Safeguarding
The Makaton Safeguarding workshop is designed to support
professionals and carers of children and adults with severe
communication and learning disabilities. The workshop builds on existing
knowledge of signs and symbols and provides instruction for extra signs
and symbols specific to this area of need and access to further
resources.
Participants are invited to consider differing protocols and
practice. Activities of the workshop will enable participants to
consider how the vocabulary may be safely applied to promote
communication for people who use Makaton within a range of levels and
contexts.
This unique workshop provides signs and symbols for a range of vocabulary covering a number of topics:
- People: family, relationships and people around us
- Body parts and clothes
- Places
- Feelings: feelings, thoughts and behaviours (including bullying and abuse)
- Sexual behaviour
Learning outcomes
By the end of the workshop you will be able to:
- Explain Makaton Approaches to Safeguarding and describe how they link with existing safeguarding practices;
- Demonstrate an understanding of the range of people Makaton users
could come into contact with at different ages and stages in their
lives;
- Demonstrate how Makaton can be personalised and used at different levels of complexity to meet individual needs;
- Identify vocabulary required by a Makaton user and be able to apply the principles of this analysis to the user’s own setting;
- Demonstrate an accurate recall and production of signs and recognition of Makaton symbols;
- Demonstrate an understanding of the difference between comments and
questions, and an appreciation of how to maintain an interaction with a
Makaton user;
- Describe strategies or methods appropriate to use with a Makaton user to help them understand and use vocabulary or concepts;
- Develop a ‘Safeguarding through Makaton’ plan for implementation in your own setting.
Duration
The Makaton Safeguarding Workshop is made up of 4 modules which can be delivered in a number of different ways, for example:
- over 2 days
- 4 sessions delivered over a number of weeks
Entry criteria
Prior to attending the Safeguarding workshop you must have attended a Level 1 and a Level 2 workshop.
In preparation for the workshop you will need to make sure you are
confident in using the signs and symbols from Stages 1-4 and Additional
of the Core Vocabulary. You may bring your copies of the Core
Vocabulary books to refer to during the workshop.
You will also need to bring the following documents to the workshop if your organisation has them:
- Safeguarding Policy and Guidance
- Communication Policy
- Communication assessment/profiles for service users in your organisation
Study materials
You will receive a Safeguarding workshop workbook which includes the
signs and symbols that you have learned. You will also be given a
certificate of attendance.
Please remember to keep your workshop certificate in case you want to attend further Makaton training.
Find a Makaton Safeguarding workshop