Introduction

All children and young people will have the same protection regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity.

This Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy applies to all staff, including, local guardians, drivers, host families, volunteers and sessional workers, or anyone working on behalf of this company.

We believe that a child or young person should never experience abuse of any kind. We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people and keep them safe.

This policy is to be read in conjunction with the following policies and documents:

• Anti-bullying and (including cyber-bullying) policy
• Anti-Radicalisation Policy
• E-safety policy
• Missing student Policy
• Safer Recruitment Policy
• Staff and Homestay Code of Conduct
• Whistleblowing Policy
• Emergency procedure (This includes information on the guardianship organisation’s approach to foreseeable emergencies, such as a pandemic.)

Purpose:

• To inform all staff of their responsibilities for safeguarding children and young people and to enable everyone to have a clear understanding of how these responsibilities will be carried out.
• Establish and maintain an environment where Redoor Education staffs and volunteers feel safe, are encouraged to talk and are listened to when they have concerns about the safety and well-being of a child.
• Ensure children know that there are adults in the company whom they can approach if they are worried.
• Ensure that children, who have additional/unmet needs, are supported appropriately. This could include referral to Early Help services or specialist services if they are a child in need or have been / are at risk of being abused and neglected.
• Protect children and young people in our care from maltreatment and impairment.
• Children may not feel ready or know how to tell someone they are being, abused, exploited, and/or neglected , as they may not recognise their experience, as feeling harmful

Redoor Education Ltd, a member of Association of Child Protection Professionals, has a responsibility to provide a safe and secure environment in which children can thrive.

All Redoor Education staffs therefore receive appropriate safeguarding training during their induction training (which is updated regularly), so that they are knowledgeable and aware of their role in the early recognition of the indicators of abuse or neglect and of the appropriate procedures to follow. In addition, all staff members receive safeguarding and child protection updates as required, but at least annually, to provide them with relevant skills and knowledge to safeguard children effectively.

All temporary staff/volunteers are made aware of the policies and procedures and trained by the Designated Safeguarding Lead including Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy.

Terminology

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children refers to the process of protecting children from maltreatment, preventing the impairment of health or development, ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) – This is the person identified as taking the lead in safeguarding matters in an organisation. This person (and possibly a deputy) will be trained to a higher level.

Prevent – Prevent is the name given to part of the government’s strategy to prevent terrorism by reducing the possibility of radicalisation.

Local Safeguarding Partnership (LSP) – Formerly Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and consisting of the local authority, the clinical commissioning group within the local authority and the chief office of police within the local authority.

LADO – The role of the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is to coordinate all allegations and concerns made against a person who works with children.

Child Protection refers to the processes undertaken to protect children who have been identified as suffering, or being at risk of suffering significant harm.

Staff refers to all those working for or on behalf of Dukes Guardians, full time or part time, temporary or permanent, in either a paid or voluntary capacity.

Child includes everyone under the age of 18 years old. Those over 18 but on a roll of an education setting are referred to Adult services for support.

Parent refers to birth parents and other adults who are in a parenting role, for example step-parents, foster carers and adoptive parents.

What is safeguarding?

Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.

Safeguarding means:

• protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
• preventing harm to children’s health or development
• ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
• taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.

What is child protection?

Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.

What is abuse?

Abuse is a form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others. Abuse can take place wholly online, or technology may be used to facilitate offline abuse. Children may be abused by an adult or adults or by another child or children.

Peer on peer abuse

All staff should be aware that children can abuse other children (often referred to as peer on peer abuse). This is most likely to include, but may not be limited to:

• bullying (including cyberbullying);
• physical abuse such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm;
• sexual violence, such as rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault;
• sexual harassment, such as sexual comments, remarks, jokes and online sexual harassment, which may be stand-alone or part of a broader pattern of abuse;
• upskirting, typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing without them knowing, to obtain sexual gratification, or cause the victim humiliation, distress or alarm;
• sexting (also known as youth produced sexual imagery); and
• initiation/hazing type violence and rituals.

Domestic abuse

Witnessing domestic abuse is child abuse, and teenagers can suffer domestic abuse in their relationships.

Sexual abuse

involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse. Sexual abuse can take place online, and technology can be used to facilitate offline abuse. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children. The sexual abuse of children by other children is a specific safeguarding issue in education.

Neglect

the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy, for example, as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to: provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment); protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger; ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

Online abuse

Any type of abuse that happens on the web, whether through social networks, playing online games or using mobile phones.

Physical abuse

a form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

Emotional abuse

the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child from participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying

(including cyberbullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, although it may occur alone.

Child sexual exploitation

Is a type of sexual abuse in which children are sexually exploited for money, power or status.

Female genital mutilation (FGM)

The partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons.

Bullying and cyberbullying

This can happen anywhere – at school, at home or online. It’s usually repeated over a long period of time and can hurt a child both physically and emotionally.

Child trafficking

Where children are recruited, moved or transported and then exploited, forced to work or sold.

Grooming

Children and young people can be groomed online or in the real world, by a stranger or by someone they know – a family member, friend or professional.

Harmful sexual behaviour

Children and young people who develop harmful sexual behaviour harm themselves and others.

Indicators of Child abuse and response to individual concerns

There are potential indicator of the six main types of abuse which staff should be aware of and these include:

1. Children going missing particularly on repeat occasions
2. Problems with drugs or alcohol which may be seen in the student appearing not to be looking after themselves
3. Mental health problems such as depression and eating disorders which may be seen in significant weight loss or weight gain
4. Selfharm and/or suicidal thoughts
5. Child is unusually quiet, withdrawn or isolating themselves
6. Behavioural problems including anti-social behaviour and criminal behaviour

Action to be followed if there are concerns about a child or young person

All the staffs and contractors should have an attitude of ‘it could happen here’ where safeguarding is concerned. When concerned about the welfare of a child, staff should always act in the best interests of the child.

• If staff or anyone have any concerns about a child’s welfare, please immediately report to DSL on 07540186132 or 07961897880.
• DSL will listen and record all the disclose
• Notifying parents
• Referral to children’s social care
• Confidentiality and sharing information
• Reporting directly to child protection agencies

How to receive a disclosure from a child or young person

• Reassure the child and listen carefully – it is important that they know you believe them
• Do not say you will not say anything to anyone – in fact you have a duty to disclose this to another person so do not promise confidentiality
• Make sure you take detailed notes, write everything down
• Ask open questions if appropriate, do not lead the conversation to find out what has happened. Use words such as tell me, explain or describe, and allow the student to speak
• Avoid words such as what, why, how when – these will be asked by the relevant agency if appropriate.
• Ensure that you notify the police by calling 999 if you believe that the young person is at immediate or serious risk of harm
• Contact the DSL Tina Qi or DDSL Jing Zhao as soon as practicable and in any case within 24 hours
• If the disclosure is made out of hours, please use the emergency phone number 07985106112.

Redoor Education Limited has a separate policy that outlines our procedure for Anti-Radicalisation and Prevent. This can be found on request from Tina Qi. The Prevent Lead Contact person is Tina Qi, Email address: tinaqi@myredoor.com, Telephone number: 07540186132. The Prevent Lead is the DSL.

Record Keeping

Redoor Education will keep full records of any safeguarding concern reported to them. Safeguarding records will be stored securely and separately to the general student files. These will be stored confidentially by the DSL in either a locked cabinet (hard copies) or a password protected file. Only the DSL and DDSL will have access to these files.

Records will be detailed and accurate (either handwritten or using appropriate secure online software). These will include all concerns about a student even if there is no need to make an immediate referral and record the rationale for decisions made and action taken. Copies of any correspondence or notes from conversations with the LSP, school DSL or other external agency will be included in the file.

Redoor Education will ensure that the indication of the existence of the additional child protection file is marked on the student file record. Information will only be shared in a need to know basis in order to safeguard the student.

Whistleblowing

The word ’Whistle blowing’ in this policy refers to the disclosure internally or externally by staff of malpractice, as well as illegal acts or omissions at work. Accordingly, the word ‘Whistleblower’ in this Policy refers to the member(s) of staff disclosing such malpractice, illegal act or omission at work.

All companies face the risk of things going wrong; to help prevent this Redoor Education seeks to promote a culture of openness.

• Establishing a clear procedure for staff on how to raise concerns of suspected wrongdoing within the workplace;
• Ensuring protection from victimization, detriment or dismissal for staff who speak out against corruption and malpractice.
• Reassuring staff that they should be able to raise genuine concerns in good faith without fear of reprisal, even if the concerns turn out to be mistaken.

This Policy also ensures compliance with current legislation and codes of practice.

This Policy applies to all Redoor Education staff including homestay; local coordinator; contract staff; employees; senior manager; directors (collectively referred to as ‘staff’ in the policy). See details in Whistleblowing policy.

Redoor Education Limited has a separate policy that outlines our procedure for Anti-Radicalisation and Prevent. This can be found on request from Tina Qi. The Prevent Lead Contact person is Tina Qi, Email address: tinaqi@myredoor.com, Telephone number: 07540186132. The Prevent Lead is the DSL.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead

Redoor Education has a Designated Safeguarding Lead, and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads who take over duties and responsibilities when the Designated Safeguarding Lead is unavailable.

Tina Qi, Managing Director, is the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for Redoor Education Ltd. Her contact number is 07540186132. Jollie Zhao, Director of Marketing, is the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL). Her contact number is 07961897880. Both of them have completed and hold an up-to-date certificate for level 3 child protection training which is updated every 2 years.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead has overall responsibility for the safeguarding and welfare of students, supported by Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead. The Designated Safeguarding Lead is the school representative for any safeguarding issue requiring interagency working.

The DSL is responsible for:

• Ensuring that all staff, volunteer and homestays are aware of and understand the role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead
• Ensuring that all staff, volunteer and homestays are conversant with and follow the procedures outlined in this policy and those that directly support it
• Ensuring that all staff, volunteer and homestays have read and signed Department for Education guidance set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education and all updates as they are published
• Providing advice and support to all all staff, volunteer and homestays on issues relating to child protection
• Ensuring all staff, volunteers and homestays, have completed and hold an up-to-date certificate for safeguarding awareness training which is updated every 3 years.
• Ensuring all staff, volunteers and homestays complete Prevent training, either face to face or on-line.
• Ensuring all staff receive frequent (at least annually) safeguarding briefings and updates so that their safeguarding practices are current.
• Ensuring that they and their deputies have completed and hold an up-to-date certificate for level 3 child protection training which is updated every 2 years.
• Ensuring that all staff training required and completed in relation to child protection is recorded in a central training log and audited regularly to identify training needs and any recording gaps.
• Ensure that all new staff, including temporary staff and volunteers, receive induction which includes the school’s Child Protection Policy, the Staff Code of Conduct for those working with under 18’s, the identity of the Designated Safeguarding Lead and access to Part 1 of Keeping Children Safe in Education through the Training section of the Embassy Summer Staff App.
• Ensuring that all students receive a full induction and timely updates on matters relating to safeguarding and welfare.
• Ensuring that all students have sufficient and appropriate means to report concerns, issues and incidents.
• Maintaining a complete and up-to-date record of all child protection-related concerns, issues, incidents, reports, referrals and complaints.
• Reporting children at risk to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) or the police as appropriate.
• Ensuring that children in need are getting appropriate individual support, advice and access to services.
• Working holistically and in partnership with other agencies that can provide welfare and safeguarding support and information to students.
• Ensuring that literature and information from agencies who provide

welfare and safeguarding services to students are readily available and

students are aware of the range of services on offer.

• Ensuring that this policy is made available to students and to their parents/guardians

The designated safeguarding lead and or the deputy is always available for staff in Redoor Education Ltd or other professionals to discuss any safeguarding concerns.

2.1 Responsibility of the Deputy DSL when Designated safeguarding Lead is unavailable

• The DSL/DDSL refer all cases of suspected abuse or neglect to the Local Authority Children’s Services (Safeguarding and Specialist Services) and/or Police (cases where a crime may have been committed) or to the Channel programme where there is a radicalisation concern.
• Liaise with other key stakeholders or equivalent to inform them of issues
• Act as a source of support, advice and expertise to staff on matters of safety and safeguarding and when deciding whether to make a referral by liaising with relevant agencies.
• Support staff members around requests for involvement to other agencies.
• Utilise, implement, scrutinise and monitor the use of Early Help Assessments in Redoor Education Ltd.
• Work with relevant staff in the provision to ensure Redoor Education services are safe and secure.
• Ensure recording child safeguarding and child protection files are correctly drawn up with effective chronologies and regularly reviewed to scrutinise any patterns or drift/outstanding actions
• Ensure Redoor Education’ Single Central Record is correct at all times and safe
• recruitment procedures are upheld.
• Ensure Redoor Education risk assessments are maintained and completed to support staff and children feel safe.
• Undertake the necessary training and ensure it is effectively and regularly shared within the setting
• Liaise closely with the student’s school, parents, host family, driver to ensure
• the best outcome for the student

Training

Ensuring that DSL and DDSL have completed and hold an up-to-date certificate for level 3 child protection training which is updated every 2 years.

The DSL and DDSL will attend suitable face-to-face training as approved or provided by the Local Safeguarding Partners (LSP), AEGIS or the NSPCC. This training will be renewed every two years.

Ensuring all staff, volunteers and homestays, have completed and hold an up-to-date certificate for safeguarding awareness training which is updated every 3 years.

All staff and homestays will receive regular safeguarding updates, at least once per year – normally in September. These will be given by the DSL.

Staff Conduct

Staff must ensure that their conduct does not pose any risk to the safeguarding and welfare of students and must set them a good example. They must also ensure that their behaviour and actions do not place students and other members of staff at risk of harm or allegations of harm to a student.

Staff must follow the behaviour standards set out in the Staff Code of Conduct, Redoor Education Ltd will post the staff Handbook to all the employee with the signed contract.

Safer Recruiting Policy

The safe recruitment of staff is the important step to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in education. This policy summarizes Redoor Education current working practices in relation to context of Safer Recruitment of staffs, host families, volunteers and drivers. As an employer, Redoor Education expects all staffs and host families, volunteers and drivers to share this commitment. Please refer to the safer recruiting policy.

How to liaison with your LSP (formerly LSCB)

Local Safeguarding Partnerships (LSPs)

Redoor Education will liaise with their Local Safeguarding Partnership (LSP) and work in partnership with other agencies in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children.

Partner schools have their own safeguarding policies. These can be found on their website and will include the contact details for their LSP. Jollie Zhao recognises that if any safeguarding concerns occurred whilst a student was in a homestay that was out of the schools county then a different/additional LSP arrangement would be required as well. In this case, Redoor Education will contact the relevant LSP and follow their procedures. Details can be found on the Local Authority website. The website below provides a link to all of the LSPs in the country:

https://www.safecic.co.uk/your-scb-acpc/55-free-downloads-and-safeguarding-links/61-safeguarding-children-board-links

In the event of any contact information difficulties then Redoor Education should call the police as they are one of the partners.

The company is aware of how to access local agency contacts; this includes Local Safeguarding Partnerships across the country and how to access locally agreed inter-agency procedures and guidance. In addition, the company is aware of the non-emergency reporting procedures via the Local Authority’s Children’s Services relevant to the area or Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), or by telephoning the non-emergency Police number 101. For emergency situations, the company is aware of the need to contact the relevant police force for the area by dialling 999, this includes in Wales and Police Scotland.

The company is aware that in Scotland, for a non-emergency referral or concern they can contact the local children’s social work team. Their contact details can be found on the website for the local authority the child lives in, and in the table below. Alternatively they can contact the local office of Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration: https://www.scra.gov.uk/contact-us/

The company is aware that in Wales for a non-emergency referral or concern they can contact the local child protection services. Their contact details can be found on the website for the local authority the child lives in, and on the table below.

Details can be found on the Local Authority website. The website below provides a link to all of the LSPs in the country:

https://www.safecic.co.uk/your-scb-acpc/55-free-downloads-and-safeguarding-links/61-safeguarding-children-board-links 

Liaison with parents/ agents and partner schools

• The guardianship organisation may be required to share confidential safeguarding information with the DSL of the school or college that the student attends. When a student moves school or college, safeguarding information may be shared with the DSL of the new school. All schools and colleges have their own safeguarding and child protection policies that outline their procedures. These can be found on their websites.
• Whilst the guardianship organisation will work openly with parents as far as possible, it reserves the right to contact the LSP or the police, without notifying parents if this is believed to be in the child’s best interests.
• Redoor Education will not usually share safeguarding information with agents unless it is necessary to safeguard the student. In this case information will be provided on a need-to- know basis and on the understanding that it should be kept strictly confidential.

Student Induction

All students undergo an induction process on or shortly after they get the Visa.

All students receive the Student Handbook.

• Homestay rules
• Expectations of student behaviour
• E-safety
• Information and assistance to support their financial, medical, social, and cultural needs where relevant.

All students attend an induction presentation to highlight the rules, student behaviour, safety and communication arrangement, and has an opportunity to ask any questions about points they many be unsure of.

Student conduct and discipline

All students are encouraged to behave in a positive way, and responsible behaviour is noticed and acknowledged by staff. As guidance for all students, they are asked to follow a Student Code of Conduct.

This code and the associated behaviour policies are rigorously upheld by staff to safeguard the welfare of all students and staff and to prevent potentially harmful behaviour from escalating.

Please refer to Student handbook and Student Behaviour.

E-safety

The Redoor Education Ltd cannot exert full control over how students choose to conduct themselves online and using electronic devices, maximum effort is made to guide students in making good choices. In addition, certain measures are put in place to prevent the use of electronic devices and the internet for specific potentially harmful purposes.

Staff must not enter into a personal relationship with a student, including a friendship on line, or take photographs or videos that include students other than for authorised purposes. Authorised photographs and videos of students must never be posted online except where students, parents and company agreed.

Guidelines

The use of computer systems without permission or for inappropriate purposes could constitute a criminal offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. Methods to identify, assess and minimise risks will be reviewed regularly. When using any form of ICT, including the Internet, in Office and outside the Office, especially around our student all adults must for your own protection:

1. Ensure all electronic communication with students, parents, carers, British Guardianship staff members and others is compatible with your professional role and in line with British Guardianship policies.
2. Do not talk about your professional role or disclose any confidential information in any capacity when using social media such as Facebook and YouTube.
3. Do not put online any text, image, sound or video that could upset or offend any member of Redoor Education or be incompatible with your professional role.
4. Do not give out student/parents/host families personal details, such as mobile phone number, personal e-mail address or social network details to unauthorized people.
5. Do not disclose any passwords and ensure that personal data (such as data held on British Guardianship Folders) is kept secure and used appropriately.
6. Only take images of students and/ or staff for professional purposes, in accordance with school policy and with the knowledge of Guardianship Manager.
7. Do not browse, download, upload or distribute any material that could be considered offensive, illegal or discriminatory.
8. Ensure that your online activity, both in office and outside the office, will not bring your organisation or professional role into disrepute.

Key contacts

If an emergency arises during your stay in the UK, you should contact the following emergency services, free of charge by calling 999.

1. Fire Brigade
2. Police
3. Ambulance (medical emergency)

You can call 999 on any mobile phone (even without available credit). Students should be aware that they are only to call 999 if there is a danger to life.

If you would like to speak to someone or report a safeguarding issue, please contact one of the officers in the school and/or Redoor Education Office Manager.

Useful telephone numbers and websites:

NSPCC: 0808 800 5000 – www.nspcc.org.uk

Child-line: 0800 1111 – www.childline.org.uk

Redoor’s Child Protection Coordinators, Tina Qi and Jollie Zhao: 02076924797, the 24 hour number is 07985106112.

NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line: 0800 028 0285 or help@nspcc.org.uk

Bromley Local Authority Designated Officer: 0208 461 7669 or 0208 313 4325.

Children’s Social Care Out of hours Emergency Duty Team on 0300 303 8671.

We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually.

This policy was last reviewed on: ……30/06/2022……………………………………………………