5.1.4 National Standards for Induction, Supervision, Support, Training and Appraisal |
Contents
1. Introduction
| 1.1 | It has long been the intention within the Catholic Church in England and Wales that there should be consistently high standards of safeguarding practice in relation to children and vulnerable adults. Policies and procedures developed since Lord Nolan’s report “A Programme for Action” 2001 have demonstrated commitment to achieving this, but there have not up to now been any national standards or guidelines set down in an accessible way for induction, supervision, support, training and appraisal to support that commitment. |
| 1.2 | The recent report of the Cumberlege Commission, “Safeguarding with Confidence” 2007, reiterated the need for consistency in safeguarding practice to be underpinned by national standards for induction, supervision, support, training and appraisal for key safeguarding roles and this focus has given renewed impetus to our work in this area. |
| 1.3 | The Catholic Church is a dynamic and varied organisation and progress in improving standards of safeguarding practice has proceeded at a variable pace around the country, however strong the commitment. It is therefore, timely to provide structure and clear minimum acceptable standards for specific job or role holders in order to continue to improve our services. This document seeks to describe the standards and provide guidance and supporting materials for those who will be implementing them. |
| 1.4 | In the drafting of these standards, consideration has been given to the paramount need to maintain high standards of safeguarding practice at all levels in the Church whilst appreciating the challenges which this continues to pose within available resources. |
| 1.5 | We acknowledge that people from several different professional backgrounds play an active role in the Church’s safeguarding work and that practice differs in these different fields e.g. Police, Social Work, Probation. These standards seek to describe what is required good practice in the unique context of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. |
| 1.6 | Following implementation of the standards, a date will be set for the auditing process to begin. |
2. Induction
2.1 |
ScopeThese standards apply to the roles of Safeguarding Coordinators, Safeguarding Officers/ Advisors, Parish Safeguarding Representatives and Religious Safeguarding Coordinators and Religious Safeguarding Representatives in the Catholic Church in England and Wales. |
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2.2 |
DefinitionInduction is a process which orientates a person to their job or role and provides them with essential information and support in the early stages to enable them to do it well. It is a planned process within set timescales and is led by the line manager or other designated support person. It is a vital part of the process by which people become familiar with their role and responsibilities, the context within which they perform their role, and what the expectations of them are in that role in relation to their conduct, practice and performance. |
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2.3 |
PolicyInduction is a right for everyone in the Catholic Church in England and Wales performing a safeguarding role in respect of children and vulnerable adults. It is our policy that all new entrants to safeguarding roles will complete an induction programme as far as possible tailored to the demands of their new role and their individual needs. As well as helping us to provide high standards of service, a good induction will contribute to job or role satisfaction and retention of staff and volunteers. The people responsible for ensuring that new role holders complete an induction programme are the line manager or other designated person and the role or job holder themselves. The standards in this document describe the basic level of induction that new role holders should receive and suggest timescales for completion. See Tables 2 - 4. |
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Table 1: Specific Responsibilities
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3. Supervision and Support
3.1 |
ScopeThese standards are relevant to Diocesan and Religious community contexts. They apply to the following jobs or roles within the Catholic Church in England and Wales: - Safeguarding Coordinator, Safeguarding Officer / Adviser, Religious Safeguarding Coordinator, Religious Safeguarding Representatives, and Parish Safeguarding Representative. The standards provide guidance and tools to underpin the supervision and support processes for people fulfilling the roles above, and are an important part of the way in which the Church seeks to uphold high standards of practice in relation to safeguarding children and young people and vulnerable adults. As the roles differ somewhat in their focus, there are differences in the standards applied, and these are detailed below. |
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3.2 |
PolicyThe Church is committed to developing and maintaining high standards of practice in relation to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and to supporting the staff and volunteers who carry out these roles for the benefit of the whole Church community. SupervisionDiocesan and Regional Religious Commissions will ensure that supervision is provided to Safeguarding Coordinators, Safeguarding Officers/Advisers, Religious Safeguarding Coordinators and Religious Safeguarding Representatives. The supervisor will be a current practicing safeguarding specialist approved by the Commission. Anyone appointed to provide professional supervision will do so under the terms of an agreement/contract between them and the relevant Commission. SupportIn respect of Parish Safeguarding Representatives, supervision is neither appropriate nor possible given their large numbers and their role. Instead, clear local support arrangements will be established that are appropriate for the individuals concerned and approved by the relevant Commission. It is also recognised that Religious Safeguarding Representatives will often have no need for supervision because they will have no active case work and, when this is the case, they will receive support similar to Parish Safeguarding Representatives as outlined below. |
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3.3 |
Definitions and Practice |
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a) |
“Safeguarding practitioners”In this context, safeguarding practitioners are Safeguarding Coordinators, Safeguarding Officers/Advisers, Religious Safeguarding Coordinators and Religious Safeguarding Representatives. |
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b) |
SupervisionSupervision is an essential means of providing professional support and guidance for safeguarding practitioners. It is the process which ensures that the work of the Church reaches agreed standards and adheres to policies and procedures that support good practice in safeguarding. Supervision includes discussion of roles and responsibilities; strategies for individual case management; strategies for prevention and management of risk in the community; appropriate use of resources; safe recruitment of volunteers; delivery of training programmes; ways of working with known abusers; dealing with stress and so on. Supervision ensures that responsibility for decisions about safeguarding matters is shared between the supervisee, their supervisor, and the Commission which approved the supervisor. However, it does not prevent the safeguarding practitioner getting on with the job on a day to day basis and should, indeed, help to equip them to do so. Supervision supports the learning and development needs of the individual by identifying gaps in knowledge and practice and recommending ways in which to address such gaps. It can also highlight that learning is taking place and practice is improving, and should be experienced by the supervisee as a very supportive process. See Table 5 which encompasses the standards. |
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c) |
Supervision for Safeguarding Coordinators, Safeguarding Officers / Advisers and Religious Safeguarding CoordinatorsSupervision is provided on a one to one basis. However, in appropriate circumstances, it may be possible for supervision sessions to be shared, for example, where an SC and SO/SA in the same Diocese could benefit from joint discussions. It is recommended that full time SCs and SOs/SAs and RSCs receive supervision on a monthly basis. Part time role holders should receive supervision on a pro rata basis. The Commission will decide on the frequency when appointing a supervisor and this shall not be less than quarterly. This flexibility should not be used to dilute the quality of support or accountability, but does allow for an appropriate “sliding scale” regarding timescales. |
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d) |
Supervision for Religious Safeguarding RepresentativesSupervision for Religious Safeguarding Reps will be provided by the Commission and a Religious Safeguarding Coordinator. Their role involves less intensive involvement in safeguarding processes than RSCs, and the level of supervision and support provided for them will reflect this. Where a Religious Safeguarding Coordinator is coordinating and leading a group of Religious Safeguarding Representatives, supervision for that group could be on a collective basis with potential for individual sessions as needs dictate. It is acknowledged that their role carries different responsibilities from Parish Safeguarding Representatives, and that supervision, rather than the broader and less personal function of “support”, will be necessary to some extent. |
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e) |
Support for Parish Safeguarding RepresentativesParish Safeguarding Representatives will not receive supervision; they will be supported in other ways appropriate to their role. By “support” we mean the provision of information, advice and guidance, and guaranteed access to a named person responsible for this. It also means providing a listening ear when necessary. It is important that people carrying out safeguarding roles in the Church have access to regular support to help them to perform their role well and to reduce any risk of stress. It is necessary to be proactive in making support available. Support for Parish Safeguarding Representatives will be provided by Safeguarding Coordinators, Safeguarding Officers/Advisors, Parish Priests, other Parish Safeguarding Representatives and possibly Commission members. Support is not necessarily a one to one arrangement. It is a less intensive arrangement than supervision and frequently is provided in groups, at Deanery meetings or training events, or by telephone or e mail contact, or through newsletters. What is important is that Safeguarding Representatives can rely on support and know what to expect, and that they are not left to their own devices for indeterminate periods, as this can be stressful as well as potentially risky and could expose the Representative and Church members to avoidable risk. Given the large numbers of Parish Safeguarding Representatives and their wide geographical distribution, this provides a challenge. See Table 6 which encompasses the standards. |
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f) |
Dealing with concerns about skills or practiceFrom time to time concerns may arise for example about a safeguarding practitioner’s skills or practice. The individual will be offered appropriate support, guidance and training to improve their performance. If concerns persist, and practice is at an unacceptable level, this must be addressed through the relevant line management and personnel procedures and safeguarding structures in the Diocese or Religious community. Such concerns, and steps taken to address them, will form part of the supervision record and relevant records will be added to the personnel file. In exceptional circumstances, it may be necessary to remove a safeguarding practitioner from their role. If there are concerns about the functioning of a Parish Safeguarding Representative, these must be addressed to enable them to carry out their responsibilities to a good standard. If concerns persist and performance cannot be improved, it will be necessary to remove an individual from their role so that the safety of children and vulnerable adults is not compromised. |
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g) |
Supervision recordsThe supervision record is confidential and should be accessible to only the supervisor and the supervisee unless there are serious concerns which require information to be shared with another appropriate person. The record should be stored in a secure, locked place. Sample forms are provided in this document to assist with the supervision process and recording: |
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Table 5: Supervision Standards for SCs, SOs/SAs and RSO's
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| STANDARDS OF SUPPORT FOR PARISH SAFEGUARDING REPRESENTATIVES | |
| Standard | Evidence |
| 1) PSRs will participate in an induction programme which commences at the time of their appointment; this will be supported by access to the parish pack. | Induction programme dated and signed by PSR. |
| 2) PSRs will have a contact telephone number and e mail address for their SC/SO/SA. | |
| 3) PSRs will attend a minimum of one deanery meeting a year for training and support purposes. | Register of attendance. |
| 4) PSRs will be invited to attend a yearly meeting for informal networking with other PSRs. | Record of scheduled meetings. |
| 5) PSRs will be informed of important changes in practice, policy and procedure that affect their role through deanery meetings, newsletters, Diocesan websites. | Agenda for deanery meetings. Content of Newsletters. Website updates. |
Form 1: Supervision Agreement
Click here to view Form 1: Supervision Agreement
Form 2: Supervision Agenda
Click here to view Form 2: Supervision Agenda
Form 3: Record of Supervision
Click here to view Form 3: Record of Supervision
Form 4: Record of an Individual Case
4. Training
4.1 |
ScopeThese standards apply to the roles of Safeguarding Coordinator, Safeguarding Officer/ Adviser, Parish Safeguarding Representative, Religious Safeguarding Coordinator, Religious Safeguarding Representative. Current child protection and vulnerable adult policies and procedures stress the importance of training and development in supporting safe practice in the Church with respect to preventing and responding to safeguarding concerns. Job and role descriptions and person specifications also highlight the need for training and continuing development. |
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4.2 |
DefinitionIt is recognised that there are many ways of gaining knowledge which are effective and valid; these include attendance at conferences, supervision sessions, meetings, consultation with colleagues, reading of books, journals etc but for the purposes of this document, “training” is used to refer to formal, organised sessions which are attended by the role holder and which have learning outcomes defined at the outset. |
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4.3 |
PolicyTraining needs will be identified in a number of ways for example, through meetings of safeguarding staff, through policy and case consultation with CSAS, through supervision and through formal appraisal as well as in response to changing legislation, guidance etc. It is our policy to ensure that training needs are matched by training opportunities so far as resources allow and all safeguarding role holders will have access to training and development opportunities commensurate with their role and responsibilities. Training courses will be provided “in house” at times by employees or role holders within the Catholic Church. At other times it will be appropriate for external training to be accessed. Where training is provided though “in house” channels, there will be a consistently high standard of provision which will be facilitated through advice and guidance on training content, techniques etc. This will be available through CSAS in due course. Training Requirements
Click here to view Table 7: Training for Safeguarding Practitioners.
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Training needs |
Delivered by |
| Basic Child Protection and Vulnerable Adult awareness | LSCB |
| Definitions of child abuse and vulnerable adult abuse | LSCB SC/SA/SO Commission Members |
| Signs and symptoms of abuse | LSCB SC/SA/SO Commission Members |
| Prevention and protection | LSCB SC/SA/SO Commission Members |
| Creating a safe environment in Church contexts | SC/SO/SA |
| Statutory framework for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults | LSCB |
| Inter agency roles and responsibilities | LSCB SC/SO/SA |
| Working with people who abuse (perpetrators) | External trainer |
| Barriers to disclosure / power issues | SC/SA/SO |
| Safe recruitment processes (including CRB) | CSAS |
| Skills for interviewing volunteers | External trainer SC/SA/SO |
| Key messages from “A Programme for Action” and “Safeguarding with Confidence” | SC/SA/SO |
| Counter signatory training | SC/SA/SO |
5. Appraisal
5.1 |
ScopeThese standards apply to Safeguarding Coordinators, Safeguarding Officers/ Advisors, and Religious Safeguarding Coordinators in the Catholic Church in England and Wales. The standards apply to role holders whether or not they are paid workers, permanent role holders or volunteers. The important issue here is that people are appraised in their role for the safeguarding responsibilities which they carry out rather than because of the nature of their employment status. |
5.2 |
DefinitionAppraisal is a process which compliments supervision sessions that take place throughout the preceding year. It provides an opportunity for acknowledging achievements and success in a formal and focused way, as well as looking at areas of performance that require improvement or further development. It is a shared process which culminates in a meeting between the role holder and their supervisor/ manager, usually on an annual basis. |
5.3 |
PolicyAppraisal will take place every 12 months. A date for the meeting will be set at least one month in advance to allow for preparation. The role holder and their supervisor/ manager will prepare for the appraisal meeting using Form A or Form B as appropriate. Preparation is necessary to ensure that the outcome of the appraisal is effective. Where supervision is provided by someone outside the role holder’s’ line management, a contribution will be made to the appraisal by both the supervisor and the line manager and responsibility for any follow up action will be shared between them and the role holder. It is also appropriate to seek feedback from other people on how the role holder has carried out their responsibilities and this should be discussed with the person to be appraised before approaches are made. Following the appraisal meeting, the outcome will be summarised on Form C by the supervisor/ manager. This will identify objectives for the next 12 months and show how the role holder’s needs for support will be met. The role holder will receive a copy of the completed Form C. Any areas of disagreement will be recorded. The outcome may require action by the supervisor/ manager as well as the role holder. It is good practice for progress on the agreed actions to be monitored through the supervision process so that momentum can be maintained.
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