Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy
Effective Date: 1st February 2024
Next Review Date: September 2024
JobsinED is dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of children and young people in all aspects of our education recruitment services. This Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is aligned with the principles and guidelines set out in 'Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023' to uphold the highest standards of child protection.
1. Purpose:
The purpose of this policy is to:
Ensure the safety and protection of children and young people involved in our education recruitment services.
Provide guidelines for our staff and associates on recognizing and responding to safeguarding concerns.
Promote a culture of awareness, responsibility, and accountability regarding child protection.
2. Definitions and Scope:
2.1 Definition of a Child: For the purposes of this policy, a child is defined as anyone under the age of 18 years.
2.2 Scope: This policy applies to all JobsinED staff, associates, and individuals involved in the education recruitment process.
2.3 Child Abuse and Neglect: ‘Child abuse and neglect’ is a generic term encompassing all ill treatment of children including serious physical assaults as well in cases where the standard of care does not adequately support the child or young person’s health or development. It is recognized that children may be abused or neglected through the infliction of harm, or through the failure to act to prevent it.
Examples might include:
Neglect involves the persistent failure to meet the child or young person’s basic physical and/or psychological needs.
Physical abuse which may take the form of hitting, shaking, throwing, pinching, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning or suffocating a child or young person.
Emotional abuse is persistent emotional ill treatment that affects the child or young person’s emotional development and may include:
Exploitation
Corruption
Telling the child they are worthless
Telling the child they are inadequate
Causing the child to feel frightened
Causing the child to feel they are in danger
Imposing inappropriate expectations
Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities and also includes non-contact activities such as watching
inappropriate activities or encouragement to behave in inappropriate ways.
3. Recruitment Procedures:
JobsinED is committed to implementing robust recruitment procedures in accordance with 'Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023.' Our procedures include:
Verifying candidates' identity, qualifications, and obtaining an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Conducting professional references and checking employment history.
Ensuring all staff and associates involved in the recruitment process receive appropriate training on child protection.
For more detailed information on our safer recruitment procedures, please see our Recruitment, Selection and Vetting Policy.
4. Training and Awareness:
All JobsinED staff and associates undergo regular training on child protection and safeguarding, consistent with the requirements set out in 'Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023.' This training includes:
Recognizing signs of abuse or neglect.
Understanding the importance of reporting concerns promptly.
Complying with relevant legislation and guidelines.
5. Professional Duties:
JobsinED expects all Teachers and Support Staff to behave appropriately at all times and to take seriously their duty of care. Teachers and Support Staff should make themselves aware of the updated statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children (2023)’ which is available online.
All schools have a named Designated Safeguarding Lead and are obliged to have a policy statement and clearly laid out procedure for staff. Teachers and Support Staff should make themselves familiar with their school’s policy and practice. It is the duty of all Teachers and Support Staff to inform the Designated Safeguarding Lead of any concerns that they may have concerning a child’s welfare.
6. Allegations against a member of staff:
If an allegation is made against a JobsinED employee, a representative from the agency takes responsibility for overseeing the case. Agency staff will attend initial meetings with the school and social services staff to ensure that the employee concerned is informed as to all stages of the investigation. Procedures for dealing with a complaint are outlined in ‘Complaints Policy and Procedure’.
7. Confidentiality:
All safeguarding concerns are handled confidentially and in strict compliance with data protection laws. Information will only be shared with those who have a legitimate need to know, and consent will be sought whenever possible.
8. Partnership with Clients:
JobsinED collaborates with clients to ensure that child protection and safeguarding principles are upheld. This includes working together to establish and maintain a safe recruitment process and sharing relevant information when necessary.
9. Continuous Review and Improvement:
We commit to regularly reviewing and improving our safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures in line with 'Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023'. Feedback from staff, clients, and candidates will be actively sought to identify areas for enhancement.
10. Legal Compliance:
JobsinED strictly adheres to all relevant legislation and guidelines outlined in 'Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023'. We actively engage with local and national initiatives to stay informed about best practices.
11. Contact Information:
If you have any questions or concerns regarding our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, please contact Nigel Horne, nigel@jobsined.co.uk
By implementing this policy, JobsinED aims to contribute to the safety and well-being of children and young people in the education sector in full compliance with 'Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023'.