NFCC launches new eLearning to support safe engagement with children and young people

Fire and rescue staff and volunteers across the UK will now have access to nationally consistent guidance to strengthen safe, confident and professional engagement with children and young people.

To coincide with National Children’s Day on 10 May, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has published a new Introduction to Working with Children and Young People eLearning module. The resource provides a nationally consistent baseline of learning for fire and rescue service staff and volunteers whose roles involve prevention, education and community engagement activities with children and young people.

Available through NFCC’s Organisational Learning Materials Library, the eLearning supports staff and volunteers working in a range of settings, including schools, youth groups, Fire Cadets and other youth‑focused programmes. It has been developed to help ensure those engaging with children and young people understand their responsibilities, maintain professional boundaries and follow safeguarding expectations.

The module introduces key principles to help learners better understand the needs and experiences of children and young people, recognise appropriate professional behaviours, and respond effectively to concerns. It provides an accessible starting point for those new to this work, as well as a refresher for those with existing experience.

Chair of NFCC’s Children & Young People Board, Mark Baxter, said:

“Fire and rescue staff and volunteers engage with children and young people in a wide range of settings, from prevention and education to youth programmes such as Fire Cadets.

“It is vital that they are supported with consistent, high‑quality learning to help them carry out this work safely, confidently and professionally. This e‑learning provides an important foundation, supporting good practice and helping services deliver positive outcomes for children and young people in their communities.

“Launching the eLearning to coincide with National Children’s Day on 10 May reinforces the importance of ensuring staff and volunteers understand their responsibilities, maintain clear professional boundaries, and know how to act on concerns to keep children and young people safe.”

The eLearning sits alongside NFCC’s wider work to support fire and rescue services in their engagement with children and young people, including the Level 2 Award in Fire & Rescue Service – Introduction to Working with Children and Young People, a collaboration with Skills for Justice (SFJ) Awards. By providing consistent national learning materials, NFCC continues to support fire and rescue services to build confidence, capability and good practice when working with children and young people, contributing to safer and more effective prevention and engagement activity in communities.

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 Notes:

• The Introduction to Working with Children and Young People e‑learning is available to NFCC members via the NFCC website as part of National Organisation Learning materials. Members can preview the eLearning via the course landing page, or download this course to be added to their local Learning Management Systems (LMS).
• Please speak with your LMS administrator if you need further assistance on how to access this course. LMS administrators who need support uploading this eLearning should contact organisationallearning@nfcc.org.uk.

What the learning is for:

The Introduction to Working with Children and Young People eLearning is intended to support fire and rescue service staff and volunteers whose roles involve:

• • Engagement, prevention, or education activities with children and young people
  • Community safety work involving schools, youth groups, Fire Cadets, or similar programmes

Any interaction where understanding children’s needs, behaviour, and appropriate professional boundaries is important. This aligns with the NFCC’s wider prevention and safeguarding work and complements the Level 2 Award in Fire & Rescue Service – Introduction to Working with Children and Young People, which NFCC formally launched in 2025.

• The eLearning acts as:
  • An introductory learning resource, not a qualification
  • A nationally consistent baseline, supporting safer and more confident practice
  • A supporting tool, particularly useful for induction, refresher learning, or pre‑course preparation
• How it should be used:
  • Support local training programmes
  • Provide consistent national messaging
  • Sit alongside safeguarding and prevention frameworks already in place

 

• The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is a charity and an independent membership association and the professional voice of the UK Fire and Rescue Service. NFCC supports fire and rescue services to help them to save lives and keep their local communities safe.