to not do Safeguarding training?

[Sausagenbacon]

I belong to a church, and occasionally serve coffee at the end of the service. I am being asked to take Safeguarding training, which I think is utterly pointless.
I have expressed this and been told that it's policy, and I have to do it.
AIBU to just stop doing coffee?

Or simply leave and volunteer somewhere else.

What a rebel! My respects for your brave stand against the system.

"Freedom for Tooting".

Maybe this is their way of weeding out folk with an air of wrongun about them.

It’s a one hour online training module, that everyone with a role in church is required to take (I’m assuming you’re talking about a CoE church, though my local Baptist church for example is taking a similar stance and requiring similar training). You could easily end up serving coffee in a team working alongside a young person or vulnerable adult, even if you don’t do more than hand out cups to the congregation. It’s not a particularly onerous module, it helps to raise the level and awareness of safeguarding in an organisation that has struggled with this in the past and it’s free. It definitely covers more than knowing who your PSO is.

Given you can use mumsnet I assume you can get online, if an hour is a genuine hardship and you are genuinely struggling with being told what to do in this way maybe you aren’t the right person to be serving tea and coffee anymore.

A group of people who need a little bit more safe guarding than a “normal” adult so well worth an hour or 2 of your time.

however like a pp said, if you can’t understand the need they church are better off without you

Please just do it op and stop being so awkward. Your knowledge could help protect an elderly person or a grandchild - very unlikely but surely the fact it is a possibility should make you want to do it.

I don't think you're suited to the role. Stop being so blooming awkward

Absolutely spot on.

The fact that you think it's pointless shows how much you need it

So the church has no congregation who are lonely vulnerable or have mental health conditions leaving them open to abuse, cuckooing, self harm or exploitation. You don't have and children attending Sunday school or services so don't need to watch out for them being abused with at home or by someone who uses or helps in the church.....or do you just believe church goers are beyond harming anyone

You have 2 choices - do 1 hour of safeguard training and with your new knowledge continue to volunteer being able to recognise potential safeguarding issues and take the correct action.

Option 2. Don't volunteer.
Depends where your values lie.

But what happens if they don't make a disclosure and your unaware of the signs to look for.... safeguarding is about possible indicators as well as disclosures it's also about who to signpost to especially if the safeguarding officer doesn't do their job.

Don't go then if you think it's pointless, maybe they will think your handing out coffee to vulnerable people is pointless and ask you to leave.

No agency should take a volunteer unwilling to do training as most charities work with vulnerable people ...I guess litter picking would be okay

You could do with a safeguarding course.

It's unlikely to be arduous is it? Probably an online course or a few hours face to face.
I've done multiple Safeguarding courses both through my work and because of some voluntary stuff I do and whilst I think I know the basics pretty well I'd never say it's pointless and I do always learn something new, or get reminded of something I've forgotten.
It's one of those things where the vast majority of people who do the training won't ever need to put it into practice, but just once in a while it does. Learning CPR is also probably "pointless" for most people. How many non professionals who do courses ever actually have to do it in real life? But on the very rare occasion when you might be called to do so, you'll be glad you did the course and you may actually save someone's life. Safeguarding isn't that different in a way.
I've only made one Safeguarding referal in my career and it was as a result of picking up on signs that I had learned about on such a course - the patient didn't walk in and tell me they were being abused but subtle signs were there.Without those "pointless" courses I would probably not have been alert to those signs. You can't report what you're unaware of.
But yeah, if giving a few hours to reading or listening to someone talk about an important subject is too much you probably should give up the role.

Apart from anything else it's very likely to be a condition of licensing or the charity to ensure that all volunteers have done it. I work for a charity where that's the case. So it's not really a choice. They need you to do it.

It's often a requirement for most community things nowadays. The Church is one place someone in need of help may go to. Someone who is being abused may escape to (or be allowed to attend) the church on a Sunday morning when many other services are closed or don't open until 10am. It takes someone being abused time to disclose, if thier places to disclose are limited then it may come out at church. Then you need to know what to do and action to take. It's likely that in your case it will be report to safeguarding lead.

Abuse isn't just physical, it is also emotional, financial, coercive control, sexual. Many elderly people attend church, this group is at risk of abuse. There is also health related abuse, dementia patients can for example become very physical or verbally abusive to their families, often a loving spouse doesnt disclose this or if they do they dont disclose the full extent, so wider family isnt fully aware. This needs flagging as caring for someone physically or verbally abusive is difficult and the carer may need support. As awful as it is to admit, those recieving at home carers, in care homes or care by family can also be at risk of abuse. Church is one of those outings that someone may take them to and be thier only escape from 4 walls at home. Church is a lifeline for the isolated.

The first thing you learn when you do safeguarding training is that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.

I remember attending some safeguarding training with a group of people volunteering to help in a local school. One person said it was a waste of time as nothing like that happened in the school or in the village, unfortunately he was so wrong

Safeguarding level 1 is a twenty minute online quiz, it’s bloody useless , just do it I’m sure you have a spare 30 mins whilst you have a cuppa!

I think you should quit they are probably better off without you tbh. Life is jumping through hoops, we all do it all the time, what makes you more important?

Massive red flags that you're kicking off about safeguarding.

What would you do if the safeguarding issue was related to the safeguarding officer?

It’s not just who your “customers” are, it’s who you are working alongside. In the context of a church where it’s fairly common for youth to be, for example, in the band or operating the sound desk, those working alongside them need some basic understanding of what to do if for example a young person makes a disclosure, comes in with a massive black eye or if another adult in the team is being inappropriate towards them. Or what to do if the elderly volunteer you’re making coffee with starts talking about the nice chap who comes round every week to help her with her banking.

Safeguarding training is definitely not pointless.

Why volunteer if you don't really want to help people? That cup of tea won't make any difference to the old lady deprived of her meds by the grandson who lives with her but the odd comments she's made to you in the last few weeks could.