Mid Devon District Council continues to support taxi drivers with safeguarding through its popular awareness course.

Since its launch in 2017 ninety percent of Mid Devon’s taxi drivers have now undertaken safeguarding awareness sessions, organised by the Council’s licensing and community safety team.

The course is funded by the Community Safety Partnership and run by Karen Anderson, a former Devon and Cornwall Police officer with the public protection department. The course has been well received by drivers and now makes up a mandatory condition of becoming a licensed taxi driver in Mid Devon.

Mid Devon District Council’s specialist lead for licensing, Tom Keating, said:

“We have a duty to ensure both our licensed drivers and their customers are protected as much as possible. Unwittingly these drivers may become aware of a serious safeguarding issue through their line of work and we want them to be alert to this and ensure they know what to when they do have a concern.   Our drivers have been very receptive to the training so far and we are grateful to them for showing this commitment.”

Cllr Derek Coren, Chair of the Licensing and Regulatory Committee at Mid Devon District Council, said:

“Through their work taxi drivers are very much a part of the community. This training is about providing drivers with the information they may need to identify and report safeguarding concerns. The message is simple, if you see something, say something. We believe that by doing this, drivers can play an important role in the safeguarding process”.

The course content includes:

• Awareness of the different forms of exploitation including human trafficking, child sexual exploitation and modern slavery
• Understanding what safeguarding is and your responsibilities
• Recognising signs of exploitation and abuse
• Knowing who to contact if you suspect a safeguarding issue

From 28 June this year completion of the course will be mandatory for all existing licence holders and new drivers will be required to complete the training within the first 12 months of the job.

Further details can be found at Licensing.

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