Roles and responsibilities
3.1 The Role of the Senior Management Team
3.1.1 The Senior Management Team have a strategic leadership responsibility for our safeguarding arrangements. We have a senior board level lead role carried out by Jeanette Essex Part 2 of Keeping Children Safe in Education (September 2022) sets out the responsibilities of governing bodies. As part of these overarching responsibilities the Senior Management Team will -
- Have a strategic leadership responsibility for Coventry Adult Education Service safeguarding arrangements
- Ensure all Governors and trustees receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training (including online safety) at induction and that is regularly updated
- Aware of the obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 , the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty
- Ensure that they comply with their duties under legislation
- Ensure a whole school approach to safeguarding, including the use of mobile and smart technology in the service
- Ensure that policies, procedure, and training are effective and comply with the law at all times and that they allow concerns to be responded to in a timely manner
- Ensure we consider local authority and Coventry Safeguarding Children Partnership policies and supply information as requested by the safeguarding partners (the Local Authority, a clinical commissioning group for an area within the local authority and the chief office of police for a police area within the local authority)
- Ensure we have an effective child protection policy, encompassed as part of our safeguarding policy, that it is outlined on the Coventry Adult Education Services website reviewed annually and fully available upon request
- Ensure we have a staff behaviour policy or Code of Conduct which refers to low level concerns, allegations against staff and whistleblowing procedures alongside acceptable use of technologies
- Ensure that all staff and governors undergo safeguarding and child protection training on induction (including online safety) and this is regularly updated
- Ensure we contribute to multi-agency working in line with statutory guidance
- Ensure that there are clear systems and processes in place for identifying when children may be experiencing mental health problems
- Ensure that children are taught about safeguarding, including online safety as a whole service approach and curriculum planning but recognising that a one size fits all approach may not be appropriate for all children. See section 12 of this policy for further information
- Put in place and follow appropriate safeguarding responses for children who go missing from education
- Appoint an appropriate member of staff from the senior leadership team to the role of Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Understand the local criteria for action and local protocol for assessment
- Recognise the importance of information sharing between practitioners and local agencies but take a risk-based approach to level of information that is provided to temporary staff, volunteers, and contractors
- Ensure that appropriate filters and monitoring systems are in place to keep children safe online and share information regarding online abuse and risks including where to access advice with parents and carers
- Respond to allegations of abuse against the Head of Centre whilst ensuring there are procedures in place to manage safeguarding concerns or allegations against staff (including supply staff, volunteers, and contractors); and
- Ensure safer working practice is embedded and effective within policies
3.2. The Role of the Head of Service
3.2.1 The Senior Lead – Adult Education will
- Ensure that this policy is reviewed annually at minimum and ratified by the governing body
- Ensure that this policy and associated procedures are adhered to by all staff
- Ensure that all staff are made aware of the named governor for safeguarding and the Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Ensure that the role of ‘Designated Safeguarding Lead’ is explicit in the role-holder’s job description
- Decide whether to have one or more deputy safeguarding leads and ensure they are trained to the same standard as the Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Organise appropriate cover for the role of Designated Safeguarding Lead for any out of hour/out of term activities
- Appointed a Link Manager for Study Programmes (link to DSL - for Looked After and Previously Looked-After Children) Tammy Sheldon, Study Programme Manager
- Appoint a lead for online safety; (DSL will still retain ultimate responsibility for this)
- Promote a whole service approach to safeguarding
- Promote resilience to social and emotional wellbeing, which is tailored to the needs of the children
- Ensure that all recruitment follows the ‘Safer Recruitment’ guidance, and a single, central record is maintained with details of all members of staff who are in contact with children
- Respond to low level concerns and allegations of abuse against all other members of staff including supply staff, volunteers, and contractors
- Refer cases where a person is dismissed or left due to risk/harm to a child to the Disclosure and Barring Service and Teaching Regulation Agency as required
- Ensure that the service collaborates with Children’s Services, the Police, Health services and other services to; promote the welfare of children; provide a co-ordinated offer of early help assessments when need is identified; contribute to inter-agency plans for children subject to children protection plans and to protect children from harm
- Safeguard children’s wellbeing and maintain public trust in the teaching profession as part of their professional duties (Teaching Standards, 2012); and
- Ensure that children’s Services (from the host local authority or placing authority) have access to the service to conduct, or to consider whether to conduct a section 47 or section 17 assessment, as per Keeping Children Safe in Education (September 2022)
3.3 The Role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead
3.3.1 The Designated Safeguarding Lead for Coventry Adult Education Service is Louise Lakin. Our Deputy Designated Safeguard Lead in the DSL’s absence is Howard Croft.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead will:
- Take overall lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection (including online safety)
- Liaise with the safeguarding partners and work with other agencies in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children (2022)
- Always be available during term time school hours for staff in the service to discuss safeguarding concerns. If they are not available, a deputy will be made available
- Undergo training to provide them with the knowledge and skills required to carry out this role updated a minimum of biannually
- Act as a source of support and expertise on matters relating to safeguarding and child protection to ensure that other members of staff can carry out their safeguarding duty
- Be best placed to advise on the response to safeguarding concerns
- Identify if children may benefit from early help
- Act as a point of contact with the safeguarding partners
- Make referrals to Coventry’s Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) where children have been harmed or are at risk of significant harm
- Make referrals to the Channel programme where there is a radicalisation concern and/or support staff that make a referral to Channel
- Support the service with regards to their responsibilities under the Prevent duty and provide advice and support on protecting children from radicalisation
- Refer cases to the police where a crime may have been committed
- Ensure all staff have read and understood Part 1 and/or Annex A of Keeping Children Safe in Education (September 2022)
- Update their knowledge and skills regularly and keep up with any developments relevant to their role
- Provide staff in the service with the knowledge, skills and support required to safeguard children
- Take responsibility for the accurate and timely recording of safeguarding and child protection concerns and take overall responsibility for safeguarding and child protection files
- Take responsibility for the transfer of safeguarding files when a child leaves the service
- Attend or ensure an appropriate representative attends multi-agency safeguarding or child protection meetings
- Promote supportive engagement with parents and/or carers in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children
- Work closely with other relevant education professionals (e.g., CCCs – SEND Team), to ensure children with additional vulnerabilities are safeguarded
- Help to promote educational outcomes of child who have experienced or are experiencing safeguarding or child protection issues by sharing relevant information with teachers and the service’s leadership team
- Promote a ‘culture of safeguarding’, in which every member of Coventry Adult Education Service community acts in the best interests of the child
- Ensuring Coventry Adult Education Service knows who its cohort of children or have or have had a social worker are, understanding their academic progress and attainment, and maintaining a culture of high aspirations
- Regularly meet (every half term at a minimum) with the safeguarding link Steering group member and/or Chair of Steering group to review safeguarding in Coventry Adult Education Service and
- Liaise with the Senior Lead – Adult Education regarding safeguarding cases and issues
- When concerns are linked to mental health the Study Programme manager will liaise with the Coventry Council CAMHS teams and (or) referral to the young person’s GP, instigating telephone consultation, face-to-face meetings, or attendance straight to A&E for a mental health assessment
- 3.3.2 Further details on the role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead can be found in Annex C of Keeping Children Safe in Education (September 2022)
3.4 The role and responsibilities of all Staff within Service
3.4.1 Coventry Adult Education staff play a particularly important role because they are in a position to identify concerns early in order to provide help for children. All staff in Coventry Adult Education Service:
- Have a responsibility to provide a safe environment, where children can learn
- Will be able to identify indicators of abuse, exploitation or neglect; with an awareness of safeguarding issues that put children at risk of harm and behaviours associated with these risks
- Should know what to do if a child tells them that he/she is being abused, exploited, or neglected but that children may not feel ready or know how to tell someone that they are being abuse, exploited, or neglected and/or recognise their experience as harmful
- Will be aware of indictors of child-on-child abuse and procedures to deal with this
- All staff, but especially the DSL and deputies, will also consider whether children are at risk of abuse or exploitation in situations outside their families
- Will be made aware of; the safeguarding and child protection policy; the service’s learners code of conduct policy; the staff behaviour policy; information about the safeguarding response to children missing in education; the role of the designated safeguarding lead and systems in Coventry Adult Education Service that support safeguarding and child protection
- Will be provided with a copy of Part 1/Annex A of Keeping Children Safe in Education (September 2022) annually and receive annually updated training on their safeguarding roles and responsibilities
- Will receive regularly updated safeguarding and child protection training including online safety
- Will receive safeguarding updates throughout the year as part of continuous professional development
- Should be able to contribute to the development of safeguarding policy and practice
- Will be made aware of the early help assessment process and understand their role in it
- Should be prepared to identify children who may benefit from early help and will discuss early help requirements with the safeguarding lead in the first instance
- May be required to support social workers and other agencies following a referral
- Will be made aware of the process for making referrals to Children’s Services (though the MASH), understand statutory assessments and the role that they may be expected to play in such assessments
- Should be prepared to make referrals to the MASH if they have concerns about a child’s welfare and understand the role that they may be expected to play in such assessments
- Understands the referral process to the (LADO) and the role they play should they have concerns or allegations are made against any member of staff
- Should always seek advice from the Designated Safeguarding Lead if they are unsure and
- All teachers should safeguard children’s wellbeing and maintain public trust in the teaching profession as part of their professional duties (Teaching Standards, 2012)
3.5 Multi-Agency Working
3.5.1 Coventry Adult Education Service is committed to multi-agency working and operates under Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) and local safeguarding arrangements
3.5.2 Coventry Adult Education Service will work with Children’s Services the Police, Health services, local Early Help practitioners and other relevant agencies to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm
3.5.3 We work closely with the CCC MASH team, and where applicable to the needs of the young person, we will arrange an appointment with the closest Early Help Assessment centre – Harmony Hub - Clifton Street, Coventry, CV1 5GR – 024 7697 8030 to ensure the child or young person receives appropriate support.
3.5.4 The Coventry Safeguarding Children Partnership (CSCP) have designated that schools and colleges are a named ‘relevant agency’. As such, the service is under a statutory duty to co-operate with published CSCP arrangements.