"This was my first time as a DSL. I was a bit nervous about the responsibility of it. I felt much clearer by the end of the course in my ability to assess and take action. I felt quite confident that the
judgements I was making in the exercises were the right ones."
Michelle Germain
Designated Lead Person / Ravens Wood School, Bromley
"Catherine and John provided a detailed, informative and engaging course in a positive and stimulating manner."
Robbie Devlin
Deputy Head teacher/SENCO / Alexandra Infant School
I have a greater understanding of how to treat matters with sensitivity and empathy.
M. Dabo
Kingsdale, Southwark
"The training was really good. I really enjoyed the day. The trainer made safeguarding easy to understand. The material was relevant. The content was up to date and included the [recent] changes to Working Together, with opportunities to participate and discuss. John Guest and Catherine Rushforth instil passion in the attendees. It was definitely worth my while, and I benefited from the course."
Karen Bridges
Lead Manager / Hillyfields Nursery, Lewisham
I have lost count of the really poor, unrelatable training I have attended over the years and the thought of 2 days DSL training did not at first fill me with inspiration, but your approach, the course and the other delegates made for as really enjoyable few days. I felt as though I learned a great amount, met some good folks and was taught in an inclusive fashion, rather than being talked to, or at!
Jamie Purser
Lewisham College
"Very concise, clear delivery - enjoyed the non-dramatic approach, no scaremongering stories. Very professional and thought provoking"
Ann Bernadt
Nursery Teacher / Nell Gwynn Nursery School
The training was a masterpiece, could you kindly pass my thanks to Catherine and Dimitrios, they are knowledgeable and excellent facilitators, I thoroughly enjoyed the training which helped me fill in some gaps in my knowledge.
Benson Chinenzura
Student Services Manager Careers Lead at West London College
"The course was very good. And thorough. John Guest was very knowledgeable. He gave historical context to legislative changes. The pace was good. There was a lot to take in as it was one-day condensed from two days. Would definitely recommend the training."
Hilary Wyatt
Head teacher / Durston House School, Ealing
"The course was excellent. John Guest [the trainer] is very knowledgeable. He included relevant anecdotes. These examples made it very real. My colleague left feeling far more confident in how to deal with these issues. I was most impressed and we will be using you again."
Peter Harris
Head teacher / Ewell Castle School, Surrey
"I found it [the course] a big plus. It got to the nitty-gritty. Both presenters, John Guest and Catherine Rushforth, were very knowledgeable and were a good mix. They passed the ball between one another well. The course helped me get completely up to date. We would like to use you again."
Jacky Pike
Head teacher / Worsley Bridge Primary School, Bromley
I feel that the different strands of learning and experience I have are more consolidated. I feel more able to challenge and less afraid of doing so. I’ve noticed the things I was worrying about were justified and I feel more equipped to deal with them. I’m collaborating more. I’m sharing and wondering more. I feel more competent. I feel more able to step into my authority and be an integral part of a team around the child, rather than a nice addition as a therapist. I’m hopeful that YF [Young Futures] will continue to progress towards a robust model that not only safeguards young people and their babies but anchors staff and helps them to feel safe too. I feel like safeguarding is an ongoing ever-evolving process that is fallible as it involves humans, and humans are prone to skew and drift and over-identify and the rest. As long as we communicate and share and collaborate and think together, however, we should be ok. I’ve learnt to be kind to myself and others, every story is connected, for where are we without professional love in this work? Relationships are at the ❤️ of everything.
Kelly Jordan
Lead Dramatherapist, Young Futures
"Big thanks to John and Catherine. A hugely difficult and complex subject illuminated with clarity, intelligence and thank goodness some humour too... p.s. the food was also lovely!"
Ian Pressland
London Chamber Orchestra
"Catherine and John really do know what they are talking about. I felt inspired by that and it made me feel confident. I learnt a lot. We will use you again and again. I would definitely recommend these courses to others."
Elena Salazar
Family Support Worker / 1st Place Nursery, Southwark
My practice has been put to the test and I have expanded my knowledge 100% surrounding safeguarding. I feel that I am now confident with understanding the steps to take. It [DSL training] has been a thoroughly engaging experience and I look forward to continuing my development.
E. Ferguson
Kingsdale, Southwark
"[The training] made me rethink my professional role as well as my personal role as a parent. I will be doing lots of followup with the team to ensure all staff are trained appropriately and have the confidence to do something."
Tracy RT
Assistant Principal
"All of the course was so beneficial! Such clear and well delivered content. The walking through [the] documents and scenarios was really helpful."
E. Wilson
Head of Centre / Ann Tayler Children's Centre
Catherine has definitely empowered me to take action in areas I felt passionately about and I am happy to say the result has been positive in that a new policy I have written up has been put in place regarding staffing ratios as a result.
KI
"I thought that Catherine and John were a really good team. They complemented one another with their stories and their experience. They gave positive outcomes. I valued that they are experienced practitioners and had experience of our local authority. I would absolutely recommend CR&A courses."
Michelle Germain
Designated Lead Person / Ravens Wood School, Bromley
"This was my first DSL safeguarding course, as I will be the Deputy DSL from next September. I think doing a 2-day course really helped as there was a lot of material, and there was plenty to time for discussion and for questions. I thought it was good that there was a diverse range of experience with safeguarding in the room and doing small group work and changing groups helped us learn off each other. The trainers did a good job in handling some very serious material. They answered all the questions that were asked of them, and spent their lunch time with us too which meant that we could discuss issues informally."
Lizzie Lyons
Deputy Designated Lead Person / Brighton and Hove High School
I really enjoyed the DSL training session. It was very insightful, & thought provoking learning more about the different agencies involved. I have to say it has been one of the best training sessions I have been on. Catherine was a great trainer. It has really helped me in confirming that safeguarding is the area I would like to focus on and move into.
Michelle Hewison
Southwark College
