Please note that Appendices are not Codes of Practice, they are good practice advice.
The following section gives examples of other ways in which learning can be identified from safeguarding situations, where they do not meet the threshold of an SPR. Church bodies are free to use some, all, or none of these, as long as they can evidence that an exercise to capture learning has taken place. This section will be added to as further tools and resources become available.
1. Self-reflexivity and feedback
One of the marks of a healthy organisational culture is when the individuals who comprise the organisation are personally self-reflexive and welcome feedback from others. Self-reflexivity is different from just self-reflection because it contains the idea of turning self-reflection in to actual action that brings about change.
For all Church officers involved with safeguarding matters, taking time for personal self-reflection and identifying what they will do differently as a result is a powerful change mechanism. This is enhanced if, as part of the self-reflexivity, the individual encourages feedback from others.
2. Reflective supervision
For safeguarding professionals such as DSAs and CSAs, the opportunity for reflective professional supervision is essential. This will be the model adopted when the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor role becomes the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer role. Both supervisees and supervisors will require training in the supervision model to be used to maximise impact.
3. Reflective exercise by the core group
At the end of every piece of work managed by a core group, group members should take time to reflect on the case / issue and its own role to determine relevant learning. This might take less than an hour in some cases whilst in others it will be a more extensive conversation. Some such conversations can then be shared with the DSAP and/or senior leadership team of the relevant Church body if it will promote wider organisational learning. A sample checklist/agenda template is in Appendix A1, but in essence, the group should seek to address three key points:
1) What is our reflection on how well we did as a core group?
2) What does this case tell us about how well we are doing in relation to the Church’s National Safeguarding Standards in terms of:
i) our systems and processes;
ii) our culture, organisation and context.
3) What worked well in terms of managing risk and what hindered us, in terms of:
i) our systems and processes;
ii) our culture, organisation and context.
4. Learning event
A learning event workshop is a good way to gather relevant individuals together to review the way a case has been handled. Such workshops:
can happen quickly, with learning available immediately
will need facilitation by someone with the skills to ask the right questions, to hold any tensions and to make the situation safe
need all participants to be able to reflect on their own behaviour and identify strengths and shortcomings, as well as strengths and shortcomings of the organisation, and as such have the capacity to become powerful effectors of change