BY HEATHER MCDAID, SAFEGUARDING CONSULTANT


Safeguarding Consultant – A ‘normal’ week

You won’t be hugely shocked to read that a week in the life of a Safeguarding Consultant with ECP, means no day is ever the same. What my week would have looked like this time last year, is now totally different this year. We as a company, and myself as a consultant, have had to be innovative, flexible and take each week at a time.  

Preparation

I am sure you have heard the old saying “Fail to prepare is preparing to fail”. Well, so is the case with being a Safeguarding Consultant. We have a lot of different portfolio areas, which means that you need to ensure you are ready to deliver the correct material, at the appropriate level for the relevant audiences. So, before I finish a week, I look ahead to assess the week coming. I review material, look up directions to schools, read client websites and generally make sure I am ready to rock for every session coming up.  

Monday

We are ECP virtual today, which means I’m in our lovely office for the whole day reaching people online. I am doing Part 1 of an Early Years course. I will do two of these today (3 hours in the AM and 3 in the PM) and another colleague with complete the Part 2 later on in the week. We work around clients’ needs so every week might be different. I set up our ring light (this was a big learning curve), do a tech check, get our session set-up and sorted and ensure we have the correct videos loaded and content ready to share.  I then check and answer emails and treat myself to a cup of tea and we are ready to go. Once I click start on our webinar session, I’m live and delivering. Being on a webinar can be tough so I aim to give as much energy as possible, so our content comes alive and jumps off the screen for participants. A lot of people still get nervous about virtual sessions, so we make sure we spend time talking to people about how to access and use the technology.  Unlike face-to-face training we are doing a lot of communicating via a chat box, so I always have my eyes on 100 things to make sure everyone has their questions answered and the session keeps ticking along. With a day back-to-back with virtual sessions that can be 6+ hours on screen so I make sure to keep hydrated and take stretch breaks and move about when not delivering. Last thing I do on Monday so make sure I’m ready for Tuesday ….

Tuesday 

I am in a school today, doing a full Online safety package which means pupils all day and then a staff and parent session. First hurdles of the day – directions, traffic and parking.  I always try and give myself as much wiggle room as possible because a busted traffic light or road works can really take a toll on your timings. I know a lot of people listen to very serious podcasts and shows on their way to work but I think my role deals with some really heavy topics so I start my mornings with comedy podcasts! I’ve got lucky and there is onsite parking at this school which takes a lot of pressure of driving around an unknown area trying to spy a spot. The school day starts with DBS checks, sign in and having a chat with the schools DSL, hearing about their current concerns and making sure we cover their hot button worries. In a primary school we can go from singing songs about online safety with Year 1’a to serious debates with year 6’s about the merits of live streaming sites to learning about the year 4 Among Us aspirations. The hours spent with all year groups then feed into our staff sessions, with teachers who although tired are eager to learn and keep theirpupil’s safe. After lots of shocked faces, questions and conversations staff session is over and we are setting up for a parent session. We all are hoping for a good turn out to make sure these important messages get shared with as many parents as possible. Sometimes we have a virtual session for parents but this can change depending on the school. Day is now done and back to directions, traffic and podcasts.

Wednesday

Admin day, back in our office and today I am not delivering. We have one day like this a week where we develop new content, talk to upcoming clients about needs and sessions, sometimes we have team meetings and in general this is our day to get all the necessary ‘stuff’ done. The move to virtual has been great for me so I try on my admin days to listen to a recorded webinar or catch up on reading legislation, guidance, and spend time on LinkedIn and social media to keep as up to date as possible. Time flies on these days and before I know it, we are at the end of the day and getting ready for tomorrow  

Thursday  

In a new school but this time we are doing CREW (Confidence – Resiliency – Emotional Well-being) and I’m working with every class in Year 9 today. We are going to be talking about Peer-on-Peer Abuse and the impact and effects of sexting. I adore working with young people, and while we are covering the same content with each class, the pupils make the session, and every group have unique questions and views which result is exciting debates and fascinating conversations. We always have a teacher in with ECP when delivering a session and I love at the end of the class, because the teacher will normally comment or how involved a pupil who is normally quiet was, or how they were impressed they were with the mature answers or even how worried they were with pupil’s responses or lack of understanding of issues around consent.  Sometimes a new and unknown face can give a new and unique perspective. Days like this are equal parts invigorating and exhausting. What is great is I might go into this school again and work with Year 10’s next term on a totally different topic talking about body image, mental health or the impact of pornography and have a totally different yet equally captivating experience.

Friday

Where has the week gone!! Today I’m back virtual and I’ve two, three-hour sessions. In the morning I’m working with a local authority doing an Introduction to adults at risk course with staff across departments. Talking about the different 10 categories of abuse in Adult safeguarding, making safeguarding personal and really understanding the Care Act 2014. The three hours is gone in a click of a mouse. I’m grabbing a swift bite to eat and changing gears to talk to a small charity for their CPA (Child Protection Awareness course) For a Friday evening they are so full of joy they make the graveyard shift not only manageable but enjoyable. We spend time covering lots of topics from understanding the risks and indicators or CCE & CSE (Child Criminal exploitation and Child Sexual Exploitation) to highlighting concerns around radicalisation as well as unpicking some common issues and failings around case recording. I am bidding them adieu, and asking everyone to connect up on social media so we can keep them in the loop with regular updates before I even know it. Ring light off and ready to review and plan for next week! Next week might look like this, it might look totally different, that is the utter joy of being a Safeguarding Consultant, days and weeks look different but the thing they all have in common is working with amazing young people, incredible organisations and truly fabulous participants.

By Safeguarding Consultant; Heather McDaid

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