SAFEGUARDING POLICY

1 Introduction

1.1 The welfare of our students is paramount. All children and vulnerable adults whatever age, culture, disability, gender, ethnic origin, religious beliefs and/or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse. All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately by Results Consortium Limited (thereafter the College).

1.2 The College is fully committed to providing a learning and working environment that is free from abuse and harm

1.3 The College will strive to maintain a safe culture within all its learning and work environments by:

• clearly identifying and communicating the roles and responsibilities within the organisation for safeguarding
• having a clear auditable procedure in place
• training staff in safeguarding procedures
• allocating sufficient resources to safeguarding
• applying zero tolerance to any form of abuse and harm.

1.4 The purpose of this Policy is to set out the College’s approach to safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. This policy is also designed to protect staff against false allegations.

2. Definitions

2.1 The Children Act 1989 and 2004 defines a ‘child’ as a person under the age of 18.

2.2 The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 defines a ‘vulnerable adult’ as a person aged 18 and over, and;

• receiving a social care service
• receiving a health service
• living in sheltered accommodation
• detained in custody or under a probation order
• requiring assistance in the conduct of their affairs
• receiving a service, or participating in an activity, targeted at older people
• disabled, or with physical or mental health conditions

2.3 Abuse is a term to describe ways in which children and vulnerable adults are harmed, usually (but not always) by adults and often by people they know and trust. It refers to the damage done to a child or vulnerable adult’s physical or mental health and wellbeing. Abuse can occur within or outside the family, including a place of learning or training. Newly identified forms of abuse and trends in types of abuse mean our policies and procedures need to be continually reviewed.

3 Procedures and Principles

3.1 Safeguarding and promoting welfare is everyone’s responsibility.

3.2 All employees, directors, board members, partners and other stakeholders have a responsibility to actively make the environment a safe and secure place for all.

3.3 All staff must be familiar with this policy and the procedures by which we report and manage safeguarding concerns. All staff must be:

• receptive to any disclosures from students and alert to possible signs of abuse or self-harm
• familiar with the Staff Code of Conduct and demonstrate high standards in their professional behaviours
• compliant with mandatory safeguarding training, completing updates and attending additional safeguarding related training as required
• current with their working knowledge of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) updates

3.4 The College will clearly identify a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), their location and contact details in formats that are easily accessible to all staff and learners. There will be a deputy in case of sickness, annual leave or in the event of an allegation made against the DSL.

3.5 The College is committed to a policy in which:

3.5.1 Recruitment procedures comply with safeguarding best practice and will be followed in the appointment of all staff. Where staff are required to have contact with children or vulnerable adults, the College will only recruit or appoint staff who are deemed suitable to work with children or vulnerable adults.

3.5.2 All new employees will be made aware of and issued with this policy as part of their induction.

3.5.3 Any member of staff found in breach of the guidance will be subject to disciplinary procedures

3.5.4 All new members of staff and students who are under the age of 18 will have a Young Person’s Risk Assessment carried out as per the Health and Safety Policy.

3.5.5 All new students will be shown the Safeguarding Policy during induction. This will be followed by a discussion and checking of understanding. Understanding will be periodically reviewed.

3.5.6 All children and vulnerable adults within the organisation will be informed that their assessor or tutor will be their nominated contact point for any concerns they may have regarding safeguarding. In addition, they will be given details of the DSL, and asked to report any concerns to their assessor or tutor, or DSL.

3.5.7 The assessors and tutors must liaise with the DSL or any relevant partner organisations with any concerns to ensure safeguarding.

3.5.8 Staff must keep a secure and up to date record of all children and vulnerable adults learning or working in the organisation. They should monitor their progress on a regular basis to check they are safe from abuse and harm whilst on programme, or in a Results-based placement, internship or employment.

3.6 The college will comply with all current data protection legislation by ensuring that all student data in relation to safeguarding is processed in a lawful manner, and seeking to maintain student confidentiality wherever possible.

3.7 The College will always prioritise the sharing of information when this is deemed necessary to keep students safe. In accordance with good practice guidelines, and to ensure that notes and records continue to be available to support

4 Roles and Responsibilities

4.1 The CEO, Principal and Quality Manager are responsible for:
a) Allocating required resources and time to provide adequate safeguarding measures.
b) Providing leadership in ensuring the safety of children and vulnerable adults.
c) Reviewing, updating and approving policy and procedures.

4.2 HR is responsible for:
4.2.1 Putting in place a comprehensive training programme to ensure all staff have a competent understanding of safeguarding that is relevant to their role. This will include relevant safeguarding training and refresher training, to be reviewed on a regular basis

4.2.2 Ensuring mandatory safeguarding is completed in a timely fashion.

4.2.3 Ensuring that all staff appointments are made subject to DBS checks and best practice in Safer Recruitment and ensuring that staff DBS checks are periodically renewed.

4.2.4 Ensuring that correct procedures are adhered to if an allegation is made against a member of staff, and informing the Designated Officer for LBBD, the Education & Skills Funding Agency, and Disclosure and Barring Service where appropriate.

4.3 The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

4.3.1 The Principal of Results Consortium is the DSL; the CEO or Quality Manager will deputise in the Principal’s absence. All must undertake Designated Safeguarding Lead Training.

4.3.2 The DSL will:

• Monitor the policy and communicate changes to all staff and students.
• Ensure all College’s internal meetings have Safeguarding as a standard agenda item, so there are regular opportunities for concerns to be raised and cases discussed.
• Chair monthly meetings with key staff to provide updates and guidance, and to monitor any cases flagged up in internal meetings and/or cases directly reported to the DSL.
• Communicate updates and changes to Student Welfare and Engagement Teams to ensure that key information on safeguarding is reported to students.
• Manage the application of safeguarding procedures.
• Act as the focal point for safeguarding.
• Ensure all staff are competent to undertake their safeguarding duties.
• Clearly communicate the safeguarding policy to all staff.
• Liaise with partner agencies as required, including Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB), via the Essex Coalition of Disabled People
• Where necessary, inform relevant agencies of concerns over safeguarding issues.
• Act as the gatekeeper for safeguarding information requests from external agencies.
• Produce an annual self-assessment review of safeguarding practice and accompanying action plan.
• Liaise with HR in the event that an allegation is made against a member of staff

4.4 Staff members will:

• Be aware of any children and vulnerable adults within their remit
• Comply with policy and procedures
• Promote a safe learning environment
• Ensure all students are aware of the Safeguarding Policy
• Report any concerns to the DSL immediately.

5 Guidance
5.1 Good Practice Guidance

5.1.1 Always work in an open environment avoiding private or unobserved situations.

5.1.2 Encourage open communication.

5.1.3 Treat all children and vulnerable adults fairly with respect and dignity

5.1.4 Maintain a safe and appropriate distance.

5.1.5 Be aware of the effect words or actions may have.

5.2 Practices to be avoided

5.2.1 Spending excessive amounts of time alone with children and vulnerable adults away from others

5.2.2 Straying from the specified task or assignment.

5.2.3 Being unnecessarily inquisitive in a student’s personal life, or being drawn into personal conversations

5.2.4 Saying anything that may make a child or vulnerable adult feel uncomfortable, or that could be interpreted as aggressive, hostile or impatient.

5.2.5 Sitting or standing too close to a student.

5.2.6 Meeting other than at the prearranged, official venue.

5.2.7 Exchanging personal details.

5.2.8 Making contact with students via social media, or posting personal details on social media.

5.3 Practices that should never occur

5.3.1 Never allow allegations made by a child or vulnerable adult to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon.

5.3.2 Never promise a child or vulnerable adult that their confidences will be kept secret.

5.3.3 Never allow children or vulnerable adults to use inappropriate or offensive language or gestures unchallenged.

5.3.4 Never reduce a child or vulnerable adult to tears as a form of control.

5.3.5 Never allow or engage in any form of touching or make suggestive comments to a child or vulnerable adult.

6 Support and Training

6.1 It is recognised that some disclosures might be upsetting and harrowing for staff. The College will offer appropriate support and assistance as necessary to staff involved with safeguarding issues.

6.2 Staff will also need to:

• Undertake the mandatory Flick safeguarding training and maintain currency.
• Attend regular training updates as deemed necessary by the DSL.
• Keep a record of their CPD – Continuing Professional Development, including mandatory training and updates.

7 Implementation of the Policy

7.1 Staff dealing with children and vulnerable adults are trained how to recognise and respond to a situation where abuse is reported and how to report this or any concerns. They should consider and act on 5 R’s: Recognition, Response, Reporting, Recording and Referral.

7.1.1 Recognition – signs and indicators of abuse may just cause concern, but it could be a direct disclosure from someone. A direct disclosure may be made to anyone within the organisation who is trusted by the individual

7.1.2 Response – Appropriate response is vital. No report should ever be ignored. At this point the response is just to listen, stay calm, and not show shock or outrage at what is being disclosed. Questions should never lead or probe, just clarify what is being said. Do not make any promises as to what will happen and be clear that everything will be treated in confidence but must be passed on to the DSL.

7.1.3 Reporting – Immediately report concerns or information to the DSL. Once the report has been made, the responsibility will lie with the DSL. It is recommended to check that appropriate action has been taken by the DSL, but confidentiality may mean that the DSL cannot share this information. If it seems the matter has not been taken forward, staff can make a referral directly to the Independent Safeguarding Authority.

7.1.4 Recording – Always record precisely what has been alleged, using the key words and phrases used by the individual. Avoid paraphrasing. It is appropriate to record own observations of the individual. This record should be passed on in person to the DSL, who will store it securely, where it is only accessible to those staff with safeguarding responsibilities.

7.1.5 Referral – The DSL should gather enough information to make a referral, if appropriate by talking to the appropriate people outside the organisation.

References

• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
• Children Act 1989 and 2004
• Education Act 2002
• Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education 2007
• Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
• Keeping Children Safe in Education update 2023

Additional guidance information sourced from:

• No Secrets
• Every Child Matters
• Independent Safeguarding Authority