Child Protection Policy

Wentworth Education aims to create and maintain the safest possible environment for the children with whom we deal with, as well as for our self-employed tutors and workers, and all reasonable steps will be taken to prevent all parties from harm.

Child Protection Policy

This policy supplements all of our other policies published on our website; this policy should be read in conjunction with all of the other policy documents. You can read documentation on our policies on the policies on our website.

Introduction

Wentworth Education Limited carries out activities which bring our self-employed tutors and people working on behalf of our organisation into regular unsupervised contact with children. This includes providing tutoring and educational services in the students' home and elsewhere. Wentworth Education Limited takes its responsibilities to safeguard and protect the interests of all young children very seriously.

This policy is non-contractual but indicates the way in which Wentworth Education Limited intends to deal with such matters.

Scope of this policy

This policy applies to all self-employed tutors, workers or volunteers whose duties bring them into contact with children.

Aims of this policy

This policy aims to create and maintain the safest possible environment for the children with whom we deal, as well as for our self-employed tutors and workers, and all reasonable steps will be taken to prevent all parties from harm.

Legal considerations

There is a considerable body of legislation designed to ensure that children and vulnerable adults are protected and it is important to understand that everyone is responsible for their safety. The main acts include:

the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (VBS)
Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations 2003
Protection of Children Act 1999/Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000
Care Standards Act 2000
The Police Act 1997
The Children (Protection from Offenders) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 1997
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HASAWA)

Definitions

A "child" is anyone under the age of 18.

Criminal records

Those who are involved in work situations where they have sustained or prolonged unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders legislation. This means that prospective employees, self-employed contractors and volunteers must declare all criminal convictions, however long ago; and these will be taken into account when deciding on their suitability for working with children or vulnerable adults. No-one will be permitted to undertake a role which involves regular contact with children without a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

However, a criminal record may not prevent a person from working for Wentworth Education Limited in any other capacity: if that person is then asked to undertake tasks which will bring him/her into unsupervised contact with children, such as work experience placements, any record must be declared to a Wentworth Education' Director who will take appropriate advice where necessary and will decide whether this task should be allocated to another member of staff or freelancer.

Planning and supervision

All activities or assignments involving children should be planned in advance to ensure they take into account the age range and ability of the participants. Staff, volunteers or freelancers supervising assignments involving children should be competent to do so. Supervision should take account of the age, gender, nature of the activity and any special needs of the individuals. Where appropriate, a risk assessment will be undertaken and documented. Where an adult cannot be present, all workers must contact the relevant Head Tutor to discuss what arrangements are to be made.

All workers should avoid working alone with a child wherever possible. If it is not avoidable they should plan their work so that at least one other responsible adult is present at any time. If possible, the worker should also move to a workstation where he/she and the child can both be seen by other colleagues or other adult and/or the door should be left open. Tuition should, where possible, take place in a communal family area e.g., living room, dining room.

This guidance applies also to transport in vehicles - workers must not offer to transport a child anywhere unless accompanied by a further person or as part of a formal arrangement.

Physical contact

On no account should any self-employed tutor, worker or volunteer have any physical contact with a child it is to prevent accident or injury to themselves or anyone else (eg to prevent a fall), or in the case of medical assistance being needed (eg to administer first aid), or to provide nursing or other general care, in which case the prior consent of the affected person should be requested where possible. Where appropriate, consent from parents or those with parental or caring responsibility should be obtained.

If a child is hurt or distressed, the worker should do his/her best to comfort or reassure the affected person without compromising his/her dignity or doing anything to discredit the person's own behaviour.

Communication

Communication with children is vital in establishing relationships built on trust. Those working with children or vulnerable adults should listen to what they are saying and respond appropriately. Children are entitled to the same respect as any self-employed tutors, workers and volunteers. It should also be made clear to them what standards of behaviour and mutual respect are expected from them.

Those working with children should behave appropriately, ensure that language is moderated in their presence and should refrain from adult jokes or comments which are clearly unsuitable. Workers should also note that what may be acceptable language to their friends may not be regarded as such by those of an older generation.

Behaviour and abuse

We should all aim to promote an environment of trust and understanding. Those working with children should not tolerate unsociable behaviour but should try to ensure good working relationships.

All self-employed tutors, workers and volunteers at Wentworth Education Limited have a strict duty never to subject any child to any form of harm or abuse. This means that it is unacceptable, for example, to treat a child in any of the following ways:

to cause distress by shouting or calling them derogatory names
to slap
to hold them in such a way that it causes pain, or to shake them
to physically restrain them except to protect them from harming themselves or others
to take part in horseplay or rough games
to allow or engage in inappropriate touching of any kind
to do things of a personal nature for the person that they can do for themselves (this includes changing clothing, or going to the toilet with them unless another adult is present)
to allow or engage in sexually suggestive behaviour within a person's sight or hearing, or make suggestive remarks to or within earshot
to give or show anything which could be construed as pornographic
to seek or agree to meet them anywhere outside of the normal workplace without the full prior knowledge and agreement of the parent, guardian or carer
to engage with them online in an unacceptable manner.

Suspicions of abuse

Any worker who witnesses or suspects abusive behaviour towards a child should record the details and report it to a Wentworth Education' Director. It is NOT the individual's responsibility to investigate his/her suspicions - this requires expertise he/she is not expected to have.

Any allegations of abuse made against anyone working for Wentworth Education Limited will be thoroughly investigated and dealt with through our disciplinary procedure. Serious breaches may lead to termination of any agreement (for self-employed tutors, workers or volunteers).

A Wentworth Education Director will appropriately record an allegation or reported incident. He/she will be responsible for contacting the statutory child protection agency such as the Local Safeguarding Children Board or the police if necessary.

Safety

The safety of the people we work with is paramount and we are committed to providing a safe environment within which to work. Those working with children should ensure all appropriate risk assessments and security checks have been carried out prior to any assignment.

If transporting children, the transport should be checked to ensure it is roadworthy and adequate for the purpose. Any equipment used must be safe and only used for the purpose for which it is intended. Users should be adequately trained. Appropriate insurance should be up to date and adequate to cover such assignments.

Confidentiality

All personal information regarding children is highly confidential and should only be shared with appropriate people on a need to know basis. Information access is limited to workers who are required to access it to fulfil their duties and will only be kept for as long as is needed.

Anyone who is likely to have access to confidential material regarding children or vulnerable adults, or any of the bodies on behalf of whom Wentworth Education Limited is working, may be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. The requirement for confidentiality is emphasised.

Contact outside of work

Contact should not be made with any of the children with whom we are working for any reason unrelated to the particular work. In particular, our self-employed tutors are required to maintain our reputation for integrity and responsibility in dealing with such people, and should not enter into any social or other non-work related arrangements with them.

Gifts and inducements

On no account should anyone from Wentworth Education Limited give a child a gift or buy refreshments etc which could be in any way considered as a bribe or inducement to enter into a relationship with the Wentworth Education Limited person or give rise to any false allegations of improper conduct against the individual.

Communicating this policy and concerns

All workers and volunteers at Wentworth Education Limited will be made aware of this policy and a copy will be available via the Wentworth Education website.

Furthermore, a copy of this policy will be made available to all relevant bodies with whom we work and will be made available to parents and carers of children with whom we plan to work.

Any concerns about the assignment or people involved should be addressed with a Wentworth Education' Director.

Breach of this policy

Failure to follow the guidelines in this policy is considered a serious offence and will be investigated thoroughly and dealt with through our disciplinary procedure for employees. Serious breaches may lead to termination of any agreement (for self-employed tutors, workers or volunteers).

Implementation, monitoring and review of this policy

Edward Smith has overall responsibility for implementing and monitoring this policy, which will be reviewed on a regular basis following its implementation (at least annually) and additionally whenever there are relevant changes in legislation or to our working practices.

Any queries or comments about this policy should be addressed to Edward Smith. Edward Smith can be contacted via the contact details on our contact us web-page.