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Free training launched to strengthen early years safeguarding skills

The Department for Education collaborated with us to develop training for nurseries, childminders and other early years settings.

    • New Department for Education (DfE) online training, developed in collaboration with us, aims to strengthen safeguarding culture for nurseries, childminders and other early years settings in England.
    • Participants will learn how to keep children safe from abuse through animations, real-life safeguarding scenarios and practical activities.
    • The course, developed by NSPCC experts, expands our safeguarding training and resources for the early years, with more available through NSPCC Learning.

The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a free training course, in collaboration with us, for early years staff. The course is designed to help them recognise, respond to and report concerns about child abuse.

The training is available through the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework and is aimed at those working with babies and young children in nurseries, pre-schools and childminding settings in England.

This comes after several nurseries have been in the spotlight following the abuse of very young children. 

It also follows recent initiatives from the UK government that are designed to make nurseries a safer place for children – that includes better support for staff and clearer rules for supervision.

We also offer safeguarding training and resources for anyone working or volunteering with babies and young children through NSPCC Learning.

Register for the training

Training content

The DfE training consists of five interactive modules, each taking around an hour to complete. Through animations, real-life safeguarding scenarios and practical activities, participants will learn:

    • How to recognise signs of abuse, neglect and harm in babies and young children.
    • How to respond appropriately to concerns and take action to protect children.
    • The laws, guidance and responsibilities that underpin safeguarding in early years settings.
    • How to identify and raise concerns about the behaviour of another adult working with children.
    • How organisations can develop and maintain a strong culture of safeguarding.

Each module concludes with a quiz, and learners will receive a certificate once they successfully complete the programme.

Register for the training

NSPCC Professional Learning Services Director Christian McMullen said: 

"Early years educators play a vital role in ensuring young children gain a safe and healthy start to life and providing them with the springboard to take them into the school environment. 
 
"This free training package will help them to lay the foundations for a positive safeguarding culture within early years settings and give them the tools and knowledge to identify and respond to signs of abuse and harm to children who are in their care.

"We would encourage everyone who works in early-years settings to take this training and put themselves on a stronger footing when it comes to the safety and wellbeing of the children who are in their care." 

Minister for Early Education Olivia Bailey, from the Department for Education, said:

"Keeping children safe is the most important part of my job – and the job of early years professionals across the country, who I know work so hard day-in day-out to give children the best start in life.
 
"This free training will help staff recognise the signs of harm, build a strong culture of safeguarding, and feel confident in raising concerns when something isn't right.
 
"It forms part of our wider work to strengthen safeguarding across every setting, from giving Ofsted stronger powers to investigate provider groups to consulting on clearer and stronger supervision rules."

Informed by experts

The training took six months to develop and was informed by extensive consultation with professionals across the early years sector, with support from Blackpool Better Start. 

Each module was reviewed by the Department for Education, Ofsted and safeguarding experts from across the NSPCC.

Worried about a child?

You can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing [email protected]

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If you work or volunteer with children

Visit NSPCC Learning to find information, resources and training on safeguarding and child protection in the early years.

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