Southwark Safeguarding Team

Headlines this month >> There are 2 opportunities to attend a specially devised 1 hour training session for Southwark GPs (with area-specific data and referral advice) on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking live on Wednesday 29th June and Thursday 14th July – all you need to do is to sign up via this link:

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Training for Southwark GPs Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite.

Please sign up even if you are not sure if you can attend the live sessions as we hope to be able to offer a recorded version after the event, to those that have registered. There will be a certificate issued after feedback.

Southwark Adult Social Care has released a new, improved referral form for making Adult Safeguarding Referrals.

Level 3 Safeguarding Children PLT held Thursday 16th June, agenda to included key principles of safeguarding children, referrals and information sharing, adverse childhood experiences, looked after children and case vignettes. Slides, recording and resources available in Southwark training hub

Safeguarding Learning Together Week 27th June – 1st July – series of lunchtime online events hosted by NHS Safeguarding, inviting you to be inspired and bear witness to effect change. This year we have 7 speakers who will be presenting on Child Sexual Abuse and Child Sexual Exploitation. Attendance with reflection can contribute to safeguarding children level 3 training hours. Contact the Southwark Safeguarding team with any queries.


Everyone in the UK has the fundamental right to live free from harm and abuse. Safeguarding is everyone’s business.   

We are responsible for making sure that the services we commission are safe and effective, by working closely with many different stakeholders and organisations in Southwark and South East London. 

The Southwark Safeguarding Team is involved in a variety of place based multi-agency forums. We make sure the relationships between the NHS and other health, care and social systems work at both strategic and operational levels to safeguard children, young people, and adults at risk of abuse and neglect. 

Team contact 
souccg.southwarksafeguardingteam@nhs.net 

Named GP Safeguarding Adults
Dr Megan Morris
meganmorris@nhs.net

Named GP Safeguarding Children 
Dr Shimona Gayle
s.gayle@nhs.net

Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children, Looked After Children and Care Leavers
Michele Sault
020 7525 4529 or 07554 407 823
msault@nhs.net

Designated Safeguarding Adults Nurse
Florence Acquah
florence.acquah@nhs.net

Training should be relevant to the role and responsibilities of the individual. This may be made up of a variety of learning opportunities (including face to face training, audits, e-learning, SEAs and case-based discussions), and this is recognised by the Appraisals Team and CQC.   

Adult Safeguarding 

The RCN published the first edition of the Intercollegiate Document on Roles and Competencies for Healthcare Staff in August 2018, which outlined the first formal guidelines on minimum training requirements in Adult Safeguarding. 

  • Level 1- all new non-clinical staff with no experience of safeguarding  andall practice staff who do not have direct contact with patients 
  • Level 2- all staff who have direct contact with patients, carers and members of the public, including reception staff and Practice Managers 
  • ​Level 3- all GPs and Practice Nurses. Also suitable for Practice Managers and Health Care Assistants once Level 2 achieved ideally.  
  • Practice Safeguarding Leads currently only need training up to Level 3, but will be expected to engage in quarterly Practice Lead Forums to support and broaden their knowledge. 

Please see the Safeguarding Adult Training Requirements document for more information.

Children’s Safeguarding 

The training requirements for all health care staff is set out in the Intercollegiate Document Safeguarding Children and Young people: Roles and Competencies for Health Care Staff 

  • Level 1- all new non-clinical staff with no experience of safeguarding and with no direct contact with children and families 
  • Level 2- all non-clinical staff with direct contact with children and families. Minimum requirement for Health Care Assistants and Practice Managers 
  • ​Level 3- all clinical staff (GPs, Practice Nurses, Clinical Pharmacists, Paramedics working with children and families 
  • Practice Safeguarding Leads require training up to Level 3, but will be expected to engage in quarterly Practice Lead Forums to support and broaden their knowledge. 

Please see the Safeguarding Children Training Requirements document for more information.

Further online and face-to-face training

Locally training provided via the PLT programme and quarterly safeguarding forums. 

A range of free multi-agency face to face and e-learning topics are available through My Learning Source at www.mylearningsource.co.uk 

To access training through My Learning Source, select NHS organisations from the partners folder and scroll to find NHS-Practice Name 

You can also access a range of online learning modules on the e-Learning for Healthcare website www.e-lfh.org.uk, with overview Level 2 and 3 alongside topics including Perinatal Mental Health, Domestic Abuse Awareness and FGM. 

Key statutory guidance for Adult Safeguarding 

Key statutory guidance for Children Safeguarding 

Key local guidance 

Practice Policy 

The RCGP Safeguarding Children Toolkit provides a template policy to adapt. 

To support this we have a Children Safeguarding Policy Checklist 

Supporting documents to be uploaded

Child Was Not Brought to appointment guidance available here to support. 

Recognition and response to DNA/WNB has been identified as key theme by the National Serious Care Review panel.

Was Not Brought – Did Not Attend Guidance – May 2021

This is a quarterly meeting open to all Practice Safeguarding Leads. It is an opportunity to meet and learn more deeply about local services and discuss cases and issues specific to the local area, and incorporates topics relevant to safeguarding adults and children. Case discussion constitutes an important element of level 3 training. For further details and to confirm attendance please contact s.gayle@nhs.net or meganmorris@nhs.net 

Recent Forums: 

March 2022- Topics: Parental Mental Health Team and the ‘Think Family model’, Safeguarding adult updates (Modern Slavery training, Safeguarding Adult Review referral and Domestic Homicide review recommendations), and Safeguarding and patient online access

November 2021 – Topics:  Adult Safeguarding (new draft referral new Adult Safeguarding referral for Southwark, Domestic Abuse Act 2021, General Practice responsibilities with respect of local bridging hotels/ initial accommodation centres), Child Safeguarding (Guide to assessing bruising in children in Primary Care), Community Harm and Exploitation Hub

July 2021  – Topics: Young Carers and Primary Care Safeguarding Annual Review summary  

May 2021 – Topics: Liberty Protection Safeguards, Adult Safeguarding themes from DHRs 

January 2021 – Topics:  Child A&B, Community Harm and Exploitation Pilot, Private Fostering 

The Primary Care Safeguarding Annual Review 2020/21 process has completed. Many thanks to all practices for their input.   

Whilst the outcome of this review is to provide assurance, we aim to provide opportunity to identify and share innovative practice, and also help practices reflect upon their own internal processes. The CCG safeguarding team use the review to identify areas of support. Many elements of the review are used to feedback to members of the Safeguarding Children Partnership and Safeguarding Adult Board. 

Find original tool, power point presentation with summary of analysis and key resources in documents below 

Primary Care Safeguarding Review 2020/21

Key Resources – Safeguarding Southwark – January 2021

The new NHS England Safeguarding app provides 24-hour, mobile access to up to date safeguarding guidance and local contacts to report safeguarding concerns. The NHS England Safeguarding app can be downloaded on the App Store for iPhones and iPads and Google Play for Android phones and tablets. .