Our learning and improvement offer
Find the training that fits your needs
Westmorland and Furness Safeguarding Children Partnership (WFSCP) expects that as a practitioner, working with children and young people, that you have undertaken the mandatory safeguarding training and that you are able to apply the skills required to safeguard children and young people in your setting.
The WFSCP maintains training levels in line with guidance in Working Together to Safeguard Children, Keeping Children Safe in Education and the Intercollegiate Document and has organised its training into different levels of knowledge and skills. The level required depends on the degree of contact you have with children and families and your professional role. Individual agencies remain responsible for ensuring that their staff are competent and confident to carry out their roles safely including their safeguarding children responsibilities.
The 'Which Training is Right for Me' document (PDF , 713KB) shows a table containing suggested training. The table is not an exhaustive list and should be used as a guide; any additional training should be provided by the employer to ensure staff attain the competences appropriate to their role.
This document has been written to help you decide which training is most appropriate for you based on your role. Please note this is a legacy document and will be reviewed via the WFSCP Learning and Practice Improvement Subgroup.
Learning and improvement framework
Working Together legislation stipulates that safeguarding children partnerships need to have a local learning and improvement framework, across local organisations, that work with children and families.
The responsibility for driving learning and practice improvement lies with the partnership subgroup. The local framework considers learning from single and multi-agency reviews and audit activity, with a fundamental aim of continuing to improve safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children across the partnership. Click to view the current framework.
The Cumbria Children Safeguarding Partnership (CSCP) training strategy (PDF , 6MB) will reviewed by the WFSCP.
Our training programme is intended to be reflective of the learning needs across the partnership, responding to our specific priorities and sharing the learning from case review and audit activity.
The programme covers the basic safeguarding awareness levels of training that all staff require as well as higher level learning opportunities that challenge preconceptions and support robust decision making.
Our training includes:
- e-learning
- face to face events
- practitioner forums
Practitioner forums
The forums provide an opportunity to develop common practice across Westmorland and Furness and help people who work with children and young people learn from each other, understand each other's roles and responsibilities, and become familiar with the local provision in each part of the county.
Through sharing information, networking and discussing available opportunities, the forums foster collaboration and the exchange of ideas to better support children and young people across the region.
You may already have had an invitation to a Practitioner Forum if you have been a regular attendee previously. If you would like to attend future events, or be added to the distribution list email us at WFSCPtraining@cumbria.gov.uk
We have a Barrow and South Lakeland Practitioner Forum which meets on Teams. The Eden Practitioner Forum meets Face to Face. The Practitioner Forums met in June 2025.
Future forum dates are currently being arranged and will be listed below once confirmed.