Multi Agency Training and Learning Resources Update

New GSCE Training Courses and Complimentary Learning Resources 2020/21.

As you will be aware multi-agency training (face to face) has been suspended since lockdown and the decision has been made to extend this period until the end of the year 2020. We will be reviewing the situation again for the period 1st January to 31st March 2021, taking into account advice from central Government and suitability of all our venues.

However, as a practitioner in Gloucestershire working to safeguard children and young people you will be able to stay up to date with your safeguarding training through our NEW virtual training courses which will be brought online and an Alert will be sent out when this is available. 

We are in the process of re-designing our multi-agency courses to ensure they are relevant, inter-active and engaging, and ensuring that learning from Serious Case Reviews, Rapid Reviews and Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews are embedded. This we will deliver through a well-established, web-based teaching tool called the Big Blue Button.

In the following months we will begin by offering our mandatory Child Protection courses and courses linked to the priorities of the GSCE i.e. neglect, domestic abuse and child sexual exploitation, gradually bringing on board all of our other training courses in a phased plan. We will also offer a range of safeguarding e-learning programmes which form part of a blended learning approach and support internal training that practitioners receive in their own agencies or organisations.

GSCE Learner Management and booking system:

During this Covid-19 period, the GSCE has developed an online Learner Management and booking system, which will support practitioners in upskilling their knowledge by offering a range of blended learning opportunities.

This is in the form of a Library of virtual multi-agency training courses, recommended e-learning courses, complementary 40 minute to one hour themed webinars, which are either ‘live’ or pre-recorded; and links to safeguarding briefings, videos and other useful resources.

In addition, we will offer briefings and online webinars on the findings from selected local Rapid Reviews undertaken in the county in the last six months and Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews.

You will find more details on Rapid Reviews and Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews on our website (Click here) or in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 (Click here) and the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel's 2018/2019 Annual Report (Click here).

GCSE Training Launch:

In the first phase of this training launch (April to August) we have given site access to schools, colleges, education settings and more recently practitioners working in Early Years. These groups are able to book onto the library of safeguarding e-learning courses and will in due course be able to book onto the virtual ‘live’ training as they become available.

In the second phase of the launch we are opening up enrolment to the main statutory agencies, Health, Children's Services and Police with others to follow. At the same time we will be introducing an Annual Membership scheme for all 'relevant' agencies.

Alerts will be sent out and information posted on the GSCE website to inform practitioners when their agency or organisation has been enrolled.

In the third phase we will start to populate the training platform with dates for our virtual training sessions. We will ensure that regular Alerts are sent out and details posted on our website to promote the new virtual training and to notify staff. This will initially include the following courses;

• Child Protection Inter-Agency – Virtual online training ( level 3 )
• Revision and Update Child Protection – Virtual online training (level 3)

More ‘live’ virtual courses will be added to the curriculum library in the coming months i.e. neglect, domestic abuse, CSE and the rest of the GSCE courses.

We are unable to uphold any bookings placed or applied for, between March 2020 and the end of March 2021 on the previous GSCE face to face training programmes. This being due to the suspension of all face to face training following the Covid-19 lockdown and pandemic and in line with Government guidance.

All new bookings must be made via the new online virtual training platform. Access will only be granted when your agency has been enrolled onto the system. Once you have been given access you can self register and browse the library of courses.

GSCE Bookings:

To book onto a live virtual training course, or one of our safeguarding e-learning courses you will be directed from our GSCE website to the new training site, you will need to register for the first time and set up a password and thereafter you can just login to access all the courses.

If you are employed by a local school, college, or education setting and your establishment is a Traded Services for Education partner, or you work in Early Years, you will now be able to book onto any of the courses available as they come live on the site.

Places for ‘live’ virtual training will be restricted to a maximum of 20 learners per session and offered on a first come first serve basis.

If you are employed by one of the GSCE partners / statutory agencies e.g. Health, Children's Social Care, Police etc. you will be enrolled shortly (see details above).

If you work in a Private, Voluntary or Independent organisation (PVI) or you work for a school that is not Traded Services for Education partners, we will offer an Annual Membership Scheme.

GSCE Annual Membership Scheme:

Organisations will be able to purchase a flexible membership package that meets their individual organisation's safeguarding training requirements. This will give staff access to the GSCE Training Programmes as described earlier.

Further information on how to sign up to the Annual Membership Scheme will be posted on our website and through our Alerts system.

Safeguarding Training - The way ahead:

In this time of uncertainty and possible further disruption the GSCE Safeguarding Support Unit is working hard to adapt to the learning and development needs of our countywide workforce, creating innovative and engaging ways to establish a sustainable safeguarding curriculum for the county.

We thank you in advance for your patience and continuing support as we roll out a new and flexible safeguarding training solution to meet the current and future needs of the workforce.