Developing a structured approach to safeguarding education.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Practice
• Vulnerable Adult and Child Protection

Background:

• Safeguarding is a legal and ethical imperative in nursing and healthcare.
• Existing approaches to safeguarding education may lack structure and comprehensive support.
• Pre-registration nursing programs require robust frameworks for effective safeguarding training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of a structured safeguarding education and student support approach.
• To establish an academic safeguarding lead role within a UK pre-registration nursing program.
• To create and implement policies and procedures for reporting and escalating safeguarding concerns.

Main Methods:

• Development of an academic safeguarding lead role.
• Extensive curriculum enhancement focused on safeguarding principles and practices.
• Implementation of clear policies and procedures for concern identification and escalation.

Main Results:

• A structured and comprehensive model for safeguarding education was successfully developed and established.
• The approach integrated curriculum development with dedicated support structures.
• Policies and procedures for raising and escalating concerns were effectively implemented.

Conclusions:

• The developed integrative and comprehensive safeguarding model is recommended for all UK higher education institutions offering nurse education.
• This structured approach enhances the preparedness of nursing students in safeguarding vulnerable populations.
• Consistent implementation of such models is crucial for upholding legal requirements and ethical standards in healthcare.