To coincide with National Safeguarding Week in Wales the launch of the new national safeguarding training, learning and development standards took place on 14th November 2022. The new standards, created by a multi-agency national development group, look to provide more consistent safeguarding practices across Wales, through good quality training, learning and development.

Who are the standards for?

The training, learning and development standards are relevant to everyone working in:

• Local authorities
• Social Care
• Early years and childcare
• Health
• Policy
• Education
• Probation
• Inspectorates
• Third and independent sector organisations
• Commissioned providers
• Agencies or organisations that work with all the above services

What are the standards?

The standards highlight six safeguarding groups, which detail the level of training, learning and development required for those in that group.

To determine which group staff members fit into must be identified at a local level by each organisation. Consideration of different roles and responsibilities must be used to determine how staff members fit into specific groups. The standards provide some examples, but all organisations must identify which safeguarding group people fit into for their own workforce.

An example given by Social Care Wales for social care and early years roles includes:

Group A

• All staff or volunteers

Group B

• Care home workers
• Nursery workers, nannies, and childminder assistants
• Domiciliary care workers

Group C

• Residential childcare workers
• Residential childcare managers
• Nursery managers
• Childminders
• Responsible Individuals (RIs)
• Designated safeguarding person (DSP)

Where a role may straddle more than one group the individual should be trained within the higher group but have a knowledge of the groups below it. For example, a Responsible Individual may fit into the higher group C, but must also understand groups A and B.

What’s Next?

Organisations are now being encouraged to explore the standards and to provide any feedback for a National Standards Review Group to look at in April 2023.

Further documents will also be released over the coming weeks and months from Social Care Wales including a training, learning and development framework to accompany the standards.

As a result of the launch of the standards, QCS have updated the Safeguarding Policies and Procedures on your system to include reference to the new standards, please take a look at your dashboard for more information.

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