Course summary

Gain the skills and experience you need to safeguard and protect the most vulnerable. Our MSc in Child Protection and Adult Safeguarding offers you the chance to get a unique point of view into both children and adult safeguarding, covering the latest trends and policies in safeguarding, and highlighting specific groups who might be at risk of abuse or targeting. We will give you the skills to identify and refer to services that could be used to protect and provide a safeguarding framework. Why study this subject? Many practitioners, regardless of their field, are often appointed safeguarding responsibilities or roles whilst there is a dearth of specific knowledge available. This course will help fill that gap in knowledge, offering those in these roles the opportunity to develop confident, ethical practice and enhance their leadership styles in sharing their knowledge of good practice and reflection. If you are unsure if the master's programme is for you, there is the opportunity to complete a stand-alone module: ‘Critical Practice in Safeguarding’. This might be enough to enhance your practice with an option then to continue onto the master's programme, knowing that one module has already been completed. Why study at Buckinghamshire New University? Our course is unique in that it explores contemporary safeguarding for children and adults. This enables practitioners to work across a range of roles post-qualifying and offers a robust learning experience that can be immediately applied to the practice environment as well as influence policy within organisations. So, if you’re a professional who holds safeguarding responsibilities as part of your role, this course is ideal for you. Our teaching staff are experienced professionals and have links in social work and healthcare, and these links enrich the course through visiting lecturers who specialise in specific areas, such as safeguarding in prisons, safeguarding and mental health and many health-related areas. We also have links with experts who investigate abuse in faith settings and the use of Serious Case reviews provides a basis for considering various forms of cultural considerations in safeguarding practice. This course will provide you with a strong skill set and the confidence to improve the quality of care and communication with vulnerable children and adults. *What facilities can I use? * The university offers a substantial range of facilities and the library is even accessible to you offsite through the online databases and journals, many of these specific to child and adult protection and the environmental factors that increase or minimise risk levels. What will I study? The contemporary nature of the course means that any current trends in safeguarding are explored and changes in policy are considered from the impact on safeguarding practice. Our course is delivered through the use of various media and teaching approaches, which include discussion-based seminars where students are able to explore safeguarding practice in their own organisations, lectures and the use of media such as blogs to consider specific topics during the teaching programme. Some modules demand your input to shape the content, giving you the opportunity to influence what is addressed through the teaching to benefit your practice. The teaching is spread across a number of disciplines including health, social work and psychology. This is supported by experts and specialists who share their knowledge on specific modules, offering a diverse range of knowledge of safeguarding in the practice environment. The individual role as a leader and manager in safeguarding is given its own module, as understanding the impact of your ability to lead in safeguarding is essential to developing good practice across your current organisation and those you may work with in the future.