Special safeguarding training for volunteers with learning disabilities 

The Church in Wales and the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB) have worked collaboratively to produce an accessible safeguarding training resource for adult volunteers with learning disabilities in our churches who have a volunteer role with children, young people or adults in church family life

It is the goal of the project workers that the adult volunteers will be able to access and understand the basics of safeguarding through attending this training which has been translated into ‘Easy Read’ and uses ‘Photo Symbols’. 

The training material is designed to be delivered in very small groups or on an individual basis, by the person responsible for safeguarding at local church level. It is anticipated the training takes approximately two hours to deliver, although this can vary depending on the needs of the delegate. 

One parent, whose adult daughter piloted the training, shared this feedback:

'My daughter was invited to help with the youth group at our local Baptist church some years ago, soon after we joined the church. It was such a great welcome to the church, and she’s been volunteering with various youth and children’s activities ever since.

'It’s so important that everyone has the same opportunity to serve and to be involved. She went through the same volunteer process as everyone else, and the only sticking point was the safeguarding training which wasn’t available in a format that was accessible to her - but now it is! 

'We were so happy to be involved in piloting the Easy Read training, it sets everything out in a way that can be easily explained and understood. It will make it possible for so many more people to have the opportunity to serve in our churches and to do so on an equal footing. Well done and thank you to everyone involved in the project.'

The resource came about after BUGB was approached by the Church in Wales to develop an accessible safeguarding training resource for adult volunteers with learning disabilities who work with children, young people or adults within church family life.

The two organisations subsequently worked in partnership, setting up a joint working group and drawing on their respective skills and expertise to produce this resource.
 

Access the resource here. 

The Baptist Union has support available from Association Safeguarding Leads and the National Safeguarding Team.