Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk Policy

Introduction

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Thrive Education Group acknowledges the duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults at risk, and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice that reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice requirements. All children and adults, 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.

This policy applies to all internal staff and candidates and is mandatory for everyone involved in Thrive Education Group. Failure to comply may result in disciplinary action, including termination of employment and/or contract.

All candidates placed by Thrive Education Group are expected to familiarise themselves with arrangements for safeguarding children and adults at risk in the organisation where they are placed, and to have a clear understanding regarding abuse and neglect in all forms, including how to identify, respond and report.

Here at Thrive Education Group we expect all staff and candidates to follow and promote good practice in safeguarding. In order to do so, they should:

• Read, understand, accept and act in accordance with this policy.
• Be vigilant and follow professional codes of conduct to maintain professional boundaries and safe working practices.
• Report any concerns or disclosures related to the protection and safety of children and adults at risk.
• Undertake mandatory safeguarding and child protection training and awareness sessions where provided.
• Help educate learners/service users in placements regarding matters of keeping safe, including acting as a good role model.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

This policy is designed to meet the above principles by ensuring that:

• Thrive Education Group has robust safer recruitment processes that ensure those who are known to be a risk to children or adults do not gain access to them, and that those who intend to do harm are prevented at every possible stage from entering the workforce.
• Staff and candidates understand their roles and responsibilities in respect of safeguarding and are provided with appropriate learning opportunities to recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns.
• There is an open and transparent culture which enables staff and candidates to raise concerns.
• It is as simple as possible for an individual to report concerns about harm or risk, with clear procedures for when safeguarding issues arise.
• Thrive Education Group has robust policies and procedures in place, reviewed and updated at least every 12 months.
• Thrive Education Group stays up to date with developments on safeguarding best practice, reporting and auditing safeguarding activities annually.
• Thrive Education Group will report any concerns regarding any individual, or any potential safeguarding situation, as soon as practicable to the appropriate authority and will co-operate in any ongoing investigations.
• Thrive Education Group will work in partnership with other services, including local authority children’s and adult social care, to protect those identified as being at risk.
• Confidential, detailed and accurate records of all safeguarding concerns are maintained and securely stored.

Relevant Legislation and Guidance

• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 (HM Government)
• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 (Department for Education)
• The Children Act 1989 & The Children Act 2004
• The Care Act 2014 & Care and Support Statutory Guidance (current edition)
• Information Sharing: Advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services 2024
• Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
• Disqualification under the Childcare Act 2006 (statutory guidance, current edition)
• Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 and Prevent Duty Guidance 2023
• Domestic Abuse Act 2021
• Modern Slavery Act 2015 & Human Rights Act 1998
• Local Safeguarding Children Partnerships and Safeguarding Adults Boards
• Guidance for Safer Working Practice (Safer Recruitment Consortium, current edition)

This policy should be read in conjunction with our other relevant safeguarding policies: Managing Allegations Policy, Safeguarding and Pre-Employment Checks Policy, E-Safety Policy, Tuition Safeguarding Policy, Whistleblowing Policy, Code of Conduct, Health and Safety Policy and Complaints Procedure.

The Role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Ryan Davies (COO and Education Services Director). The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is Luke Rollings (Recruitment Director), who carries out the DSL role whenever the DSL is unavailable. The DSL is responsible for:

• Ensuring all relevant staff and candidates receive induction safeguarding and child protection training appropriate to their role, and continue receiving training.
• Receiving and responding appropriately to all reports of safeguarding issues or abuse raised by staff, partner agencies or candidates.
• Keeping confidential, detailed and accurate records of concerns, reports or referrals.
• Liaising with Designated Safeguarding Leads in partner organisations.
• Acting as a source of support, advice and expertise, and liaising with other agencies and professionals.
• Supporting staff and candidates involved in safeguarding incidents, and assisting them in challenging or reporting poor or unsafe practice.
• Referring allegations of abuse or safeguarding concerns to the relevant children or adult social care, police and/or the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).
• Reporting concerns to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) where required, completing referral documents and liaising with the DBS thereafter.
• Keeping senior management apprised of safeguarding incidents and their outcomes.
• Liaising with the Deputy DSL and senior management regarding training and skill development.
• Overseeing policy development, ensuring policies are updated at least annually.

Definitions

According to the Children Act 1989, a ‘child’ is anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday. This status is not changed by living independently, further education, armed forces service, or hospital or secure estate custody.

The Care Act 2014 defines an ‘adult at risk’ as an adult who has needs for care and support, is experiencing or at risk of abuse or neglect, and as a result of those needs is unable to protect themselves.

The Children Act 1989 defines ‘harm’ as ill-treatment or the impairment of health or development, including physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development, and sexual abuse. Following the Adoption and Children Act 2002, harm also includes impairment suffered by hearing or seeing the ill-treatment of another.

All staff should be aware that children can abuse other children (child-on-child abuse), which may include bullying (including cyberbullying), physical abuse, sexual violence, sexual harassment, upskirting, consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude and semi-nude images, and initiation/hazing type violence.

Categories of Abuse – Children

Set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023):

• Physical Abuse: hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm, including fabricated or induced illness.
• Emotional Abuse: persistent emotional maltreatment causing severe and persistent adverse effects on emotional development, including conveying worthlessness, inappropriate expectations, overprotection, or exposure to serious bullying.
• Sexual Abuse: forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening, including non-contact activities such as grooming or exposure to sexual images.
• Neglect: persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, including failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, protection, supervision, or medical care.

Categories of Abuse – Adults at Risk

Set out in the Care Act 2014:

• Physical Abuse: assault, hitting, slapping, misuse of medication, inappropriate restraint.
• Domestic Abuse: psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse, including coercive and controlling behaviour and so-called honour-based abuse (Domestic Abuse Act 2021).
• Sexual Abuse: rape, indecent exposure, harassment, and acts to which the adult has not consented.
• Psychological Abuse: threats, humiliation, intimidation, coercion, cyberbullying, isolation.
• Financial or Material Abuse: theft, fraud, scamming, or misuse of property or benefits.
• Modern Slavery: slavery, trafficking, forced labour, domestic servitude.
• Discriminatory Abuse: harassment or similar treatment based on protected characteristics.
• Organisational Abuse: neglect or poor care practice within an institution or care setting.
• Neglect and Acts of Omission: withholding necessities of life such as medication, nutrition or heating.
• Self-neglect: neglecting personal hygiene, health or surroundings, including hoarding.

Recruitment and Selection Process

Thrive Education Group is committed to protecting children and adults at risk through a careful recruitment and selection process (Safer Recruitment), a Whistleblowing Policy and guidance on appropriate behaviour (Code of Conduct). Our rigorous procedures, in line with the APSCo Compliance+ standards, towards which we are working for accreditation, ensure that any candidate found to have a history of unacceptable conduct or practice will not be placed.

Responding to Safeguarding Concerns

All staff have a responsibility to protect children/adults at risk. This includes observing Thrive Education Group policies, attending recommended training, reporting concerns to the DSL without delay, reporting concerns arising from placements to the relevant organisation’s DSL and confirming this with Thrive, and following the Whistleblowing Policy where there are concerns about practice.

All candidates working through Thrive Education Group are expected to keep children and vulnerable adults safe by following Thrive’s Code of Conduct, following the placement’s Safeguarding Policy, raising concerns with the placement DSL, and seeking advice from Thrive’s DSL if concerns are not appropriately addressed.

If a child or adult is at immediate risk of harm, call the police on 999 straight away and then inform the DSL.

Dealing with Allegations of Abuse Made Against Candidates

In accordance with the Care Act (2014), Working Together (2023) and Keeping Children Safe in Education (2026), where an organisation receives an allegation that a candidate or member of staff has behaved in a way that has harmed, or may have harmed, a child or adult; may have committed a related criminal offence; or may pose a risk of harm or be unsuitable to work with children/vulnerable adults, a referral should be sent to the LADO within one working day, giving as much detail as possible.

Details regarding allegations that meet the harms threshold, and ‘low level concerns’ that do not, are set out in Thrive Education Group’s Managing Allegations Policy, which should be read alongside this policy.

Duty to Make a Referral to the DBS

Where there is evidence that anyone has harmed, or poses a risk of harm, to a child or adult at risk, there is a legal duty on Thrive Education Group to report that person to the Disclosure and Barring Service. The DBS has statutory authority to bar a person from working in regulated activity with children and/or adults at risk in the UK.

A referral will also be made if the person resigns prior to an investigation being carried out or concluded. Thrive Education Group will not make any compromise/settlement agreement with a condition of not referring a case to the DBS. Failing to make a referral when the legal duty applies is a criminal offence.

DBS referrals are made by the DSL as soon as possible once the referral criteria are met. This is separate from reporting a welfare concern: any concern about the welfare of a child or adult at risk must be reported to the DSL immediately, as set out above.

Whistleblowing

Thrive Education Group has a specific Whistleblowing Policy which encourages candidates to raise concerns and provides details of outside organisations candidates can approach for support and advice. We aim to have an open and honest culture where safeguarding is responded to effectively, and staff and candidates feel safe, supported and able to voice concerns.

Summary

Thrive Education Group will make clients and candidates aware of the Safeguarding Policy through a link in the registration form for candidates and via email before the first booking commences with a client.

All staff, temporary workers, candidates and contractors must be aware that they have a professional duty to share information with relevant agencies and organisations, including other employment businesses where appropriate, in order to safeguard children/adults at risk. The public interest in safeguarding children/adults at risk may override confidentiality interests; however, information will be shared on a need-to-know basis only, as judged by Thrive Education Group.