Safeguarding
Information for Employers
Suffolk New College are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all learners, including young people and vulnerable adults.
Employers also have a responsibility to the learners they support on work experience or work placement.
The college also recognises that we have a duty to help employers, staff and learners to recognise their responsibilities, through guidance, support and training.
What does Safeguarding mean?
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined within Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2021 as:
Protecting children from maltreatment
Preventing the impairment of children's mental and physical health or development
Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with provision of safe and effective care
Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes
Why are extra measures needed?
It depends on what policies you already have in place, but for many employers it is likely that there will be no extra arrangements; but any learner supported by you and undergoing study with Suffolk New College is included in the legislation.
What types of harm are covered by the term 'Safeguarding'?
• Domestic Abuse
• Emotional Abuse (including online harm)
• Sexual Abuse
• Financial Abuse
• Bullying
• Physical Abuse
• Neglect
• Radicalisation
• Child Criminal and Child Sexual Exploitation
• County Lines, Gangs, and serious violence
• Peer-on-Peer Abuse (including sexual harassment and violence)
• Mental Health
• FGM (Female Genital Mutilation)
Employers are expected to promote an environment where any form of abuse, bullying, harassment or discrimination (including online) is unacceptable and never tolerated.
It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure employees working alongside learners are of sound character and judgment and will not pose as any threat or danger to learners.
Where a learner advises you of a safeguarding concern:
• Reassure the learner that they have done the right thing
• Record what the learner said, using their own words.
• Sign and date the record
• Inform the Suffolk New College Safeguarding Team as soon as possible and pass on the written record
• Listen without making judgments
• Stay calm
• Try not to ask questions, but if you have to, make sure they are open-ended questions to clarify understanding and not to probe or investigate.
We recommend you use a "TED" approach, repeating the learner's words back to them:
Tell me...
Explain...
Describe to me...
• Don’t give an opinion or offer advice
• Don’t promise confidentiality - explain you may need to talk to other responsible persons.
What are my responsibilities?
• To understand what is meant by safeguarding and promote the welfare of learners.
• Be aware of your statutory duties towards the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.
• Be familiar with our guidance, in particular, the reporting arrangements.
• To understand what is meant by PREVENT and the signs to look out for which may indicate that a person is being radicalised/ is at risk of being radicalised.
As the employer of a learner on work experience, on work placement or employed as an apprentice, it is important that you understand your responsibilities to the learner, and what safeguarding means to you.
Providers of Government funded training have a duty to safeguard their learners and to take such steps that try to ensure the safety of its learners at all times.
Training Providers have a duty to safeguard their learners from radicalisation. PREVENT is part of the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST.
Its aim is to stop people becoming drawn into terrorism. The PREVENT duty is not about preventing learners from having political and religious views and concerns, but is about supporting them to use those concerns or act on them in non-extremist ways.
What if we are alerted to harm?
• Employees working closely with children or vulnerable learners should be alert to the possibilities of harm
• Don't investigate/offer advice, just listen and make notes
• If any member of staff has a safeguarding issue brought to their attention, they must treat it as a matter of urgency and contact the Safeguarding Team at Suffolk New College on 01473 382738, or by email at support@suffolk.ac.uk
• Remember, the main priority for all of us is to protect learners from harm.
• If a learner is at immediate risk of harm, contact 999 or Social Services (who you call will depend on where the learner lives):
Suffolk County Council: 0808 800 4005
Essex County Council: 0345 603 7627
Norfolk County Council: 0344 800 8021
Within Suffolk New College, the central point of contact for any Safeguarding issues that relate to learners is the Safeguarding Team.
They can be contacted by phone on 01473 382738, or by email at support@suffolk.ac.uk
Useful Contact Numbers
ChildLine 0800 1111
NSPCC 0808 800 5000
Samaritans 116 123 (24 hours)
SHELTER 0808 800 4444 for urgent housing advice (homelessness) (Mon - Fri 8am - 8pm / weekends 9am - 5pm)
NHS 111 for urgent medical help or advice that is not life-threatening
Social Services (dependent upon where the learner resides)
Suffolk County Council 0808 800 4005
Essex County Council 0345 603 7627
Norfolk County Council 0344 800 8021
Police 999 for emergencies, 101 for non-urgent issues
“IT’S NEVER OK”
Suffolk New College is committed to doing all we can to eradicate peer-on-peer abuse or any form of sexual harassment, violence, or abuse from the College.
Our "It's Never OK" campaign reinforces this commitment.
