Information
Learner Handbook
Who can learn with us
ourses are funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency.
Courses are no cost to you if you:
- are aged 19+, live in Wiltshire, and have been a resident in UK/EU for 3+years (refugees* / asylum seekers / have right to remain status are exempt from the 3-year residency requirement)
- And you either:
- are not in work and looking for work, or
- are in receipt of benefits (other than child benefit), or
- are a family with a child needing additional support, or
- are a military family, or
- have less than 5 GCSEs grades A-C / 4 (or have less than grade C maths for a maths course).
If you are unsure if you can join, please contact us to talk things through.
Please contact us at familyandcommunitylearning@wiltshire.gov.uk or call the team on 01225 770478, leave a voicemail and we will call you back to have a chat.
* If you are a refugee, we will need evidence of your immigration permission. This would include the biometric residence permit (BRP) and in some cases an accompanying letter from the Home Office. We are also able to support Asylum Seekers
Ofsted and Learner View
Family and Community Learning was inspected in November 2022 and graded good, the report can be found here.
Governance
The vision and strategy for FaCL programmes supports a targeted learning programme which helps engage individuals of different ages and backgrounds to gain new skills, reconnect with learning, learn how to support their children better and prepare them for progression to further learning, employment and volunteering. The focus is on delivering high quality learning that includes partnership working across the Council and communities countywide.
Partnerships
Our partners are key to our delivery and help widen participation. We value our excellent working together relationships. We know that we need to work with others to make sure we offer learning to as many Wiltshire people as possible. Here are some of our valued partners.
- Spurgeons Children’s Charity
- The Rise
- Building Bridges programme
- Libraries
- National Careers Service
- DWP
- Selwood Housing
- Green Square Group
- Wiltshire Council Housing
- Sovereign Housing
- Julian House
- Wiltshire Council Community Engagement Managers
- Wiltshire Council Local area coordinators
- Wiltshire Council Health Improvement Coaches
- Wiltshire Council Families and Children Transition
- Military Army Welfare Service: Tidworth Lyneham Colerne garrisons
- Wiltshire Primary Schools and the Parent support advisors
Please get in touch with us familyandcommunitylearning@wiltshire.gov.uk if you would like us to engage with a group you know about.
We would love to hear from you.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults is everyone’s responsibility.
Safeguarding for our learners
Children in Need
British Values
Safeguarding
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults is everyone’s responsibility.
Safeguarding for our learners
You have the right to feel safe where you learn.
Other people should not hurt or abuse you in any way. Other people should not threaten to hurt or abuse you.
Your responsibilities are:
- to respect other people’s rights to safety;
- not to hurt or abuse others; and
- not to threaten to hurt or abuse others.
There are staff who are there to support you and help make your place of learning safe.
If you are feeling sad, upset, hurt, scared or worried, you can talk to any member of staff or one of the Safeguarding Team.
Designating Safeguarding Leads:
Rowena Prentice 07891 144439
Lucinda Murray 07768 926662
Helen Edwards-Matheou 07880 482807
Laura Trowbridge 07827 283932
Please click image to download.
Children in Need
Accessing the right level of support early on. All children and young people deserve the best possible start in life. They need to be cared for, protected from harm and supported in their development. Sometimes a child or young person needs some extra support to reach their full potential. They are vulnerable due to their individual needs or pressures within their own family, peers and wider community. Sometimes parents realise there is a problem but struggle to know how to get help.
In Wiltshire, there are many services available to help meet children’s needs. Early help can provide support before difficulties reach crisis point.
If you think your child needs further support, talk to someone who works with them, maybe at School, the Health Visitor or Children’s Centre. They will discuss with you whether a referral should be made to a service that could help.
For further details visit:
http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/children-young-people-worried
http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/children-young-people-out-of-hours-safeguarding
If you think a child or young person is at risk of significant harm, neglect, or is injured, contact the Children’s Social Care Team on 01380 826200 (out of hours 0845 6070 888) or if there is immediate danger phone the police or emergency services on 999.
British Values
The British Values of:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect
- Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
are actively promoted by Wiltshire Family and Community Learning.
All learners will have:
- An understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process
- An appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their wellbeing and safety
- An understanding that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law
- An understanding of the importance of identifying and combating discrimination
Promoting fundamental British values as part of SMSC in schools
Prevent
The Prevent strategy
The Prevent strategy addresses all forms of terrorism. The most significant threat is currently from terrorist organisations in Syria and Iraq and Al Qa’ida associated groups. But terrorists associated with the extreme right also pose a continued threat to our safety and security.
The Government remains absolutely committed to protecting freedom of speech in England and Wales. But preventing terrorism will mean challenging extremist ideas that are also part of a terrorist ideology.
The Government define ‘extremism’ as vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. Also included in the definition of extremism are calls for death of members of our armed forces, whether in this country or overseas.
Channel
Channel forms a key part of the Prevent strategy. The process is a multi-agency approach to identify and provide support to individuals who are at risk of being drawn into terrorism.
Whilst the Channel provisions are counter-terrorism measures, the way in which Channel will be delivered may often overlap with the implementation of the wider safeguarding duty.
Channel is about ensuring that vulnerable children and adults of any faith, ethnicity or background receive support before their vulnerabilities are exploited by those that would want them to embrace terrorism, and before they become involved in criminal terrorist related activity.
It works best when the individuals and their families fully engage with the programme and are supported in a consistent manner.
The multi-agency involvement in the Channel process is essential to ensure that vulnerable individuals have access to a wide range of support. Information sharing is an essential part of the process to determine whether an individual requires support, and if so, what that should consist of.
Identifying vulnerable individuals
There is no single way of identifying who is likely to be vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism. Factors that may have a bearing on someone becoming vulnerable may include: peer pressure, influence from other people or via the internet, bullying, crime against them or their involvement in crime, anti-social behaviour, family tensions, race/hate crime, lack of self-esteem or identity and personal or political grievances.
Early indicators may include:
- Showing sympathy for extremist causes
- Using insulting to derogatory names for another group
- Increase in prejudice-related incidents committed by that person (assault, provocative behaviour, damage to property, refusal to cooperate etc.)
- Communications with others that suggests identification with a group, cause or ideology
- Glorifying violence or condoning or supporting violence towards others
- Evidence of possessing illegal or extremist literature
- Advocating messages similar to illegal organisations
- Out of character changes in dress or personal appearance, behaviour and peer relationships
- Loss of interest in friends and activities not associated with the extremist ideology, group or cause
For further information visit the Let’s Talk About it website
Consent Prior to Support
Participation in Channel is voluntary and requires consent to be given by the individual (or their parent/guardian in the case of a child) in advance of support measures being put in place. Where someone does not wish to continue with the process, it may be appropriate to provide alternative support through other mainstream services, such as Children or Adult Social Care Services.
More information on safeguarding children can be found in the:
What to do if you have a concern?
Contact your local police force or dial 101 (the non-emergency number) for support and advice.
Concerns relating to extremism can be raised directly using the Department for Education dedicated helpline:
Telephone 020 7340 7264
Email: counter.extremism@education.gsi.gov.uk
*Please note that the helpline is not intended for use in emergency situations, such as a child being at immediate risk of harm or a security incident, in which case the normal emergency procedures should be followed.
For further information visit the Let’s Talk About it website
Online safety for children
What they might see or do
- Seeing or sharing of violent, sexual and pornographic content
- Inaccurate or false information and extreme views
- Promotion of harmful behaviours including self-harm, anorexia and suicide
- Over-sharing of personal information
- Actively or unintentionally getting involved in bullying or hurtful behaviour
Who they might meet
- People who might bully, intimidate or frighten
- People posing behind fake profiles
- Sexual grooming and stalking
- Blackmail and extortion
- Identity theft and hacking
How could this affect them
- Fear of missing out leading to excessive use or exaggeration
- Getting upset by things they have seen and being uncertain about what to do
- Engaging, or being pressured into engaging in risky behaviour
- Developing unrealistic, and perhaps depressing ideals of body image and gender
- Becoming subject to peer pressure or interactions that are intense or too difficult to handle
- Creating an online reputation that may create problems for them in the future
Minimise the risks for children
- Work through safety and privacy features on the apps. Make sure they understand the point of these and how to use them
- Ask them to show you which social media apps they use and what they like about them. Talk about how they use them and what makes them so engaging
- Explain how you can use privacy settings to make sure only approved friends can see posts and images.
- Switch off devices that give a user’s location
- Show how to report offensive comments or block people who upset them
- Check ‘tagging’ settings so that when others are posting or sharing photos online, their identity is not revealed
- Encourage them to talk to you if they see anything that upsets them
For more information
You can find out more about how children use social media, the apps they use, the risks they face, how to use privacy settings, and advice and tips about how to talk to your children at:
Concerned about online grooming or sexual behaviour online?
Contact CEOP
For further information visit the Let’s Talk About it website
Social media guidance
