On Monday evening Paul Broadhurst, Community Safety Development and Training Officer at Cheshire East Council gave a great online training session to our volunteers.
Adult Safeguarding simply means protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. Learning how that right is so often denied, buddies were taught how to identify forms of adult abuse and how to recognise possible signs and indicators of abuse. They also learnt what to do if they suspect an adult is being abused and how to report a concern, disclosure or allegation.
Louise Marshall one of our Buddies who attended the Monday night training said:
"It was enjoyable and enlightening... the interaction and real-life stories and examples from Cheshire made it really come home how important it is for all of us in the community to recognise and have the confidence to speak up about safeguarding issues."
In Cheshire East, the most common forms of abuse in 2019/20 were Neglect/Acts of Omission (28%) Physical Abuse (21%) & financial abuse (21%). The buddies heard about some alarming real-life incidents and found out that abuse of adults is most likely to take place in someone’s own home.
John Mageean another of our fab volunteers said:
"Paul ran a great session, very informative and at a good level for someone with no previous training on Adult Safeguarding. He kept it interactive, so we all got more out of it than just by watching a presentation. I now feel more confident how to act, and who to go to, if we suspect a potential cause for concern in our role as Buddies."
Many of our buddies already have experience and training in safeguarding, but this training is invaluable for those who don’t.
Sara Lamond Volunteer coordinator said, “It’s so important that we all know how to safeguard the adults we support. We are part of their support network now and being more aware of what abuse is, how to spot signs of it and what to do if we see those signs ensures that we are helping to keep them safe”.
