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Widening participation backgrounds & safeguarding

Site: OpenLearn Create
Course: Medics and Me Mentor Safeguarding Training
Book: Widening participation backgrounds & safeguarding
Printed by: Guest user
Date: Saturday, 22 November 2025, 10:55 AM

Table of contents

1. What is Widening Participation?

Widening participation in medicine refers to efforts aimed at increasing access to medical education and careers for individuals from diverse backgrounds, particularly those who have been historically underrepresented.

As volunteers for Medics & Me, you are a key player in helping to widen access to medicine for these young people.

These young people will each have unique circumstances, but as widening participation students, they will fall within one or more of these categories:
 

1. Socioeconomic Under-representation
2. Ethnic and Racial Under-representation
3. Geographic Diversity Under-representation

Unfortunately, this aspect of their background leaves WP students more at risk of abuse than those from non-WP backgrounds. This is why Medics & Me volunteers need a good understanding of safeguarding, and the children they are working with.

References:


Heprofessional- What is Widening Participation

2. Why might students from WP backgrounds be at greater risk of harm?

Students from widening participation backgrounds may be more likely to experience abuse due to several interrelated factors:

Vulnerability Due to Socioeconomic Factors:

  • Financial Strain: Economic instability can lead to high-stress environments, potentially making students more susceptible to abusive relationships or situations.
  • Housing Instability: Those in precarious living conditions may face exploitation or abuse, particularly if they are living in unsafe environments.
Limited Support Networks:

  • Isolation: Students may lack strong support systems, leaving them more vulnerable to manipulation or abuse.
  • Lack of Mentorship: Students may struggle to recognize or address abusive situations without mentors to guide them.
Educational Disparities:

  • Lower Awareness of Rights: Students from underrepresented backgrounds may not be as informed about their rights or available resources.
  • Inadequate Preparation: These students may not have the same education around healthy relationships and personal safety.
Discrimination and Prejudice:

  • Experiences of Marginalisation: Discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status can increase vulnerability to abuse, as individuals may feel pressured to tolerate harmful situations.
  • Cultural Barriers: Cultural norms and stigmas may discourage reporting abuse, especially in communities where seeking help is viewed negatively.
Mental Health Factors:

  • Increased Stress and Anxiety: The pressures of navigating education, financial instability, and social isolation can exacerbate mental health issues, leaving students more susceptible to harmful relationships.
  • Historical Trauma: Some students may carry the effects of past trauma, impacting their resilience and increasing vulnerability to further abuse.
Lack of Access to Resources:

  • Limited Access to Support Services: Students may not know about or have access to services that can help them navigate abusive situations.
  • Transportation and Mobility Issues: Practical barriers to accessing resources can prevent people from seeking help or escaping abusive circumstances.
References:



Education in England (EPI)- Annual Report 2018 Key Drivers of the Disadvantage Gap

3. Adverse Childhood Events

When considering the safeguarding needs of young people from WP backgrounds, we must consider more than their immediate experiences. As outlined on the previous page, there are a lot of considerations to be had around the current lifestyle of the WP students we will work with and how they may be at risk now. We should also hold an awareness of how their history will affect their present. 

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are stressful or traumatic experiences that can greatly impact children and young people throughout their lives. Similar to historical abuse, ACEs can occur long before the student begins to work with Medics & Me, and yet could come up as part of the mentoring process. 

While not directly related to your role in safeguarding, it is useful to understand what ACEs are and how these might impact those from WP backgrounds. 

The experiences below are widely recognized as common ACEs:


Additionally:
  • Young person with caring responsibilities
  • Poverty
  • Online Harm
  • Displacement
  • Criminal Activity
  • Long-term Unemployment
  • Family Conflict and Violence
  • Bereavement
  • Lack of Opportunity for Growth
  • Discrimination & Racial Violence
  • Fear of Unsafe Neighbourhood
  • Inequality of Resources
  • Low School Attendance
  • Divisive Political and Media Commentary
  • Isolation
There is obvious overlap between this list of common ACEs, and criteria for widening participation in medicine. Some of these experiences may be ongoing, and others may be in the past.

It is important to distinguish that a disclosure of an ACE is not always a safeguarding disclosure, however they are often one and the same, and the number of ACEs a student experiences has a direct impact on their adolescence and early adulthood.


References:

Young Minds - Addressing Childhood Adversity and Trauma


Liverpool CAMHS - What are ACEs?

4. ACEs & WP Students

As with experiences of abuse, the link between ACEs and WP students is significant, and multifaceted. Some aspects are outlined below:

Impact of ACEs on Educational Outcomes:

Students with high ACE scores often experience mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, which can hinder academic performance.


Socioeconomic Factors:

Students from widening participation backgrounds often come from lower socioeconomic situations, where the prevalence of ACEs can be higher due to factors such as financial instability, housing insecurity, and lack of access to supportive resources. Those with ACEs may struggle to break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage, further affecting their educational trajectories and opportunities.

Long-term Implications:

ACEs are linked to a higher risk of physical and mental health issues in adulthood, which can impact career opportunities and overall quality of life. Students with a history of ACEs may be less likely to complete their education, limiting their career options and perpetuating cycles of disadvantage.


The students who are supported by Medics & Me may be experiencing the negative impact of ACEs unknowingly, and as volunteers, an awareness of these interconnecting factors may help support you to more knowledgeably mentor these young people.
References:


Education in England (EPI)- Annual Report 2018 Key Drivers of the Disadvantage Gap

NHS (mft)- Advserse Childhood Experiences and Attatchment