SAFEGUARDING POLICY & PROCEDURE

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SAFEGUARDING POLICY & PROCEDURE

 

Vision statement for Safeguarding

 

To ensure that all learners and staff have the protection of safeguarding practices and are made aware of their rights as individuals and ways to seek help and support.  To promote safeguarding in all aspects of our delivery and our work to ensure full integration into our service and that of other partner organisations and other services to ensure a fully collaborative and comprehensive approach.

 

Through raising the profile of safeguarding and bringing greater awareness of abuse, we aim to reduce risk and thus shape a safer learning environment.

Our Responsibility

STUDY IN LONDON LTD responsible to ensure the safeguarding of our learners, particularly those that may be termed as `vulnerable’.

We take safeguarding seriously to protect our learners from potential harm, to enable them to contribute to a safe learning environment in which learners are supported and can focus on achieving their potential.

What is Safeguarding?

Safeguarding is a moral and legal responsibility.

Safeguarding the safety and well being of learners, especially children (under the age of 18 years) and vulnerable adults, i.e.

  • Protecting children and learners from maltreatment
  • Preventing impairment of children’s and learner’s health or development
  • Ensuring children and vulnerable adults are learning in circumstances where they have a provision of safe and effective care
  • Ensuring their opportunities for optimum success

What is the Definition of a vulnerable adult?

There is no legal definition of the term “vulnerable adult”. The definition adopted by the Institution is as follows:

A vulnerable adult is a person over the age of eighteen who is in, or may be in need of, community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age, or illness; and who is unable to take care of himself or herself, or unable to protect himself or herself against significant harm or exploitation.

What is abuse?

  • Neglect
  • Physical abuse
  • Financial abuse
  • Sexual abuse
  • Psychological/emotional abuse
  • Discriminatory abuse
  • Institutional abuse

Abuse can take many forms including forced marriage, cyber bullying, internet grooming,  domestic abuse and people trafficking

Aims

The aims of the policy are to ensure that:

  • Learners are kept safe and feel safe whilst undertaking on and off the job learning.
  • Learners can thrive and achieve.
  • There is raised safety awareness of learners through training, review and assessment.
  • Greater health awareness is promoted to learners.
  • STUDY IN LONDON LTD are responsive to the needs and concerns of learners and all matters of concern will be dealt with promptly and sensitively.
  • STUDY IN LONDON LTD ensure that all staff are trained and are aware of their responsibilities and are equipped to recognise signs of abuse.
  • Staff and visitors can feel secure.
  • STUDY IN LONDON LTD keep up to date and work with other agencies to improve safeguarding provision.
  • Everyone is assured that their welfare is a high priority.
  • Policy and procedures will be audited regularly and monitored annually for effectiveness and amended accordingly.

Designated Person

STUDY IN LONDON LTD has a nominated manager, Bukola Olaoye, as the person responsible for `safeguarding’, Linda will report directly to Lukman Oteju, Director.

The designated person is responsible for liaison with appropriate partners and external bodies, promotion of awareness training, referrals and to be a source to refer to.  Lukman Oteju, Director, will ensure that the policies and procedures are in place and allocate sufficient resources and time to safeguarding, supporting staff with concerns.

Raising Awareness

Our commitment to safeguarding is promoted and disseminated through our Customer Charter and promotes the governments requirements and the concept that training people to be safe and healthy will have a lifelong impact on themselves and society as a whole.  We promote preventative action – rather than reaction.

Safer Recruitment

STUDY IN LONDON LTD will carry out safer recruiting practices to ensure that we provide a safe and secure working and learning environment.  This includes meeting requirements for CRB checks to meet current legislation.

Practical Delivery

  • Staff will undertake CRB checks as necessary and records of these will be maintained and updated to ensure that they are current.
  • Maintaining records of `next of kin’ contact details for all learners.
  • Specifically to Learners on-programme
  • at Induction a full introduction will be given with contact details.
  • 12 week review – discussion with assessor
  • 24 week review – discussion with assessor
  • 36 week review – discussion with assessor
  • Learners will be made aware that any concerns can be raised at any time via their trainer/assessor or directly to the STUDY IN LONDON LTD
  • Staff meetings – safeguarding will be discussed formally at staff meetings.
  • Training sessions – training will be delivered to all staff including trainers/assessors to meet knowledge requirements.
  • 6 monthly monitoring, review and development of the policy will be undertaken.
  • Positive promotion of safeguarding through signposting leaflets and website.

Staff Responsibilities

Every member of staff has a responsibility to safeguard learners and to:

  • Be aware of policy and procedures and their importance
  • Listen to learners and be vigilant about their welfare
  • Be confident to take action where necessary
  • Report any concerns

 

Remember your responsibilities:

Recognition

Response

Reporting

Recording

Referral

What should staff do if they think that a learner has a safeguarding issue?

  • Always think clearly
  • Ask yourself if there `is a change in the person’?
  • Is there a pattern, e.g. don’t want to go home, won’t remove heavy clothing on a warm day – start diarising and keeping some notes for your own reference
  • Discuss concerns with designated person or refer to designated person for action.

What to do if a learner confides in you

  • Don’t start to interview the person – keep it informal – LISTEN rather than ask questions.
  • Remember to be professional – if the person chooses to confide in you they are taking a big step.
  • For a person under 18 we all have a legal obligation to report abuse and if you are confided in you must advise the young person that you `can’t keep it a secret’ – as soon as possible, sensitively.
  • You cannot promise `it will be better now’ as you cannot guarantee this, however, you can say that they will get support now.
  • Be a good listener and don’t make comments – don’t ask direct questions or prompt.
  • Do not confront an alleged abuser.
  • Refer to designated person in writing and dated, within 24 hours, with full details, the report should be signed and dated.
  • In the case of an adult who is not termed `vulnerable’ provide the learner with a disclosure form and ask them to give it to you or send it directly to Jennifer Lurkins and advise Jennifer within 24 hours to expect the form and send your own report of the incident.

 

 

 

Reporting

Following review, where necessary the designated safeguarding officer will refer this information to the relevant authority within 48 hours of notification.

Liaison will be made with consortium lead safeguarding officers and social services as appropriate.

Records relating to safeguarding incidents will be retained in a confidential, locked file.

Complaints against Staff

If a complaint is made against a member of staff the member of staff will be suspended from their role and interviewed within 48 hours of receipt of the complaint, actions taken thereafter will be determined by a full review of each and every individual circumstance fairly and within safe recruitment guidelines and with referral with other agencies as necessary.

False Allegations

When an allegation is unfounded a confidential record will be kept of the investigation.  Where the allegation has come from a learner the learner should be monitored and signposted to external counselling, as the allegation could be due to abuse from another source.

Whistleblowing

Any member of staff with any safeguarding concerns with regard to another member of staff or an employer is encouraged to share these concerns, this information will be maintained confidentially.  If it is not appropriate to disclose this information to the safeguarding officer then it should be referred to Lukman Oteju.