Yes, it is possible to do a safeguarding course online. All of the materials will be provided to you and this will allow you to cover the necessary modules without the need to physically attend a course. This enables you to fit learning around your work and personal lifestyle while still giving you the skills and knowledge required to understand more about safeguarding.

Working together to safeguard children is statutory guidance that enables agencies to work together to help promote the safety and welfare of children.

There are five main safeguarding issues that you need to be aware of. These are:

• Physical – where the harm is caused intentionally
• Emotional – this is ongoing emotional abuse that is done to scare, humiliate, ignore or isolate a child
• Neglect – this is an ongoing failure in meeting the basic needs of a child
• Sexual – sexual abuse involves forcing a child to take part in sexual activities, regardless of whether the child is aware or not
• Bullying – this can be classed as deliberate or hurtful behaviour that takes place over a period of time. Children are unable to defend themselves but it can cover physical, verbal and emotional bullying.

Child protection is wide and varied but the reality is that there are certain areas that you will need to think about. Therefore, there are five P’s that make up child protection and these are Prevention, Paramountcy, Partnership, Protection and Parental Responsibility. These are considered to be the five key principles. By following these key principles, you can ensure that child protection is taken seriously.

Safeguarding is important when it comes to protecting children and although there is always a lot to consider, there are 5 R’s that should be considered when it comes to safeguarding. These are:

• Recognise
• Respond
• Report
• Record
• Refer

By following these steps, it will ensure that you not only recognise signs of problems but also have an understanding of what steps to take when it comes to dealing with issues.

There are six main safeguarding principles and these are:

• Empowerment – People should be encouraged to make their own decisions and give their own consent
• Prevention – The aim should be to take the right steps to prevent harm before it happens
• Proportionality – It is important to the right response in proportion to the risk
• Protection – Those in need should be given the right support and representation
• Partnership – There should be local solutions that are provided through services throughout the community. As a result communities have a responsibility to prevent, detect and report abuse and neglect.
• Accountability  – safeguarding practice should be delivered with transparency and accountability

There are a number of signs of childhood trauma and this can mean that children or adults can experience a range of feelings and emotions. They are likely to have problems trusting others while they might lack confidence and self-esteem and they might constantly look to please others. Along with this, there could be problems with social anxiety and frustration when faced with certain situations or problems. 

There are four main signs of neglect and these can include:

• Poor appearance whereby they are dirty and might smell while they might hungry
• They might have development problems such as anaemia and other issues that come with poor nourishment
• Housing issues whereby they don’t have a comfortable home environment
• A change in their behaviour whereby they seek out attention and become clingy.

Examples of modern slavery are clearly defined and recognised by many western countries.

Debt bondage is a form of common modern slavery. The idea is that somebody is in debt to an organisation and, as a result, is forced into servitude as a way of repaying that debt. However, these individuals will often never see the debt paid and will simply be forced to keep working for years.

This is a good example of modern slavery and is worth keeping in mind. Unfortunately, modern slavery can take many forms, so it’s not as quick as seeing somebody that has obviously been forced to be a slave.

There are a number of different signs of modern slavery. This can include workplaces that might be used as accommodation, workers do not trust authorities and workers look malnourished and unkempt. Along with this, this might look as they have psychological trauma, signs of substance misuse and evidence of being controlled when it comes to movement such as being picked up and dropped off in groups

Safeguarding policies are designed to help protect children by spotting the signs and signals of abuse or neglect while also understanding the steps to take. Therefore, The Children Act 1989, The Children Act 2004, The Children and Social Work Act 2017 and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

There are many different laws and regulations in place that have to be followed when it comes to protecting children. However, there are two main laws that stand out in the list and these are:

• The Children Act 1989
• The Children and Social Work Act 2017

While all legislation is vital, understanding the main laws will ensure that children and young people are taken care of in the right way. 

Abuse can take many forms but there are four main types to look for. This can include:

• Physical abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Neglect

Modern slavery can take many different forms but there are four maint types that you should keep an eye out for. These include:

• Human trafficking
• Forced labour
• Criminal exploitation
• Sexual exploitation

As mentioned, there are many other forms of slavery that need to be considered when looking for signs of slavery.

There are many parts of the world where slavery is systemic and is not only still practised but perfectly acceptable in modern society. These include places like Indonesia, Russia, Nigeria, and Egypt.

There are many groups that are considered slaves and are forced to serve the ruling elite. In many parts of the world still, having slaves is considered to be a sign of prestige and success, which is then used to curry favour with other wealthy individuals. Slavery is not legal in many western countries, but in other parts of the world, it’s considered perfectly fine.

Ignoring a child is known as an emotional form of neglect. There are instances where parents are encouraged to ignore certain behaviours but ignoring children to the point where they are ignored long term, then this will become neglect. When children are ignored, they will not get the stimulation they require and that can leave them feeling isolated and alone. As a result, this can result in certain behaviours and can leave them struggling to form relationships later in life.

Slavery, while morally reprehensible, seems to be absolutely fine in Russia. There are many wealthy Russians who have people that they use as slaves on a regular basis.

Considering that this problem is systemic and continues to happen every day, it’s safe to assume that slavery is probably legal in Russia. The Russians have recently demonstrated considerable disregard for many types of people, so slavery is not exactly a stretch to think about.

A dirty, unhygienic child that looks unkempt could be considered neglected. While this is not an absolute sign of neglect it could indicate that a child is not being given the basic necessities to wash, clean and clothe themselves in the correct way.

The modern form of slavery is where people are illegally exploited for either personal or commercial gain. This covers a wide range of exploitation and abuse including the likes of forced labour, criminal exploitation and sexual exploitation. The victims can be of any age and from any country while they will be threatened or tricked into working and will then feel as though they are not capable of leaving.

A dismissive parent will be someone who displays an array of behaviours that show rejection towards a child while they might also show disdain towards them. They will also be unresponsive when it comes to the needs of their child and they might push the child away should they seek affection and care. Essentially, a dismissive parent does not have the ability to respond to the needs of their child and might feel as though the child is not worthy of their attention.

There are many different areas associated with neglectful abuse and a child might not be exposed to all of them. This can be the likes of hunger and a lack of cleanliness while they might not be given proper clothing. Furthermore, they might not have access to health care, the right shelter or supervision.

Passive neglect is when a parent or carer can no longer cope with the demands of looking after a child. As a result, they disengage themselves from the situation which means that they then begin neglecting the needs of the child in an indirect way. As a result, children will not receive the attention they need, they won’t have the basic care or support required and the child can feel ignored and rejected.