COUNCILLORS and council workers in Pendle are being trained to recognise signs of potential child abuse.

The children and young people’s team at Lancashire County Council will train councillors and officers, as well as staff from local housing associations and Pendle Leisure Trust, in basic child safeguarding issues.

The training is aimed at staff that come into contact with families or children, but are not child protection specialists.

They are being trained to recognise signs of abuse such as injury, the way a child behaves, what they say and the way their parent or guardians act.

County Councillor Pat Case, cabinet member for children and schools, said: "We want to do all we can to protect children across Pendle and the whole county and this scheme is a key part of our plans.

"We've identified a number of local organisations and staff who could come into contact with children and are training them to recognise signs of potential child abuse or neglect.

"By spotting these signs, they can report to our children and young people's team who may be able to take action to protect children and prevent them from further harm."

By being trained to recognise potential signs of child abuse, it is hoped they will be able to pass on information to the children and young people's team, which will carry out investigations.

Diane Booth, the county council's family support service manager for Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, said: "We've run a number of training courses already and had some good feedback from staff who have taken part.

"They've previously been unsure as to what signs of child abuse to look for, but now feel they have the confidence and knowledge to recognise possible signs of abuse.

"Early intervention is crucial and through this training, we hope to give people the skills they need to recognise abuse and report it so cases can be dealt with quickly."