focusing on the importance of wellbeing and self-care. At an organisational level, today can be used to explore how organisations can be emotionally aware and promote respectful cultures where people can speak out without fear of reprimand.
Useful resources:
Tuesday – The Power of Language
Language is vital in creating a positive culture and fostering inclusivity. Complex terminology and jargon can isolate individuals and result in people feeling excluded. In contract, using respectful language can widen participation in services, organisations and communities. Today, we want to encourage individuals and organisations to consider the language they use in their practice and how this relates to the people they work with. Is the language used in your setting actively inclusive?
Useful Resources:
- The Power of Language Factsheet
- The Power of Language 7 minute briefing
- Respectful Language: A Practical Handbook by Laura Chapman
- The Power of Language in Safeguarding Practice
- Appropriate Language: Child sexual and/or Criminal Exploitation Guidance for Professionals – The Children’s Society & Victim Support
- Language Creates Reality: How Becca’s Project is Revolutionising Language Use
- Scope – End the Awkward
Wednesday – Digital Safeguarding
Over the past year an increasing proportion of our lives from work, education to sport and activity has moved online. This is likely to continue to some extent, even as lockdown restrictions ease. Today is about sharing best practice in relation to how to help create safe culture online.
Useful Resources:
- Digital Safeguarding Factsheet
- Digital Safeguarding 7 minute briefing
- An Introduction to Digital Safeguarding
- Beware of Coronavirus Scams – Digital Safeguarding
- Digital Safeguarding Resources Pack
- Do you know how to Support Young People who have been abused online?
- Safeguarding, Young People and Virtual Delivery: Creating Safer Online Spaces
- How to Stay Safe Online – Guidance for Adults and Young People with Learning Disabilities
- What is cyber-bullying?
Thursday – Adult Grooming
People can experience grooming and exploitation at any age and in a wide range of contexts. Today we want to raise awareness about different types of grooming for instance, predatory marriage, financial scams and radicalisation. We want to facilitate conversations about how to recognise the signs of grooming and how to respond to promote safer cultures.
Useful Resources:
- Adult Grooming Factsheet
- Adult Grooming 7 minute briefing
- Predatory Marriage – Safeguarding Matters
- Beware of Coronavirus Scams – Digital Safeguarding
- Signs of Grooming in Adults – What to watch out for
- Adult Grooming in Sport – If it feels wrong, it is wrong
- ‘Look Closer’ to Help spot Exploitation and Abuse
- My Marriage, My Choice project
- Tricky Friends – a new animation created by Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board, that helps people with learning disabilities understand true friendships
Friday – Creating Safer Organisational Cultures
We want to find out what organisations are doing to create safer cultures. Last year British Wrestling representatives spoke to the Ann Craft Trust about the #SpeakingOut campaign. This campaign was launched in response to allegations of sexual misconduct in British professional wrestling. We want to focus on including voices of people less likely to raise concerns, and promoting reflection and learning in safeguarding practice to promote safer cultures.
Useful Resources:
- Creating Safer Cultures Factsheet
- Creating Safer Cultures 7 minute briefing
- What is a Safer Culture?
- #SpeakOut Campaign information
- Facility Safeguarding Checklist – Supporting the Leisure Industry to Create Safer Cultures
- Listen, Learn and Lead – how can you create a safer culture?
- Reporting and Recording Safeguarding Issues
- Ann Craft Trust Training Resources
Saturday & Sunday – Safeguarding and You
Do you know what your role in safeguarding is? Safeguarding is for everyone. It is not just about knowing your role in an employment setting, but also knowing your role as a human being in everyday life to promote safer cultures in the community. We want to highlight that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and everyone needs to play their part to effectively create safer cultures.
Useful Resources:
- Safeguarding and You factsheet
- Safeguarding and You 7 minute briefing
- What is my role in safeguarding?
- The KnowHow NCVO Safeguarding Hub
- Ann Craft Trust Training Resources
- Halton Safeguarding Adults Board Alerter Card
- Safeguarding Adults family and carers leaflet
- Safeguarding Adults professionals leaflet
- Halton Safeguarding Adults Board posters
Safeguarding Adults Week Events
To raise awareness during the week, there are a range of training sessions being provided by the Ann Craft Trust:
Day |
Event |
Details of how to book |
Tuesday 16th November 2021 |
Online grooming and Sexual Abuse: A Personal Account
|
https://www.anncrafttrust.org/events/safeguarding-adults-week-act-agm-staying-safe-online-seminar/
|
Thursday 18th November 2021 |
Grooming and Exploitation: Opening Eyes and Mind Conference
|
|
Friday 19th November 2021 |
The Power of Language in Safeguarding Practice
|
https://www.anncrafttrust.org/events/safeguarding-adults-week-free-seminar-the-power-of-language/
|
Tuesday 16th, 19th & 23rd November 2021 |
Safeguarding Adults at Risk Training for Managers and Designated Safeguarding Leads
|
|