Safeguarding Structure

    Estimated Reading Time: 20 minutes

    Last Updated: 12/09/2024

    Adopted by Driven Tutors on 1st of September 2024

    These policies should be read in conjunction with the DT Terms and Conditions and the Safeguarding Policy. The Safeguarding Structure is underpinned by the statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE – DfE September 2023).

    1. Introduction

    a) DT is committed to ensuring the highest possible standard of safeguarding. The personal safety and wellbeing of each student and tutor using Skype/Zoom video conferencing is paramount.
    b) These video conferencing were selected with the aim of ensuring that lessons take place in a safe environment. This is reflected in a number of key built-in features seen with these tools.
    c) The following sections set out the procedures that should be followed if an incident occurs.
    d) The safety and wellbeing of any student or other person using Zoom/Skype is paramount. These procedures aim to ensure a prompt response to any incident and to minimise any further harm to a student or other person.
    e) There are differing severities of behaviour which could be witnessed during an lesson session. Some behaviour would warrant only a report to DT; other behaviour maybe of a more serious nature where a direct report to the police may be necessary.
    f) Each section below sets out the recommended procedure which should be followed. It is always the responsibility of the person alerted to the incident to take some action to protect the student or other person. DT will not be responsible for any non-compliance with the recommended procedure.
    g) The procedures are not an exhaustive list; therefore if an incident occurs that is not covered in this document you are advised to contact DT, or the police if you believe that it may be a criminal matter.

    2. Tutors

    If a tutor sees/experiences:

    Inappropriate language

    The tutor will request, in a polite manner, that the student or other persons using inappropriate language refrains from doing so during the lesson session. If the language continues the tutor will explain that they will terminate the session due to the language and will report the matter to DT who will decide on any further use of the service by the student or other person involved. The tutor will have no further contact with the student unless by mutual agreement with DT. Any unsolicited contact from the student or other persons following the termination of the session should be reported to DT.

    Inappropriate behaviour

    The tutor will request, in a polite manner, that the student or other persons involved in the inappropriate behaviour refrains from the behaviour during the lesson session. If the behaviour continues the tutor will explain that they will terminate the session due to the behaviour and will report the matter to DT who will decide on any further use of the service by the student or other person involved. The tutor should have no further contact with the student unless by mutual agreement with DT. Any unsolicited contact from the student or other persons following the termination of the session should be reported to DT.

    Inappropriate or abusive images

    a) Any display of adult pornographic images whilst in the presence of a student may constitute an offence under UK law. Any tutor witnessing the display of adult pornographic images by or towards a student should explain that the images should not be displayed during a lesson session, terminate the session and report the matter to DT
    b) Any display of child abuse images or indecent images of a child (for these purposes, a ‘child’ is defined as anyone under the age of 18 years) is an offence under UK law. Any tutor witnessing a display of indecent images of a child by or in the presence of a student should explain that due to the nature of the images they will terminate the session. The tutor should then inform the UK police. The tutor should also inform DT of the incident to ensure any recordings can be preserved and made available for any police investigation. The tutor should have no further contact with the student or any other person involved in the incident. Any unsolicited contact from the student or other persons following the termination of the session should be reported to the police and DT immediately.
    c) This action should be taken so that the correct authorities can be alerted and can deal appropriately with the incident.
    d) The display of any other images perceived to be inappropriate, either due to the age of the student or the content of the image shall be reported to DT at the discretion of the parent/responsible adult.

    Disclosure of/witness to abuse towards or in the presence of a student

    a) Any physical or sexual abuse of a child is an offence under UK law. If a tutor receives information about such abuse from the student or other person present they should reassure the person that they can get assistance for them. It is the responsibility of the tutor to contact the UK police and report what has been witnessed.
    b) If the tutor witnesses any such abuse at first-hand they should immediately contact the police and report the incident. The tutor should also inform DT of the incident to ensure any recordings can be preserved and made available for any police investigation. The tutor should have no further contact with the student or other person involved in the incident. Any unsolicited contact from the student or other persons following the termination of the session should be reported to the police and DT immediately.

    Disclosure of inappropriate/sensitive information

    a) During a lesson session sensitive information may be offered by a student or other person present. If the information relates to any kind of abuse the tutor should refer to ‘Disclosure of/witness to abuse towards or in the presence of a student’, above. The student or other person present should be discouraged from disclosing sensitive information by the tutor. If the information continues to be shared the tutor will determine the impact of the information and decide whether to continue or terminate the session and report the incident to DT.
    b) Any information disclosed regarding the safety of a child should always be reported immediately to the UK police.

    3. Students

    If a student sees/experience:

    Inappropriate language

    a) The student will inform a parent/responsible adult of the tutor using inappropriate language. The parent/responsible adult should ask the tutor to refrain from using inappropriate language during the lesson session. If the language continues the parent/responsible adult should explain that they will terminate the session and will report the matter to DT, who will decide on any further use of the service by the tutor. The student and parent/responsible adult should have no further contact with the tutor unless by mutual agreement with DT. Any unsolicited contact from the tutor after termination of the session should be reported to the DT.
    b) If a parent/responsible adult are not present or readily available, the student should report the language as soon as possible to a parent/responsible adult who will take the decision to report the incident.

    Inappropriate behaviour

    a) The student will inform a parent/responsible adult of the tutor using inappropriate behaviour. The parent/responsible adult should ask the tutor to refrain from using inappropriate behaviour during the lesson session. If the behaviour continues the parent/responsible adult will explain that they will terminate the session due to the behaviour and will report the matter to DT who will decide on any further use of the service by tutor. The student, parent/responsible adult should have no further contact with the tutor unless by mutual agreement with DT. Any unsolicited contact from the tutor after termination of the session should be reported to DT.
    b) If a parent/responsible adult are not present or readily available the student should report the behaviour as soon as possible to a parent/responsible adult who will take a decision to report the incident.
    c) If the behaviour is of a sexual nature towards a student by a tutor, the student should immediately inform a parent/responsible adult and terminate the session. The parent/responsible adult should inform the UK police and DT immediately.

    Inappropriate or abusive images

    a) Any display of adult pornographic images whilst in the presence of a student may constitute an offence under UK law. Any student witnessing the display of adult pornographic images by a tutor should immediately terminate the session and report this to a parent/responsible adult who should inform the UK police.
    b) Any display of child abuse images or indecent images of a child (for these purposes, a ‘child’ is defined as anyone under the age of 18 years) is an offence under UK law. Any student witnessing a display of indecent images of a child should immediately terminate the session and report this to a parent/responsible adult, who should inform the UK police.
    c) The parent/responsible adult should also inform DT of the incident to ensure that any recordings can be preserved and made available for any police investigation. The student, parent/responsible adult should have no further contact with the tutor involved in the incident. Any unsolicited contact from the tutor following the discontinuation of the session should be reported to the police and DT immediately.
    d) This action should be taken so that the correct authorities can be alerted and can deal appropriately with the incident.
    e) The display of any other images perceived to be inappropriate either due to age of the student or content of the image shall be reported to DT at the discretion of the parent/responsible adult.

    Disclosure of/witness to abuse

    a) Any physical or sexual abuse of a person is an offence under UK law. If a student receives information about such abuse from the tutor or other person present, they should immediately inform a parent/responsible adult. It is the responsibility of the parent/responsible adult to contact the UK police and report what was witnessed.
    b) If the student witnesses any such abuse at first-hand, they should immediately contact a parent/responsible adult who should immediately inform the UK police. The parent/responsible adult should also inform DT of the incident to ensure that any recordings can be preserved and made available for any police investigation. The student, parent/responsible adult should have no further contact with the tutor involved in the incident. Any unsolicited contact from the tutor following the termination of the session should be reported to the parent/responsible adult immediately.
    c) This action should be taken so the correct authorities can be alerted and can deal appropriately with the incident.

    Disclosure of inappropriate/sensitive information

    a) During a lesson session sensitive information may be offered by a tutor. The tutor should be discouraged from disclosing sensitive information by the student, parent/responsible adult. The parent/responsible adult will determine the impact of the information and decide whether to continue or terminate the session and report the incident to DT.
    b) Any information disclosed regarding the safety of a child should always be immediately reported to the UK police.
    c) Any tutor reported by a parent/responsible adult will be suspended from the site until the incident has been investigated by the appropriate authority. The parent/responsible adult may be informed of the resolution if appropriate.

    4. Parents/responsible adults

    a) As per the policy document, the parent/responsible adult has primary responsibility for the welfare and safety of the student during a lesson session and should be present or available to deal with any concerns or incidents reported by the student.
    b) It is also the duty of the parent/responsible adult to ensure the wellbeing of the child if they have been affected by anything said or done by the tutor.
    c) If a parent/responsible adult is alerted by the student to any inappropriate behaviour/language or information by the student or they witness any inappropriate behaviour/language or information by the tutor, they should immediately speak to the tutor, state their concern and inform them they are terminating the session. The incident should then be reported to DT to take appropriate action. As there is a recording of the session available, the parent/responsible adult may review the session before taking further action.
    d) The parent/responsible adult should have no further contact with the tutor involved in the incident. Any unsolicited communication from the tutor should be reported to the police and DT as soon as possible.
    e) If a parent/responsible adult is alerted by the student to any inappropriate or abusive images or they witness any inappropriate or abusive images displayed by the tutor, they should immediately speak to the tutor, state their concern and inform them they are terminating the session. The parent/responsible adult should inform the UK police (if appropriate) and (in all cases) DT of the incident to ensure that any recordings can be preserved and made available to any police investigation.
    f) The parent/responsible adult should have no further contact with the tutor involved in the incident. Any unsolicited communication from the tutor should be reported to the police and DT as soon as possible.
    g) As there is a recording of the session available, the parent/responsible adult may review the session before taking further action.
    h) Any tutor reported by a parent/responsible adult will be suspended from the site until the incident has been investigated by the appropriate authority. The parent/responsible adult will be informed of the resolution if appropriate.

    5. Schools, teachers and schools representative

    a) The teacher or school representative shall follow the procedures outlined for ‘Parent/Responsible adult’ in Section 4.
    b) Additionally, the teacher or school representative should inform the parent of the student about the incident and, as appropriate, the school’s Child Protection officer.
    c) For the purpose of this policy document a ‘responsible adult’ includes teachers and school representatives.

    6. Director/management Driven Tutors Services

    a) The Safeguarding Policy and Safeguarding Procedures of the Driven Tutors and services are the responsibility of the Director and management.
    b) Any report of a contravention of the Safeguarding Policy will be reviewed by DT, who may engage independent Child Protection consultants to ensure that an appropriate course of action is taken.
    c) Any incident reported to DT shall be reviewed as soon as possible to ensure a timely resolution.
    d) If a report concerns minor breach of the Safeguarding Policy, DT can make a decision as to appropriate action which may include barring the reported person from using the DT services
    e) If a report is received by DT which concerns the immediate safety of a student or any illegal activity during a lesson session, they will be required to contact UK police and report the incident.

    Additions to Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy

    Online Safety

    Whilst considering their responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and provide them with a safe environment in which to learn, we will ensure that there are appropriate filtering and monitoring systems in place to block any harmful and inappropriate content without unreasonably impacting reaching and learning and their effectiveness will be regularly reviewed. (KCSIE 2023 para 141) .

    We ensure appropriate filters and monitoring systems are in place and regularly review their effectiveness especially on school devices and school networks (KCSIE 2023Part 1: 138).

    Serious Violence

    There are a number of indicators, which may signal children are at risk from, or are involved with, serious violent crime.

    These may include:

    • increased absence from school
    • a change in friendships or relationships with older individuals or groups
    • a significant decline in performance
    • signs of self-harm or a significant change in wellbeing, or signs of assault or unexplained injuries
    • unexplained gifts or new possessions could also indicate that children have been approached by, or are involved with, individuals associated with criminal networks or gangs and may be at risk of criminal exploitation.

    The likelihood of involvement in serious violence may be increased by factors such as:

    • being male
    • having been frequently absent, or permanently excluded, from school
    • having experienced child maltreatment and having been involved in offending, such as theft or robbery.

    All of this can have a detrimental and long-term impact on their health, well-being, development, and ability to learn. (KCSIE 2023, Part 1: 48).

    Children with special educational needs, disabilities or health issues

    Children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) or certain medical or physical health conditions can face additional safeguarding challenges both online and offline.

    These can include:

    • assumptions that indicators of possible abuse such as behaviour, mood and injury relate to the child’s condition without further exploration
    • these children being more prone to peer group isolation or bullying (including prejudice-based bullying) than other children
    • the potential for children with SEND or certain medical conditions being disproportionately impacted by behaviours such as bullying, without outwardly showing any signs
    • communication barriers and difficulties in managing or reporting these challenges
    • cognitive understanding – being unable to understand the difference between fact and fiction in online content and then repeating the content/behaviours in schools or colleges or the consequences of doing so.
      The Designated Safeguarding Lead will be responsible in managing any reports of abuse involving children with SEND and extra pastoral support and attention must be considered alongside the school if required. (KCSIE 2023, Part 1: 199-201).

    Date of Next Review: No later than September 2025