The safeguarding team is responsible for ensuring all staff employed by Mersey Care have access to good quality training that is relevant to their role and clinical competencies. The safeguarding team achieve this through a combination of mandatory children and adult training at L1, 2 and 3, Children’s Specialist, and additional modular training available as CPD sessions.
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You can contact the Trust Safeguarding hub for advice and support 0151 351 8484 (office hours) or email Safeguardingduty
Safeguarding Children and Adults
Mandatory Training Requirements
2025/2026
This document outlines essential mandatory training
requirements for all Mersey Care Staff
Safeguarding Children and Adults
The Safeguarding Vision
“Through collaboration, learning from experience and collective action, we will strive to continually improve care quality, empowering our staff to prevent harm, protect and promote the welfare of people enabling safe
The safeguarding team is responsible for ensuring all staff employed by Mersey Care have access to good quality training that is relevant to their role and clinical competencies. The safeguarding team achieve this through a combination of mandatory children & adult training at L1,2 & 3, Children’s Specialist, and additional modular training available as CPD sessions
All staff who meet children, young people, adults at risk and their families have a responsibility to safeguard and promote their welfare and know what to do if there are concerns about safeguarding, abuse, or neglect.
Mandatory Training Safeguarding Children Level 1
Who is it for?
Level 1: Non-clinical staff who are not patient facing working in healthcare services
Objectives
• Understand what constitutes child abuse
• Know the categories of child abuse which incorporates physical, emotional, neglect and sexual
• Know what to do when they are concerned that a child is being abused
How do I access?
Level 1 training is a national E-Learning package renewable every 3 years. It can be accessed via the L & D Prospectus or via your training matrix
Mandatory Training Safeguarding Children Level 2
Who is it for?
Level 2: Required for non-clinical staff who, within their role, have contact with adults who have caring responsibilities for children or non-clinical staff who work in a safeguarding specialist departments or managers for non-patient facing services
Objectives
• As per Level 1
• How to advocate for children, young people at risk.
• How to understand the potential impact of a parent / carer’s physical and mental health and wellbeing on a child, being able to recognise risk (Think Family).
• Be able to identify own professional role, responsibilities and professional boundaries and understand those of multi-disciplinary colleagues and multi-agency partners.
How do I access?
Level 1 training is a national E-Learning package renewable every 3 years. It can be accessed via the L & D Prospectus or via your training matrix
Mandatory Training Safeguarding Children Level 3
Who is it for?
Level 3: All clinical staff working with carers and adults who could potentially pose a risk to children and who could potentially contribute to assessing, planning, intervening and / or evaluating the needs of children, their parents, and carers, including adult facing Mental Health Services.
Objectives
• As per Level 1 & 2
• How to apply family focused clinical knowledge and expertise to recognise signs of abuse and neglect (including domestic abuse, criminal and sexual exploitation, radicalisation, and Harmful Practices)
• How to analyse risk and evidence harm.
• How to apply the ‘think family’ safeguarding ethos when working with adult service users and be able to take appropriate action to safeguard any children who may be at risk of harm due to an adult’s concerns or behaviour
How do I access?
Level 3 training is a national E-Learning package renewable every 3 years. It can be accessed via the Learning and Development Prospectus or via your training matrix.
An additional 8 hour refresher is required every 3 years, see Part 2 of this brochure Modular offer section
Mandatory Safeguarding Children's Specialist
Who is it for?
Level 3: All clinical staff working with children and young people and who could potentially contribute to assessing, planning, intervening and / or evaluating the needs of children, their parents, and carers.
Objectives
THINK FAMILY
• An overview of the legal framework and clarify roles and responsibilities for health and social care professionals.
• What is meant by the ‘Think Family’ safeguarding agenda when working with children
• An understanding of the threshold of need in safeguarding children, the early help, and contextual safeguarding agenda.
• How to identify and analysis risk, understanding how to evidence the impact of harm when submitting multi-agency safeguarding referrals.
• The importance of relationships between practitioners working across children and adult services.
• How to bring safeguarding theory to life across Mersey Care
How do I access?
Children’s Specialist training is in two parts.
Part 1; The national Level 3 E-Learning package
Part 2; Children’s Specialist course delivered by the Safeguarding Team, via Microsoft Teams
Both are renewable every 3 years and can be accessed via the L & D Prospectus and your mandatory training matrix.
An additional 12-16 hours refresher is required every 3 years, see Part 2 of this brochure Modular offer section
Mandatory Training Safeguarding Adults Level 1
Who is it for?
Level 1: Non-clinical staff who are not patient facing working in healthcare services
Objectives
• Understand what constitutes adult abuse
• Know the categories of adult abuse as set out in the Care Act 2014 (physical, domestic, sexual, psychological, financial, or material abuse, modern slavery, discriminatory, organisational, neglect and acts of omission, self-neglect)
• Know what to do when they are concerned that an adult is being abused
How do I access?
Level 1 training is a national E-Learning package renewable every 3 years. It can be accessed via the L & D Prospectus or your training matrix
Mandatory Training Safeguarding Adults Level 2/3
Who is it for?
Level 2/3: All clinical staff working with adults/carer’s and who could contribute to assessing, planning, intervening and / or evaluating the needs of adults/carers where there are safeguarding concerns identified.
Objectives
• know the definition of an 'adult at risk'.
• recognise the different types of abuse and their signs.
• understand your role and responsibility about suspicion or disclosure of abuse.
• understand and be able to carry out the procedures for reporting abuse.
• be aware of the issues of 'capacity and consent'.
• be able to make an alert to appropriate standards
How do I access?
• This is a bespoke Mersey Care E-Learning package and can be accessed via the L & D Prospectus or your training matrix. An additional 4-8 hours is required every 3 years, see Part 2 of the brochure on modular training
Mandatory Prevent E-Learning
Who is it for?
All trust staff must complete this module
Objectives
- Understand the objectives of the Prevent strategy and the health sector contribution to the Prevent agenda
- Know your personal and professional responsibilities in relation to safeguarding of adults, children, and young people at risk
- Understand and identify vulnerability factors that may make individuals susceptible to radicalisation or a risk to others
- Know how to share concerns, seek advice, and make referrals within their own organisation and with other agencies where appropriate
- Understand referral mechanism to Prevent case management and understand Channel multi-agency arrangements to provide support and redirection to individuals at risk of radicalisation
- Understand the importance of sharing information and the consequences of failing to do so
How do I access?
Prevent training is a national E-Learning package renewable every 3 years. It can be accessed via the Learning and Development Prospectus
Modular Additional Training Offer for Staff 2025/2026
Safeguarding Children and Adult
Who is it for?
All Trust staff can access these modular training sessions. Staff allocated Level 3 children, specialist children’s and Level 2/3 adults are also required to complete additional hours to supplement their mandatory training requirements every 3 years, as described below.
Level 3 Children - Additional 8 hours every 3 years
Children’s Specialist - Additional 12 to 16 hours every 3 years
Adults Level 2/3- additional 4 to 8 hours every 3 years
In addition to the modular offer described, these hours can also be achieved by attending safeguarding conferences, presentations, group and teams’ reflective discussions and external partnership learning events
2025/26 Offer - via Microsoft Teams (1 to 2 hours)
Exploitation - Child Focused
Self-Neglect/Hoarding
Domestic Abuse, 5 different 1 hour sessions
- What is Domestic Abuse and Vulnerable Groups
- How to build routine enquiry about Domestic Abuse in your assessments
- What to do if someone discloses Domestic Abuse
- How to risk assess Domestic Abuse Victims and how to complete a DASH risk assessment for Halton, Warrington and Sefton Staff
- How to risk assess Domestic Abuse victims and how to complete a MERIT risk assessment for Liverpool, St Helens and Knowsley staff
Child Neglect
Trauma Informed Practice
New- Non-Recent Sexual Abuse
For course information and dates see below
To book please email the Safeguarding team stating your preferred module/s, what date you require, your role, what geographical borough you work from and any specific learning needs you have.
To Book Email: Safeguarding.training@merseycare.nhs.uk
Modular Course Information and how to book on them.
The modular packages listed below, are available to book and are open to all staff, if you feel you will benefit from the learning.
Please see list below for dates/times and module content description.
All will all be delivered via Microsoft Teams and you will be sent a teams invite and a link, at least one week before the course date.
Please contact us via the email address below stating which module and date you require, your role and what borough you work from. Please also tell us of any specific learning needs you may have.
Safeguarding.training@merseycare.nhs.uk
Please note there is a minimum attendance required to enable the sessions to take place, so please inform us at least 48 hours before if you cannot attend.
Please note if the minimum attendance is not achieved the course may be cancelled at short notice.
Exploitation – Child Focused
Child Exploitation is one of the most challenging safeguarding issues that society is faced with.
This training will enable practitioners to describe the dynamics of child criminal exploitation, county lines and child sexual exploitation.
It will support practitioners in recognising signs and indicators of child exploitation.
The training will increase knowledge and understanding of multi-agency roles and responsibilities in relation to referral mechanisms, information sharing and record keeping when child exploitation is suspected or evidenced.
Dates available:
All 1pm to 3pm
Monday 9 June 2025
Wednesday 3 September 2025
Thursday 4 December 2025
Wednesday 25 February 2026
Self-Neglect / Hoarding
This training will enable participants to develop an awareness of Adult Self-Neglect and hoarding, identify causes and characteristics, explore effective support strategies and tools/resources available to manage high risk cases.
Participants will learn when/at what point to notify the local authority and how to build effective relationships with patients in this situation and remove or reduce associated risks.
Dates Available
All 10am to 12pm
Tuesday 13 May 2025
Tuesday 9 September 2025
Tuesday 25 November 2025
Monday 2 February 2026
Domestic Abuse
Mersey Care Domestic Abuse Training - Staged Framework
The sessions described below, can all be attended to build up a comprehensive knowledge of Domestic Abuse, how to ask the question and respond appropriately to disclosures based on the Trust’s policy and guidelines. Staff can opt to attend all four or choose which ones they need to consolidate their existing knowledge
1. What is Domestic Abuse and how it can impact on groups with additional vulnerabilities:
This session looks at the basic concepts, signs and symptoms and additional vulnerabilities, such as older people and mental health.
Dates Available
All 2pm to 3pm
Tuesday 20 May 2025
Thursday 24 July 2025
Tuesday 7 October 2025
Thursday 11 December 2025
2. How to build routine enquiry about Domestic Abuse in your assessments:
This session will focus on how to ask the question about domestic abuse. Routine enquiry is expected practice, and this session will help build your skills and confidence in doing so.
Dates Available
All 2pm to 3pm
Tuesday 27 May 2025
Tuesday 5 August 2025
Thursday 23 October 2025
Thursday 8 January 2026
Tuesday 3 March 2026
3. What to do if someone discloses Domestic Abuse: This session will go over the step-by-step response that is expected for Domestic Abuse concerns and what support is available.
Dates Available
All 2pm to 3pm
Tuesday 10 June 2025
Thursday 21 August 2025
Tuesday 11 November 2025
Thursday 22 January 2026
Thursday 19 March 2026
4a. How to risk assess Domestic Abuse Victims and how to complete a DASH risk assessment for Halton, Warrington and Sefton Staff:
This session will look at completing the form, scoring it, referring to MARAC and how to make a referral based on professional judgement.
Dates Available
All 2pm to 3pm
Thursday 19 June 2025
Tuesday 2 September 2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Monday 2 February 2026
4b. How to risk assess Domestic Abuse victims and how to complete a MERIT risk assessment for Liverpool, St Helens and Knowsley staff:
This session will look at completing the form, scoring it, referring to MARAC and how to make a referral based on professional judgement.
Dates Available
All 2pm to 3pm
Tuesday 15 July 2025
Thursday 18 September 2025
Thursday 4 December 2025
Thursday 19 February 2026
Child Neglect
This training will help you identify the signs of neglect, it will explore the different categories, look at the impact that neglect can have on the child in the long term and highlight tools that can support you in practice.
Neglect is the ongoing failure to meet a child's basic needs and the most common form of child abuse. A child may not have access to food limited or no access to hygiene products, proper clothing, shelter, supervision, or health care. This can put children and young people in danger and can also have long term effects on their physical and mental wellbeing.
Dates Available
10am to 12pm - Monday 12 May 2025
1pm to 3pm - Thursday 14 August 2025
10am to 12pm - Thursday 6 November 2025
10am to 12pm - Tuesday 3 February 2026
Trauma Informed Practice
Created in partnership with Warrington Safeguarding Adult & Children’s Partnership, this course is a concise exploration of the relationship between Trauma and Safeguarding Vulnerability. The course aims to help staff better understand the circumstances of adverse childhood experience that create Trauma and the developmental impact of trauma in terms of how this shapes our thoughts, behaviours and relationships throughout life.
During the session we consider the impact of trauma as a push-pull factor in a range of safeguarding scenarios including child & adult exploitation, domestic abuse and neglect. The session also highlights how some professional and organisational approaches can compound a person’s experience of trauma and provides insights on effective models and tips for developing a Trauma Informed approach to recognising and responding to safeguarding children & adult concern.
Dates Available
All 10am to 11.30am
Tuesday 10 June 2025
Thursday 11 September 2025
Thursday 4 December 2025
Thursday 5 March 2026
Non Recent Sexual Abuse
Data from MCFT Safeguarding Duty Hub shows us that disclosures of Non-Recent Sexual Abuse is a consistent area of practice which provokes uncertainty and requests for advice and support from staff across the Trust.
To best support our staff we have produced a practical briefing session to improve understanding of the prevalence of CSA within our communities. We explore the circumstances which lead to abuse being unreported / kept secret, resulting in disclosures of historical abuse in adulthood. The session also builds on the lessons from UK Gov report “I Wanted Them To Notice’ and promotes a trauma informed approach when responding to disclosures from adults of non-recent child sexual abuse
Dates Available
All 2pm to 3.30pm
Wednesday 4 June 2025
Monday 14 July 2025
Wednesday 5 November 2025
Monday 12 January 2026
Archived Safeguarding Modular Training Packages (Previous Offer 2024/2025) Powerpoint Presentations
For any questions or queries regarding these subjects refer to the Safeguarding Duty Hub
- Adult Exploitation - Adult Safeguarding - Modular Training Package
- Adult Safeguarding Specialist - Adult Safeguarding - Modular Training Package
- Child Exploitation - Child Safeguarding - Modular Training Package
- Child Neglect - Child Safeguarding - Modular Training Package
- Domestic Abuse - Modular Training Package
- FGM and Harmful Practices - Modular Training Package
- Making Safeguarding Personal - Adult Safeguarding - Modular Training Package
- Pressure Ulcers - Adult Safeguarding - Modular Training Package
- Professional Curiosity - Child Safeguarding - Modular Training Package
- Safeguarding Children for Mental Health Practitioners in Adult Services - Modular Training Package
- Self Neglect and Hoarding - Adult Safeguarding - Modular Training Package
- Trauma Informed Practice - Adult Safeguarding - Modular Training Package
- The Voice of the Child - Child Safeguarding - Modular Training Package
External training is regularly offered by the following sources and is often free to practitioners from health providers. Before booking on, please can you ensure that your mandatory safeguarding training is up to date and you have sought your line managers approval. Please be mindful that many of these training providers, although offering free training opportunities do charge for non-attendance which can be anything from £50 -£100 per place depending on the provider, and cancellations need to be provided prior to the training some asking for as much as 2 weeks’ notice, so please check the cancellation policy prior to booking any training to ensure that you can meet the requirements. Thank you
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