1 Unit 301 Adults and young people as Essential Skills learners

2 Objectives of the session  Identify legal requirements relating to essential skills learning, including the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults  Summarise the main factors that need to be considered in relation to learner wellbeing, including emotional welfare  Describe how the learning environment can encourage a positive attitude to learning

3 safeguarding  What is meant by Safeguarding?  Who is at risk?  Who’s responsible?  Acceptable behaviour

4 Why is safeguarding important?  “ Safeguarding in the learning and skills sector proceeds from a deep commitment to place the learners at the centre of our concerns, and to build around the learner those policies, practices and processes they need to succeed. The drive for Inclusive Learning has succeeded in bringing into the system learners with a wide range of needs, including many who can now be deemed ‘vulnerable’. Personal safety is a fundamental precondition for effective and successful learning, and can only be felt in a safer learning environment that promotes wellbeing and security for all learners, especially those who are vulnerable.”  Source: The Excellence Gateway

5 Legislation  Further education colleges and providers of adult, community and work- based learning in England and Wales are required by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 to secure the safety of children, young people and vulnerable adults who are their learners. From September 2012 changes came into force as a result of the Protection of Freedoms Act Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006  Equality and diversity legislation  SENDA (Special Education and Needs and Disability Act)

6 Wellbeing In pairs, create a definition of the term ‘wellbeing’

7 Wellbeing Wellbeing can be defined as a positive mental state. In policy terms, it can be defined as the conditions which allow individuals and communities to flourish. The concept of well-being has developed as a way of focusing on positive mental states, and the removal or reduction of those factors that are likely to prevent people from thriving. (NIACE, Well-being and Happiness, 2009)

8 Wellbeing ‘Our values are changing. After a long period in which most people and communities judged their success by measuring material wealth, there is a new interest in the wider quality of our lives. Policy- makers and academics are increasingly interested in how we might gauge whether or not we are satisfied with the lives we lead, and whether people are able to flourish and enjoy their lives. Improving well-being is an urgent challenge for all of us.’ ( NIACE, Well-being and Happiness, 2009)

9 Learning Environment Maintaining all the aspects of the learning environment will help us to nurture our learners’ wellbeing:  Physical  Communicative  Emotional and psychological

10 What can be done to make the environment…  Physically conducive to learning?  Conducive to communication for learning?  Emotionally and psychologically conducive to learning?

11 Your learning environment  Evaluate this learning environment

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13 Activity  Imagine there are no budgetary constraints and complete the ‘Room 101’ activity. Consider all aspects of wellbeing and the learning environment.  Your requests may involve money, time, manpower, resources, equipment, furniture…

14 Objectives of the session – achieved?  Identify legal requirements relating to essential skills learning, including the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults  Summarise the main factors that need to be considered in relation to learner wellbeing, including emotional welfare  Describe how the learning environment can encourage a positive attitude to learning