An introduction to the NSPCC's 'Safeguarding deaf and disabled children' training DVD

OK, The purpose of the webinar, hopefully you will have gained an overview of what is in the training pack,
you will be introduced to video scenarios of the issues facing this group of children,
and most importantly, how the pack can help you train your staff how to safeguard children more effectively
This shows what the training pack looks like
We have a CD and a DVD in the pack
It contains full training materials for you to be able to deliver this training to your staff group
It has handouts, it has videos. I’ll take us through the menu in a second.
Just to flag up that all videos are British Sign Language and subtitled, and we have those in all the video clips.
This is what it will look like when you put the pack into your computer
Obviously we have ‘About this resource’ and on the right hand side it takes you to the ‘Context’,
‘What’s in the pack, ‘How to use the pack’, and the ‘Principles’ behind it
We also have the prompt sheets, so any of the video scenarios that we have in the pack, there will a prompt sheet for the trainer
Discussion points to bring out, learning points to bring out and we will look at those in more detail later
Also, which is very useful, lots and lots of background information in the handouts section
There are particular points about what is disability, what is deafness, how to investigate concerns
Any policy practice guidance issues. So lots and lots of extra information there.
And then obviously the film clips that we have
Serious case reviews have shown us time and time again that there is a skills gap between child protection professionals
And those professionals that work with children with disabilities
So hopefully this pack goes some way to help address that,
And to give your staff confidence in dealing with the issues around safeguarding this group of children
Next we want to show you a film clip with Simon, who is a teacher
Marco is one of the boys in my class.
He's only nine, but he's quite a big boy for his age.
He has a severe learning disability and epilepsy.
I mean, he has a few basic words,
like "drink", "home", "toilet", that kind of thing.
Recently, he has been coming to school with bruises.
And the other day he had a particularly bad one on his arm.
I only saw it when he reached for something, and his sleeve went up.
I phoned his parents to discuss it, as I have done a few times now.
Mum didn't seem too worried.
She said the same as she had before, which is,
"Marco is always falling over and bumping into things."
Sometimes, she says he even hurts himself deliberately.
I asked Marco about the bruises, but he couldn't tell me anything.
The thing is, I've never actually seen Marco falling here.
He can be a bit clumsy in class...
..but he never falls.
We do watch him fairly closely. Someone is with him all the time.
I was going to have a chat with the designated teacher, but...
I don't know. Maybe I'm worrying over nothing.
The next slide I’m going to show you is some of the learning points
And prompt hseets that are available on the DVD and the CD
The learning points from this film:
If the child does not present signs of the condition at school
But parents claim it is happening at home, this should be reported
Safeguards for disabled children are the same as for non-disabled children.
However, they are at more risk
ABE guidance is available, and that’s Achieving Best Evidence guidance
So for video interviewing children, that’s what that sheet describes.
And the awareness that staff do need to follow their own policies and procedures
So these are the learning points that can be pulled out
You as a trainer can pull these out after discussions of the video clip
And on the discussion points, some of the tips that can be used
Are to divide your staff group up into smaller groups
And set them off with these discussion points
Do staff monitor or investigate bruises
Bruising location – does it make a difference?
School staff may be the only adult outside the home to notice
Speak to child?
Speak to parents?
Does the age of the child affect the actions that you take?
And finally, do you have a code of conduct for personal care
So you have divide staff up into groups and have them discuss these points
And again, this is all on the prompt sheets on the disk
OK as I mentioned before, the videos that we have on the DVD
There are eight short scenarions, of which you’ve seen one of them
There are also two longer scenarios which go into a lot more detail, a lot more depth
It’s a flexible pack so you as the trainer can decide which of the scenarios you’re going to use
You can pick and choose what’s suitable for your staff group and for your location
And indeed for the time that you’ve got available for the training
So some of the issues that the pack advises on
Sexualised behaviour
Minority ethnic communities
Escalation of concerns
Use of interpreters
The child’s wishes balanced with best interests
Consent
Institutional abuse
The importance of effective communication with deaf and disabled children
Court proceedings
And the very valuable resource, the keep safe education and resources
So as I said before there are handouts on the DVD around all of these topics
OK, so in summary...
This is a very high quality product – there are lot of professionals interviewed within the pack.
It is up to date, it’s based on recent research
Hopefully we’ve been able to demonstrate here that it is easy to use and that it’s flexible
You as a trainer can pick and choose which parts apply to your group
And if anyone has any further questions or they would like to order the pack
Please contact our customer services team
And the number is 0844 892 1026
Or the team can be contacted by email at contactus@nspcc.org.uk