Safeguarding & Prevent Policy

1Who to contact

Designated Safeguarding Lead: Martin Blakemore, dsl@acadame.co.uk, 0330 124 2165.

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Lloyd Dykes, lloyd@acadame.co.uk, 0330 124 2165.

Staffordshire Education Safeguarding Lead: Amanda Darlington, amanda.darlington@staffordshire.gov.uk, 01785 278870.

Prevent, Staffordshire Police Prevent Team: 101 for non-emergency, or the national Police Prevent advice line on 0800 011 3764. NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000.

If there is immediate risk to life, call 999 first and tell the DSL or Deputy DSL as soon as it is safe to do so. DSL and Deputy DSL contact details are displayed at our training venues and in learner information.

2Policy and scope

This policy applies to everyone involved with Acadame: candidates, apprentices, staff, contractors, volunteers and external partners. It covers educational settings, meaning classrooms, online learning environments, off-site venues and our eLearning provision, and operational environments, meaning work placements, employer premises, community activity and events delivered on client sites.

We acknowledge our duty of care to safeguard everyone, with particular focus on protecting vulnerable groups including young candidates, apprentices and vulnerable adults, on complying with both Safeguarding and Prevent statutory requirements, and on addressing risks of abuse, neglect, exploitation and radicalisation through proactive procedure.

Read it alongside PRO-023 Safeguarding Reporting Procedure, POL-009 Data Protection & GDPR, POL-011 Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, POL-014 Malpractice & Maladministration and POL-019 Speak Up.

3What the terms mean

• Safeguarding: measures that protect candidates, apprentices and other stakeholders from harm, including maltreatment, neglect, exploitation and abuse, while supporting their health, safety and development in secure environments
• Prevent: the statutory responsibility to safeguard individuals from being drawn into terrorism, by addressing radicalisation risk and promoting fundamental British values
• Vulnerable adults: people aged 18 or over who may be unable to protect themselves from harm or exploitation because of age, disability, illness, mental ill health or particular circumstances

4The law we work to

• Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, which carries the Prevent duty
• Children Act 1989 and 2004
• Education and Training (Welfare of Children) Act 2021
• Equality Act 2010
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
• Human Rights Act 1998
• Care Act 2014, for safeguarding adults
• UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018

We also follow Keeping Children Safe in Education, Working Together to Safeguard Children, the Prevent Duty Guidance for Further Education, and local authority safeguarding and Prevent procedures.

5Reporting a concern

• Every Safeguarding and Prevent concern is documented on FOR-021 Safeguarding Concern Reporting Form
• Concerns are reported immediately to the DSL or Deputy DSL, in accordance with PRO-023
• Reports contain factual observation and, where applicable, the candidate's own words

Staff report concerns. Staff do not investigate them.

6How we respond

The DSL or Deputy DSL reviews the concern and assesses the risk, then decides the next step. That may be internal monitoring and Early Help, a referral to Staffordshire Education Safeguarding Service, Adult Social Care or the LADO, or contact with Staffordshire Police and the Prevent team, including referral to a Channel Panel where there is a radicalisation risk. Actions, outcomes and learning are recorded in the Safeguarding Log.

Support is tailored to the individual, which can mean mentoring, signposting or adjustments, and we liaise where appropriate with parents, carers, employers and external services. Reasonable adjustments to learning and assessment follow POL-017.

We share information on a need-to-know basis in line with GDPR and statutory guidance, contribute to multi-agency meetings where required, and follow local thresholds and referral pathways.

7Responsibilities

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is the primary point of contact for all Safeguarding and Prevent concerns, ensures this policy and PRO-023 are implemented, liaises with statutory and Prevent agencies, maintains the Safeguarding Log and secure records, and leads on staff training.

The Deputy DSL acts in the DSL's absence and supports case management, recordkeeping, training, liaison and escalation.

Staff and contractors complete mandatory Safeguarding and Prevent training, maintain professional boundaries, stay alert to signs of abuse, neglect or radicalisation, and report concerns promptly using FOR-021 and PRO-023.

The Senior Leadership Team allocates sufficient resource, reviews the effectiveness of policy, procedure and training, and receives Safeguarding reports and trends.

External partners and employers cooperate with our expectations, report concerns to the DSL or Deputy DSL where a candidate or apprentice is at risk, and follow the agreed data sharing and escalation protocols.

8If someone discloses something to you

1. Listen calmly and without judgement
2. Reassure them they have done the right thing
3. Do not promise absolute confidentiality: explain you may need to share information with people who can help keep them safe
4. Avoid leading questions and clarify only what is necessary
5. Record it as soon as possible on FOR-021, using their own words where you can
6. Report it immediately to the DSL or Deputy DSL, following PRO-023

9Information and data sharing

• Safeguarding information is shared lawfully, proportionately and securely
• UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 requirements are followed
• FOR-021 records, the Safeguarding Log, referrals and outcomes are kept securely with restricted access
• Decisions to share or to withhold information are recorded with the reasoning behind them

10Supporting candidates and apprentices

Support may include mental health and wellbeing support, internal or external, individual support plans and reasonable adjustments, Early Help referrals and pastoral support, anti-bullying and behaviour support, and embedding safeguarding and online safety topics within the learning itself.

11Vulnerable adults

• We identify risk indicators relevant to adults at risk
• We make timely referrals to Adult Social Care where they are needed
• We work in accordance with the Care Act 2014 and local adult safeguarding procedures
• We involve individuals in decisions about their support wherever possible

12Mental health and crisis support

We promote open dialogue to reduce stigma, train staff to recognise potential signs of mental health difficulty, provide clear routes to support and signposting, and hold arrangements for crisis response.

In a crisis: where there is immediate danger or threat to life, call 999 without delay, then notify the DSL or Deputy DSL as soon as it is safe. The DSL or Deputy DSL coordinates ongoing support and follow-up, including debrief and any improvement to practice.

13Safer recruitment

• Appropriate DBS checks for candidate-facing roles
• Verification of identity, right to work and qualifications
• Exploration of employment history, including any gaps
• At least one safer-recruitment-trained person on every interview panel
• Induction covering safeguarding, Prevent, conduct and whistleblowing expectations

14Good practice

• Treat others with dignity and respect
• Maintain professional boundaries at all times
• Use technology and social media appropriately, in line with the Acceptable Use Policy
• Challenge discriminatory, abusive or unsafe behaviour
• Report concerns promptly

15Whistleblowing and abuse of position

Staff are encouraged and expected to raise concerns about unsafe practice, unethical behaviour or safeguarding failure, internally to the DSL or the Senior Leadership Team, or through external routes where that is appropriate. Whistleblowers are supported and protected from detrimental treatment. These routes sit alongside formal safeguarding reporting, they do not replace it.

Staff must not abuse a position of trust for personal gain or to exploit others. Inappropriate relationships and boundary breaches are treated seriously and may lead to disciplinary action.

Risk assessments and emergency procedures support a safe environment, and safeguarding is integrated with our Health & Safety Policy and related procedures.

16Images and online safety

• We obtain informed consent before capturing or using images of candidates or apprentices, and of parents or guardians where that is required
• Images are stored and used in compliance with the Data Protection & GDPR Policy
• We promote online safety, including awareness of cyberbullying, grooming and extremist content
• Adherence to the Acceptable Use and Data Protection policies is required across all digital platforms

17A safe environment and external speakers

• Regular checks and risk assessments for every premises used
• A zero-tolerance approach to bullying, harassment and discrimination
• Vetting of external speakers using SUP-031 Guest Speaker Risk Assessment Form, to ensure alignment with British values, Safeguarding and Prevent
• Acadame staff present whenever an external speaker is delivering

18Radicalisation and extremism

• We recognise that anyone can be vulnerable to radicalisation
• British values are embedded within our training, reinforcing respect and tolerance
• Prevent training is provided for staff
• Behaviour and concerns are monitored and, where necessary, referred by the DSL or Deputy DSL to the Police Prevent team or to Channel

19Safeguarding LGBTQ+ young people

• We foster an inclusive environment where LGBTQ+ individuals are respected and protected
• We recognise specific risks such as bullying, isolation and mental health challenges
• Disclosures are handled sensitively, with confidentiality respected and information shared only on a need-to-know basis
• Staff receive training on LGBTQ+ inclusion and safeguarding responsibilities

20Attendance

Attendance and engagement are monitored. Where a pattern of absence or withdrawal raises concern we discuss it with the candidate or apprentice and their employer, engage parents or carers where appropriate, and consider whether it points to an underlying safeguarding issue.

21Challenge and escalation

Professional disagreements between agencies can arise. Where they do, staff must be prepared to respectfully challenge a decision they believe does not adequately safeguard a young person or vulnerable adult, and the DSL or Deputy DSL will follow local escalation procedures where inter-agency disagreement persists.

22Monitoring, evaluation and review

• An annual Safeguarding report to the Senior Leadership Team
• Quarterly review of the Safeguarding Log by the DSL
• Scrutiny of data, risk assessments and incident trends
• Feedback from candidates, apprentices, employers, staff and partners
• Periodic review of training completion and its impact

The Head of Centre reviews the suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of this policy and PRO-023 regularly, and updates them as required.

23Annex 1: recognising abuse

Acadame staff are not responsible for diagnosing abuse, but they must stay vigilant and report concerns. Types of abuse include:

• Physical abuse, including causing physical harm or fabricated or induced illness
• Emotional abuse, meaning persistent maltreatment affecting emotional development
• Sexual abuse, covering contact and non-contact activity, including grooming
• Neglect, the persistent failure to meet basic physical or emotional needs

Indicators can include unexplained injuries, significant changes in behaviour, self-harm, fearfulness, unexplained gifts, poor attendance or signs of coercive control. Staff maintain an attitude of “it could happen here”, record and report any concern using FOR-021, and never investigate themselves. The annex also covers responding to a disclosure, managing bullying and harmful peer behaviour as safeguarding concerns, recognising risks such as sexual exploitation, honour-based abuse, FGM, forced marriage and criminal exploitation, and the importance of early help and multi-agency working.