INDIVIDUALS and organisations, including churches, can now apply for a postgraduate (PG) certification in safeguarding from the University of Lincoln.
The part-time course, Safeguarding: Leading Safer Organisations, has been developed in partnership with the Church of England, Methodist Church, Save the Children, ActionAid International, and Lincolnshire County Council. It has been endorsed by the Archbishop of York.
There are two modules — Safeguarding for Senior Leaders, and Safeguarding in an Organisational Context — “aimed at leaders and future leaders in medium to large organisations” who do not come from a professional safeguarding background, but who find themselves with considerable safeguarding responsibilities. These introduce “safe practices and cultures to protect those who are at risk while equipping businesses with the processes to protect against allegations, should they occur”.
The first PG Cert. is due to start with a two-day induction on 19 and 20 September, both on campus and online. Teaching is due to begin on 27 September and continue on Wednesday mornings online throughout the academic year, finishing on 29 May 2024.
The programme has already attracted international applications, as well as representatives of the Church of England, charities, national sporting bodies, and other third sector organisations.
Archbishop Cottrell said this week: “This course equips leaders with the knowledge, skills, and understanding they need to enhance the work already being done to embed safeguarding in all we do, and to make our organisations safe spaces for children, young people, and vulnerable adults. I hope many will be interested in the flexible study options that are available.”
The PG Cert. follows the creation last year of the University of Lincoln’s first Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Safeguarding: Leading Safer Organisations. The three-year part-time course was also developed in partnership with the Church of England, Methodist Church, Save the Children, ActionAid International, and Lincolnshire County Council, as well as the Prince’s Trust.
The hybrid-learning M.Sc. is offered by the university’s School of Health and Social Care, on Brayford Pool campus, in the city centre. The entry fee for the full course is £8100. The core modules are: Approaches to Research; Creating Safer Organisations and Teams; Supporting People Affected by Safeguarding; and a dissertation. Optional modules include: National, Global and International Context of Safeguarding for Senior Leaders; Protecting Children and Adults at Risk of Abuse in Faith-based organisations; and Safeguarding: The Media and Public Relations.
The content is designed to teach effective leadership to improve safeguarding in an organisation, and to help bring about the grass-roots culture change surrounding safeguarding recommended by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).
The Chichester diocesan safeguarding adviser, Colin Perkins, who was part of the Church’s advisory group on the M.Sc., said at the time that IICSA had “identified repeatedly that it is the culture of organisations, rather than just their safeguarding practice, that has been at fault in many of the institutions they have investigated. Few things impact the culture of an organisation more than how it is led.”