The move from Child Protection to Safeguarding Children and Families under the Welfare Requirements is about a lot more than a change of name, according to nursery manager Nakissa Campbell.
She was one of a group of 16 practitioners in the London borough of Lewisham who asked to attend a four-day course, Safeguarding Children and Families for Managers, run by Catherine Rushforth & Associates.
Ms Campbell, who manages a 25-place private nursery, says she gained a lot of practical knowledge and feels it is important this is now passed down to staff members.
'I went on the course to learn about safeguarding and completed it having learned things about myself that will follow me for the rest of my career,' she says.
'Doing the right thing is far more complicated than most of us would often admit and it takes experience, knowledge and discernment.'
The key elements of the course were designed to enhance knowledge in safeguarding children, encourage awareness on personal blind spots and encourage reflection on personal approach and professional confidence.
"Having undertaken this course, I still spend sleepless nights worrying about such things as an inappropriate attachment between a colleague and her key child, or being concerned when a child with severe autism clings to his key worker as if she were his mother, while rejecting his own biological mother,' adds Ms Campbell.
'The hardest thing about working with children and having the huge responsibility of being a manager, designated officer or lead person, is to do the things we find the most difficult - which is where this course has really helped.'
Ms Campbell says it has helped her to focus on accountability. 'It is all about accepting that there are bound to be some sleepless nights and recognising the importance of taking action. Practitioners need to be trained and confident about doing the right thing. Continuing professional development is vital in all areas of practice.'
Further information
Catherine Rushforth & Associates, e-mail
Catherine.rushforth@ntlworld.com
Acorn Childcare Training, www.childcaretraining.co.uk
The Childcare Consultancy, www.childcareconsult.co.uk
