The Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing policy was last revised in April 2015. Since then there have been a number of areas of national concern surrounding taxi licensing identified by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in Rotherham carried out by Alexis Jay OBE and the subsequent inspection report of Louise Casey CB.
SKDC has addressed the concerns raised in the Rotherham reports and has agreed to the introduction of mandatory training on Safeguarding and Child Exploitation for new and existing taxi and private hire drivers and operators.
We have already included a comprehensive guide to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in our taxi and private hire policy. The inclusion of mandatory training on Safeguarding Everyone in Lincolnshire and on Tackling Exploitation and Modern Slavery for all taxi and private hire drivers and operators will strengthen this and bring us into line with surrounding local authorities thereby meeting the requirements of the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP).
The training will consist of two e-learning courses provided free of charge by the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership whereby applicants receive training and answer questions online.
To access the training courses go to www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/safeguarding/lscp
You must submit your pass certificates along with your New application or renewal paperwork. Failure to complete and pass the training would, in accordance with the current policy, result either in your driver/operator licence not being renewed or the matter being referred to the licensing committee. This could potentially result in suspension or revocation of the licence.
Existing drivers and operators
All existing drivers and operators must complete and pass Safeguarding Everyone in Lincolnshire training and the Tackling Exploitation and Modern Slavery module every three years.
New drivers and operators
New applicants will be required to pass both courses before they apply for a licence.
Please direct any queries regarding the implementation to licensing@southkesteven.gov.uk. All other queries regarding the e-learning course should be directed to : safeguarding_training@lincolnshire.gov.uk