Safeguarding and equalities training

Why do taxi and private hire drivers have to do safeguarding and equalities training?

Those within the taxi and private hire vehicle industry can play an important role in spotting and reporting the abuse, exploitation or neglect of children and vulnerable adults.  However, this is only the case if they are aware of and alert to the signs of potential abuse and know where to turn to if they suspect that a child or vulnerable adult is at risk of harm or is in immediate danger.

For that reason we require all those who want to obtain a licence to drive taxi or private hire vehicles, to undergo safeguarding and equalities training.  Training is mandatory before a licence can be issued, and licence holders have to undertake “refresher” training every three years to ensure their knowledge and awareness is fresh and up to date. It is solely the responsibility of the licence holder to ensure that “refresher” safeguarding courses are undertaken before their current safeguarding certificates expire.

Training courses are currently available to book with the following local authorities in Gloucestershire:

• Tewkesbury Borough Council
• Cheltenham Borough Council
• Gloucester City Council

You can undertake the training at any of these locations as the course content is identical.

Upcoming course dates

Tewkesbury Borough Council:

• 23 June 2026
• 21 July 2026
• 3 August 2026
• 28 September 2026
• 26 October 2026
• 30 November 2026
• 17 December 2026

Cheltenham Borough Council:

• 18 June 2026
• 16 July 2026
• 13 August 2026

Gloucester City Council:

• 14 May 2026
• 3 June 2026
• 15 July 2026
• 11 August 2026
• 9 September 2026
• 15 October 2026
• 10 November 2026
• 2 December 2026

The training takes approximately three hours to complete and courses normally commence at 10:15am.  The start time of the training course will be confirmed when your booking is accepted.

How to book onto a course

Tewkesbury Borough Council

To book onto a course at Tewkesbury Borough Council, you will need to pay the course fee of £40.

You can make your payment online.  Please make sure to select the payment option called “Licensing Safeguarding Training.”

You then need to email us your receipt with the following details:

• Your full name
• Your preferred email address
• The date you would like to attend
• Your badge number and licensing authority (if you are an existing licence holder)
• The Council you are applying to (if you are applying for a licence for the first time)

Please note, if you pay the fee but do not email us with your receipt and these details, you will not be booked onto a course.

Gloucester City Council

The training will take place at: Gloucester City Council, Civic Suite, 3rd floor, North Warehouse, Gloucester, GL1 2EP.

To book your place, payment of £40 must be made beforehand. To make your payment, call 01452 396396.

Cheltenham Borough Council

Information on how to book onto a course at Cheltenham Borough Council can be found online.

What do I need to do after I complete the training?

Once you have successfully completed the training, you will be issued with a certificate.

Existing licence holders will need to send this certificate by email to us.

New applicants should bring the certificate along to their Step 2 appointment.  Further information on applying for a licence can be found on our New driver licence page.