WITH Safeguarding Week underway, organisations across the Bradford district will host a series of online training, events and conferences to help raise awareness of safeguarding and encourage its practice.

Safeguarding Week, which started yesterday and will run until Friday, aims to bring issues - in particular those which may affect vulnerable children and adults - further into the public consciousness, and evaluate how they should be approached.

It seeks to address things such as domestic abuse, child sexual exploitation, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, human trafficking and sexual abuse, amongst others.

Amid Safeguarding Week, Bradford-based organisation Strengthening Faith Institutions (SFI) has teamed up with Ilkley-based training provider, Virtual College, to provide free online training in 24 essential modules - including Safeguarding Children Levels 1 and 2, Health & Safety, First Aid and Food Allergy Awareness.

The training - which participants can complete in their own time - will cover the legislation and guidance that governs safeguarding vulnerable children and adults, while also identifying safe working practices, recognising the importance of early intervention and recognising the signs of abuse.

Javed Bashir, Safeguarding Consultant with SFI, said: “For organisations which work with children, it has become increasingly important for their management committees to make sure they respond to the requirements and expectations of society and the law.

“It is also imperative that faith organisations and places of worship are equipped with the knowledge and awareness that will enable them to detect the abuse and ill-treatment of children and vulnerable adults.

“Places of worship need to ensure they have procedures in place that look at the roles and responsibilities of people working with children, and they need to know how to promote children’s welfare, protect them from harm, respond to concerns and report to the statutory authorities.

“If you would like to sign up to take any, or all of the modules we have, or would like to find out more, please email me at javed@sfitogether.org, or call 07983411008.”

Elsewhere, West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), West Yorkshire Police and other partners are also coming together, albeit virtually, in the wake of Safeguarding Week.

Across West Yorkshire, all of the five districts are hosting a number of different virtual events and conferences, to help raise awareness of safeguarding, and also to highlight what support is available.

Mark Burns-Williamson OBE, West Yorkshire’s PCC, said: “This week is a great opportunity to champion one of our collective core aims, safeguarding our communities.

“A variety of work has been carried out and is still on-going in this area, including securing increased funding and resources, better co-ordination and information sharing, and sustained awareness-raising campaigns.

“I would urge anyone to take a look at the various activities and services and get involved, and to contact their local authority or my office to see what is on offer. Specifically to learn about protecting themselves and others, and most importantly familiarise themselves with the range of support services that are there, if and when they need them.”