Latimer Summer School and all Foundation activities involving children and young people
| Version | 2.0 |
|---|---|
| Approved by | Board of Trustees |
| Date approved | 14 May 2021 |
| Next review due | May 2022 |
| Policy owner | Director, Latimer Summer School |
| Designated Safeguarding Lead | Pastoral Lead, Latimer Summer School |
| Trustee with responsibility for safeguarding | Chair of Trustees |
| Related documents | Staff and Volunteer Code of Conduct; Safer Recruitment Procedure; Programme Safeguarding Handbook; Privacy Policy; Complaints Procedure |
| Version history | v1.0 (March 2020): first issue, online Reading Group. v2.0 (May 2021): full revision for the residential programme. |
|---|
1.1 The Aldwell Foundation (“the Foundation”) believes that every child and young person has the right to be safe, to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be protected from harm. The welfare of the young people who take part in our activities is paramount and overrides all other considerations.
1.2 The Foundation recognises that it has a duty of care to every young person in its charge. We are committed to creating an environment in which young people feel safe, are listened to and know how to raise a concern.
1.3 All children and young people have an equal right to protection, regardless of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or social background.
2.1 This policy applies to all trustees, employees, tutors, visiting speakers, volunteers, student mentors, contractors and anyone else working on behalf of the Foundation (together “staff and volunteers”).
2.2 It applies to all Foundation activities involving young people under the age of 18, including the Latimer Summer School residential programme, online activities such as reading groups and video conversations, and any communication with applicants, students or their families.
2.3 In this policy, “student” means any young person attending or applying to a Foundation programme. “Parent” includes any person with parental responsibility.
3.1 This policy has been written with reference to:
3.2 Because the residential programme takes place in Wales, concerns arising during the programme will be referred in line with the Wales Safeguarding Procedures. Concerns arising elsewhere will be referred to the local authority where the student lives.
4.1 The Board has overall responsibility for safeguarding. It will ensure that this policy is implemented, adequately resourced and reviewed annually. The Board receives a written safeguarding report from the Designated Safeguarding Lead after each programme.
4.2 The Chair of Trustees acts as the lead trustee for safeguarding. The lead trustee is the point of contact for any concern about the Director or the Designated Safeguarding Lead, and oversees the handling of serious incidents.
4.3 The Pastoral Lead is the Foundation’s Designated Safeguarding Lead. The DSL will:
4.4 The Director is the Deputy DSL and carries out the DSL’s duties whenever the DSL is unavailable.
4.5 Everyone working for the Foundation has a responsibility to keep young people safe, to follow this policy and the Code of Conduct, and to report any concern without delay. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
5.1 Staff and volunteers should be alert to signs that a young person may be experiencing, or be at risk of, abuse or neglect. Abuse can happen in person or online, can be carried out by adults or by other young people, and may be a single event or a pattern over time.
5.2 The four main categories of abuse are:
5.3 Staff should also be aware of specific safeguarding issues, including:
5.4 Staff should never assume that someone else has already reported a concern.
6.1 The Foundation follows safer recruitment practice for all roles that involve contact with young people. Before starting work, every member of staff and every volunteer must:
6.2 The Director maintains a single central record of all checks carried out.
6.3 Visiting speakers who are not staying overnight do not require a DBS check. They are never left unsupervised with students and their talks are attended by at least one member of staff.
6.4 Student mentors are former Latimer students who return to help run the programme. Student mentors must be aged 18 or over by the start of the programme and are subject to the same checks as other volunteers.
7.1 All staff and volunteers complete safeguarding induction training before each programme. This covers this policy, the Code of Conduct, recognising abuse and how to respond to a concern.
7.2 The DSL and Deputy DSL complete Designated Safeguarding Lead training from a recognised provider every two years, and refresh their knowledge annually.
7.3 Trustees receive a safeguarding briefing on appointment.
8.1 All staff and volunteers must follow the Staff and Volunteer Code of Conduct. In summary, staff and volunteers must:
9.1 Sleeping accommodation is single-sex. Boys and girls sleep on separate corridors, and students may not enter the corridors of the other sex.
9.2 At least two members of resident staff sleep on or next to each student corridor. Staff sleeping near students are of the same sex as the students on that corridor wherever possible.
9.3 A member of staff is on duty and awake until all students are in their rooms after lights out, and a named member of staff is on call overnight.
9.4 The staff-to-student ratio is no lower than 1:8 during the day and 1:10 overnight.
9.5 All visitors to the site must sign in and out, wear a visitor’s badge and be accompanied by a member of staff.
9.6 Parents are given the programme dates, the office telephone number and the name of the DSL before the programme begins.
10.1 To help students be fully present, mobile phones and other personal devices are collected on arrival, stored securely in the office and returned on the final day.
10.2 Students may telephone home from the office at set times each day, and at any other time on request to a member of staff. Parents may contact the office at any time, and urgent messages will be passed on immediately.
10.3 A student’s phone may be returned temporarily where there is a good reason, such as a medical need or a family emergency, at the discretion of the DSL.
10.4 Online activities, such as the Reading Group and application conversations, take place on Foundation accounts. At least two adults are present in every online session with students, and sessions are not recorded without consent.
11.1 Parents complete a health and consent form before the programme, including details of medical conditions, allergies, dietary needs, medication and emergency contacts.
11.2 A qualified first aider is on site at all times. Medication is stored securely and a record is kept of all medication given.
11.3 Parents are informed promptly of any illness or injury that needs medical treatment, and at once in an emergency.
11.4 Staff will take any concern about a student’s emotional wellbeing or mental health seriously and discuss it with the DSL.
12.1 Registers are taken at every meal, at the start of every activity and at lights out. If a student cannot be found:
13.1 Parents are asked for written consent for photographs and video of their child to be taken and used by the Foundation, including on the website and social media. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.
13.2 Only official Foundation cameras or devices may be used to photograph students. Images are stored securely and deleted when no longer needed.
13.3 Published images will not be accompanied by a student’s full name. Where a student is quoted, only their first name, age and home town will be used.
14.1 If a student tells you about abuse, or you are worried about a student, follow the five Rs:
Receive: listen calmly and take what is said seriously. Reassure: tell the student they have done the right thing, but do not promise to keep a secret. Respond: ask only open questions and do not investigate. Record: write down what was said, in the student’s own words, as soon as possible. Report: tell the DSL the same day, or the Deputy DSL if the DSL is unavailable.
14.2 If a student is at immediate risk of serious harm, call the police on 999 first and inform the DSL afterwards.
14.3 The DSL will decide what action to take. This may include seeking advice from, or making a referral to, children’s services or the police. Referrals will be made within 24 hours and confirmed in writing within 48 hours.
14.4 Parents will normally be informed of a concern, unless doing so could put the student at greater risk or prejudice an investigation. The DSL will take advice from children’s services where there is doubt.
15.1 Any allegation that a member of staff or volunteer has harmed a young person, may have committed a criminal offence against a young person, or has behaved in a way that suggests they may be unsuitable to work with children must be reported immediately to the Director.
15.2 If the allegation concerns the Director, it must be reported to the DSL and the Chair of Trustees. If it concerns the DSL, it must be reported to the Director.
15.3 The Director will contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) or, in Wales, the local authority’s designated lead for allegations, within one working day. The Foundation will not carry out its own investigation until advised to do so.
15.4 Where a member of staff or volunteer is dismissed or removed because they have harmed, or posed a risk of harm to, a young person, the Foundation will make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
16.1 The Foundation encourages staff and volunteers to raise any concern about poor or unsafe practice, or about the way a safeguarding concern has been handled.
16.2 Concerns should be raised with the DSL, the Director or, where this is not appropriate, directly with the Chair of Trustees. Concerns raised in good faith will be treated seriously and in confidence, and nobody will suffer any detriment as a result.
17.1 All safeguarding concerns, discussions, decisions and actions are recorded in writing, signed and dated. Records are kept separately from other student records and held securely at the Foundation’s London office, with access limited to the DSL, Deputy DSL and Chair of Trustees.
17.2 Safeguarding records are kept until the student’s 25th birthday. Records relating to allegations against adults are kept until the person’s normal retirement age or for ten years, whichever is longer.
17.3 The Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR do not prevent the sharing of information for the purpose of keeping children safe. The DSL will share information with other agencies where this is necessary and proportionate.
18.1 The Board will report any serious safeguarding incident to the Charity Commission promptly, in line with Charity Commission guidance, and will inform any other regulator or funder as required.
19.1 This policy will be reviewed by the Board of Trustees every year, and sooner if there are changes to legislation or guidance, or following a serious incident.
19.2 The DSL will review the operation of this policy after each programme and report to the Board.
| Designated Safeguarding Lead | Pastoral Lead. Name and direct contact details are provided to parents in the Joining Pack. |
|---|---|
| Deputy DSL | Director, Latimer Summer School |
| Lead trustee for safeguarding | Chair of Trustees, via the Foundation office |
| Programme office (during the programme) | Telephone number provided in the Joining Pack |
| General enquiries | contact@latimersummerschool.org.uk |
| Police | 999 in an emergency; 101 for non-emergencies |
| NSPCC Helpline | 0808 800 5000 |
| Childline (for young people) | 0800 1111 |
| Local authority children’s services and LADO | Contact details for the programme venue are held in the Programme Safeguarding Handbook. |
A written record of a concern should include:
Blank Record of Concern forms are kept in the programme office and in the Programme Safeguarding Handbook.