Education and training
Developing your knowledge and skills is critical in building your confidence in being a lead for safeguarding children and children in care.
Below are the competencies relevant to education and training – please refer to the level 4 competencies in the intercollegiate document (2025) for more information.
Core
- commission, plan, design, deliver and evaluate single and multi-agency training and teaching for staff in the organisations covered
Suggested activities
- Experiential learning & on-the-job development
- Delivering teaching and training
- Developing curriculum and training programmes
- Conducting training needs analysis and evaluation
- Attaining formal education and teaching qualifications
- Broader educational engagement
Examples from experience
Useful training courses/events include:
- Local safeguarding partnership/local Child Protection Committee multi-agency training aimed at senior practitioners
- Those offered by national/international associations eg
- The RCPCH
- RCPCH Conference has a dedicated child protection session
- CoramBAAF (sign up to their newsletter)
- BACCH and its Scottish arm SACCH
- Association of Child Protection Professionals
- National level 4/5 training event organised by the Scottish National Managed Clinical Network
- National Child Sexual Assault course organised by the RCPCH and by the Scottish National Managed Clinical Network (usually biennial with an update course in-between).
Webinars are offered by
- Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel (who also have a newsletter you can subscribe to)
- Celcis
Providing training is also an excellent way to keep up to date, and build up your skills and confidence in leading issues related to safeguarding, child protection and children in care. Examples include:
- Delivering local induction to trainees if you are a Consultant
- Participating in medical student training
- Getting involved in training for GPs and Foundation doctors
- Linking in with your local trust or health board’s Learning and Development team and participating in training delivery to NHS staff.
Reflect on your experience of developing and delivering training and any accompanying resources.
You may want to explore more formal training, such as the ALSG’s Generic Instructor Course.
Self-study is also important. You could:
- Read national documents and case reviews (available via NSPCC Learning’s National Case Review Collection) and reflect on their implications on your/wider practice
- In Scotland, speak to your Child Protection Lead Paediatrician – they often have access to other published Learning Reviews via their Learning Review working group.