Virtual College supports Barnsley’s Safeguarding Awareness Week
‘Safeguarding is Barnsley’s business’ is the key message of this year’s Barnsley Safeguarding Awareness Week (SAW17) which runs from Monday 3 to Friday 7 July.
The SAW17 programme has been put together to be relevant to members of the public, families and friends of children and adults in need of safeguarding, in addition to professionals and volunteers.
The week will feature information displays, drop-in sessions and workshops at the Better Barnsley shop in Cheapside, and other venues.
Robert Dyson, Independent Chair of Barnsley Safeguarding Adults and Children Boards, introduced the launch event for professionals at the Barnsley town hall on Monday 3 July.
This was followed by a keynote speech from Her Honour, Judge Sarah Wright, entitled ‘Ensuring access to justice for vulnerable and intimidated children and adults’.
Virtual College’s Jessica Crow presented a trophy to Karen Harrison, Barnsley SCB Multi-Agency Safeguarding Children Trainer, and Nigel Leeder, Safeguarding Children's Board Manager, in recognition of the board’s ‘Outstanding Contribution to Safeguarding Training’.
Going back over 20 years, Barnsley SCB was one of the first boards to work with online learning specialist Virtual College to make online safeguarding training resources widely available.
Karen Harrison commented: “Now all employees within the multi-agency and wider community have easy access to essential safeguarding training and more than 20,000 learners have benefited and are more competent in this important area.”
Barnsley Council has been busily working with its partners from health, the emergency services, the third sector and others, to raise awareness of what safeguarding means, the many situations in which it can arise and, importantly, signpost people to the organisations which can offer the right type of help and support.