Welcome to this short e-learning course on the importance of safeguarding in residential care.
By residential care we mean any institution that children who are not able to live with their family, for whatever reason, normally stay and are cared and looked after by staff. This includes small group homes and institutions which may be called orphanages. Residential settings also includes facilities where children may spend short periods overnight away from their family for respite care.
Although the course specifically considers residential care it is also applicable to other residential settings such as summer camps. It will also be useful for those who are working with children more generally.
This course should take approximately 45 minutes to complete. You will be able to move between the different sections and come back and complete the course over several sessions if you do not have time to finish in one go. At the end of the course, you will be able to download a certificate of completion.
Throughout the course, you will find links to resources, where you can find more information, and you will also be encouraged to think about your own work situation if you work in a residential situation.
In this course we will explore:
- What we mean by safeguarding in residential care/ residential settings
- The difference between child protection and child safeguarding
- The different dimensions of child safeguarding
- Key prevention and response actions
- Role as individuals in safeguarding children
- Importance of reporting cases of concern
- How to respond to disclosures