Minute Taking for Children’s Safeguarding Meetings

Overview

This course is aimed at those social workers who are identified as minute takers for safeguarding children meetings within their organisation. This programme aims to enable minute takers to understand the role of meetings and the importance of note taking and minutes in the safeguarding childrens’ process. It will examine the role of the minute taker and their relationships/professional boundaries in safeguarding meetings; the structuring of notes from meetings that are factual, accurate and can enable effective decision making. The relationship with the chair will be examined to enable minute takers to manage themselves at the interface with some of the challenges and conflicts that can arise in safeguarding meetings.

Who is Minute Taking for Children’s Safeguarding Meetings aimed at?

Social Workers who are identified as minute takers for safeguarding children meetings within their organisation.

Course Length

1 day

Learning Outcomes

Delegates will learn:- 

• to understand the safeguarding policy, process and the role of meetings within this
• Awareness of the need to work closely with the Chair and a clear understanding of the role of all attendees at meetings
• The skills of effective minute taking – making good notes and ways of  ensuring factual and accurate records are collated
• Awareness of responsibilities around information sharing and confidentiality,  keeping the person safe, promoting good practice in multi-agency working and the duty of care and the role of the minute taker in this as this worker often has administrative duties with regards to organising the practicalities of the meetings.
• Understanding the purpose of the strategy discussion, the role of the chair,  minute taker and attendees; decision making and the importance of  defining outcomes. Conflict in meetings
• Consideration of the need to keep the service user central to the process, respecting their wishes and preferences and working with perpetrators who are also service users
• Understanding the importance of minutes for monitoring and reviewing
• The practical skills and tasks of minute taking

By the end of the session participants will have gained an understanding of the role  of the minute taker within the safeguarding childrens’ framework and, via practical examples, will have explored the skills necessary for compiling effective minutes.