Training

The Child Protection Committee provides inter-agency training across Dumfries and Galloway at a range of levels and on a range of child protection issues. This page will provide you with information on what is available.

The Child Protection Committee has moved away from a Tiered system of training following the publication of the National Framework for Child Protection Learning and Development in Scotland 2013 by the Scottish Government in late 2012. The new CPC Training Strategy reflects this change and courses will be delivered in line with the 'Workforce Group' needs.

The three workforce groups will need different competencies, knowledge and skills based on the nature and extent of their roles and their contact with children and their families:.

• The "general contact" workforce
• The "specific contact" workforce
• The "intensive contact" workforce

Each of the three workforce groups will include workers from a range of agencies.

The "general contact" workforce

Includes those who, as part of their job are likely to come into contact with children and other family members. The frequency of the contact will vary, but these workers will not usually be involved in any in-depth personal work with them. These workers need to have the confidence and awareness to recognise when a child may be in need of protection, and how to respond.

Examples of such workers include (amongst others):

• Some health workers (eg in accident and emergency services, NHS 24 workers, hospital porters, community pharmacists, dentists)
• Some police officers
• Some workers having contact in education and learning environments while not working directly with children and families (eg school bus drivers, school crossing workers, catering workers, clerical staff, non teaching staff, some library workers)
• Some housing/maintenance workers
• Some workers in other council services (eg sports and leisure workers, workers at play facilities, events and attractions)

This group would also include a range of other workers who have some contact with children and parents/carers in their day to day work, without working directly with them or having an in-depth knowledge of their circumstances.

Some workers of the workers above could be included, at times, in the specific contact workforce.

The "specific contact" workforce

Includes those who carry out direct work with children or other family members; and/or form more in-depth relationships with them; and/or provide specific services to them. These workers may carry our regular work with a child or adult (although this will not always be the case). Contact may take place in the home or another setting (eg an office, school, community facility, etc,). It may involve one to one work, or work in a group.

These workers may be asked to contribute to the risk assessment and risk management process and may be involved in providing ongoing support to some children and other family members. These workers require the the general contact workforce training, and some additional competencies, knowledge and skills to reflect the nature of their involvement with children and their families.

Examples of such workers (although not an exhaustive list) might include :

• some health and mental health workers (eg GPs, those in family nursing partnerships, workers in a range of adult and children's health services, counsellors)
• some education workers and workers in other learning settings (eg teachers, youth workers, early years and childcare workers, parenting workers, home link workers, educational visitors, educational psychologists)
• some workers providing support with social care and specific issues (eg family and adult support workers, youth justice workers, drug and alcohol workers, domestic abuse workers,
• some other community safety workers,
• some housing workers
• some police officers (eg community and school based officers, FPU officers)

Some of the workers above could be the Named Person or Lead Professional in particular cases. In these instances, they would be included in the intensive contact workforce training and would require the core competencies, key knowledge and skills identified for that group. Other aspects of their role may mean that they would be included (at least at times) in the intensive contact workforce.

The "intensive contact" workforce

Includes those who have specific responsibility for child protection issues as part of their role (eg. where this is linked to their post, or where they are the Named Person or Lead Professional) and/or those who will be involved in undertaking child protection investigations or working with complex cases (eg. providing particular forms of support relating directly to child protection). These workers require the general and specific contact workforce training and need additional competencies, knowledge and skills to carry out their tasks.

Examples of such workers (although not an exhaustive list) might include :

• some designated health workers (eg a designated nurse for child protection, paediatricians with a child protection remit, other designated child protection advisory workers)
• some education practitioners (eg child protection co-ordinators)
• some police officers (eg child protection officers, other officers in the Family Protection Unit)
• some social care workers (eg workers in specialist children and young people's agencies, children and family services, some criminal justice workers)
• some of those involved in the legal decision making process relating to child protection (eg. Children's Reporter, Sheriffs and Children's Panel Members)
• it would also include others undertaking child protection investigations or working with complex cases.

This workforce will include those acting as the Named Person or Lead Professional (even if these workers might otherwise have been in the specific contact workforce). It will also include Chief Officers and agencies' representatives on Child Protection Committees, as well as representatives on other public protection partnerships.

The Child Protection Committee will provide multi-agency training for all specific and intensive workforce groups. The general workforce group will receive their training from within their own agency. However, we will provide training for any of the Third Sector workforce who cannot access this through their own organisation. This training will be co-ordinated by the CPC Support Team.

View the full training courses in the Child Protection Training section

For more information on the CPC Training Strategy visit the Publications Section of this website.