Safeguarding

The Training Trust, its staff, employers and subcontractors have a duty of care towards all learners and it is imperative that we act at all times in a way that is consistent with their safety and welfare. View our Safeguarding policy here

The Training Trust is duty bound to protect and safeguard children and young adults and keep them safe from harm. Therefore, safeguarding and the welfare of children and young people is part of our core business.

All children have the right to a safe, loving, and stable childhood. Whilst it is parents and carers who have primary care for their children, local authorities have overarching responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people in their area. They have a number of statutory functions under the 1989 and 2004 Children Acts, which make this clear, and this guidance sets these out in detail. Local authorities have specific duties in relation to children in need and children suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm, regardless of where they are found, under sections 17 and 47 of the Children Act 1989. The Director of Children’s Services and Lead Member for Children’s Services in local authorities are the key points of professional and political accountability, with responsibility for the effective delivery of these functions.

Whilst local authorities play a lead role, safeguarding children, promoting their welfare and protecting them from harm is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the purposes of this statement as:

  • protecting children from maltreatment
  • preventing impairment of children’s health or development
  • ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
  • taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

Local agencies, including the police and health services, also have a duty under section 11 of the Children Act 2004 to ensure that they consider the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children when carrying out their functions.

Under section 10 of the same Act, similar ranges of agencies are required to co-operate with local authorities to promote the wellbeing of children in each local authority area. This co-operation should exist and be effective at all levels of the organisation, from strategic level through to operational delivery.

Practitioners working in agencies with these duties are responsible for ensuring that they fulfil their role and responsibilities in a manner consistent with the statutory duties of their employer. The 2017 Children and Social Work Act sets out how agencies must work together by placing new duties on the police, clinical commissioning groups and the local authority to make arrangements to work together and with other partners locally to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in their area.

The Training Trust’s contribution to PREVENT

Complying with the Prevent duty includes promoting and exemplifying British values: i.e. democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, tolerance and mutual respect and different faiths and beliefs. This includes not discriminating against the following nine groups as set out in the Equality Act 2010:
– age
– disability
– gender reassignment
– marriage and civil partnership
– pregnancy and maternity
– race
– religion or belief
– sex
– sexual orientation

The Training Trust has a responsibility to protect young people and vulnerable adults deemed to be at risk of any harm under the Safeguarding agenda. This is extended to all those who may be vulnerable to radicalisation. View our PREVENT policy here

The office for Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT), in the Home Office, works to counter the threat from terrorism. Their work is covered in the government’s counter-terrorism strategy CONTEST which is primarily organised around the following four key principles: 

  • PURSUE: to stop terrorist attacks and acts of terrorism
  • PREVENT: to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism
  • PROTECT: to strengthen our protection against a terrorist attack or acts of terrorism
  • PREPARE: to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack or acts of terrorism

The PREVENT principle has the following three national objectives:

  • Objective 1: to respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat we face from those who promote it
  • Objective 2: prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure they are given appropriate advice and support
  • Objective 3: work with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation which we need to address

If you have any concerns about your safety or the safety of other learners in relation to the above, you can access help and support by leaving a message here for our Safeguarding team or by calling 07931 707394.

Useful links and guidance on PREVENT and Safeguarding

The behaviour barometer is a useful tool showing when behaviour could become a worry

This link provides useful guidance on keeping safe online whether its on a laptop, tablet on smartphone for both yourself and business

This link advises on how to keep children safe online

Here you can find online safety tips, advice and resources to help children and young people stay safe online

Are you worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating with you online?

County Lines

County Lines’ is a term used when drug gangs from big cities expand their operations to smaller towns, often using violence to drive out local dealers and exploiting children and vulnerable people to sell drugs. These dealers will use dedicated mobile phone lines, known as ‘deal lines’, to take orders from drug users. Heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine are the most common drugs being supplied and ordered. In most instances, the users or customers will live in a different area to where the dealers and networks are based, so drug runners are needed to transport the drugs and collect payment. Follow this link for lots of useful information and guidance.

Sexual harassment and violence

The Training Trust has an obligation to keep our learners safe and free from harm, which also covers sexual harassment and sexual violence allegations. We will promote the welfare of all learners, especially those who are classed as children or vulnerable adults.

The following links contain resources to support the recognition and understanding of subjects categorised as sexual harassment and sexual violence.

The relationships, sex and health education curriculum is now part of all Further Education responsibilities and the Training Trust embraces this. It includes the teaching and protection against sexual abuse, cyber-bullying and pornography as well as healthy relationships and consent.

These subjects are reportable under the Training Trust’s safeguarding lines of communication (see below):

Designated Safeguarding lead (DSL) – Mark Durham – 07984 463 148

Deputy DSL – June Gray – 07944 038 612

Confidential Safeguarding mobile to DSL – 07931 707 394

Confidential email address – safeguarding@trainingtrust.org.uk

The following links contain information relevant to the subject, they are not necessarily produced in the UK, but the message is clear, understandable and relates to human behaviour:

Sexual Consent

Cyber bullying 

Pornography