I volunteer at a day centre for Vulnerable adults, they are not registered with CQC. Are staff and volunteers required to have all mandatory training including Safeguarding?
Thank you

Answered by Sheila Scott

Dear Patrice,

Mandatory training covers areas such as Moving and Handling, First Aid, Fire Safety and is very important in services where people are in receipt of social care even though the service may not be registered by CQC. You should have the appropriate mandatory training.

Health and Safety Regulations apply to all workplaces and not just to care services. The regulations offer protection both to workers and to service users.

The Health and Safety Executive says: “Our mission is to prevent death, injury and ill health in Great Britain’s workplaces.”

HSE’s website can be found here: Health and Safety Executive

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) says on its website:
Whatever sort of business you are, there is always the possibility of an accident or damage to someone’s health. All work exposes people to hazards, be they: loads which have to be manually handled; dangerous machinery; toxic substances; electricity; working with display screen equipment or even psychological hazards such as stress.

The reason there are not even more accidents and diseases caused by work is because systems of prevention are in place which have been built up over generations. Safety does not come about by accident: most accidents happen because they have not been prevented. Yet despite all the precautions that are taken in the UK, there are still over 640,0001 workplace injuries every year as well as 1.8 million cases of ill health caused or made more by work.

In 2011/12, 27 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury. Even small businesses have accidents. Accident rates in small businesses can be higher than in large operations.

You can visit the RoSPA website here: Health & Safety Advice Pack for Smaller Firms

As a volunteer you also need to have the appropriate protection of the law.

Best wishes.

Sheila