Learning Zone

Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership is committed to ensuring that the wider children’s workforce are operating in an environment where learning and improvement underpins their work with children and families.  

The 'Learning Zone' is a dedicated area where organisations and practitioners can access the wide variety of fully funded multi-agency events and resources, including virtual courses, webinars, workshops and eLearning materials for professionals working with children and families who live in Cumbria. These events bring professionals together to develop knowledge and skills and emphasise the benefits of working together to deliver positive outcomes for children and families. The CSCP have produced a Learning and Improvement Framework to support organisations to be clear about their responsibilities, and to help them to learn from experience and improve services as a result.

All organisations working with children and families are responsible for ensuring that staff receive appropriate safeguarding training relevant to their role and responsibilities. To assist organisations in fulfilling this responsibility, CSCP has produced a guide

Before you start

Discover the different types of safeguarding training, which is most appropriate and what the training should cover, depending on your role.


Some courses are through our eLearning platform (Level 1 Safeguarding and Level 2 Safeguarding - basic eLearning courses), to access this you will need to register your account.

Register your account

Existing users log in here

Training

Safeguarding Level 2 - currently not available

Safeguarding Responsibilities, Thresholds and Referral Procedures (Children)

This online blended course is designed to help participants understand safeguarding responsibilities, thresholds and referral procedures. 

Find out more about Level 2 training and sign up

  Please note - this course is being refreshed and will be available in the new year

Safeguarding Level 3 - Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL's) only

Safeguarding in Practice - Working Together to Safeguard Children - Multi-agency approach to safeguard, protect and promote the welfare of children - Designated Safeguarding Leads - Only (Level 3 Training)

This workshop is part of a programme of learning events that practitioners and professionals, working with children, can access to support their learning at level 3.  A full programme of events will be available for staff to access according to their learning needs.

Find out more about Level 3 training and sign up

Child Exploitation

Child Exploitation and Extra Familial Harm (eLearning)

This is a prevalent topic for those working within children, young people and families, and this course aims to give an overview of what child exploitation (CE) really is. Within the course you will look at how to identify some of the signs that might be occurring when a child or young person is being exploited, county lines and  the process of grooming.  Guidance is also provided on the use of the framework when assessing for CE, and best practice for practitioners working with children and young people.

Child Exploitation level 2 Training

This training is aimed at those practitioners who are working with children and young people who are part of the development of plans for children or at risk or experiencing child exploitation.

Find out more about Level 1 and Level 2 and sign up.

NWG Mind Your Language - Exploitation and Victim Blaming Webinars

The CSCP are  working with NWG to deliver four webinars on Mind Your Language: Exploitation and Victim Blaming over the next few months. The aim of the webinars is to explore our practice to ensure we accurately and sensitively record and report of victim experiences.

No further dates are scheduled

Find out more about this course and sign up.

NWG The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) – What? Why? How? 

The CSCP as part of their ongoing specialist training opportunities have commissioned NWG to deliver a short 2 hour course on The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) – What? Why? How?.  The course will explain what the NRM is including what happens when a child becomes an adult and submitting additional information, how the NRM benefits children and where it fits in legislation before taking you step by step through completing an NRM referral.

The course is aimed at practitioners  working with children and young people and  who may be at risk of child exploitation/modern slavery.  

The training will be delivered by Karen Laing from NWG and will take place on 

No further dates are scheduled

Find our more about this course and sign up

Domestic Abuse

Cumberland Council and Westmorland & Furness Council, in partnership with SafeLives, are offering the training opportunity to complete ‘Responding Well’ Domestic Abuse Training. 

  • SafeLives are a UK-wide charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, for everyone and for good. They are independent, practical and evidence-led, with survivor voice at the heart of our thinking. They work with organisations across the UK to transform the response to domestic abuse.

Find about more this course and sign up

Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership (CSCP) are providing FREE Domestic Abuse Workshops across the County.

Find about this course and sign up

Domestic Abuse Risk Assessment / Combined Homicide Timeline Training

In conjunction with Victim Support and Cumbria Constabulary, the CSCP are delighted to advertise the following training for all professionals potentially working with Victims of Domestic Abuse.

The training aims to equip colleagues to:

  • Identify the signs of Domestic Abuse 
  • To be able to effectively assess Risk with the use of the DASH Risk Assessment and combined Homicide Timeline 

The training is recorded and can be accessed at any time. It is 3 hours and 33 minutes in duration Domestic Abuse, Stalking, Harassment and Honour-Based (DASH) Training - YouTube

The assessment documents can be found here https://cumbriasafeguardingchildren.co.uk/guidance/domestic-abuse 

eLearning course - Understanding the Impact of Domestic Abuse

Understanding the Impact of Domestic Abuse online course - Helps you to explain, describe and recognise the signs of domestic violence and neglect. It will also help you identify ways to supports victims, identify the ‘dos and don’ts’, recognise when it is appropriate to assist, know where and when to get help and be aware of best practice.

To access the course, log into your eLearning module 

Early Help

Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness Early Help Teams are reviewing their Early Help Training at present to reflect developments in their Early Help offers. There will be no multiagency Early Help training until September 2024 at the earliest. We can still offer bespoke training with your school or agency to ensure you have the current Early Help knowledge to support children and families in your Local Authority.

If you wish to discuss the possibility of bespoke training please get in touch with your Early Help Teams at either:

Cumberland Early Help Team early.help@cumberland.gov.uk 

Westmorland and Furness Early Help Team early.help@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk

How to Support Children and Families with Early Help - Signs of Wellbeing Level 2 Training

The aim of this training is to increase knowledge and enable practitioners to work more effectively with children, young people and their families using Early Help, and identify needs early to give all children the opportunity to thrive and succeed.

Find out more about the course and sign up

Early Help roadshows

Have your say about Early Help.  Enjoy the opportunity to ask questions and to continue to improve the Early Help experience for Cumbria’s children and families.  Be involved in the conversation and be inspired, there will be networking opportunities and a range of stalls from partner agencies to browse.

Emotional Health and Wellbeing

Whole System Workforce Development Offer Support

In Cumbria, we believe mental health is everyone's responsibility. We strive to ensure that our workforce and communities are well-equipped to support children and young people (CYP) at every opportunity.

Find out more about the course and sign up

Suicide and self harm

Find out more about courses and sign up

Impact Chronology

The CSCP are delivering training on Impact Chronology. The sessions will be face to face workshops across the county. The aim of the sessions are to enable practitioners to develop skills in using impact chronologies. 

When the course is

  • Thursday 27 February 2025 (1.30pm to 3.30pm) Cumbria House, Carlisle
  • Wednesday 12 March 2025 (2pm to 4pm) West Cumbria House, Workington

Book a place on the course

To book your place, please email CSCP.Training@cumbria.gov.uk

Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) bitesize session

Are you aware of your responsibilities in informing the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) of all allegations against adults who work with children ?

This bitesize session is an opportunity to meet the LADO team manager Paul Cooper who will explain your responsibility and how to inform the LADO as set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018.

When the course is

No further dates are scheduled

Book your place on this course

To book your place, please email CSCP.Training@cumbria.gov.uk

All participants should join the training event 10 minutes before the start time to allow being admitted onto the course. 

When booking onto this training please do not share the Microsoft Teams link with anyone else, as numbers are restricted.  This has a serious impact on delivery of the training and the numbers attending. 

For any queries about the course, please email CSCP.Training@cumbria.gov.uk

Neglect Master Classes

As part of the CSCP launch of the Neglect Strategy, we are offering a range of bitesize master classes on a variety of aspects of neglect.

Each session will be delivered via Microsoft Teams by Rebecca Brown, Research in Practice (RIP) and will include a presentation of the most up to date research, opportunities for practitioners to reflect and share ideas with one another and resources to support practice.

No further dates are scheduled

Non Fatal Strangulation and Non Fatal Suffocation

A lunchtime learning session on Non Fatal Strangulation and Non Fatal Suffocation (NFS).  This will be delivered via Microsoft Teams.  The session is suitable for multiagency frontline professionals and those with safeguarding practice/policy development responsibilities.  

The session aims to equip you with:

  • Awareness of the seriousness of NFS 
  • An understanding of the physiological and psychological impact of NFS 
  • Developed understanding of risk associated with NFS and how to identify and manage risk 
  • An understanding of how victims may present 
  • An understanding of how to respond and support appropriately to safeguard victims and children and young people

When the course is

  • Wednesday 5 February 2025 (12pm to 1pm) - delivered via MS Teams

Book your place

To book your place please email CSCP.Training@cumbria.gov.uk

Online safety

The CSCP are delivering a virtual briefing session on Multi-Agency Online Safety Training, advice for Parents and Teachers.

Dates

No further dates are scheduled 

Book your place

Email: CSCP.Training@cumbria.gov.uk

Safer Internet Day 2023

As part of Safer Internet Day 2023 in Cumbria, the CSCP delivered a virtual briefing session on Multi-agency online safety, advice for teachers/parents on monitoring, online crimes and prevention

The session covered:

  • online security advice
  • looking at digital footprints and how to protect both yourself and young people online
  • and also cover social media advice and information around cyber prevent

Watch the recording on YouTube

Parental Mental Health

This workshop is intended for all professionals working with children who wish to improve their knowledge of parental mental health and the impact on the child. There are also free learning course available.

Find out about the courses

Parental Substance Misuse

Recovery Steps Cumbria are providing Parental Substance Misuse Training, this will explore the impact of substance misuse on adults and children.

When the course is

No further dates are scheduled

Book your place

To book your place please email CSCP.Training@cumbria.gov.uk

When booking onto this training please do not share the MS Teams link with anyone else, as numbers are restricted. This has a serious impact on delivery of the training and the numbers attending.

Professional Curiosity

Professional Curiosity is the capacity and skills of communication to explore and understand what is happening for a person, rather than making assumptions or accepting things at face value.

Local and national reports, research and learning from Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs), Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) and Children's Safeguarding Practice Reviews (CSPRs) highlight that practitioners working with adults, families and children need to be more professionally curious. 

What is Professional Curiosity and why is it so important?

Professional Curiosity is the capacity and skills of communication to explore and understand what is happening for a person, rather than making assumptions or accepting things at face value. It requires skills of looking listening, asking direct questions and being able to hold difficult conversations. Professional Curiosity and challenge are a fundamental aspect of working together to keep adults and children safe from harm. This approach is important in helping to identify abuse and neglect which can be less obvious and can ensure that the right information is gathered and shared to assess both needs and risks. Being professionally curious is necessary to fully understand a situation and the risks an individual may face, which are not always immediately obvious.

Being more curious as professionals and 'digging deeper' into areas where there is little, or no information will help to inform assessments and empower you to influence key moments of decision making to reduce risks for children and adults.  Escalating concerns that could cause drift, delay and a shift in focus from the child's or adult's best interests should be embraced and seen as effective care.

Professional Curiosity Multi-Agency Guidance for Practitioners.pdf (PDF, 647.79KB)

Professional Curiosity lunch and learn Session

Please access the link below to a recorded learning session (YouTube video) about professional curiosity.

Professional Curiosity learning session (YouTube video)

Transitional Safeguarding & Exploitation Procedure - Launch Session

Transitional Safeguarding is an “approach to safeguarding adolescents and young adults fluidly” and builds on the best available evidence and learning from both children's and adult safeguarding practice. 

Further to learning identified in the Kate SAR, which was undertaken by Cumbria Safeguarding Adults Board (CSAB), the CSCP, in collaboration with CSAB, are facilitating a lunch and learn session to formally launch a Transitional Safeguarding Procedure for children and young adults at risk of exploitation.

Transitional Safeguarding & Exploitation Procedure: Launch Session - Tuesday 17th December 2024 (12noon – 1pm) 

The procedure sets out the arrangements for young people aged 17.5 years and above, whose circumstances may mean that safeguarding adults' procedures would apply when they are 18.

Practitioners working with children and young adults are invited to attend this lunch and learn session, where there will be a walkthrough of the procedure.

Bookings are being taken via Eventbrite - please visit here to book your place

Trauma Informed Practice (DSL's in Schools only)

A trauma informed approach to safeguarding children in a multi-agency context. 

This training is only for Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL's) in schools.

Find out about the course and sign up.