News story

Virtual College course recognises need for education in adult as well as child sexual exploitation

IlkleyLearning NewsVirtual College

A new online course recognises the need for education in adult as well as child sexual exploitation and has been developed in association with subject matter experts from 9 organisations within the North East Safeguarding Training Group.

Image from the online course
Image from the online course 

Research by the NSPCC has identified that 1 in 20 children have been sexually abused -  90% of them by someone they knew.  In addition, more than one in three children who experienced sexual abuse by an adult, did not tell anyone else about it.

Although it is not as widely discussed, sexual exploitation is also a major issue for adults but until the Care Act 2014, which came into effect in April 2015, there was no legal framework for local authorities to have a Safeguarding Adult Board. 

This course is aimed at individuals and professionals who need to understand how to safeguard vulnerable children, young people and adults who are at risk of being sexually exploited.

‘Basic Awareness of Child and Adult Sexual Exploitation’ gives an awareness of what sexual exploitation is and how it can be identified. The only online course that covers adult sexual exploitation in line with the Care Act 2014, it provides an understanding of best practice when it comes to safeguarding those at risk.

The course contains topics including inappropriate relationships, consent, gang violence, trafficking and online grooming.

Virtual College has already trained over 60,000 people in child sexual exploitation. 

This new course uses real life case studies, work based scenarios and reflective practice for an engaging learner experience. Given the often disturbing nature of the content, care has been taken to give the course a calm, sympathetic look and feel.

It explains what sexual exploitation is and identifies the vulnerability factors. It helps learners to recognise the signs and indicators of sexual exploitation and understand the importance of multi-agency working and the safeguarding frameworks in place to manage concerns of sexual exploitation. Importantly, it advises on appropriate action to take if there is a concern.

CPD certified, the online course takes around an hour to complete and provides a Virtual College Certificate upon completion.

To find out more, go to: http://www.safeguardingchildrenea.co.uk/awareness-child-adult-sexual-exploitation-training/