Aspire Educational Mentoring CIC
Safeguarding Policy – Dated July 2022
Aspire Educational Mentoring CIC, company number 14238857
(“Aspire EM”) takes seriously its responsibilities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children by following best practice guidance on safeguarding to create this safeguarding policy (the “Policy”) and embedding safeguarding features into its mentoring processes.
For the purpose of this Policy, the term “Aspire EM staff” will be used to describe:
- employees of Aspire EM;
- anyone who engages with, at the direction of Aspire EM, children, as part of the Aspire EM programme.
The terms ‘child’ or ‘children’ include any person under the age of eighteen (as defined in The Children Act 1989). The term ‘mentee’ refers to children who have signed up and been accepted onto the Aspire EM programme.
We may update this safeguarding policy from time to time and we will post any changes on our website. This Policy was last updated on 31st July 2022.
2. Scope
This Policy aims to ensure that all persons, in particular children, using Aspire EM services can do so safely, free from abuse and discrimination on any grounds. All Aspire EM staff will be required to confirm that they have read, understood and will abide by this Policy at all times.
3. Purpose
The purpose of this Policy is to ensure:
- compliance with the following legislation and statutory guidance:
- DfE ‘Working together to safeguard Children’ Guidance 2018
- DfE ‘Keeping children safe in education’ Guidance 2022
- The Children Act 1989
- Children Act 2004
- Children and Young Person’s Act 2008;
- the safeguarding and welfare of children and other persons mentoring students
- awareness is raised among Aspire EM staff of child protection and safeguarding issues; and
- procedures for identifying and reporting cases or suspected cases of abuse are in place and followed by Aspire EM Staff.
4. Registration of mentees and mentors
The mentoring process has been designed such that:
- where Aspire EM Staff are required to hold a DBS enhanced certificate they will additionally have been checked against the DBS Children’s Barred List and pursuant to this Policy, such certificates will be made available to parents/guardians of mentees or partner organisations (including but not limited to the mentee’s school, supporting companies and third sector partners) on request at the discretion of the SPO (as defined below);
- any mentee or mentor who does not comply this Policy, will be suspended from the Aspire EM programme pending an investigation by the SPO. Relevant authorities will be contacted if required by law, including but not limited to the Police and/or the relevant Local Authority Children’s Social Care team.
5. Platform communication and privacy
The programme has been designed such that:
- the delivery of Aspire EM mentoring services does not require any communication between mentee and mentor outside of the programme parameters;
- the contents of all communication between mentors and mentees is sent via the programme email service;
- the contact details of mentees will remain private and confidential and will not be available to mentors;
- the contact details of mentors will remain private and confidential and will not be available to mentees.
- video recordings and message interactions between mentors and mentees on the programme are available to Aspire EM directors, the Aspire EM SPO and relevant authorities including the mentee’s school Designated Safeguarding Officer
6. Recording of video sessions
The programme has been designed such that:
- video recordings of mentoring sessions are automatically recorded and stored on the cloud for safeguarding purposes only. These recordings are stored for 30 days and may:
- be reviewed as part of an investigation into any safeguarding report made to the SPO or other Aspire EM Staff by a person using Aspire EM services; and/or
- be provided to the relevant authorities if legally obligated to do so.
7. Key Responsibilities – Aspire EM board directors only
The Aspire EM board of directors (the “Board”) shall:
- review this Policy and the safeguarding features on the programme on an annual basis and will, if required, oversee updates to both;
- oversee the conduct of the SPO (defined below) and reviewing the SPO annual review findings and her/his recommendations in readiness for consideration at the first meeting of the Board in each calendar year.
- appoint one Aspire EM Staff member to be designated as the Safeguarding Protection Officer (“SPO”) who shall be responsible for coordinating, processing, reporting to relevant authorities and keeping records of all safeguarding reports and incidents.
- As of the date of this version of the Policy, Ian Turfkruyer has agreed to be appointed as SPO.
- include safeguarding as a standing agenda item for each Board meeting to ensure the Board are alerted to developments between annual formal reviews of the Policy;
- ensure that each member of the Board holds an enhanced DBS certificate when his/her services necessitate such clearance.
8. Key Responsibilities – Aspire EM mentors only
All Aspire EM mentors:
- have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children;
- must on registration, confirm that they have read, understood and will comply with this Policy;
- must complete a ‘Child Protection for Tutors’ training course accredited by the NSPCC
- must ensure all contact with mentees only occurs on the programme
- shall restrict their guidance to the following areas: maximising academic attainment, applying to university, applying to apprenticeships; university life, applying for internships / graduate jobs, commercial awareness, career sector insights, working life;
- shall not share any contact details or other information which may undermine the anonymity of the mentor to the mentee;
- shall not solicit any contact details or other information which may undermine the anonymity of the mentee to the mentor;
- should only meet mentees on the programme for face-to-face mentoring sessions with the permission of the educational establishment that they attend and on their premises;
- shall ensure all video mentoring sessions on the programme take place in an appropriate environment that does not display any inappropriate images or activity;
- shall not engage in, incite or condone inappropriate behaviour or illegal activity on the programme or otherwise;
- shall ensure that all language used and comments made (verbally or in text format) when carrying out Aspire EM mentor duties will not offend, be in any way discriminatory nor bring Aspire EM into disrepute.
10. Reporting Responsibilities – All Aspire EM Staff
For the purposes of this policy:
- a “safeguarding query” is a question that relates to safeguarding but is not an allegation or concern;
- a “safeguarding concern” is any concern that a mentee is, or may be at risk of, neglect or abuse;
- a “safeguarding allegation” is when a member of Aspire EM Staff is alleged to have:
- behaved in a manner that has harmed a mentee or may have harmed a mentee;
- possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a mentee; or
- behaved in a way that indicates that they could pose a risk of harm to children.
If an individual or organisation has a safeguarding query, then the SPO will ensure that:
- if a query has been submitted via email to safeguarding@aspireeducationalmentoring.org.uk the query will receive a complete response within five working days. If deemed relevant, upon receipt The SPO will notify the mentee’s school Designated Safeguarding Officer.
If a member of Aspire EM Staff has a safeguarding concern, then they must ensure:
- they inform the SPO using the contact details below
- upon receipt, immediately complete the Incident Reporting Form and send it to the SPO. The SPO will automatically notify the mentee’s school Designated Safeguarding Officer, will assess the risk with them and involve any relevant agencies or services including the police and social services where appropriate;
- the SPO will access all available mentoring session recordings and message interactions between the mentoring pair and these recordings and messages will be stored until the safeguarding investigation is complete; and
- if the mentee is in immediate danger or a crime has been committed, they dial 999.
If a mentee discloses a safeguarding concern or allegation to a member of Aspire EM Staff, then the respective member of Aspire EM Staff must ensure:
- they inform the SPO using the contact details below
- they advise the mentee that they will offer them support but that they will have to pass the information onto the SPO;
- they listen carefully to the mentee without interrupting them, seeking clarification with open and non-leading questions;
- they reassure the mentee that sharing their concern/allegation was the right thing to do;
- they immediately complete the Incident Report Form and send it to the SPO. The SPO will assess the risk and involve any relevant agencies or services, including the mentee’s school Designated Safeguarding Officer, police and social services.
All safeguarding concerns and allegations must be sent from a school email address associated with a user account on the programme. Safeguarding reports which are made from email addresses that are not associated with a user account on the programme will only be acted upon once verifiable Aspire EM membership details have been provided.
If any of the above activities relate to the SPO, the Incident Report Form should be sent to the Board of Directors.
11. Contact Details
Role: Safeguarding Protection Officer
Name: Ian Turfkruyer