Child Safeguarding Policy | The English Manner

The following policies apply for tuition given to a child under the age of 18.

All children have an absolute right to a childhood free from abuse, neglect and exploitation.

The English Manner works with children and families in conducting the following:

One-to-one tutoring, in-person and online;
Small group tutoring ;
Holiday clubs;
Workshops in schools and in the community.

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this policy and the procedures contained in it is to ensure, as far as possible, that people who may abuse children do not get the opportunity to do so:

To protect children and children who access services provided by The English Manner; and
To provide parents/guardians, staff and tutors with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.

This policy applies to everyone working on behalf of The English Manner.

All adults involved in The English Manner’s activities and who come into contact with children have a duty of care to safeguard and promote their welfare.

There is a duty placed upon us to ensure that all adults who work with or on behalf of our children are competent, confident and safe to do so.

Adults working or volunteering for The English Manner in any capacity are responsible for their own actions and behaviour. They should avoid any conduct that would lead a reasonable person to question their motivation or intention.
Everyone involved in The English Manner activities must follow The English Manner’s Code of Conduct.

This policy has been drawn up based on legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England. A summary of the key legislation and guidance is available from https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-protection-system/england/.

We believe that:

Children should never experience abuse of any kind; and
We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and children, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them.

We recognise that:

The welfare of the child is paramount;
All children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation, have a right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse
Some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues;
Working in partnership with children, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting children’s welfare;

We will seek to keep children safe by:

Valuing, listening to and respecting them;
Appointing a nominated child protection/safeguarding lead, a deputy child protection/safeguarding lead and a Director for safeguarding;
Developing child protection and safeguarding policies and procedures which reflect best practice;
Using our safeguarding procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, parents, families and carers appropriately;
Creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying that does arise;
Developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related procedures;
Sharing information about child protection and safeguarding best practice with children, their families, staff, self-employed tutors and volunteers;
Recruiting staff, self-employed tutors and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made;
Providing effective management for staff, self-employed tutors and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures;
Implementing a code of conduct for staff and volunteers;
Using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff, self-employed tutors and volunteers appropriately;
Ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place;
Ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, staff, self-employed tutors and volunteers by applying health and safety measures following the law and regulatory guidance;
Recording and storing information professionally and securely.

Photographs & Filming

Children, and their parents/carers, have the right to decide whether their images are taken and how they are used, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation and have the choice to opt out.

Children, and their parents/carers, will be asked to provide written consent before images are taken and will be specifically informed for what purpose the images will be used prior to giving their consent and how the images will be stored.

We understand the risks of sharing images, particularly online, so we will reduce these risks by only using images of children in appropriate clothing, avoiding full face and body shots, only using first names and using images that positively reflect the child’s involvement in the activity they are participating in for the photos or filming.

Code of Conduct

All adults coming into contact with children and children through The English Manner’s work must comply with this Child Protection and Safeguarding Children Policy and this Code of Conduct at all times.

You must:

Treat all children with respect.
Work in an open and transparent way.
Avoid being alone with a child or cause someone else to be alone with a child because of your actions e.g. being late. If alone in a room with children, keep the door open at all times. Sit on another side of the table. Inform another person you are with the child.
Remember that someone else might misinterpret your actions, no matter how well-intentioned so always be transparent in every action and behaviour done with children.
Be aware that physical contact with a child can be misinterpreted and should always be avoided. Shaking hands in a public setting is considered acceptable.
Be aware that social networking sites are in the public domain if not protected by privacy settings. Privacy settings must be activated so that children would not be able to access your online profiles and if any information about you is in the public domain and brings The English Manner into disrepute your employment with could be compromised.
Block any children that approach you online and inform The English Manner directors immediately.
Recognise that special caution is required when discussing sensitive issues with children.
Challenge unacceptable behaviour and report all allegations/suspicions of abuse to The English Manner directors.
Operate within The English Manner’s procedures in the event of any disclosure/concern raised by any child.
Raise any questions or concerns about child protection or safeguarding with The English Manner’s director without delay, or if unsure of a school’s procedure, information should be sought from school staff.
Be aware of your own safety and security. Always have a mobile phone charged and available to you but not out and visible during tutoring sessions.

You must not:

Enter the house alone to tutor a child without a parent/carer of the child being present.
Promise confidentiality to children in any situation.
Seek out or add children on any personal or professional social networking site.
Respond to any online communication from a child, for example, on a social networking site.
Share any personal contact details (including email addresses, telephone numbers, addresses or any other contact information) with children, or, seek out their personal contact details.
Arrange to meet a child outside (offline & online) of the allocated tutoring time, unless on the school premises and with the prior knowledge of a staff member.
Act in a manner that excludes the children you are working with.
Make suggestive or derogatory remarks in front of children.
Have inappropriate physical contact or verbal contact with children.
Show favouritism to any individual.
Be under the influence of alcohol or other substances when working on activities involving children.
Take photographs of children.

Upholding this code of behaviour

You should always follow this code of behaviour and never rely on your reputation or our organisation’s reputation to protect you. If you have behaved inappropriately, you will be subject to our disciplinary procedures. Depending on the seriousness of the situation, you may be asked to leave The English Manner. We may also need to make a referral to statutory agencies such as the police and/or the local authority child protection services. If you become aware of any breaches of this code, you must report them to the directors of The English Manner immediately.

Roles and Responsibilities for those providing online tutoring

The tutor:

Any self-employed tutor of The English Manner must:

Ensure that their environment does not display any inappropriate images or documentation capable of being viewed by the student or parent/responsible adult when conducting a session.
Treat students fairly and without prejudice or discrimination; students who have a disability or come from a minority ethnic or cultural group can easily become victims of discrimination and prejudice, which may be harmful to the student’s well-being.
Always ensure language is appropriate and not offensive or discriminatory.
Ensure any contact with the student is appropriate to their role as a tutor and confined to the relevant online session.
Do not make any inappropriate suggestions to a student.
Not send unsolicited communications to the student or parent/responsible adult.
Value and take students’ contributions seriously and ensure that students value and respect each other’s contributions.
Report any dispute with a student or parent/responsible adult to The English Manner in accordance with the safeguarding procedures.
Report any inappropriate behaviour or illegal activity identified within an online session by the student or third party, by procedures set out in safeguarding procedures.

The student:

Ensure that a parent/responsible adult is present during an online session. The student must:

Treat the tutor with respect and fairness, and not subject them to abusive behaviour or language.
Value and respect the contributions of other students when working in groups.
Not make any improper suggestions to the tutor.
Have no inappropriate communication with the tutor outside the online session.
Report any dispute with a tutor to a parent/responsible adult.

The parent/responsible adult:

The parent/responsible adult must:

Ensure the student is fully aware of The English Manner’s Safeguarding Policy and their right to be safe and report concerns they have to a trusted adult immediately.
Always be responsible for the supervision, behaviour and welfare of the student during the session.
Always be responsible for the physical environment of the pupil during the session, ensuring it is safe and appropriate.
If they consider it appropriate, be present or available during a tutor session so any concerns encountered by the student can be reported as soon as possible and ensure the student and tutor are behaving appropriately.
Ensure that tutors will be treated with respect and fairness by the student and will not be subjected to abusive behaviour or language.
Ensure that no improper suggestions are made by either the tutor or student.
Ensure the student has no inappropriate communication with the tutor outside the online session.
Report any unsolicited communications between the tutor and student.
Report any dispute with a tutor to The English Manner.
Report any inappropriate behaviour or illegal activity by a tutor.

Directors of The English Manner:

The Director/Management of The English Manner shall:

Conduct a rigorous interview with questions including safeguarding children with tutors before they are permitted to join The English Manner, ensuring references and that a complete vetting process has been followed.
Ensure that any dispute between persons using The English Manner is handled efficiently and fairly without discrimination in accordance with the procedures set out here.
Deal with reports of possible illegal activity promptly, ensuring the safety and well-being of the student and/or tutor in accordance with the procedures set out here.
If appropriate, report to The English Manner’s other directors or employ the services of an independent Child Protection consultant to review a report concerning the welfare of a student ensuring an appropriate course of action is taken.
Regularly review the policy and procedures to ensure they are relevant and adequate to safeguard all persons using The English Manner.

Online Tutorials

We request that a parent/guardian begins and ends each online session for the child student to supervise the technicals. Once the session begins, a parent/guardian is requested to stay nearby within earshot and vision of the child.

If the parent/guardian is unable to stay nearby, the session will be recorded and stored for 90 days on a secure server. The recording will not be shared beyond the parent/guardian, if requested.

In-person Tutorials

We request that a parent/guardian accompany each in-person session, as well as safely escort their child to and from the venue.

If the parent/guardian is unable to stay in the training room, the tutor will audio record the session on a mobile phone for safeguarding. The recording will not be shared beyond the parent/guardian, if requested.

UK Government DBS checks

Our tutors have exceptional and extensive experience in tutoring children and young adults, and all have passed the UK government’s DBS checks.

All self-employed tutors and club leaders must either:

Have an existing enhanced DBS check not more than two years old verified by a member of The English Manner staff, with the disclosure number and date of issue recorded, along with photographic ID and original certificate seen by The English Manner directors; or
Arrange with The English Manner to have a new enhanced DBS check processed by The English Manner. Where a new enhanced DBS is obtained, the self-employed tutor or club leader must register with the Update Service. Once on the Update Service, The English Manner will conduct an annual check with the Update Service of all self-employed tutors and club leaders on their roster.
Tutors who have not shown an original DBS certificate to The English Manner directors must not be working employees, self-employed and accessing children and tutors through The English Manner.