Safeguarding policy

1. Purpose and scope

Mossgrove Tutoring with Nicola provides individual and small group tutoring to primary aged children, many of whom have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Every child has the right to be safe, to be listened to and to be treated with respect. This policy sets out how I meet that responsibility. It applies to every session I deliver, wherever it takes place, and to every contact I have with children and families in the course of my work.

I am a sole trader. There is no organisation behind me, so I am personally responsible for safeguarding in my practice and I act as my own designated safeguarding lead. That makes this policy more important, not less: it is the commitment I make to you in writing.

2. What guides this policy

This policy follows the principles and procedures of the Children Act 1989 and 2004, the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children, and the Department for Education’s Keeping Children Safe in Education. Although the last of these is written for schools, I work to its standards because they are the standards I work to in my school role. I also follow the procedures of the Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership and the Herefordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership, depending on where the child lives, and the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 on handling information.

3. What safeguarding means

Safeguarding means protecting children from maltreatment, preventing harm to their health or development, making sure they grow up in safe and effective care, and acting so that every child has the best outcomes. Child protection is the part of safeguarding that responds when a child has been harmed or is at risk of harm.

Harm can take many forms: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect, as well as bullying, exploitation, exposure to domestic abuse, and harm that happens online. Children with SEND are statistically more likely to experience abuse and less likely to be heard when they try to tell someone. Signs of harm can be wrongly put down to a child’s condition, communication differences can make it harder for a child to describe what is happening, and some children are more dependent on adults for personal care. I keep this in mind in every session and I do not assume that a change in a child’s behaviour, mood or presentation is simply part of their needs.

4. Checks and training

• I hold an Enhanced DBS certificate with a check of the children’s barred list, and I keep it current. I am happy to show you the certificate at our first meeting.
• I complete safeguarding and child protection training every year through my school role, and I keep up to date with changes to statutory guidance.
• I will tell you promptly if anything changes in my circumstances that affects my suitability to work with children.

5. How sessions are kept safe

Where sessions happen

• Sessions take place in the child’s own home or in a suitable community space, such as a library study room, a village hall or a community centre room. I never hold sessions at my own home.
• A parent or carer is present in the home, or at the community space, for the whole session. If that is not possible on a particular day, the session is rearranged rather than held without an adult who knows the child.
• In a home I work in a shared living space wherever possible, never a bedroom, and with the door open. In a community space I choose a room that is visible or easily accessible, and I check the venue is appropriate before we use it.
• I do not transport children in my car.

How I behave with children

• I treat every child with respect, I listen to them, and I never use physical punishment, humiliation or threats. Behaviour is managed through calm, consistent strategies agreed with you.
• Physical contact is kept to what is necessary, appropriate and welcomed by the child, for example guiding a hand when forming letters, and never in private. I do not provide intimate or personal care; if a child needs help with toileting or similar, that is for the parent or carer present.
• I do not use physical restraint. If a child’s behaviour puts them or someone else at risk, I step back, keep everyone safe, and involve the parent or carer immediately.
• I do not give children gifts, money or treats beyond small learning rewards agreed with you, and I do not accept gifts from children.

Communication

• All arrangements, messages and feedback go through parents and carers. I do not phone, text, email or message children, and I do not connect with children on social media.
• I do not photograph or record children unless you have agreed to it in writing for a specific purpose, such as a piece of work for your records. I never publish images of children, and I do not store images on personal social media.
• My mobile phone stays away during sessions unless it is needed for the session or for an emergency.

Health and medical needs

• Before we start I ask about allergies, medical conditions and anything I should know about your child’s needs, and I keep that information securely.
• In a medical emergency I call 999 first and then you. I do not administer medication.

6. Recognising and responding to a concern

Concerns can come from something a child says, something I see, a change in a child’s behaviour or appearance, something a parent or another adult tells me, or a pattern that builds up over time. I will not ignore a concern because it seems small, because it is uncomfortable, or because I am not certain.

If a child tells me something

• I listen calmly, let the child use their own words and do not ask leading questions. I only ask enough to understand whether the child may be at risk.
• I reassure the child that they were right to tell me and that it is not their fault. I do not promise to keep it secret, and I explain in simple terms what I will do next.
• As soon as the session ends I write down what was said and what I saw, as close to word for word as I can, with the date, time, place and who was present. I sign and date the record and keep it securely.

What I do with a concern

• Where it is safe and appropriate to do so, I talk to the parent or carer first. Most concerns are resolved this way.
• If I believe a child is at risk of significant harm, or if speaking to the parent or carer might put the child at greater risk, I contact children’s social care for the area where the child lives on the numbers below, without delay and without first telling the family. I follow their advice and cooperate fully with any enquiry.
• If a child is in immediate danger I call 999.
• With your agreement, or where it is necessary to keep a child safe, I may also share a concern with the designated safeguarding lead at your child’s school, so that the people who see your child every day can support them.
• If I am unsure whether something meets the threshold for a referral, I seek advice from the local safeguarding partnership or the NSPCC helpline before deciding, and I record the advice given.

7. Who I contact

8. Records and confidentiality

Safeguarding records are kept separately from ordinary session notes, in a secure place that only I can access, and are kept for as long as the relevant guidance requires. I share information only with people who need it to keep a child safe. Data protection law does not prevent information being shared to protect a child, and I will not let concern about confidentiality stop me from acting. Where I share information, I record what I shared, with whom, and why.

My privacy notice explains how I handle personal information more generally.

9. Concerns or allegations about me

If you are worried about anything I have said or done, or about my conduct towards any child, please raise it. You can speak to me directly, or you can go straight to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), who deals with allegations against adults who work with children.

• Gloucestershire LADO: 01452 426994, or amadmin@gloucestershire.gov.uk
• Herefordshire: contact the MASH on 01432 260800 and ask to be put through to the LADO

If an allegation is made against me I will cooperate fully with the LADO and any investigation, I will not contact the family concerned about the allegation while it is being looked into, and I will tell my insurer. I will also refer myself to the LADO if I ever believe I have behaved in a way that may have harmed a child or breached this policy, even if no one has complained.

10. Complaints

If you are unhappy with any aspect of my service you can email me at nicola@mossgrovetutoring.co.uk and I will respond within ten working days. Nothing in this section limits your right to contact children’s social care, the LADO or the police directly.

11. Review

I review this policy every year, and sooner if statutory guidance changes or if something happens that shows it needs to change. Parents and carers receive a copy before we start working together, and the current version is always the one published on this page.