A 'whole team' approach

It’s never easy to discuss matters, such as abuse and neglect with your colleagues, unless you’re in the middle of refreshing your safeguarding training. Interestingly, however, one of the main underlying messages of a safeguarding course is that effective safeguarding in the dental practice requires teamwork and communication.

So, what could you be doing better within your dental practice to ensure that communication is open and effective in all matters related to safeguarding?

First of all, it’s important to establish if any member of your team feels uncomfortable communicating with other staff about standard safeguarding practices. For example, would everyone on your team feel comfortable approaching a senior member of staff or the safeguarding lead to report their concerns amidst the panic of a real-life incident? Would everyone know who to speak to if they realised their safeguarding training certificate had expired?