In April 2021, the team had a discussion around developing training opportunities for Designated Safeguarding Leads. They decided to pilot some bitesize training materials based on key safeguarding themes, that schools could use to enhance staff CPD.
‘There is never enough time to fit everything in. Sometimes the Safeguarding Awareness Training can be overwhelming for staff because of the emotive nature of the content’ (Sutton DSL, March 2021)
The bitesize materials received positive feedback. Colleagues within Cognus and the Local Authority also started to use them.
‘Your bitesize resources are exactly what we needed. They have the latest updates, are clear to understand and are often only 30-minutes long. You have saved us so much time and staff find them much easier to follow’ (Sutton DSL, September 2021)
The team have now produced a bank of 9 resources (All Staff Safeguarding Training, Peer-on-Peer Abuse, Low-Level Concerns, Children Missing Education, Professional Curiosity, what is a Safeguarding File, Safeguarding Refresher, Searching Pupils and Strip Searching in Schools and Online Safety, with 4 more planned before the end of the academic year (Child-on-Child Abuse – new terminology, Low-Level Concerns – updated, County Lines and Contextual Safeguarding).
All bitesize materials are available on the Cognus website, with new content added each half-term. The team use feedback from colleagues and changes in statutory guidance to decide on which themes to cover and when. If you have an idea for new content, please contact hayley.cameron@cognus.org.uk.
If you haven’t yet viewed the content, please take a look,
To access the bitesize training content, please click on the link below:
Bitesize Safeguarding Training Videos and Accompanying Slides – Cognus