Who is responsible?
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. This includes all driver and rider trainers, DVSA examiners and staff, plus the wider industry as well.
There may be occasions when we are unsure if something is a safeguarding issue or not and are unsure of how to respond. It is sometimes easier to think that all is well and that someone else must be looking into it if it is that much of an issue, surely? In reality, this is often not the case and by overlooking an issue, whether consciously or not, when we could be taking simple steps to prevent harm from coming to them, is part of our role as professional trainers as included with our learners are vulnerable people – both children, young people and adults.
Through simple observations of our learners and being aware of anything out of the ordinary, combined with a good awareness of potential safeguarding issues, driver and rider trainers can be additional eyes and ears on the ground, and able to respond in an appropriate way to help safeguard everyone we come into contact with.