An exploratory study investigating perceptions, opinions and experiences of safeguarding education within pre-registration children’s nursing curricula

Aim: To explore perceptions, opinions and experiences of safeguarding education within pre-registration children’s nursing curricula. Methods: Using a qualitative research method, an online questionnaire, was developed and disseminated to pre-registration children’s nursing students to complete via an weblink which was added to their programme virtual learning environment (VLE). Findings: This study, highlighted the need to integrate other pedagogies within safeguarding education. This includes, implementing more practical based workshops within University, such as, completing safeguarding referrals to social care and undertaking case vignettes from a multi-professional perspective. Conclusion: Therefore, the recommendation from this study, for future safeguarding education in pre-registration children’s nursing curricula includes; incorporating a hybrid experiential learning approach, through problem and simulation based (PBL-SBL) learning, to support the theory to practice divide and ensure practitioners are fit for practice.