Safeguarding Children Policy (Updated 05/10/23)

To download our full child protection policy, please click here

We believe that it is always unacceptable for a child or young person to experience abuse of any kind and recognise our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children and young people by a commitment to practice which protects them. 
We recognise that: 

• the welfare of the child/young person is paramount; 
• all children, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse; 
• working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare. 

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The purpose of the policy: 

• to provide protection for the children and young people who receive tuition at Bedford Tutor;
• to provide guidance on procedures for tutors in the event that they suspect a child or young person may be experiencing, or be at risk of, harm. 

This policy applies to tutors working at Bedford Tutor.
We will seek to safeguard children and young people by: 

• valuing them, listening to and respecting them; 
• adopting child protection guidelines; 
• ensuring all tutors are police checked;
• carrying out child-protection training with the NSPCC on a yearly basis;
• sharing information about child protection and good practice with children, parents and tutors;
• sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know, and involving parents and children appropriately. 

Child Protection Policy

This policy and the procedures that it underpins apply to all tutors working at Bedford Tutor

The purpose of this policy: 

• to protect children and young people who receive tuition from Bedford Tutor
• to provide tutors with the principles that guide our approach to child protection

We believe that a child or young person should never experience abuse of any kind. The business has a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people and to keep them safe. Tutors working at Bedford Tutor are committed to practice in a way that protects them. 

Legal framework
This policy has been drawn up on the basis of law and guidance that seeks to protect children, namely: 

• Children Act 1989 
• United Convention of the Rights of the Child 1991 
• Data Protection Act 1998 
• Sexual Offences Act 2003 
• Children Act 2004 
• Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 
• Relevant government guidance on safeguarding children 

Tutors working at Bedford Tutor recognise that: 

• the welfare of the child is paramount, as enshrined in the Children Act 1989; 
• all children, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity, 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, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare. 

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by: 

• valuing them, listening to and respecting them;
• adopting child protection practices through procedures and a code of conduct for staff and volunteers;
• developing and implementing an effective e-safety policy and related procedures;
• providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support and training;
• sharing information about child protection and good practice with children, parents, staff and volunteers; 
• sharing concerns with agencies who need to know, and involving parents and children appropriately. 

E-Safety Policy

​This policy and the procedures that it underpins apply to all tutors working at Bedford Tutor

• To protect children and young people who receive Bedford Tutor's services and who make use of information technology (such as mobile phones, Tablets and the Internet) as part of their involvement with the business.
• To provide tutors with the overarching principles that guides a stringent approach to e-safety.
• To ensure that, as a business, Bedford Tutor operates in line with the values on this policy and within the law in terms of how the business uses information technology. 

Tutors working at Bedford Tutor recognise that: 

• The welfare of the children/young people who come into contact with the service is paramount and should govern tutors' approach to the use and management of electronic communications technologies;
• All children, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse;
• Working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare and in helping young people to be responsible in their approach to e-safety;
• The use of information technology is an essential part of all life in the twenty-first century; it is involved in how Bedford Tutor, as an organisation, gathers and stores information, as well as how tutors, clients and students communicate with each other;
• It is also an intrinsic part of the experience of children and young people, and is greatly beneficial to all. However, it can present challenges in terms of how people use it responsibly and, if misused either by an adult or a young person, can be actually or potentially harmful to them. 

Tutors working at Bedford Tutor will seek to promote e-safety by: 

• Developing a range of procedures that provide clear and specific directions to tutors on the appropriate use of ICT;
• Supporting and encouraging the young people using our service to use the opportunities offered by mobile phone technology and the internet in a way that keeps themselves safe and shows respect for others; 
• Supporting and encouraging parents and carers to do what they can to keep their children safe online and when using their mobile phones and game consoles; 
• Use recommended procedures to deal firmly, fairly and decisively with any examples of inappropriate ICT use, complaints or allegations, whether by an adult or a child/young person (these may include breaches of filtering, illegal use, cyberbullying, or use of ICT to groom a child or to perpetrate abuse); 
• Informing parents and carers of incidents of concern as appropriate; 
• Reviewing and updating the security of our information systems regularly; 
• Providing adequate physical security for ICT equipment; 
• Ensuring that user names, logins and passwords are used effectively; 
• Using only official email accounts provided via the organisation, and monitoring these as necessary; 
• Ensuring that images of children, young people and families are used only after their written permission has been obtained, and only for the purpose for which consent has been given; 
• Any social media tools used in the course of our work with children, young people and families must be risk assessed in advance by the tutor wishing to use them; 
• Providing effective management for tutors on ICT issues, through supervision, support and training; 
• Examining and risk assessing any emerging new technologies before they are used within the business. 

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We are committed to reviewing our Safeguarding, Child Protection and e-safety policies and associated good practice annually.