Safeguarding Policy

Skills & Learning Designated Safeguarding Contacts

Overarching purpose

We believe that ‘Safeguarding is Everyone’s Responsibility’.  We want to help everyone to play a part in helping vulnerable people, learners, staff, friends, families and communities to be safe by knowing the potential sources of harm, the signs to look out for, where to get help and how to report concerns.

Policy intent

Skills & Learning Adult Community Education is dedicated to providing a safe physical and online space in which to learn and thrive. We are committed to safeguarding all of our learners and protecting their right to live and learn in safety, free from abuse and/or neglect.

Skills & Learning Adult Community Education has a statutory and moral duty to ensure that we promote the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults receiving education and training with us and through our partners and subcontractors. We have thorough and effective Safeguarding arrangements in place. This includes how we respond to our duty for Prevent.

The Governing Board takes seriously its responsibility under the Education Act 2014 and the Keeping Children Safe: statutory guidance for schools and colleges, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people and (in line with the Information Sharing Guidance 2008) to work together with other agencies to ensure adequate arrangements within the organisation to identify, assess, and support those young people and adults who are suffering harm.

Adult safeguarding is about preventing and responding to concerns of abuse, harm or neglect of adults. We recognise that all staff and Governors have a full and active part to play in protecting our learners from harm and that their welfare is our paramount concern.

Skills & Learning promotes an ethos where everyone feels safe and secure, valued and respected, is encouraged to talk and is listened to.

We actively promote British Values and act responsibly and swiftly if we suspect that any learner is or could be exposed to or involved in activities linked to terrorism or extremism.

Staff and learners should all be aware of how they can raise concerns about themselves or others and will know how their concerns will be dealt with.

The aims of this policy:

To ensure:

• all reasonable steps are taken to make sure learners and staff are, and feel safe
• learners and staff have up to date knowledge of potential sources of harm and how to take steps to keep themselves their families and their communities safe
• learners and staff recognise the signs of abuse, including radicalisation
• staff know how to respond to safeguarding concerns and disclosures with confidence
• learners and staff know how to report concerns within Skills & Learning and to external agencies
• learners and staff know how to find out more and get help
• we meet our legal and statutory obligations
• we support BCP Council’s safeguarding strategy

How we will achieve our aims:

By:

• professional, ethical and moral leadership and management of the Service
• keeping safeguarding and welfare at the heart of planning and delivery
• encouraging a culture of respect, openness, vigilance and whistleblowing
• ensuring our policy and guidance is up to date and useful
• following appropriate processes in the recruitment of staff and learners, including ensuring at least one member of staff has been trained in safer recruitment when recruiting new staff
• ensuring sound induction and training of staff and learners, supported by relevant and local information and resources
• promoting a culture of health, safety and wellbeing (policies and guidance, lone working, activity, personal, venue risk assessments,)
• developing a proactive team of experienced, trained safeguarding officers with strong links to external partners and agencies
• ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation, guidance, policies and procedures, including for managing ‘Allegations against employees and volunteers’
• obtaining disclosure and barring service checks for staff in all roles with enhanced checks for staff in specific roles, following assessment
• working with subcontractors and employers so they understand their responsibilities and alerting procedures
• reviewing our safeguarding arrangements to support continual improvement
• maintaining up to date records of alerts to inform follow up and prevent patterns being missed
• working with external agencies and partners to understand when and how to refer, communication protocols and share best practice
• risk assessing learners with unspent criminal convictions, referred by the probation service, or identified by JCP prior to acceptance
• adopting a starting position that assumes the risk of harm and actual harm is present in our organisation
• keeping up to date on local risks and sharing awareness of those risks with staff, employers, partners and learners
• delivering a safe online environment and promoting/supporting online safety.

To read the full Safeguarding Policy, click here.

Read more of our policies below