Training FAQ

'Frequently Asked Questions' provides answers to questions you may have about attending training. Please read through these before emailing SVPP training with an enquiry.

1. How often should I update my safeguarding training? +

The SVPP recommends that designated safeguarding leads update their training every two years. For other staff this should be updated at least every three years. All agencies have responsibility for giving regular in-house updates for staff in addition to staff attending SVPP courses.

2. What courses can I take to update my training? +

Guidance for education staff has been produced by the Wiltshire Schools Effectiveness team. All staff are encouraged to identify which training is most relevant to their safeguarding duties and select a course that has not already been undertaken.  See the courses page for more information.

3. Do I have to take multi-agency training? +

An understanding of each others roles and responsibility can support collaborative working and information sharing when it comes to safeguarding. Gaps in multi-agency working and communication are often key learning points in children's and adult's case reviews. Multi agency training can help support staff in working together to keep children and adults safe from harm.

4. Where do I book a course? +

To register for an account and book courses click here. Existing users can log in here. Bookings need to be made via your Virtual College account and can’t be taken over the phone or email. When registering there will be a mandatory Cost Centre box for all Wiltshire Council staff to fill in when registering. If you are not a Wiltshire Council member of staff, please pop N/A in the box. If you already have an account and you are a Wiltshire Council employee, please log in to it and add in your cost centre.

5. Help with registering with an account +

Register for face to face and e-learning courses via the link in question 4. Register your details and select a Group that you belong to. When registering there will be a mandatory Cost Centre box for all Wiltshire Council staff to fill in when registering. If you are not a Wiltshire Council member of staff, please pop N/A in the box. You will receive a Welcome Email with your login details and a link for you to login and activate your account. When you login for the first time you will be prompted to change your password.

The system will use your email address as your login / username. This means that you can’t use the same email address as another person as the system will flag up that you already have an account. Any setting that only has one generic email address for all staff will be unable to use this email address; staff will need to use their own personal email address if they don’t have their own work email address.

When you register, the “Organisation” box is for your organisation / setting’s name. Enter your full organisation address, including the postcode, in the address box.

6. How do I request e-learning courses? +

Once logged in, select Learning, then select 'Available Learning'. Enrol on the course and the SVPP administrator will authorise your application. This is usually done within 1 working day of you applying.

7. How can I book on a face to face course or webinar? +

Once logged in, select Events. Here you will be able to select the Active Events (that you are already booked on) or select Available Events to apply for a course or webinar from our list.

8. How do I access my course once I have applied? +

Once logged in, select Learning for e-learning courses or Events for face to face training or webinars. Any courses that you have on your record will be under the Active Learning or Active Events headings.

For e-learning, you will be able to Start or Continue the course from here. You can review any course that you have completed from the Completed Learning heading. Select Review to view the course content again.

9. Does the e-learning work on my mobile phone? +

Yes, although Virtual College would recommend that you use a PC or laptop with Google Chrome to have the best e-learning experience.

10. How do I print my certificate? +

Once logged in, select Awards and the select the course name. Here you can either print your certificate or download it as a PDF.

11. The course I want is full. When will other dates be available? +

This can vary so to stand the best chance of knowing when new dates are available, add yourself to the waiting list on Virtual College for the course you’d like. Do this via the Events tile on your account after you have selected the course. Anyone on the waiting list will be contacted once dates are available or if a space becomes available on dates already booked in that were full.

12. How do I join a waiting list for a course / webinar?+

If an event is fully booked you will be able to join a waiting list in some instances.

From your User Dashboard, navigate to Events. Access the Available Events tab to see what Events are currently being run. Select the event you wish to join the waiting list for.

The details of the session will be shown and you can either Cancel or Register Session Preference.

By selecting Register Session Preference you will then be asked whether you want to select which waiting list you would like to be added to and the option to send a message to the administrator alongside your request.

Select confirm and you will have been added to your preferred waiting list. If a space then becomes available on the event, you will be notified via email and you can book yourself onto the event.

Remove yourself at any point from the waiting list by selecting the event from available events and selecting Remove from Waiting List.

13. How do I cancel a course or webinar booking? +

From the user dashboard, select the Events icon. You will then need to go to Active Event. Select the event you want to cancel. Select the Cancel Attendance button. Not all events are set to allow cancellations and some events may have a cut off date, after which users are unable to cancel their attendance, for example, if it is close to the date on which the event is due to take place. If the Cancel Attendance button is not showing for your event, you are unable to cancel your attendance.

14. How do I reset my password on my Virtual College account? +

From the login page, click on the Forgotten your password? link. Then enter your email address, tick I’m not a robot and click on the Request Password Reset button.

If completed successfully, you will be sent an email with a password reset link. Please note, it can take a few minutes for the email to arrive. The email may also filter into your spam or junk folder of your email inbox, so please check in there in case it doesn't enter your main inbox. Follow the instructions in the email and click the link within it to reset your password.

If this doesn't work, please contact Virtual College via the following email address:

virtualcollege@netexlearning.com

15. How do I access Help and Support on Virtual College? +

Once logged in, click on the ? button.

Or you could access the Virtual College Help portal: Virtual College Help Centre (virtual-college.co.uk)

16. I have completed safeguarding training in another authority, do I have to complete an SVPP course? +

It is recommended that you speak to your manager or safeguarding lead within your own organisation to discuss your training needs and identify the correct training for your role.

17. How do the SVPP decide what courses to offer? +

Oversight of the multi-agency training programme is held by the SVPP Practice Development Group.  Agencies can make training requests to the SVPP by emailing svpp@wiltshire.gov.uk

18. I have completed a course. How do I get my certificate? +

Certificates for e-learning courses will be available via your Awards tile on your account.

Certificates for courses / webinars will be available after the attendance has been updated. This is usually within 5 working days of the event. You will be sent an email that a module has been assigned to you on your Virtual College account. This module will have the same name as the course you attended and it will contain course documents, an evaluation and a certificate. Once the course documents have been looked at by you, the evaluation will be released for completion. Once this has been completed, the certificate for the course will be unlocked.

19. I cannot find the link to my course booking +

All course bookings can be found on your Virtual College account. You will need to click Events and then Active Events to see them. Links to any virtual courses will be set to you via a reminder email, along with any pre-course documents you may need roughly 1 week before the course date.

20. I am booked on a virtual course / webinar, where do I find the link to join? +

You will be sent a link to the event roughly 1 week before the course / webinar date via a reminder email. This will be sent to your email address and will come from svpptraining@wiltshire.gov.uk. It will state in this email if the event is running via Microsoft Teams or Zoom and all the course information you will need. 

21. How do I know if a course / webinar I would like to attend has a charge? +

It will state in the course description when you are applying if there is a charge to attend the training and if there is, who is charged and how much the charge is. It will also state this on the Courses page of this website under each course heading.

22. How do I view the details for a course / webinar I am due to attend? +

Check the reminder email you are sent if it is less than 1 week before the event date or you can use your Virtual College account. From your User Dashboard, select the Events icon. You will then need to go to Active Events. Select the event you want to view the details for. The details of the event will then be shown. You can also view details of an event by selecting the date of that particular event on the calendar. After selecting Date, the details of the event on that day will show on-screen.

23. Can the SVPP support me with in-house training? +

The SVPP only provides multi-agency training and is not able to offer single agency training for organisations.

24. I am struggling with eLearning, who do I contact? +

If you are having technical difficulties with an e-learning course, please contact Virtual College:

01943 885095

virtualcollege@netexlearning.com 

25. Am I a contributing agency type / do I need to pay to attend training? +

If a course has an attendance charge, this will be stated in the course descriptions on this website and when you go to apply via your Virtual College account. Apart from Safer Recruitment, (there is a charge for everyone to attend this course) all other courses will either state they are free to attend or that there is a charge for non-contributing agencies. A non-contributing agency is an agency that doesn’t contribute annually towards the running on the SVPP. Contributing and non-contributing agencies include:

Contributing Agencies (there is no charge to attend any of our courses, other than Safer Recruitment which everyone pays for):

  • Wiltshire Police
  • Wiltshire Council (Including Maintained Schools, Foster Carers)
  • BSW ICB (Including Wiltshire GP's)
  • Wiltshire Probation
  • Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust

Non-Contributing Agencies (pay to attend all our courses with an attendance charge):

  • Anyone who works outside of Wiltshire
  • Army Welfare / MOD
  • Avon and Wiltshire Partnership (AWP)
  • Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
  • RUH NHS Foundation Trust
  • Early Years (Pre-schools, nurseries, children’s centres, childminders etc)
  • Independent Schools
  • Academies
  • Medvivo
  • Voluntary Sector / Charity

If your agency isn’t listed above and you are unsure if you need to pay to attend training, please contact us and we will do our best to help. Please be aware, late cancellation charges and non attendance charges apply to everyone.

Taylorfitch. Bringing Newsletters to life