Safeguarding Apprentices
As more young people step into the world of work through apprenticeships, employers hold an important responsibility: to ensure that every young adult under their care is safe, supported, and equipped to thrive. EduCare’s article “Safeguarding Apprentices – what are employers’ obligations?” highlights this vital duty, reminding us that “apprentices need to be safeguarded against the same range of risks and dangers as their peers in schools and colleges.”
Safeguarding doesn’t stop at the school gates. Whether an apprentice is 17 or 21, they may still be developing confidence, resilience and an understanding of professional boundaries. As EduCare notes, “any organisation educating young people under the age of 18 has statutory responsibilities under current legislation such as ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’.” But the principles of care, awareness and protection extend far beyond legal compliance — they’re about creating a culture where young adults feel valued, respected and secure.
At Secure Foundations Training, we work closely with organisations to bring these principles to life. Drawing on our backgrounds in education and social work, we help businesses move beyond box-ticking and develop safeguarding practices that genuinely protect and empower their apprentices. From training staff and mentors to recognise signs of vulnerability, to building policies that promote safety and inclusion, our focus is on helping every employer fulfil their duty of care with confidence and compassion.
What this means for Secure Foundations Training
At Secure Foundations Training, your specialism (training companies and schools in safeguarding children and young people) gives you a strong foundation for supporting organisations in their duty of care towards young adults in industrial settings (e.g. apprenticeships, traineeships). Here are some reflections:
Duty of care for young adults: Although the article primarily refers to under-18s, many apprentices may be 18–24 — still relatively inexperienced, often moving from full-time education into work, and potentially at higher risk of exploitation, anxiety, mentoring gaps, or lack of awareness of professional boundaries. The duty of care remains very active: organisations must ensure a safe environment, appropriate supervision, accessible policies, mentoring, and safeguarding awareness.
Tailored, practical approach: This aligns very well with Secure Foundations’ ethos of hands-on, scenario based training (drawing on former teacher and social worker experience). When organisations bring in young adults, you can help them develop context-specific safeguarding procedures (not just generic e-learning) that account for: transition from education, workplace culture, technology use, mentoring/ buddy systems, potential vulnerabilities (age, background, etc).
Embedding the safeguarding culture: The article emphasises appointing a coordinator, ensuring staff are DBS checked, understanding the technology risks. With Secure Foundations, you can support businesses by building a safeguarding framework: policies, supervision/mentoring structure, training for staff and apprentices, reporting routes, technology use protocols, induction processes, and review systems.
Supporting young people in the workplace: Given apprentices’ potential vulnerabilities (anxiety, transitions, being new to workplace culture), you can assist organisations to provide wrap-around support: for example, training mentors in recognising early signs of distress or exploitation, running induction sessions with apprentices about workplace safeguarding, providing scenarios specific to their industry showing how to raise concerns, how to ask for help, etc.
How Secure Foundations Training can support organisations
Here are ways your company can assist businesses as they take on safeguarding responsibility for young adults:
Bespoke training workshops: Create tailored sessions for apprentices, mentors and managers covering:
Transition from education to workplace: recognising stresses and vulnerabilities.
Understanding organisational expectations: policies, boundaries, internet/technology use.
Recognising signs of abuse/exploitation, mental health issues, peer pressure, workplace bullying.
Practical scenario-based role-play relating to young adult apprentices.
Policy and process review: Help firms audit their current safeguarding arrangements, identifying gaps (e.g., no dedicated safeguarding lead, insufficient mentoring, weak technology policy), then co-design policies appropriate for apprentices and young adults.
Mentor/manager training: Equip staff supervising young adults with the knowledge to:
Recognise signs of vulnerability or risk.
Know how to escalate concerns.
Understand their role in creating a safe, inclusive environment (including emphasising British values, equality, anti-discrimination, internet safety) — as the article notes those responsibilities. (educare.co.uk)
Apprentice induction and safeguarding awareness: Deliver content specifically for apprentices, covering:
Their rights, what safeguarding means in this context.
How to use reporting channels, how they can raise concerns.
Digital safety and professional boundaries in the workplace.
Awareness of potential risks (e.g., being isolated, checked out, over-worked, bullied, digital exploitation) and how to respond.
Ongoing support and review: Set up mechanisms for periodic review of safeguarding effectiveness (e.g., feedback from apprentices, mentor check-ins, incident logs). Aid organisations to embed a culture of continual improvement rather than a one-off training.
Final thoughts
The article reaffirms that when organisations engage young people in apprenticeships or similar roles, they must treat them with the same protection and care as younger learners in education, recognising that the workplace brings its own risks. For Secure Foundations Training, this is an excellent area of focus: you are well-positioned to help businesses extend their safeguarding beyond the typical school/college setting and into industry, supporting the duty of care for young adults and ensuring they feel safe, supported, and able to thrive.
Safeguarding Children with SEND: Understanding Their Vulnerability
Safeguarding Children with SEND: Understanding Their Vulnerability
Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) bring incredible strengths, perspectives and resilience to the world around them. But it’s also important to acknowledge that they can be more vulnerable to abuse and neglect — and that means our safeguarding response must be thoughtful, informed and proactive.
There are many reasons for this increased vulnerability. Some children with SEND may have difficulties with communication, making it harder for them to tell someone when something is wrong. Others may rely more heavily on adults for personal care or support, increasing the number of people involved in their daily routines. Sadly, this can sometimes create opportunities for abuse to go unnoticed. In addition, assumptions about behaviour, understanding or capacity can lead to concerns being missed or dismissed.
As both a safeguarding trainer and a mother of children with SEND, this issue is deeply personal to me. I’ve seen first-hand how vital it is that we create environments where children with additional needs feel safe, heard and respected. Every child deserves to be protected — but for children with SEND, safeguarding requires an extra layer of awareness, sensitivity and training.
Recently, I completed a parent-led CBT course with CAMHS to help support my own child, who has ASD and ARFID. It was a powerful reminder of how complex, exhausting and rewarding the world of SEND parenting can be. With over 20 years’ experience working with children with special educational needs, my focus has always been on their safeguarding and welfare — ensuring children are not only supported, but truly protected. That combination of professional knowledge and lived experience gives me a unique perspective, and it’s something I bring into every Secure Foundations Training session. Our courses are grounded in real-life scenarios and practical strategies, helping staff to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns with both confidence and compassion.
We must listen carefully, notice the small changes, and ensure that every adult who works with children understands how vulnerabilities can present differently. It’s not just about policies and procedures; it’s about empathy, vigilance and the belief that every child’s voice matters — no matter how they communicate it.
By strengthening our understanding and adapting our practice, we build truly secure foundations for all children, including those with SEND.
Here are three useful, articles that discuss safeguarding children with SEND:
“Safeguarding children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)” — NSPCC
This guidance outlines additional vulnerabilities, barriers to disclosure, and responsibilities for schools and professionals working with children with SEND.
→ NSPCC: Safeguarding children with special educational needs and disabilities NSPCC Learning“Safeguarding Children with Disabilities: A Life Course Perspective” — Flynn et al. (2024, full article)
This paper examines how children with disabilities face increased risks across their life courses, and explores barriers to effective safeguarding.
→ Full article: Safeguarding children with disabilities: a life course perspective Taylor & Francis Online“Neglect of Children with Disabilities: A Scoping Review” — PMC / National Institutes of Health
This review focuses specifically on neglect and highlights risk factors such as caregiver dependency, social isolation, and difficulties in expressing needs.
→ Neglect of Children with Disabilities: A Scoping Review PMC
Turning Data into Action: Infographics on Child Sexual Abuse Response
At Secure Foundations Training Group (SFTG), we know how overwhelming safeguarding data and research can sometimes feel.
Behind the visuals sits our training course, which goes far deeper—equipping staff with the knowledge, confidence, and practical skills to recognise concerns and respond effectively. What makes our training different is that it’s grounded in real experience and research.
Between us, Rebecca (a former social worker) and I (a former teacher) have spent years working on the frontline of safeguarding. We’ve seen first-hand the challenges professionals face, and we’ve researched the issues that matter most in protecting children. That insight underpins every course we deliver—turning data into practical strategies you can use in real-life situations.
At Secure Foundations Training, we know that safeguarding isn’t just about policies on paper — it’s about real people, real situations, and taking confident action when it matters most. That’s why infographics play an important role alongside our training.
Turning complex into clear – We take the same approach in our training as we do in our infographics: stripping away jargon so staff can understand safeguarding and child sexual abuse in plain, practical terms.
A tool for confidence – Just like our scenario-based sessions, infographics provide staff with simple, memorable prompts they can lean on when faced with a safeguarding concern.
Visual reminders – After training, staff can quickly forget long policies, but a clear, visual infographic acts as a safety net — a quick reminder of signs, steps, and reporting routes.
Starting conversations – We believe safeguarding should never be a taboo subject. Infographics help open those difficult conversations in schools, nurseries, and workplaces, making safeguarding part of everyday culture rather than something hidden away.
Consistency and reassurance – Our training is all about giving staff practical ideas they can use straight away. Infographics extend that impact — keeping safeguarding front of mind and ensuring everyone is on the same page.
In short, infographics strengthen what we do best at Secure Foundations Training: equipping staff with the knowledge, confidence, and practical tools to protect children.
Communicating with Children
This in-depth guide from the CSA Centre offers vital support for professionals working with children, with a specific focus on how to talk with children about child sexual abuse. It explores the common barriers that both children and adults may face when trying to communicate about such difficult topics and provides clear, practical strategies for building trust and creating a safe space for disclosure.
The guide also covers a range of effective questioning techniques and offers advice on tailoring communication to suit a child’s age, cultural background, and individual communication needs. Importantly, it also includes guidance on how to bring conversations to a close in a supportive way, how to record discussions appropriately, and where professionals can turn for support themselves.
At Secure Foundations Training Group, we offer a dedicated course that builds on this guidance, equipping staff with the skills and confidence to have these sensitive conversations safely and effectively.
What is KCSIE?
Keeping children safe in education 2024
What is KCSIE?
KCSIE stands for Keeping Children Safe in Education. It is a statutory guidance issued by England’s Department for Education (DfE), setting out the legal obligations that schools and colleges must follow to safeguard and promote the welfare of children under 18.
Who it applies to: all staff—teachers, governors, leadership teams—everyone in schools and colleges.
How it works: it tells you what you must do (legal duties) vs. what you should do (best practice).
What it covers: a wide range of safeguarding responsibilities—child protection procedures, safer recruitment, online safety, managing allegations, promoting mental health, filtering systems, data handling, and more.
What’s coming in KCSIE 2025
In March 2024, the DfE launched a 12-week call for evidence (ended June 20, 2024) to gather input from school leaders, DSLs (Designated Safeguarding Leads), governors, and other professionals.
This consultation indicates that KCSIE 2025 will include significant changes, reflecting real-world pressures like:
Expanded role clarity for DSLs – recognising the complexity of safeguarding leaders’ responsibilities.
Digital safety measures – including home‑use filtering, AI awareness, deepfakes, online censorship, monitoring student device use.
Extremism and ideological risk – more emphasis on identifying radicalisation, extremist content, hate symbols or threats .
Stronger recruitment standards – clearer guidance on safer recruitment, checking, vetting and record‑keeping .
Support after incidents – improved procedures for sexual violence/harassment and ongoing quality assurance.
Boarding/special provision specifics – dedicated rules for boarding schools and special needs residential settings .
Why this update matters
Keeps pace with fast‑evolving risks: online threats, AI misuse, and ideological recruitment are advancing quickly—schools must respond effectively.
Clarity and accountability for DSLs: ensures safeguarding leads are better supported and have clearly defined roles .
Strengthened oversight & compliance: updated safeguarding systems, plus renewed emphasis on consistent record-keeping, monitoring, and reporting.
Child sexual abuse of African, Asian and Caribbean heritage children.
Child sexual abuse (CSA) affects children from all backgrounds, but the experiences of African, Asian and Caribbean heritage children are often overlooked or misunderstood in safeguarding conversations.
The 2024 knowledge review, Child Sexual Abuse of African, Asian and Caribbean Heritage Children, authored by Dr. Sukhwant Dhaliwal and commissioned by the CSA Centre and Barnardo’s SEEN, brings vital attention to the specific barriers, risks and missed opportunities in protecting children within these communities.
In this blog, we explore the key findings from the review, consider what they mean for safeguarding practice in schools and organisations, and reflect on how professionals can respond with greater cultural sensitivity, curiosity and care.
These children deserve to be seen, heard and safeguarded with the same vigilance and compassion as any other—and that starts with understanding the context in which abuse may occur, and the reasons it is so often missed.
The 2024 knowledge review titled Child Sexual Abuse of African, Asian and Caribbean Heritage Children, authored by Dr. Sukhwant Dhaliwal and commissioned by the CSA Centre and Barnardo’s SEEN, offers a comprehensive examination of the unique challenges faced by children from these communities concerning child sexual abuse (CSA).
Key Findings
1. Underrepresentation in Research and Services
Despite a surge in CSA research, there remains a significant lack of focus on African, Asian, and Caribbean heritage children. This oversight leads to gaps in understanding their specific vulnerabilities and needs. csacentre.org.uk
2. Cultural and Community Barriers
Children from these communities often face cultural stigmas and pressures that deter them from disclosing abuse. Concerns about family honour, community reputation, and potential ostracization contribute to a "code of silence." learning.nspcc.org.uk
3. Institutional Challenges
Professionals may struggle with cultural sensitivities, leading to hesitancy in addressing CSA cases involving these communities. Fear of being perceived as racist or culturally insensitive can result in inaction or inadequate responses. weareseen.org.uk
4. Racism and Stereotyping
Systemic racism and stereotypes can hinder the identification and support of victims. For instance, Black and Asian boys might be mischaracterized as perpetrators rather than victims, leading to criminalization instead of protection. weareseen.org.uk
Recommendations
Enhanced Cultural Competency: Training for professionals to understand and navigate cultural nuances effectively.
Community Engagement: Collaborating with community leaders to foster environments where victims feel safe to disclose abuse. learning.nspcc.org.uk
Inclusive Research: Encouraging studies that specifically address the experiences of African, Asian, and Caribbean heritage children to inform better practices. csacentre.org.uk
Policy Reforms: Implementing policies that recognize and address the unique challenges faced by these communities in the context of CSA.
This review underscores the urgent need for a more inclusive and culturally sensitive approach to tackling child sexual abuse. By acknowledging and addressing the specific barriers faced by African, Asian, and Caribbean heritage children, stakeholders can work towards more effective prevention and support mechanisms.
For a detailed exploration, access the full report here: Child Sexual Abuse of African, Asian and Caribbean Heritage Children: A Knowledge Review (PDF).
Domestic Abuse Through a Child’s Eyes: Why It Matters for Safeguarding
The report underscores the urgent need to move beyond mere legal recognition and to implement tangible actions that address the unique needs of child victims of domestic abuse. It calls upon policymakers, practitioners, and society at large to acknowledge and respond to these children's experiences with the seriousness they deserve
Welcome to the Secure Foundations Blog
We’re excited to launch the Secure Foundations Training blog — a space where we’ll be sharing insights, reflections, and practical guidance around safeguarding children and young people. Drawing on our combined experience as a former teacher and a social worker, we aim to bring safeguarding to life in a way that’s real, relevant, and rooted in everyday practice.
For our very first blog post, we’ve chosen to explore a topic that’s both urgent and often misunderstood: "Victims in their own right? Babies, children and young people’s experience of domestic abuse."
We’ve started here because too often, children are seen as bystanders when it comes to domestic abuse — when in fact, they are victims in their own right. This blog post looks at how domestic abuse affects babies, children and young people directly, and how professionals working with families can respond with understanding, sensitivity and confidence.
It’s a subject close to our hearts and one that sits at the core of effective safeguarding. We hope it prompts reflection, conversation and, most of all, action.
Victims in Their Own Right? Babies, Children and Young People’s Experiences of Domestic Abuse
In April 2025, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Dame Nicole Jacobs, released a pivotal report titled "Victims in Their Own Right? Babies, Children and Young People’s Experiences of Domestic Abuse." This comprehensive document sheds light on the often-overlooked experiences of children affected by domestic abuse, emphasizing that they are not merely witnesses but victims in their own right.
Key Findings:
Legal Recognition vs. Practical Implementation: While the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 legally acknowledges children as victims of domestic abuse, the report highlights a significant gap between this recognition and the actual support provided to them.
Inadequate Support Services: Only 29% of victims and survivors reported being able to access the specialist support they desired for their children.
Funding Challenges: The report reveals that 27% of support providers had to turn away children due to capacity issues, 51% placed them on waiting lists, and 56% faced funding cuts over the past five years.
Children's Voices: Through the "Tell Nicole" initiative, over 100 children shared their experiences, expressing feelings of being "lost, alone, sad, different, worried, lose control, terrified, anger, unhappy, nervous, scared, not heard."
Recommendations:
The report outlines 66 recommendations across seven key themes:
Centring Children’s Voices: Ensuring that children's experiences and perspectives are integral to all responses.
Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Promoting stronger coordination among various government departments and agencies.
Holistic Funding: Advocating for comprehensive and sustained funding for services supporting child victims.
Data and Evidence: Improving data collection and research to inform policy and practice.
Specialist Training: Providing training for frontline professionals to recognize and respond effectively to child victims.
Safeguarding: Enhancing protective measures to ensure children's safety.
Specialist-Informed Practice: Ensuring that interventions are guided by specialists with expertise in child welfare and domestic abuse.
At Secure Foundations Training, we understand that recognising children as victims in their own right requires more than awareness—it demands action. Our training is grounded in real-life experience and equips staff in schools and other settings to spot the signs of domestic abuse, understand its impact on children, and respond appropriately and compassionately.
Unlike generic e-learning, we offer practical, face-to-face safeguarding training that gives professionals the tools, confidence and language to support child victims and work in a truly trauma-informed way. By helping staff feel prepared, we contribute directly to bridging the gap between legislation and lived experience.
We believe that every adult working with children has a role to play in creating safer environments—and we’re here to help them do just that.
Conclusion:
The report underscores the urgent need to move beyond mere legal recognition and to implement tangible actions that address the unique needs of child victims of domestic abuse. It calls upon policymakers, practitioners, and society at large to acknowledge and respond to these children's experiences with the seriousness they deserve.
For a more in-depth understanding, you can access the full report here: Victims in Their Own Right? Babies, Children and Young People’s Experiences of Domestic Abuse.