SAFEGUARDING POLICY

(Children, Adults at Risk, and Adults)

Last reviewed: 23 May 2026

Part 1: Parent & Student Summary

What is safeguarding?

Safeguarding means making sure that everyone, whether under 18 (children), adults at risk, or other adult learners, feels safe, respected, and protected from harm.

Our promise

  • To treat everyone fairly, with dignity and respect.

  • To protect learners from harm, abuse or neglect.

  • To respond quickly, appropriately, and confidentially to any concerns.

  • To follow all current laws and guidance for children and adults at risk.

What you can expect

  • All tutors at Verity's Maths Place are safeguarding trained and DBS checked, with Verity acting as Designated Safeguarding Lead.

  • Clear, safe ways to raise concerns.

  • Safe online and in-person sessions. Parents/carers will be involved where needed.

  • If something happens, we'll contact the right services (children's or adults' safeguarding, police, or the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) in Northamptonshire if relevant).

Raising a concern

If you have any worry about your child's safety or wellbeing, please speak to Verity in the first instance. As Designated Safeguarding Lead, she will listen, take it seriously, and explain what happens next.

How you can help

  • Let us know if you or your child feels unsafe in any way.

  • Keep your contact details up to date.

  • Make sure online tuition takes place in a safe, appropriate space.

Useful contacts

Part 2: Full Policy

1. Purpose & Scope

This policy sets out how Verity's Maths Place ensures the safety and well-being of all learners, including children, adults at risk, and other adults. It applies to all tuition delivered in person or online, and to all tutors working for the business.

As a private tuition provider, Verity's Maths Place is an out-of-school setting, and this policy reflects the safeguarding standards expected of providers of tuition to children.

2. Legal & Statutory Framework

This policy is informed by:

  • Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE, 2025)

  • Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfE, 2026)

  • Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026

  • After-school clubs, community activities, and tuition: safeguarding guidance for providers (DfE)

  • Care Act 2014 (adult safeguarding)

  • Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006

  • Education and Training (Welfare of Children) Act 2021

  • Mental Capacity Act 2005

  • Data Protection Act 2018 / UK GDPR

  • Northamptonshire local safeguarding procedures (children & adults)

We keep our awareness of safeguarding legislation and guidance up to date, and recognise that some provisions of newer legislation come into force on a staged basis. This policy is reviewed when legislation or guidance changes.

3. Definitions

Children (under 18)

Anyone under the age of 18, regardless of their circumstances. Safeguarding duties are statutory and universal.

Adults at Risk (Care Act 2014)

Anyone aged 18 or over who:

  • has care and support needs (because of disability, illness, mental health condition, learning difficulty, or age-related frailty), and

  • is unable to protect themselves from harm, abuse, or neglect.

Safeguarding duties apply specifically to adults at risk.

Adults (general)

Anyone aged 18 or over who does not meet the definition of "adult at risk." While not covered by statutory safeguarding law, Verity's Maths Place recognises a duty of care to provide a safe, respectful learning environment. Where concerns arise (e.g. domestic abuse, criminal behaviour, or immediate danger), appropriate action will be taken, such as contacting emergency services or referring to external agencies.

4. Roles & Responsibilities

Verity's Maths Place currently operates with Verity as lead tutor and business owner, working alongside associate tutors who deliver tuition on behalf of the business.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

Verity is the Designated Safeguarding Lead for Verity's Maths Place. The DSL holds overall responsibility for safeguarding across the business, including for sessions delivered by associate tutors. The DSL is responsible for:

  • Acting as the first point of contact for any safeguarding concern.

  • Making referrals to children's social care, the LADO, or adult safeguarding services where required.

  • Maintaining up-to-date safeguarding knowledge and training.

  • Keeping factual, dated, secure records of concerns.

  • Liaising with parents, carers, and external agencies as appropriate.

Cover in the DSL's absence

Verity's Maths Place is a small business and the DSL role is held by Verity. If the DSL is unavailable and a safeguarding concern cannot wait, the concern must be reported directly to the relevant external agency without delay: Northamptonshire Children's Trust, the LADO, adult safeguarding services, or, in an emergency, the police on 999. A concern must never be held back because the DSL is unavailable.

All tutors

All tutors (including the DSL and associate tutors) are responsible for:

  • Recognising and responding to concerns for children, adults at risk, or other adult learners.

  • Reporting any safeguarding concern to the DSL without delay.

  • Following statutory safeguarding procedures where required.

  • Exercising a duty of care for all learners, regardless of legal safeguarding status.

  • Keeping records factual, dated, and secure.

  • Maintaining safeguarding training and a current enhanced DBS check.

Reporting a concern

If an associate tutor has a safeguarding concern, or a learner discloses something to them, they must report it to the DSL (Verity) without delay, who will decide on next steps. If a concern or allegation relates to the DSL herself, it must not be reported to her. It should instead be raised directly with the LADO (for concerns about an adult working with children), children's social care, or the police, as appropriate.

5. Safer Recruitment & Tutor Suitability

Verity's Maths Place takes reasonable steps to ensure that all tutors are suitable to work with children and adults at risk. Before a tutor begins working with learners:

  • Identity and right-to-work checks are completed.

  • An enhanced DBS check (with children's barred list check where eligible) is obtained.

  • Qualifications and relevant experience are verified.

  • References are obtained and checked.

  • Online suitability checks are carried out.

  • The tutor completes safeguarding training and is provided with a copy of this policy.

Tutors are required to confirm that they have read, understood, and agree to work in line with this policy. This confirmation is recorded.

6. Safer Practice & Code of Conduct

All tutors working for Verity's Maths Place will:

  • Build respectful, professional relationships and maintain clear professional boundaries at all times.

  • Ensure communication with learners is appropriate, relevant, and focused on tuition.

  • Communicate with children only through their parents/carers or through agreed platforms, never through private personal channels or personal messaging.

  • Conduct sessions in an appropriate setting, with online sessions held in a professional environment.

  • Keep online sessions visible to parents/carers where this is the agreed arrangement, and encourage children to take part in a communal area of the home. Where tuition takes place without a parent present, this is covered by a separate signed consent form.

  • Use professional accounts and email addresses for all tutoring communication.

  • Treat all learners fairly and with respect, and deliver tuition in a way that is inclusive and culturally aware, recognising that discrimination and bias can themselves be safeguarding issues.

  • Adults at risk: respect autonomy unless capacity is lacking or a risk of harm is identified.

  • Adults (general): uphold a duty of care and respond appropriately to any concerns.

7. Online Tutoring Safety

A significant proportion of tuition is delivered online, and this brings particular safeguarding considerations. When delivering online tuition, tutors will:

  • Use approved, professional tutoring and video platforms, and professional accounts.

  • Conduct sessions from an appropriate, professional environment.

  • Communicate with children only through parents/carers or agreed platforms, never through private messaging or personal social media.

  • Record sessions only in line with our recording and consent procedures, as set out in our tutoring terms and conditions. Recordings are stored securely and access is restricted.

  • Be alert to anything visible or disclosed during an online session that may raise a safeguarding concern, and respond in line with this policy.

  • Be aware of online risks to learners, including online grooming, cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content, and exposure to misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories.

8. Identifying Concerns

All tutors must be able to recognise the signs that a learner may be at risk of harm. Concerns may relate to abuse or neglect, and tutors should be alert to the following:

Types of abuse and harm

  • Physical abuse – causing physical harm, such as hitting, shaking, or causing injury.

  • Emotional abuse – persistent emotional mistreatment, such as humiliation, intimidation, or constant criticism.

  • Sexual abuse – forcing or enticing a child or adult into sexual activity, including non-contact and online acts.

  • Neglect – persistent failure to meet a person's basic physical or psychological needs.

  • Child-on-child harm – harm caused by other children, including bullying, cyberbullying, and harmful sexual behaviour.

  • Online safety concerns – including cyberbullying, online grooming, exposure to inappropriate or harmful content, and exposure to misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories.

  • Substance misuse – signs that a learner may be misusing drugs or alcohol.

  • Extremism and radicalisation – signs that a learner may be vulnerable to extremist ideology or radicalisation. Verity's Maths Place has regard to the Prevent duty, and the DSL holds current Prevent training.

  • Domestic abuse, exploitation and other concerns – including domestic abuse, criminal or financial exploitation, and other forms of harm.

For adults at risk, concerns may also include isolation, self-neglect, financial abuse, or exploitation.

Signs to be alert to

Tutors should be alert to possible indicators of harm, which may include:

  • Unexplained injuries, or frequent minor injuries.

  • Poor hygiene, or clothing inappropriate for the conditions.

  • Sudden changes in behaviour, mood, or academic performance.

  • Withdrawal, anxiety, or fearfulness, particularly around specific people or places.

  • Language or behaviour that seems inappropriate for the learner's age.

  • Signs of self-harm, or expressions of suicidal thoughts.

  • Secretive or concerning online behaviour.

A learner may also directly disclose abuse or a concern. How tutors should respond to a disclosure is set out in Section 9.

Children not in school and irregular attendance

Some learners may be educated at home, may not be attending school regularly, or may be in alternative education arrangements. Tutors should be aware that children who are not in school may have less day-to-day contact with other adults who might notice a concern, and should be alert to this. Significant or unexplained changes in a learner's attendance at tuition, or concerns about a child's wider education arrangements, should be noted and raised with the DSL.

9. Reporting & Responding

If a learner discloses abuse or a concern

If a child or adult discloses something that raises a safeguarding concern, the tutor should:

  • Listen carefully, stay calm, and take what the learner says seriously.

  • Reassure the learner that they have done the right thing in speaking up.

  • Explain that the concern cannot be kept secret, and that it will need to be passed on to keep them safe.

  • Record what was said as soon as possible afterwards, using the learner's own words.

  • Report the concern to the Designated Safeguarding Lead without delay.

Tutors should not:

  • Promise to keep the disclosure confidential.

  • Ask leading questions or press the learner for further detail.

  • Show shock, disbelief, or judgement.

  • Investigate the concern themselves, or delay in passing it on.

Reporting routes

  • Emergency – if a learner is in immediate danger, call 999.

  • Children – concerns about a child are referred to Northamptonshire Children's Trust.

  • Adults at risk – concerns are referred to the relevant adult safeguarding team at North or West Northamptonshire Council.

  • Adults (general) – a duty of care still applies, and a concern may involve contacting the police, NHS crisis services, or signposting to appropriate support.

How concerns are escalated, recorded, and followed up

If an associate tutor has a safeguarding concern, or a learner discloses something to them, they must report it to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (Verity) without delay. The DSL will decide on next steps, including whether a referral to an external agency is needed. If the DSL is unavailable, the concern is reported directly to the relevant external agency, as set out in Section 4.

If a concern or allegation relates to the DSL herself, it must not be reported to her. It should instead be raised directly with the LADO, children's social care, or the police, as appropriate. Procedures for allegations against a tutor are set out in Section 10.

Records of any concern will be factual, dated, and stored securely. Where there is more than one concern, or a concern develops over time, tutors and the DSL will record the chronology and any emerging pattern, not only individual incidents, and will keep a record of decisions made and the reasons for them. The DSL will follow up to ensure that any agreed action has been taken.

Parents or carers will normally be informed of a concern, unless doing so would place a learner at increased risk of harm, in which case the relevant authority will be contacted first.

Information sharing

Information will be shared promptly with the relevant agency where a learner may be at risk of harm. The need to share information to protect a child or adult at risk takes priority over concerns about confidentiality. Information will be shared on a need-to-know basis, with those who need it to keep a learner safe, and in line with data protection law, which permits information sharing for safeguarding purposes.

10. Allegations and Concerns About a Tutor

Allegations against a tutor

Any allegation that a tutor, whether Verity or an associate tutor, has behaved in a way that has harmed or may have harmed a child, committed a criminal offence against a child, or behaved in a way that suggests they are unsuitable to work with children, will be taken seriously and handled in line with statutory guidance.

  • Any such allegation will be reported to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) within one working day.

  • Where a learner is in immediate danger, the police will be contacted by calling 999.

  • Verity's Maths Place will cooperate fully with the LADO and with any investigation by the LADO, the police, or children's social care.

  • Factual, dated records will be kept of the allegation and of all actions taken, and stored securely.

If an allegation concerns Verity, it must not be reported to her. It should be raised directly with the LADO, children's social care, or the police.

Low-level concerns about a tutor

Not every concern about a tutor will meet the threshold of an allegation. A low-level concern is any behaviour by a tutor that does not meet that threshold but is nonetheless inconsistent with this policy or the expected standards of conduct, for example, behaviour that feels inappropriate, or a minor breach of professional boundaries.

Low-level concerns should still be raised, by a tutor, parent, or learner, with the DSL, and recorded factually. Recording low-level concerns allows any pattern to be identified early, before it escalates. Where a low-level concern relates to the DSL, it should be raised with the LADO. Recording a low-level concern is not the same as making an allegation, and concerns raised honestly and in good faith will be treated supportively.

Associate tutors

Associate tutors deliver tuition for Verity's Maths Place on a self-employed basis. Where an allegation or concern has been made about an associate tutor, Verity's Maths Place may pause or end that tutor's arrangement to deliver sessions where it is appropriate to do so, for example, while a concern is being investigated, or following the outcome of an investigation. Any decision about the working arrangement is separate from, and does not affect, the reporting duties set out above.

11. Confidentiality & Information Sharing

  • Safeguarding information will be shared only on a need-to-know basis.

  • Information will be handled in line with UK GDPR and data protection law, which permits the sharing of information for safeguarding purposes.

  • A tutor will never promise a child absolute confidentiality. Where there is a safeguarding concern, the need to share information to protect a child takes priority over confidentiality.

  • For adults at risk, capacity and consent will be considered in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005, though a duty of care may override confidentiality where there is serious risk.

  • Safeguarding records are stored securely within our business systems and accessed only where there is a genuine safeguarding or operational need.

12. Record Keeping & Monitoring

  • Factual, dated records will be kept of any safeguarding concern, including observations, conversations, decisions made, and actions taken.

  • Where concerns recur or develop, the chronology and any emerging pattern will be recorded, not only single incidents.

  • Records will be stored securely and retained in line with our Privacy Policy.

  • This policy will be reviewed at least annually, and sooner if there is a change in legislation or statutory guidance, a serious safeguarding incident, or a change in how Verity's Maths Place operates.

13. Training

  • All tutors complete safeguarding training before working with students, and undertake annual safeguarding updates to keep their knowledge current.

  • The Designated Safeguarding Lead completes DSL-level safeguarding training, refreshed at least every two years, and maintains current Prevent training.

  • Training covers recognising abuse and neglect, responding to disclosures, referral procedures, online safety, professional boundaries, and local safeguarding arrangements.

  • All tutors hold a current enhanced DBS check.

14. Whistleblowing & Complaints

  • Anyone with a concern about a tutor, or about how a safeguarding matter has been handled, can raise it directly with Verity's Maths Place.

  • Concerns can also be raised externally, with the LADO, children's social care, the police, or the NSPCC, and this is the appropriate route where a concern relates to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

  • Concerns raised in good faith will be taken seriously, and good-faith whistleblowing is protected.

15. Useful Contacts