By Carly Morrissey, Area Manager
At MacIntyre, we take safeguarding seriously every single day. We also thought during National Safeguarding Week in Wales, it’s a good moment to shine a light on the work happening behind the scenes to keep people safe.
A few years ago we looked at how safeguarding is understood for teams and their roles across MacIntyre. With support from the Ann Craft Trust, managers and senior staff completed ‘Train the trainers’ sessions and were provided with resources so they in turn could deliver training to others.
This face-to-face training complements our online training which gives staff an opportunity to learn from their colleagues and discuss safeguarding in an open and supportive way.
I have now been delivering this training for over 2 years now and every session I enjoy more and more. It gives me the opportunity to get to know the staff in my area better and also for them to get to know me, which in itself, breaks down some of the barriers that might sometimes exist when it comes to safeguarding.
We explore how to recognise signs of potential abuse, and particularly reflect on how someone who draws on our support might show us, in their own ways that something isn’t right. We also look at how to continue making safeguarding personal, by empowering people to understand what abuse is, and what their rights are.
It’s important that we break down any barriers around raising concerns; I have an open door policy, should someone feel unsure about going to their line manager.
Each session brings together both experienced staff who have worked for MacIntyre for many years, and those brand new to social care. We share past experiences and all staff are encouraged to contribute to the day as I believe everyone has something valuable to share that we can learn from.
I always ask staff to reflect on their own practice and continue to put people who draw on support at the heart of everything we do, so we can continually improve. Here is some of the feedback we’ve received and what each person is going to take forward into their practice:
Never be afraid to report concerns
Think about the person they support and what they can do to help them understand what abuse is.
If in doubt – report it
I feel so much more confident when it comes to recognising signs of abuse and how that relates to my team.
Look at how the person communicates and open up discussions.
Re-read policies and procedures in place to keep improving practice.
My understanding has improved greatly.
Always deliver the right level of support and not over support as people can make their own choices.
It is my duty in my role to always consider safeguarding and prevent abuse occurring.
Attend local forums to keep learning.
I’m proud to keep delivering this training because safeguarding isn’t a one-off course, it’s something we live and breathe. Every conversation, every reflection, every shared story helps us keep people safe and respected.
