Course description

Children in UK foster care come from families and communities all over the world. Keeping them safe means understanding the risks some of them may face, and knowing what to do about them. This course looks at safeguarding through a culturally informed lens. It helps foster carers and professionals tell the difference between cultural practice and abuse, have confident and respectful conversations, and act quickly when a child is at risk.

Who it's for
Foster carers, supported lodgings providers, social workers, supervising social workers and anyone working with children and families from diverse communities.

Course modules

1. Safeguarding in a global context
2. Harmful practices: recognising the signs
3. Faith, belief and abuse
4. Migration, trafficking and hidden children
5. Culture vs. harm: making safe judgements
6. Responding and reporting
7. Knowledge check and certificate

What will i learn?

• Explain the main safeguarding duties under UK law and Working Together to Safeguard Children
• Recognise harmful practices, including FGM, forced marriage, "honour"-based abuse, and abuse linked to faith or belief
• Spot signs of child trafficking, exploitation and private fostering arrangements
• Tell the difference between cultural competence and cultural relativism, so that culture never becomes a reason not to act
• Know how to record concerns, report them and escalate them through the right channels

Frequently asked question