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Original poster

“Safeguarding” - the most overused and misunderstood term ever?

63 replies

Notcontent · 14/10/2018 00:21

I think seems to pop up everywhere.
There was a strange thread the other day where the OP though there was a “safeguarding” issue because her elderly FIL said to someone that he didn’t know who she was.
And just now read another thread where someone said that they had received a letter from the school about not having mixed sex sleepovers due to safeguarding issues.

Obviously there are specific requirements that apply in schools, etc. But otherwise the term is being banded about in quite a ridiculous way...

OP posts:
MrsStrowman · 14/10/2018 00:26

I use it in a professional capacity daily, I ignore most of the usage on here. It's a term people have picked up without knowing the actual definition of. It drives me a bit crazy if I give it headspace.

garethsouthgatesmrs · 14/10/2018 00:29

i dont get why the mixed sex sleepovers are a misuse of the word safeguarding, but agree its overused. The breatsfeeding thread has a poster show uggetsed its a safeuarding issue if a child sees her nipples which she is feeding, I mean wtf?!

RudeZebra · 14/10/2018 00:31

I use it in a professional capacity daily, I ignore most of the usage on here. It's a term people have picked up without knowing the actual definition of. It drives me a bit crazy if I give it headspace

Abso-fucking-lutely. Usually used by someone who works as a school receptionist who had half a morning input via power point and believes themself to be some sort of expert.

TotHappy · 14/10/2018 00:32

YANBU

Original poster
Notcontent · 14/10/2018 00:33

Gareth - I guess because in that example it seemed like a common sense thing for parents to make a judgment about.

OP posts:
TotHappy · 14/10/2018 12:12

The thread about the woman inviting homeless people to sleep in her home - posters insisted it was a safeguarding issue as she had kids. But she wasn't a school, business or institution, had no safeguarding policy nor was required to undertake training! It really doesn't apply in private life like that but people use it to mean 'there are potential risks to children/vulnerable people in this situation'. Well, yeah. Just about every situation.

Thisreallyisafarce · 14/10/2018 12:16

The term is staggerly overused. An issue for whom?

UpstartCrow · 14/10/2018 12:16

''thread where someone said that they had received a letter from the school about not having mixed sex sleepovers due to safeguarding issues.''

Do you understand why a school might do that?

NothingOnTellyAgain · 14/10/2018 12:18

"And just now read another thread where someone said that they had received a letter from the school about not having mixed sex sleepovers due to safeguarding issues"

????

Having school trips with mixed sex sleeping arrangements might present a safeguarding issue, and as a school they are exactly the sort of organisation who have a legal duty to consider these things.

What's the problem? Why are they misusing it?

NothingOnTellyAgain · 14/10/2018 12:20

TotHappy & OP > > safeguarding was a word before being used in the legal sense >

To safeguard something is perfectly good english.

Yes of course people are using it more becasue it has this context in orgs, however, it isn't a word that only applies in this context.

SurreyMumof4 · 14/10/2018 12:21

The irony of the OP Hmm

elephantoverthehill · 14/10/2018 12:24

Usually used by someone who works as a school receptionist who had half a morning input via power point and believes themself to be some sort of expert.
Anyone who works in a school has to do training annually on safe guarding. Mandatory courses are 'Safeguarding young people, FGM, Prevent, Online safety, Child Exploitation and Child Neglect'. HTH

cardibach · 14/10/2018 12:24

It’s misuse because it’s being sent to parents about things happen8ng in their own homes. It might hold risks, but it’s up to the parents to decide that. It’s not a ‘safeguarding issue’ for the school.

RavenWings · 14/10/2018 12:26

Having school trips with mixed sex sleeping arrangements might present a safeguarding issue, and as a school they are exactly the sort of organisation who have a legal duty to consider these things.

I read it as the school had heard the children were having mixed sex sleepovers and then sent letters to the parents (possibly the ones hosting these sleepovers?). So not a school thing.

UpstartCrow · 14/10/2018 12:42

Let us spell it out for you; parents can't assess a risk if they don't have all the facts; but schools may not be able to release all of the facts due to data protection or due process.
So they may issue a blanket warning such as 'we do not recommend mixed sex sleepovers'.

Safeguarding is not just an official thing or a school thing.
''Safeguarding is a term which is broader than ‘child protection’ and relates to the action taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.''

www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-children-and-young-people/safeguarding-children-and-young-people

RudeZebra · 14/10/2018 17:12

Anyone who works in a school has to do training annually on safe guarding. Mandatory courses are 'Safeguarding young people, FGM, Prevent, Online safety, Child Exploitation and Child Neglect'. HTH

Yes, and I'm sure Sandra with her o-level in typing becomes an expert overnight Hmm

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 14/10/2018 17:43

Abso-fucking-lutely. Usually used by someone who works as a school receptionist who had half a morning input via power point and believes themself to be some sort of expert.

Well I work in the school office and have had three hours of compulsory safeguarding training this term. Last term I had FGM and Prevent training. I’m not an expert but as a designated person I am pretty knowledgeable. We have to keep up to date on Keeping Children Safe in Education legislation at all times too.

Oh and I don’t have an O Level in typing.... my school didn't teach typing, I concentrated on academic subjects. Having worked in financial services I moved to school administration after a stint as a SAHM for the child friendly hours (I have a child with SEN).

ASauvignonADay · 14/10/2018 17:45

Safeguarding is a broad term. I think by definition it covers a wide range of things, so I'm not sure that it is overused.

MarthasGinYard · 14/10/2018 17:47

"I use it in a professional capacity daily, I ignore most of the usage on here. It's a term people have picked up without knowing the actual definition of. It drives me a bit crazy if I give it headspace."

Put perfectly by first post on thread

GoofyIsACow · 14/10/2018 17:51

Abso-fucking-lutely. Usually used by someone who works as a school receptionist who had half a morning input via power point and believes themself to be some sort of expert.

How utterly rude and patronising...

RudeZebra · 14/10/2018 17:59

How utterly rude and patronising..

Yeah, clearly I'm totally wrong....

Well I work in the school office and have had three hours of compulsory safeguarding training this term. Last term I had FGM and Prevent training. I’m not an expert but as a designated person I am pretty knowledgeable

3 hours.
Let that sink in.
3 hours and she considers herself "pretty knowledgeable"?

This is exactly the point of my first post Grin

BookMeOnTheSudExpress · 14/10/2018 18:05

Totally agree.
A thread this morning had the frothers frothing and citing safeguarding over children walking home from school alone.
I have a theory that, as with the erroneous use of the word "myself" which is scattergunned like there's a prize for who can say it the most, people throw the "it's a safeguarding issue" into the mix when a) they mean safety or b) security or c) they haven't a fucking clue but it sounds good.

I am deputy safeguarding lead in my school and have seen one post on here that I would have said "yep, it probably is". Crossing the road, having a sleepover, even being allowed to go home with another child's parents are not.

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 14/10/2018 18:09

3 hours.
Let that sink in.
3 hours and she considers herself "pretty knowledgeable"?

Three hours THIS TERM.... THIS TERM! (so in the last six weeks). Not three hours in my entire working life. I haven’t had any first aid training this term (yet) so perhaps I should no longer be administering first aid as I clearly have no relevant knowledge.

My colleague who actually delivers Safeguarding and Child Protection training hasn’t actually had ANY additional training this term....

BookMeOnTheSudExpress · 14/10/2018 18:13

In the context that it is used, on here, daily, many many times, when people THINK they are using it in its legal govt approved way, it is way overused.
And the danger will be that while people run round like chicken licken over kids being allowed to walk home alone (today's example of a not safeguarding issue) the kid sitting in the corner being very quiet because she's forced to sit on grandad's knee when she really doesn't want to because he touches her inappropriately will never be flagged. The mandatory training on prevent/fgm etc is the educational equivalent of the old trope about seeing zebras and not horses.

And it rarely lasts 3 hours. 45 minutes and a handout to sign when we last did it in July.

leghairdontcare · 14/10/2018 18:14

I've been having the same frustration with gdpr this year. It's really funny the people who never gave any thought to data protection previously and now will shout "GDPR Breach!" if someone utters their name.