On this page:
- Level 1 training
- Level 2 training
- Level 3 training
Level 1 training – for all staff
All staff in a school/education setting should access Level 1 training. Level 1 training provides a basic understanding of safeguarding. Settings could have this as part of the induction process for all new staff. Level 1 training only needs to be undertaken once.
Level 2 training – for all staff
In this section
- Level 2 training – the Legislative Framework
- Who needs to access Level 2 training and how often
- How to access Level 2 training
- Resources to support in-house Level 2 training
1. Level 2 training – the
Legislative Framework
Keeping Children Safe in Education (2023) sets out the training requirement for staff in schools/education
settings as below:
All staff should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection
training (including online safety) at induction. The training should be
regularly updated. In addition, all staff should receive safeguarding and child
protection updates, including online safety (for example, via email,
e-bulletins, and staff meetings), as required, and at least annually, to
continue to provide them with relevant skills and knowledge to safeguard
children effectively.
The Essex Safeguarding Children Board (ESCB) produces the SET
Procedures (2022) which reiterate the expectation of staff training within Essex
settings:
To fulfil their responsibilities to safeguard and promote the welfare of
children all organisations that provide services for children, parents or
families, or work with children, should have in place:
Arrangements to ensure
that all staff undertake appropriate training to equip them to carry out their
responsibilities effectively (including training to follow these revised child
protection procedures), and keep this up to date by refresher training at
regular intervals; and that all staff, including temporary staff and volunteers
who work with children, are made aware of both the establishment's arrangements
and their responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of
children.
Working
Together to Safeguard Children (DfE, 2018) sets out that providers must train all staff to
understand their safeguarding policy and procedures and ensure they have up to
date knowledge of safeguarding issues. Training must enable staff to identify
signs of possible abuse and neglect at the earliest opportunity, and to respond
in a timely and appropriate way. In addition, Ofsted requires settings to
have clear and effective arrangements for staff development and training on
child protection.
2. Who needs to access Level 2 training and how often
All staff in the school/education setting, including all governors and trustees, must undertake Level 2 Training.
Level 2 training must be repeated annually and updates to the training should be undertaken throughout the year. New staff should receive this training as part of their induction. We have collated resources below to support with this requirement.
3. How to access Level 2 training
There are 3 options for accessing and delivering Level 2 training:
1. The DSL can deliver Level 2 training to staff. The Education Safeguarding Team have produced resources to support this option which can be found in the section below
2. The Essex Safeguarding Children Board (ESCB) offers Level 2 training. Details are available on their website.
3. You can access Level 2 training from an alternative provider. The DSL would need to check that the outcomes of the course match the Level 2 training outcomes set by the ESCB and that staff are aware of the Essex context for safeguarding. A document detailing the required course outcomes can be found in the 'Important Information' section on the Learning and Development page of the ESCB website. The DSL would be responsible for checking the suitability of the course chosen as our team are not able to offer this service.
4. Resources to support in-house Level 2 Training
Below are a number of resources to support the delivery of Level 2 training within your own school/education setting. There are a mixture of presentations, online learning courses and case studies.
Structuring and planning Level 2 training
The 'Keeping Children Safe' presentation below is the main Level 2 training presentation for all staff. We recommend that this is delivered at the start of each academic year and as part of staff induction. Many schools/education settings will deliver this training on an INSET day. All presentations are updated annually and are ready for use at the start of September.
To ensure that updates are provided regularly to staff through the academic year, the DSL may want to plan a training schedule for all staff. This should include a range of subject specific topics such as FGM, PREVENT and online safety. These update sessions could be delivered during staff meetings, at specific safeguarding training sessions, via the completion of online courses and via e-bulletins. We have produced a template to help with planning CPD throughout the academic year which is in the section below.
Presentations
Level 2 safeguarding training schedule template
Level 2 safeguarding training certificate
Prevent duty training
Gov.uk has commissioned new Prevent Duty Training. The training includes 4 sub-courses:
Online Learning
Case Studies
The DfE has developed 3 family case studies. You can access the case studies on the Gov.uk website. They illustrate issues that practitioners are likely to encounter when investigating childhood neglect. The case studies provide first person narratives which gives the perspective of each adult and child. Accompanying videos to these case studi es are available on their YouTube channel.
The Gov.uk website has supporting documentation to go with these case studies:
Level 3 safeguarding training for DSLs
In this section
- Who needs to access Level 3 training and how often
- How to access Level 3 training
- Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
1. Who needs to access Level 3 training and how often
All Designated Safeguarding Leads and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads must undertake full Level 3 training every 2 years. During those 2 years, they must also update their knowledge and skills at regular intervals. This may include attending additional training on safeguarding issues as part of their Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
For further information on the training that DSLs are required to have, please see 'Annex C: Role of the designated safeguarding lead' in Keeping Children Safe in Education.
2. How to access Level 3 training
Level 3 training courses are not offered by ECC. You can choose a course from any provider, as long as the Designated Safeguarding Lead deems the course to be suitable. The Essex Safeguarding Children's Board (ESCB) have a document entitled 'ESCB Training Levels' which sets out the expected outcomes for training levels, including Level 3, and may be helpful when reviewing course content. The document can be accessed under the 'Important Information' section on the ESCB Learning and Development page. The DSL would be responsible for checking the suitability of the course chosen as our team are not able to offer this service.
In Essex our preferred provider is Juniper Education, as the course is delivered within the Essex context. The course is entitled “Designated Person for Child Protection in Education - Safeguarding Level 3" and you can search for it on the Juniper website.
Prevent awareness training: Keeping Children Safe in Education (2022) specifies that the DSL should undertake Prevent awareness training. The Home Office provides online PREVENT training – the details can be found in the Level 2 training section above. The Educate Against Hate website also provides resources and training materials. Please note, WRAP training is not currently offered and currently no replacement has been announced.
3. Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
To meet the DSL training requirements, as well as undertaking Level 3 training every 2 years, DSLs must update their knowledge and skills at regular intervals. This may be via e-bulletins, meeting with other DSLs and by accessing CPD courses. The courses may be a mixture of subject specific courses and 'refresher' courses and can be accessed by any provider.
The DSL should keep a CPD training log to evidence the training undertaken to support their role.
Please see some options for CPD opportunities below:
ECC Safeguarding Forums: Attending the Safeguarding Forums run by the Education Safeguarding Team form part of a DSL's CPD and provide an opportunity to speak with other DSLs, as recommended in 'Keeping Children Safe in Education (2022)'. Upcoming forum dates and details on how to book can be found on the Essex Online Booking System.
Training courses: The Education Safeguarding Team 'Safeguarding Briefings' sign-post to various training opportunities from other providers, as well as any subject specific training sessions run by the team. Copies of previous briefings can be accessed on our ESI Safeguarding pages and details of up-coming training events can be accessed on the Essex Online Booking System.
