C & J Burke Tutor Work LLP (Carrie Burke Tutor Work) Safeguarding Policy

February 2024

Introduction

 

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children, their families and carers has a role to play in safeguarding them and promoting their welfare. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all professionals should make sure their approach is child-centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.

 

No single professional can have a full picture of a child’s needs and circumstances. If children and families are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt and restorative action. In line with this understanding, C & J Burke Tutor Work LLP (Carrie Burke Tutor Work) has a responsibility to recognise when a child or young person may be in need or be vulnerable in some way, and to respond to this recognition in a timely and appropriate way.

 

This safeguarding policy relates to C & J Burke Tutor Work LLP (Carrie Burke Tutor Work) face-to-face tutoring with children on a one to one or group basis at the tutoring centre at Broadstone Arcade, Broadstone Hall Road, Reddish. This policy does not relate to online one to one or group work.

 

Safeguarding Definition

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the purposes of this guidance as: protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s 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. (“Working Together to Safeguarding Children” 2018)

 

Child Protection Definition

Child Protection is a part of the safeguarding agenda. It refers to the action that is required to be undertaken to protect children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm.

 

Rationale

 

At C & J Burke Tutor Work LLP (Carrie Burke Tutor Work), we recognise the responsibility we have under Section 175/157 of the Education and Inspections Act 2002, to have arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. This policy demonstrates our commitment and compliance with safeguarding legislation.

 

All of our tutors who work face to face with children have a crucial role to play in noticing indicators of possible abuse or neglect and referring them to the correct persons or services for support and intervention. All of our tutors are fully qualified teachers and have worked within schools as part of their career history. Each tutor is therefore experienced and trained to recognise signs of concern and in line with this policy, must report concerns following C & J Burke Tutor Work LLP (Carrie Burke Tutor Work) and local authority procedures.

 

We update our tutors on the latest information from national case review to improve practice to prevent children from harm.

 

At C & J Burke Tutor Work LLP (Carrie Burke Tutor Work), we believe that the welfare of every child is paramount, and we take safeguarding very seriously. Therefore, should our tutors have any concerns they feel are of a safeguarding nature, they are expected to report, record and take the necessary steps to ensure that Carrie Burke is made aware promptly of any such concerns and Carrie Burke will report such concerns through the appropriate local authority channels. We act to ensure that the child is at the heart of all our decisions and that we act in their best interests.

 

Information Sharing and Confidentiality
We take data handling and information sharing seriously. Our staff are trained in the handling of personal information and operate under the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) to ensure that all of our tutors comply with confidentiality and information sharing requirements.

Sharing information enables practitioners and agencies to identify and provide appropriate services that safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

 

 

Purpose

The purpose of the policy is to ensure that the welfare of children is understood and promoted at all times. At C & J Burke Tutor Work LLP (Carrie Burke Tutor Work), we understand that the welfare of the child is paramount.

 

We strive to ensure that all children regardless of their age, gender, ability, culture, race, language, religion or sexual identity are protected from harm in all its forms. All tutors have an equal responsibility to act on concerns, suspicions or disclosures that lead them to suspect or understand a child may be at risk of harm.

 

The procedures contained in this policy apply to all tutors working on behalf of C & J Burke Tutor Work LLP (Carrie Burke Tutor Work).

 

Definitions

 

Tutors understand and recognise indicators of the types of abuse that some children experience and work to the following definitions:

All tutors are aware that abuse, neglect and safeguarding issues are rarely standalone events that can be covered by one definition or label. In most cases multiple issues may overlap with one another.

 

Abuse: 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 (e.g. via the internet). They may be abused by an adult or adults or another child or children.

 

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 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.

 

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 (including via the internet). Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

 

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 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);
  ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.

• include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

Complex Safeguarding

Complex safeguarding is used to describe criminal activity (often organised) or behaviour associated with criminality, involving often vulnerable children where there is exploitation and/or a clear or implied safeguarding concern.
Guidance for each local authority varies, however, for the purpose of this document domestic abuse has been included within this definition in acknowledgement of the similarities between the process of grooming and controlling victims of domestic abuse and those subject to complex abuse and the need for a specialist and sensitive approach to working with children and families at highest risk of all these areas of concerns to reduce risk and effect positive outcomes. For the purposes of this document, the following areas are encompassed within complex safeguarding:

 

• Domestic Abuse including honour-based violence and forced marriage

• Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)

• Serious Organised Crime – including Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)

• Modern Slavery and Trafficking

• Female Genital Mutilation

• Radicalisation and Extremism

Roles and Responsibilities

C & J Burke Tutor Work LLP (Carrie Burke Tutor Work) will ensure that every tutor working face to face with children:

 

• Understands that they have an individual responsibility to report any concerns to Carrie Burke who will act as Designated Safeguarding Lead.

• Will receive training at the point of induction so that they know:

  • their personal responsibility / code of conduct / teaching standards

  • child protection procedures and how to access them

  • the need to be vigilant in identifying cases of abuse at the earliest opportunity

  • how to support and respond to a child who discloses abuse/ significant harm

Where a tutor is concerned that a child is in immediate danger or is at risk of harm, they should report this to the Designated Safeguarding Lead without delay. A written record will be made of these concerns as immediately following the disclosure/concern being raised.
Where staff have conversations with a child who discloses abuse, they follow the basic principles:

 

• listen and remain calm

• never ask a child if they are being abused

• make a record of discussion to include time, place, persons present
  and what was said (child language – do not substitute words)

• advise you will have to pass the information on

• never take photographs of any injury

• never record a child

• never undress a child to physically examine them

• allow time and provide a quiet space for support

• at no time promise confidentiality to a child or adult

 

The Designated Safeguarding Lead will speak to the parents and gain their consent to discuss any matters with other relevant agencies. There will be very few instances where, to speak to the parents, could further endanger the child. In those situations, they would still consult/ refer, but would have clearly recorded reasons as to why they had not gained parental consent.

 

If you are still not satisfied with any reaction or resolution to a safeguarding concern, the tutor can contact the Safeguarding Lead for Stockport Local Authority. Here are the numbers:

 

217 6028

718 2188 (out of hours)

 

Procedures and Record-keeping
The school ensures that safeguarding information, including Child Protection information, is stored and handled in line with the principles of the Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ensuring that information is:

 

• used fairly and lawfully

• for limited, specifically stated purposes

• used in a way that is adequate, relevant and not excessive

• accurate

• kept for no longer than necessary

• handled according to people’s data protection rights

• kept safe and secure

Any concerns about a child will be recorded in writing as soon as possible and in any circumstance within 24 hours. The inability to record a concern should not delay the sharing of urgent information to the Designated Safeguard Lead (police or social care if required) verbally. Written records should then be made as soon as possible.

 

Site safety

We take the site safety of tutors and students seriously and have in place a range of measures and promote the wellbeing of all on site. There is a toilet attached to the room of the tutoring centre so that children do not need to use any public facilities. If a child from the subroom needs to use the toilet, they need to be supervised through the corridor by the tutor until they reach the main room. The tutor from the main room will then observe the child walking back to the subroom. Risk analyses outside of the safeguarding policy should also be read and adhered to.

 

Safer Recruitment and Safer Working Practice

All tutors which are used by C & J Burke Tutor Work LLP (Carrie Burke Tutor Work) have Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and reference checks, verifying identity, academic and vocational qualifications, obtaining professional references, checking previous employment history and ensuring the person has the right to work in the UK. Our practices also include undertaking interviews and checking if individuals are barred or prohibited from working with children in accordance with DBS and Department for Education (DfE) guidance. In line with statutory guidance we maintain a single central record to evidence checks completed for staff and volunteers working in the school community.

 

I confirm that I have read the above C & J Burke Tutor Work LLP (Carrie Burke Tutor Work) Safeguarding Policy

 

Signed (name of employee): ________________________________

 

Printed (name of employee): ______________________________

 

Date: _____________

 

Signed (safeguarding lead): ________________________

 

Printed (safeguarding lead): ______________________

Date: ______________