Child Safeguarding Policy & Statement

Introduction

Members of The Smart Leaners Academy (SLA) will ensure that their pupils are given tuition in a congenial and safe environment. Each member has a moral and legal obligation to ensure that, when given responsibility for young people, they are treated with the highest possible standard of care. A child/young person is defined as a person under the age of 18 (The Children’s Act 1989 and 2004, and the Children & Young Persons’ Act 2008).

The purpose of this policy is:

To protect children and young people who receive SLA’s services from harm. This includes the children of adults who use our services.

To provide SLA employees, subcontractors/freelancers, as well as children and young people and their families, with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.

This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of SLA, including senior managers and directors, subcontractors, freelancers, and students.

Legal Framework

This policy has been drawn up based on legislation, policy, and guidance that seeks to protect children in England.

Policy Statement

SLA believe children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind and we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them.

Members of SLA are committed to ensuring that:

the welfare of the child is paramount
all children, whatever their age, culture, ability, gender, language, racial origin,religious belief and/or sexual identity are able to receive the benefit of tutoring in a safe environment
all reasonable steps are taken to protect children from harm, discrimination and demeaning treatment is not conducted and to respect their rights, wishes and feelings
all suspicions and allegations of poor practice or abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately

all members who work with children should seek guidance and/or training in good practice and child protection procedures; they work in partnership with parents and children – which is essential for the protection of children
they provide a caring, positive, safe, and stimulating environment in which students can learn and which promotes the wellbeing of the children being taught.

SLA will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

valuing, listening to and respecting them
appointing a nominated child protection lead for children and young people for safeguarding

adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures, and code of conduct for employees, subcontractors/freelancers

developing and implementing effective online safety related procedures
providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training, and quality assurance measures so that all staff and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures and behaviour codes confidently and competently

recruiting and selecting SLA members, subcontractors/freelancers and safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made

recording and storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance

sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children and their families via leaflets, posters, group work and one-to-one discussions

making sure that children, young people, and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern

using our safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families, and carers appropriately

using our procedures to manage any allegations against employees, and subcontractors/freelancers appropriately

creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we deal effectively with any bullying that does arise

ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place

ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff, and subcontractors/freelancers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance

building a safeguarding culture were staff and subcontractors/freelancers, children, young people, and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.

SLA Role

SLA offers guidelines and will give advice on how to deal with a Child Protection incident or concern, but members of SLA do not act as a DCPO or LADO.

Any tutor working for the SLA who requires help and support on a Child Protection issue should in the first instance report the incident to SLA, which in turn will refer the case to the LADO or DCPO. A self- employed (subcontractor/freelancer) tutor who is not attached to SLA should always refer any Child Protection concerns directly to the LADO in their local council.

Allegations

Allegations against a tutor who may have behaved in a way that has or may have harmed a child or committed a criminal office either against or related to a child, or behaved towards a child in a way that suggests he or she is unsuitable to work with children, should be reported immediately to the LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer) or DCPO (Designated Child Protection Officer) in the local authority where the incident is alleged to have taken place.

Advice on how to deal with an allegation can be sought from the LA Education Welfare Service or Child Protection Unit.

Record a Child Protection Incident

All Child Protection incidents must be recorded. It is essential to:

Speak individually with all parties concerned.
Write a record of all conversations.
Write up all telephone conversations with a written report to send to LADO/Child Protection Unit (at the local authority where the incident took place) who will deal with the allegation.

All allegations should be dealt with expeditiously, thoroughly, fairly and with common sense and professional judgement. Any investigation should be carried out as quickly as possible and a decision reached as to whether the allegation is borne out or not supported.

Dependent on the outcome of the investigation, one of three outcomes could arise:

Unsubstantiated.
substantiated in part or in whole but can be dealt with by disciplinary procedures.

substantiated and requiring formal referral in the first instance to the LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer) or DCPO (Designated Child Protection Officer).

Monitor and review the policy, statement, and procedures

This policy shall be reviewed every 3 years or whenever there is a major change in the organisation or when there is relevant legislation. Each review should be dated.

Contact details

Nominated child protection lead.

Name: Reena Borsana

Phone: 07802545594

Email: info@smartlearnersacademy.co.uk

Leicester Safeguarding Children Partnership Board (LSCPB)

Phone: 0116 4546520

Email: LSCPB@leicester.gov.uk

Address: Leicester Safeguarding Children Partnership Board Town Hall,

Town Hall Square,

Leicester

LE1 9BG