This policy aims to:

 

1. Prioritize the safety and well-being of children and young people when they use the internet, social media, or mobile devices.

2. Provide staff and volunteers with guiding principles for online safety.

3. Ensure that our organization operates according to our values and within legal boundaries regarding online device usage.

4. This policy applies to all staff, volunteers, children, and young people involved in TBT Online activities and covers safeguarding, safer recruitment, and online safety.

 

Legal Context:

This policy is based on legislation, policy, and guidance designed to protect children in England and Wales.  

 

Definition of Abuse:

Abuse refers to actions or neglect that fail to meet a child's basic needs. This includes harming a child or failing to prevent harm. Abuse can occur within families, institutions, or communities and may involve technology facilitating offline abuse.

 

Early Identification:

Recognizing signs of abuse and neglect is crucial for early intervention. Staff receive training to identify indicators of potential harm and are encouraged to report concerns to the designated safeguarding lead.

 

Challenges in Reporting:

Children may not feel ready to disclose abuse or may not recognize harmful experiences. Staff are trained to be aware of these challenges and to create a safe environment for disclosure.

 

Safeguarding Goals:

Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare involve protecting them from harm, preventing harm to their mental and physical health, ensuring safe and nurturing environments, and taking actions to maximize positive outcomes for all children.

 

Different Forms of Abuse and Neglect:

• Physical Abuse: Involves causing physical harm to a child through actions like hitting, shaking, burning, or deliberately inducing illness.

• Emotional Abuse: Persistent maltreatment causing severe emotional harm, including conveying worthlessness, silencing, or imposing inappropriate expectations.

• Sexual Abuse: Forcing or enticing a child into sexual activities, including physical contact or non-contact actions like viewing or producing sexual images.

• Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and Child Exploitation (CCE): Coercing children into sexual or criminal activities for financial gain or status, often through manipulation or violence.

• Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE): Involves children being coerced into criminal activities like drug trafficking or violence, often through threats or manipulation.

• Domestic Abuse: Various forms of abuse within intimate relationships, including psychological, physical, sexual, financial, or emotional abuse.

• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM): The practice of altering or injuring female genitalia for non-medical reasons, which is illegal and requires reporting by teachers.

• Mental Health: Mental health problems can be indicators of abuse or neglect, requiring appropriate intervention and support.

• Neglect: Failure to meet a child's basic physical or psychological needs, leading to serious impairment of health or development.

• Child on Child Abuse: Abuse perpetrated by children against other children, including various forms like physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.

• Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment between Children: Unwanted sexual conduct occurring between children, which can include physical, verbal, or online actions and requires a zero-tolerance approach.

• Harmful Sexual Behaviour: Ranging from normal to inappropriate or violent behaviour, harmful sexual behaviour can cause developmental damage and must be addressed in a child protection context.

 

Child Protection:

• Child protection refers to actions taken to safeguard children from suffering significant harm, which can result from various forms of abuse or neglect.

• The interpretation of significant harm depends on professional judgment and considers factors like the child's age, vulnerability, and the nature and impact of the harm.

 

We hold the following beliefs:

• Children and young people should never undergo any form of abuse.

• While children should have access to the internet for educational purposes, measures must be in place to ensure their safety at all times.

 

Preventing Radicalization:

• Children may be vulnerable to extremist ideologies and radicalization. Similar to protecting them from other forms of harm, safeguarding against this risk should be integrated into the school or college's approach to safeguarding. Extremism opposes fundamental values like democracy and tolerance.

• Radicalization involves supporting terrorism and extremist views.

 

The Prevent Duty:

• We are obligated to prevent individuals from being drawn into terrorism. This duty, known as the Prevent duty, is part of our wider safeguarding responsibilities.

 

Staff Safeguarding Training:

• TBT Online provides ongoing training in safeguarding and online safety. This includes understanding roles and responsibilities related to filtering and monitoring online content.

 

Online Safety:

• It is crucial to safeguard children from harmful online material. A comprehensive approach to online safety educates and protects pupils, students, and staff.

• Risks include exposure to inappropriate content, harmful interactions, risky behaviour, and online scams.

 

We Recognize:

1. The online world offers opportunities but also risks.

2. We must protect all individuals involved in our organization from online harm.

3. It is our responsibility to ensure children's safety online when they are studying with us.

4. All children have the right to equal protection from harm.

5. Partnering with children, parents, and other agencies is crucial in promoting online safety.

 

We are committed to keeping children and young people safe by:

1. Valuing, listening to, and respecting them.

2. Appointing a designated child protection lead and deputy.

3. Implementing best practices for child protection and safeguarding through our policies and procedures.

4. Providing effective management for staff and volunteers, including supervision, support, training, and quality assurance measures.

5. Recording, storing, and using information professionally and securely in compliance with data protection legislation.

6. Sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children and their families.

7. Ensuring children, young people, and their families know where to seek help if they have concerns.

8. Using safeguarding procedures to share concerns and relevant information with appropriate agencies.

9. Managing any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately.

10. Creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and addressing bullying effectively.

11. Fostering a safeguarding culture where everyone treats each other with respect and feels comfortable sharing concerns.

12. Providing clear directions to staff and volunteers on online behaviour through our code of conduct.

13. Supporting and encouraging safe internet, social media, and mobile phone use among young people.

14. Supporting and encouraging parents and carers to keep their children safe online.

15. Developing procedures to respond to incidents of inappropriate online behaviour.

16. Ensuring the security of our information systems and personal data.

17. Obtaining written consent before using images of children, young people, and families.

18. Providing supervision, support, and training for staff and volunteers on online safety.

19. Evaluating and risk assessing social media platforms and new technologies before their use within the organization.

 

 

In case of online abuse, we will respond by:

1. Implementing clear and robust safeguarding procedures for addressing abuse.

2. Providing support and training for all staff and volunteers on dealing with different forms of abuse.

3. Ensuring our response considers the needs of the person experiencing abuse, bystanders, and the organization as a whole.

4. Reviewing and updating our plan to address online abuse regularly to resolve any problems in the long term.

 

Reporting Safeguarding Concerns:

1. All tutors are instructed to report safeguarding concerns immediately to the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) via the admin account.

2. The DSL will take appropriate action, including contacting the child's school if necessary.

3. The DSL will consider the information and may keep records, liaise with the school's safeguarding lead, or make a child protection referral.

 

Emergency Responses:

1. Immediate action will be taken if a child is identified as being at immediate risk of harm.

2. The DSL will contact the police and relevant authorities, following up with a written referral within 24 hours.

 

Allegations against Staff:

1. Allegations against directors, staff, or tutors will be reported immediately to the DSL.

2. If an allegation involves the DSL, it should be reported to the deputy DSL.

3. All allegations will be referred to the appropriate local authority designated officer (LADO) in accordance with local safeguarding procedures.

4. Immediate suspension may be considered pending investigation if there is a suspicion of harm to another child.

 

Safer Recruitment:

1. As per the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, TBT Online is mandated to conduct specific vetting, including enhanced DBS and barred list checks, on staff or tutors working with children and young people.

2. To deter unsuitable individuals and prevent inappropriate behaviour, we maintain a rigorous recruitment process aligned with the "Safer Recruitment" requirements outlined in Keeping Children Safe In Education 2023.

3. Shortlisted candidates are informed that online searches may be conducted as part of due diligence checks.

4. We will carry out new criminal background checks, and tutors cannot register until we receive the results of their DBS check. Tutors on the Update Service must provide a copy of their original DBS certificate for verification. Teaching prohibition order checks are conducted.

5. A Single Central Record is maintained, meeting the requirements of the DBS and Safeguarding Policies, detailing all staff with child contact.

6. Candidates who have resided or worked abroad for a substantial period must provide criminal records checks from those countries, a letter from the professional regulating authority, and full employment history and reference checks.

 

Complaints

• If a complaint is identified as a potential safeguarding concern, Safeguarding Procedures will be followed.

 

Whistleblowing

• Staff and tutors are encouraged to raise concerns about poor or unsafe practice and potential safeguarding failures.

• If they feel unable to address concerns internally, they can utilize whistleblowing channels such as the NSPCC's dedicated helpline.

 

 

NSPCC Helpline:

0808 800 5000

 

We commit to annually reviewing our policy and good practice.

Last review: April 2024.