Safeguarding: What, Why & How!
Pilgrimage Safeguarding Training
Looking after and keeping our Assisted Pilgrims safe is at the very heart of our pilgrimage. To ensure we keep this objective at the forefront of all we do, it is important we all make time to ensure we have enough training to carry this out effectively.
We, the CA, organisers of our pilgrimage, want all helpers to have completed a recent relevant piece of safeguarding training in preparation for their pilgrimage role. Please note that if you have previously provided evidence of relevant safeguarding training to the pilgrimage this remains valid for this year’s pilgrimage.
There is an online resource available commissioned by the Catholic Church. It is available for anyone with a role within the church where safeguarding is relevant - that can be for anyone - a parent, grandparent, teacher, liturgy leader, visitor to the housebound/sick etc and of course those serving others on a pilgrimage e.g. you! You do not have to be a Catholic but you will be ministering to others in the church community so it is still available to you.
Many of you may already work in a profession where regular safeguarding training is already mandatory. If that is the case then a copy of your most recent dated training certificate or other appropriate evidence will suffice however, we would suggest if your professional role is with children there is still much to be learned by completing the Vulnerable Adults module online and vice versa.
To get the username and password to log in to the system to complete the training all you need to do is email (if you phone - they’ll ask you to email your details anyway) your details to your Diocesan Safeguarding team (see below). All you have to say is that your role is as a volunteer helper on a Lourdes pilgrimage. It doesn’t matter which Diocese, the one you live in or the one you travel to Lourdes with…..like the church, the training is the same through whichever Diocese you go through.
Now, all you need to do, is get comfy with your computer for an hour or two’s easy reading and answering of multiple choice questions with the click of a box. You can even go back and look up the right answers…they want you to pass. You can stop and go back to it and it will pick up where you got to as well.
There is a whole variety of courses to choose from but for most helpers the suggestion is you complete the Vulnerable Adults course. If you work with Glanfield or HCP then the children’s one may be more appropriate but being mindful there are vulnerable adults in the groups too.
Once complete, please download, save your certificate and send a copy to the safeguarding officer - Cliona Devereux at safeguarding@catholicassociation.co.uk by the end of June. It is important that not only do we practise good safeguarding procedures but that we are seen to be doing so too. It offers reassurance to our most vulnerable pilgrims and their families that we care about them and their wellbeing.
Diocesan Safeguarding Teams
Details for each of these teams below has been taken from Diocesan websites - there are a lot more safeguarding details and links available via the websites via the following links (alternatively, please copy and paste the relevant link into your browser):
East Anglia: https://www.rcdea.org.uk/e-learning/
Northampton: https://tinyurl.com/y3hre6lp
Clifton: https://cliftondiocese.com/departments/safeguarding/safeguarding-e-learning/
Southwark: http://www.rcsouthwark.co.uk/Safeguarding%20Training.html
Salford (Stonyhurst): http://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/safeguarding/reps/ (please scroll down the page - it’s definitely there, lower on the page under parish reps)
We hope this is helpful! As always, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on contact@catholicassociation.co.uk if you have any questions!