Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk Policy

1. Purpose & scope

EDU Archives Tutors is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk who come into contact with our services. Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility — and at EDU Archives Tutors it is treated as a non-negotiable priority across recruitment, placement and ongoing service delivery.

This policy applies to every EDU Archives employee, every candidate placed by us (teachers, support staff, tutors, mentors, contractors and volunteers), and every third-party we work with. It is read alongside Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 (KCSiE), Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023, the Care Act 2014, the Children Act 1989 and 2004, the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and relevant local safeguarding partnership guidance.

Where this policy refers to a "child" we mean any person under 18. "Adult at risk" follows the definition in the Care Act 2014 — an adult who has needs for care and support, is experiencing or at risk of abuse or neglect, and is unable to protect themselves.

2. Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

EDU Archives Tutors has a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL). The DSL is reachable during all working hours by phone and email, and via an emergency contact route out of hours during term time.

Any concern, allegation, suspicion or disclosure of abuse, neglect or significant harm must be reported to the DSL the same day. The DSL will assess, record, refer (where required) and follow up in line with statutory guidance and our internal procedures.

The DSL completes annual safeguarding lead refresher training at minimum the level required by KCSiE 2024, and our wider team completes annual Level 1/2 safeguarding training appropriate to their role.

3. Safer recruitment

We follow safer recruitment practice as set out in Part 3 of KCSiE 2024. Every candidate completes the following before any placement:

• Application form including a full work history with no unexplained gaps
• Verified identity (passport / photo ID) and right-to-work documentation (originals checked in person or via certified provider)
• Enhanced DBS check, including check against the children's barred list for regulated activity
• Qualification certificates verified at source
• Two written references — including the most recent employer covering safeguarding suitability — followed up by phone
• Online presence and social-media check
• Health declaration
• KCSiE 2024 Part One training, with annual refresh
• Prevent duty awareness training (statutory under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015)
• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) reporting duty training
• Right to be Forgotten and data protection awareness training

4. Reporting and responding to concerns

Any person — staff, candidate, parent, child, third party — can raise a safeguarding concern. We never "wait and see" with safeguarding: every concern is logged on the day it's raised, assessed by the DSL, and escalated where the threshold is met.

The DSL assesses whether the concern reaches the threshold for referral to children's services, the police, the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), or another partner agency. Referrals are made the same working day in line with statutory timelines.

Where there is immediate risk of harm we call 999 in parallel with informing the DSL. We never delay action to make an internal decision when a child's safety is at stake.

Concerns are recorded factually, dated, signed and stored in our secure safeguarding records system with restricted access. Records are retained in line with statutory retention periods.

5. Allegations against staff and candidates

Allegations that an EDU Archives Tutors candidate, employee or volunteer has behaved in a way that may have harmed (or may harm) a child, or that they may pose a risk of harm, are handled under our Allegations Policy and KCSiE 2024 Part Four. The DSL and senior management refer to the LADO within one working day where the threshold is met.

We never offer financial settlements that prevent reporting to statutory bodies. We comply with our statutory duty to refer to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) where a person has been removed from regulated activity due to safeguarding concerns.

6. Information sharing & data protection

Information about safeguarding concerns is shared with statutory partners on a need-to-know basis under the lawful basis of vital interests and legal obligation (UK GDPR Articles 6(1)(c), 6(1)(d), 9(2)(b) and 9(2)(c)). Consent is never required where there is a safeguarding risk — but families are informed unless that would increase risk.

Internal records are kept securely, access-controlled, and retained in line with statutory retention periods (typically until the child reaches 25, longer where relevant).

7. Whistleblowing

Anyone — staff, candidate, parent, third party — can raise concerns about safeguarding practice at EDU Archives Tutors under our Whistleblowing Policy without fear of detriment. We support open reporting and will never retaliate against someone who raises a genuine concern in good faith.

Disclosures can also be made externally to a prescribed person under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 — including Ofsted, the LADO and the DBS.

8. Review

This policy is reviewed at least annually by the Designated Safeguarding Lead and the senior management team, and immediately following any significant incident, statutory change or learning from review. Last reviewed: January 2026.