Webnet provides tiered Excellence in Safeguarding training for the whole church, and everyone working in our churches with children or adults at risk.
This same training is being rolled out across the country, ensuring that all Baptist Churches talk the same safeguarding language as each other and the outside agencies specialising in investigating safeguarding concerns.
Church training sessions will be advertised on our Events page.
Churches can either book individuals into an existing session or contact Kath Needham, Partnership Safeguarding Lead, to talk about hosting a session.
Our Trainers
Our training is provided by a network of trainers across the network that have been trained by the Baptists Together National Safeguarding Team and use the updated training material produced by Baptists Together.
All our trainers have a wealth of experience and can either provide level 2 and 3 training.
One course participant had this to say about their training:
“I thought the Safeguarding Training was fantastic! … This can be a scary and intimidating topic but one that needs to be covered and updated within our churches … The content was great, detailed and to the point … I haven’t ever encountered training for leadership within churches nor for those with leadership who have none or little contact with children. It was this factor that I found important, the recognition that leaders of churches all have a responsibility to make sure safeguarding is in place and accountable to it”
Webnet trainers are:
| Trainer | Based | Level |
| Steve Bryant | Wiltshire | 2 & 3 |
| Naomi Shrubsole | Cotswolds | 2 & 3 |
| Val Hoskins | Cheltenham | 2 & 3 |
| Ruth Brooks-Martin | Wiltshire | 2 & 3 |
| Sara Dodd | North Somerset | 2 & 3 |
| Kathryn Needham | North Somerset | 2 & 3 |
| Liz Farley | Gloucestershire | 2 & 3 |
| Rachel Carrick | Gloucestershire | 2 |
| Carly Kingswood | Mendip | 2 & 3 |
| Judith Parr | Mendip | 2 & 3 |
| National Trainer: | ||
| Kaye Cooke | North Somerset | 2 & 3 |
Please contact the Webnet office for trainers’ contact details.
A whole church approach to Safeguarding
The church sees the second largest number of children after schools and we each need to know what to do if a child does us the honour of telling us about the worst thing that is happening to them in their life. We each need to know what to do if we see or hear something that makes us feel uncomfortable or how to ensure those we recruit into positions of trust with our youth and children’s work are suitable.
DBS checks are not the answer – research tells us that 90% of people who offend against children will never receive a criminal conviction for it and so will never show up. Such checks are a part of a bigger picture and Webnet is promoting the Baptists Together Excellence in Safeguarding training, each level building on the one before to provide the skill base to identify signs and symptoms of abuse, and of the abuser, and to explore our individual and church response to this and what happens next.
All those in regular contact with children, young people and adults at risk; youth leaders, helpers, church workers and those in a supervisory capacity, (i.e. Ministers, Managing Trustees (Deacons/Elders) and the Designated Person/People for Safeguarding) attend Level 2 training and that Ministers, Managing Trustees (Deacons/Elders), and the Designated Person/People for Safeguarding go on to complete training at Level 3. Some churches have in fact made completion of this training a condition of taking a position of leadership in the church.
Level 1
Level 1 is a video to share with the whole church. There are two versions available:
The first is an eight minute, family-friendly film, and outlines some key messages for church members and visitors alike.
View the video here, or visit here to download a copy.
The second version is shorter, and suitable to share at a church meeting. View or download here.
Materials for use with your children’s and young people’s groups are also available on this page to complement the video, and these focus on the parable of The Good Samaritan.
Level 2
Level 2 is a three-hour session for those in regular contact with children, young people and adults at risk; youth leaders, helpers, church workers and those in a supervisory capacity, i.e. Ministers, Managing Trustees (Deacons/Elders) and the Designated Person/People for safeguarding. This session covers recognising signs and symptoms of abuse, grooming and abuse of trust, what to do when a disclosure is made, information sharing, and recording and reporting safeguarding concerns. Attendance at this session is necessary before moving on to Level 3.
Level 3
Level 3 is for Ministers, Managing Trustees (Deacons/Elders), the Designated Person/People for Safeguarding. This session can only be attended after completing Levels 1 and 2 and follows a case study; not giving any answers but encouraging attendees to think through how they might manage a referral, discussing their thought processes and exploring views and feelings about this sensitive topic. By the end of this three-hour session attendees will have considered the importance of the following points and will be directed to where they can get further information about each:
Recognising Signs & Symptoms of an Abuser
Safer Recruitment
Writing Safeguarding Policies and Procedures
Recording and Securing Evidence
Questioning Skills – and when to stop asking questions!
Making a Referral
Offender Contracts
Forgiveness
Each Level 2 or Level 3 session can be completed in three hours with a short break in the middle, however the break is likely to involve some group work in order that we finish on time – some have found this very intense but it is the only way that the sessions can be kept to three hours.
Key facts about Safeguarding training within Webnet:
- The cost is £15 per person by level.
- The maximum number of trainees at any session is 30.
- Please let the Webnet office know when you have booked a session so that spare places can be advertised.
Can churches provide their own training?
This training has been written in such a way that it is not sufficient for training to be cascaded, each relevant person should attend; to explore their own beliefs and values in relation to this sensitive topic and gain a deeper understanding of the issues involved.
You may feel that you have adequate in-house safeguarding training, however the new BUGB Excellence in Safeguarding Training offers a standardised approach which ensures you have done everything possible to protect your children and young people and gives attendees the forum to consider their own response to any potential safeguarding issue, before it happens. This same training is being rolled out across the country, ensuring that all Baptist Churches talk the same safeguarding language as each other and the outside agencies specialising in investigating safeguarding concerns.
Webnet Safeguarding Contact
Kath Needham is the main contact for any Safeguarding queries or issues.
Kath’s contact details are:
Mobile No: 07389 728 669
Email address: safeguarding@webnetwork.org.uk