What is safeguarding?
Safeguarding is the term used to describe the activities that help make our students safe and free from harm in college and in their lives outside of college. This includes the following:
- Protecting young people and vulnerable adults from abuse whether physical, sexual, emotional or neglectful.
- Making sure that the college environment is free from bullying and harassment whether in person or by electronic communication.
- Making sure that our students are aware of their own safety when using the internet, particularly when using social media sites and email.
- Making sure we provide an environment that is safe and protects students from unnecessary accidents.
- Providing students with information, advice and guidance about their own personal health and safety, whether this is information about smoking cessation, drug abuse or sexual health.
- Involving our students in discussions on all of the above.
Our safeguarding practices
All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding; this means that they all need to have an awareness of health and safety, and the ability to identify and report concerns about students if they feel they are subject to abuse. Our staff all do the following:
- Attend the mandatory health and safety, equality and diversity and safeguarding training.
- Work with students through classes and tutorials to explore some of the subjects that are covered by safeguarding (teachers only).
- Become familiar with the college’s policies and procedures linked to safeguarding; including the safeguarding policy statement, email and internet policy and procedure, social media guidelines, data protection policy and procedures, safer recruitment procedures, incident reporting procedures, staff code of conduct and health and safety policy and procedures.
- Report any concerns about protection issues to the young people and vulnerable adult’s protection team.
- All staff are required to wear an ID badge and a lanyard.
- We have a series of mandatory training sessions for all staff which includes equality and diversity, safeguarding and health and safety.