Consultancy Objectives:
Our Consultant will offer guidance and support to the staff in their duty as Designated Safeguarding Lead’s (DSL’s) within the school setting. The sessions will be reflective but consideration can also be given to live cases as set out below. Our Consultant will advise to improve practice as well as support staff in their decision making supporting the improved safety and welfare of children/young people in their care.
Inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills settings – Guidance for inspectors undertaking inspection under the common inspection (Ofsted, 2015) states that: “Staff and other adults receive regular supervision and support if they are working directly and regularly with children and learners whose safety and welfare are at risk”
Supervision Total Hours:
1st Year – 2 Hours initial meeting/mini-audit followed by half-termly meetings of one hour. Total hours of supervision is 8 hours per academic year
2nd Year – depending on clients needs, Consultants can make half-termly one hour visits, or termly one hour visits. I.e. 6 hours per academic year for half-termly visits or 3 hours per academic year for termly visits.
Supervision Venue:
All consultancy meetings take place in the client’s school or organisation at mutually convenient and pre-arranged dates/times.
Target Group:
Safeguarding Supervision & Consultancy is for all those who work within the education sector and have the responsibility as the Designated Safeguarding Lead within their school/organisation. We recommend that Consultants meet with all members of the Safeguarding Team within your organisation/school on each visit.
Consultancy Description:
Our Consultant will carry out an initial visit of 2 hours to your school/organisation. A meeting with the Safeguarding Team and an overview of the Child Protection processes and procedures will need to be shared. If there is any unsafe or illegal practice this will need to be addressed as matter of urgency or it may necessitate further action.
Subsequently our Consultant will visit the school for an hour each term in the first academic year. During these hourly visits our Consultant will meet with those staff members who are DSL’s/Safeguarding Team members. Our consultant will support your staff during the course of the hourly meetings. Recommendations, suggestions, and sign posting to appropriate services will be made.
During the second academic year, and subsequent years, Our Consultant will continue to visit half-termly or reduce visits to one hour visits per term – depending on your schools requirements.
The Supervision session is structured as follows:
- Individual face to face supervision sessions with the DSL
- Sessions will be a minimum of one hour
- The frequency of the sessions is decided by the school
- There will be a supervision agreement shared before each session to ensure there are clear boundaries – this can be reviewed regularly
- Due to data protection it is the schools responsibility to take and keep any notes during the supervision sessions if they wish. All details of children will be anonymised and the supervisee ONLY will hold a copy of the record securely and confidentially in line with their organisations policies and procedures
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The following content can be discussed at supervision sessions:
- School procedures and policy as well as LSCB (Local Safeguarding Children’s Board) procedures
- Discussion around thresholds
- DSL wellbeing
- Risk Management
- Professional Development in relation to Safeguarding
