Safeguarding and passenger support training
Our drivers and escorts will often be the only people a passenger sees that day. That puts them in a position to notice when something is wrong — and gives them a responsibility to know what to do about it.
Training in development
This page describes training we intend to put in place before we begin carrying passengers. It is not yet delivered, and it is not a course other organisations can book. Our safeguarding policy is being finalised alongside it.
If you are worried about someone right now
Do not wait for us. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999. Otherwise contact the adult or children's safeguarding team at your local council, or use our safeguarding page for how to raise a concern with Community Ride Hub.
Recognise, respond, record
We intend to build the training around three simple things, because under pressure people remember three things and not thirty.
Step 1
Recognise
What abuse and neglect can look like from the driver's seat: unexplained injuries, sudden changes in mood or appearance, a passenger who is always short of money, someone who is never allowed to speak for themselves, deteriorating home conditions seen at the doorstep, or a passenger who seems frightened of the person collecting them.Step 2
Respond
Listen without interrogating. Take the person seriously. Do not promise to keep it secret. Keep the passenger safe for the rest of the journey. Never confront a suspected abuser, and never try to investigate — that is not the role and it can make things worse.Step 3
Record and report
Write down what was seen and heard in plain factual language, as soon as possible, separating fact from opinion. Pass it to the designated safeguarding lead the same day. Escalate directly to the council or the police where there is immediate risk.
What the training would cover
- Types of abuse — physical, emotional, financial, sexual, neglect, discriminatory, domestic and self-neglect — with transport-specific examples
- Adults at risk and children: the differences in thresholds, consent and reporting routes
- Our designated safeguarding lead, who deputises, and what happens after a report is made
- Confidentiality and information sharing: what can be shared, with whom, and why 'I didn't want to break a confidence' is not a defence
- Professional boundaries: gifts, money, lifts outside the service, personal contact details and social media
- Whistleblowing, including concerns about a colleague, and the assurance that raising a concern in good faith is protected
- Lone working and the driver's own safety, including what to do if a driver feels unsafe
Passenger support, not just risk management
Safeguarding is the floor, not the ceiling. The same training block would cover how to make a journey a good one for people who find travelling difficult.
- Dementia awareness: orientation, repetition without irritation, and why arriving early and waiting quietly often works better than hurrying
- Communicating with passengers who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or partially sighted, or who use communication aids
- Learning disability and autism awareness, including sensory sensitivity, predictable routines and the value of the same driver each week
- Mental health awareness, anxiety on first journeys, and de-escalating distress calmly
- Dignity and consent: asking before assisting, never assuming what someone can or cannot do, speaking to the passenger and not over them to a companion
- Loneliness and isolation, and why an unhurried two-minute conversation at the door is part of the service rather than a delay
How often and for whom
- Everyone who has contact with passengers — paid staff and volunteers, drivers, escorts and anyone answering the phone — would complete safeguarding training at induction, before working unsupervised.
- Refresher training would run on a set cycle, with intervals confirmed once our policy is signed off.
- Enhanced DBS checks would be obtained where the role involves regulated activity, and rechecked in line with our policy.
- Every session, refresher and DBS date would be held on the person's training record so we can evidence it to commissioners.
Get involved, or raise a concern
If you want to be part of this, or you need to tell us about something that worries you, both routes are open.