SACPA Advanced Certificate in Child Safeguarding Practice: Option 1

January 23, 2025 – June 25, 2025

The SACPA Advanced Certificate in Child Safeguarding Practice is a certificate programme for safeguarding managers and leads, heads of safeguarding, safeguarding hub managers and co-ordinators.  It has been developed to support safeguarding colleagues from a diversity of sectors to supplement and extend designated safeguarding lead training.  This programme may also support the safeguarding practice of behaviour leads, SENCO’s, pastoral support leaders and Designated Teachers for Looked After Children.

Key areas of contemporary safeguarding practice are explored in depth with particular attention to their application to leadership and management of safeguarding, interface with governors, trustees and board members responsible for oversight and scrutiny and the multi-agency safeguarding system beyond.

SACPA Certificate in Child Safeguarding Practice – Option 1

• Study Day 1: January 23rd 2025
• Study Day 2: March 27th 2025
• Study Day 3: June 12th 2025
• Study Day 4: June 25th, 2025

All Study Days will be held online via Zoom.

Timings: 10:00-15:30

Course Outline for Option 1

• Safeguarding through the lens of Child/Student Voice
• Contextual safeguarding, Child-on-Child, Exploitation and Radicalisation
• Victims, Survivors and trauma-informed practice
• Leaders, Governance and Partnerships.

TO BEGIN OPTION 1 IN JANUARY CLICK HERE

The aims of the SACPA Advanced Certificate course are to:

• Provide development for safeguarding leads to explore beyond Designated Safeguarding Lead Training
• Focus on specific contemporary safeguarding subjects and developments
• Support management and leadership of safeguarding, bridging the gap between operational delivery, the provision of management information to support strategic planning, oversight and working in partnership with trustees and governance bodies and local safeguarding partners
• Increase confidence and competence through opportunities to study and develop expertise in specific areas of professional interest
• Enhance a professional career path in safeguarding and to provide SACPA recognition of your achievement and successful completion of the course
• To contribute to improved practice and raising standards within the safeguarding setting
• Foster reflection and critical evaluation of safeguarding practice and professional issues, and to provide opportunities to share experience and good practice with colleagues.

How is the course organised?

The course is organised around a combination of four intensive on-line study days which contain a variety of teaching methods and opportunities to learn in different ways, which include short lectures, presentations and discussions led by students, together with group problem solving exercises and case studies.

Group discussion is a particularly important aspect of this course, enabling delegates to look at the theory in light of their own practical experience. Students will be encouraged to contribute ideas, opinions and questions, taking responsibility for their own learning, whilst contributing to the learning of the group as a whole.

The course is run by senior members of the SACPA staff.  Each delegate will have an experienced SACPA Tutor who attends the study days.

Course Assessment

Delegates may choose assessment via portfolio or assignment.

Course Lead: Claire Dan

Claire is Director of Safeguarding and Director, SACPA and leads on the provision of safeguarding advice and support to members and the development and delivery of CPD and safeguarding consultancy services. Claire is a safeguarding specialist and leader with a background in education welfare, youth justice, and early help contexts which have involved a strong focus on diverse and collaborative partnerships, professional development and supervision of front-line safeguarding colleagues, and leading multi-disciplinary teams and projects. Between 2006 and 2013 Claire was involved with Luton Safeguarding Children Board as a lead multi-agency safeguarding trainer, developing and delivering single and multi-agency safeguarding training, and since 2013 has delivered pieces of bespoke consultancy work, and providing a range of safeguarding consultancy on a freelance basis.

Dale Wilkins : Senior Director BSA Group

Dale Wilkins spent 31 years working in schools, mainly in residential education, of which eleven years were as safeguarding lead. He has also had safeguarding responsibilities in youth group, sports and church settings, was a multi-agency safeguarding trainer for Dudley Safeguarding Children Board and has completed an extensive “Train the Trainer” course with NSPCC. In September 2017 he took over safeguarding responsibilities at BSA, and subsequently BSA Group and SACPA. HE also gave evidence to the IICSA inquiry on behalf of BSA.

Nikki Holmes : Safer Together
Contextual Safeguarding and Exploitation

Nikki has served as a police officer, been a service manager for a young person’ substance misuse service, is an experienced Children’s Services Inspector for the CQC, and more recently launched her own consultancy Safer Together www.safer-together.co.uk, which is a proud member of the WeProtect Global Alliance.

An expert in safeguarding with expertise and extensive experience of working in the fields of Child Exploitation, County Lines and Modern Slavery, Nikki now provides independent consultancy and training to a range of organisations including the NHS and Local Authorities.

Nikki is also a guest lecturer, a public speaker and an independent author of Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews, Safeguarding Adult Reviews and Domestic Homicide Reviews.

Dez Holmes : Director, Research in Practice
Dez Holmes is the Director of Research in Practice, a not-for-profit organisation that since 1996 has been supporting those who work with children, families and adults to use evidence
in their practice and leadership. Dez has several years’ experience of training and workforce and leadership development; she is the Programme Director for the Practice Supervisor Development Programme. Her practice experience is largely within youth offending services and early help. She is particularly interested in adolescence, transitions, risk and participatory practice; Dez has led Research in Practice’s work on Adolescent / Transitional Safeguarding; she is the Programme Director for the Tackling Child Exploitation Programme and also chairs the Contextual Safeguarding UK Advisory Group Reflective session for safeguarding leaders: child exploitation and extra-familial harm – including transition to adulthood – focus on the importance of child’s voice and participation Find out more about Dez Holmes Publications here

Philip Baines : Safeguarding and Training Consultant

Philip was a Detective having spent 30 years in the police. The last 14 years of his police service was in the Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU). He is also qualified as the following:

Family Liaison Officer (FLO), Disaster Victim Identification Officer (DVI), Significant Witness interviewer (Sig Wit), Enhanced Cognitive Witness Interviewer, Domestic Abuse Officer, PIP Level 2 investigator, Achieving Best Evidence (ABE- VRI vulnerable and intimidated witness interviewer), Specialist Child Abuse Investigative Development Programme (SCAIDP), Joint Investigator – Section 47 Children Act ‘89

Philip was also seconded to the Training Department for 2 years, where he received qualifications in training and delivered all these subjects, including Harmful Sexual Behaviours (HSB). Philip is a qualified AIM3 Assessor of children displaying HSB. Philip also quality assured the Home Office Harmful Sexual Behaviours Support Service (HSBSS) where he oversaw and triaged all the requests for support and advised personally on all the complex cases. Philip supports survivors and families who have been victim of all types of abuse, including technology assisted child sexual abuse (TACSA) through his work as a consultant for the Marie Collins Foundation.

NB: Please be aware that it is crucial to remain on your assigned course path and tutor group to gain the very best out of your training. Of course, we understand some things are unavoidable however we cannot guarantee alternative placement days, and this may incur an admin charge