Safeguarding Policy

1. Aims

1.1. The College aims to adopt the highest standards and take all reasonable steps in relation to the safety and welfare of children and adults at risk coming onto its premises and engaging in College-related activities. The College encounters children and some adults at risk through its teaching, admissions and outreach activities and its conference business. A small number of people aged under 18 may also be engaged by the College as workers.

1.2. This policy aims to support these activities by offering assurances to those engaged in the work of the College that, through its implementation, the College seeks to prevent and reduce harm to children and adults at risk when they are in contact with College employees, Fellows, volunteers, students, or representatives (whether acting in a paid or unpaid capacity). It is also intended to safeguard the interests of employees, Fellows, volunteers, students and anyone who works on behalf of the College and who comes into contact with children or adults at risk.

1.3. This policy seeks to:

1.3.1. promote and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of everyone, particularly children and adults who may be at risk;

1.3.2. ensure that roles and responsibilities are made clear in respect of safeguarding matters and that an appropriate level of information, training and support is provided to those within the College for whom it is necessary;

1.3.3. offer assurances to staff, students, parents, carers, volunteers and visitors that safeguarding concerns will be dealt with effectively and in a timely manner;

1.3.4. prevent the employment of individuals to work with children or adults at risk where they have been barred by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) or are deemed by the College to pose an unacceptable risk;

1.3.5. manage effectively the risks associated with activities and events involving children and adults at risk.

2. Scope

2.1. The College’s Fellows, employees, workers, volunteers, students, or anyone working on behalf of the College (in a paid or unpaid capacity) are subject to this policy.

2.2. The policy covers all events and activities organised by those working on behalf of or representing the College, as well as official events and activities organised by its students. Such activities include open days, Access & Widening Participation activities, applicant visits and interviews, work experience or shadowing members of staff, interactions between students and the College Health & Wellbeing Team, any unsupervised one-to-one interaction such as
Tutor, Director of Studies, and Supervisor meetings, and visits from members of the public.

2.3. It is expected that external bodies utilising the College’s premises or facilities for external events will have their own safeguarding policies and procedures in place and will take full responsibility for the safeguarding of individuals involved in any related activities (see section 11: expectations of external parties).

3. Definitions

3.1. Safeguarding: describes arrangements in place to protect children and adults at risk in vulnerable circumstances from abuse or neglect.

3.2. Child / Children: For this policy’s purposes, a ‘child’ refers to anyone under the age of 18 and therefore not legally an independent adult. Particular care should be afforded to a child under the age of 16.

3.3. Adult at Risk: The term ‘adult at risk’ is used in this policy to replace the term ‘vulnerable adult’. The definition of a regulated activity for adults changed in 2012 and now identifies activities, which, if provided to any person aged 18 or over (an adult) who needs to be the recipient/beneficiary of the provision of that activity, will mean that the adult will be considered at risk for the duration of the particular interaction with the person providing that regulated activity. It is therefore the activity and the need for it, rather than the setting or the adult’s particular personal characteristics, which determines whether an adult is at risk at any given time. These activities are summarised in 3.6.1.

3.4. Abuse: includes physical, sexual, psychological/emotional, financial/material or professional. It can also arise from neglect.

3.5. Regulated activities in relation to children:

3.5.1. Regulated activities are those activities which people who have been barred by the DBS are prohibited from undertaking.

3.5.2. A regulated activity in relation to children comprises: 

a. unsupervised activities: teaching, training, instructing, caring for or supervising, or providing advice/guidance on wellbeing, provide personal care, or driving a vehicle only for children;

b. working for a limited range of establishments with opportunity for contact, e.g. schools, children’s homes, childcare premises;

c. Relevant personal care; or

d. Registered childminding; and foster-care.

3.5.3. Work under (a) or (b) is considered regulated activity only if done regularly.

3.5.4. The roles of the College’s Porters, Admissions Tutors, Schools Liaison Officer, Widening Participation Officer, Head of Student Health & Wellbeing, and College Nurse are considered to potentially involve engaging in regulated activity with children under 18 regularly as defined by the relevant legislation. The Dean of Chapel/Chaplain is required by the College as a condition of employment to hold a License from the Bishop of Ely. A condition of the Bishop’s License is that the Dean of Chapel/Chaplain is considered to involve engaging in regulated activity with children as defined by the relevant legislation.

3.5.5. The roles of the College’s Undergraduate and Postgraduate Tutors, Dean, Directors of Studies and supervisors are not considered to involve engaging in regulated activity with children under 18 regularly as defined by the relevant legislation.

3.5.6. Full definitions of regulated activity in relation to children, including definitions of regularity, can be found here: Regulated activity with children in England and Wales - GOV.UK;

3.6. Regulated activity in relation to adults at risk:

3.6.1. Regulated activity in relation to adults identifies activities provided to any adult which, if any adult requires them, will mean that the adult will be considered at risk for the duration of the particular interaction with the person providing that regulated activity. There is no requirement for a person to carry out regulated activities a certain number of times before they are deemed to be engaging in regulated activity in relation to adults. Any time a person engages in one or more of the activities set out below in relation to any adult, they are deemed to be engaging in regulated activity and that adult is deemed to be at risk at that time:

a. Providing health care (whether physical or mental, including palliative) by any health care professional who is regulated by General Medical Council, General Dental Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, Health Professions Council.

b. Providing psychotherapy and counselling which is related to health care the adult is receiving from, or under the direction or supervision of a health care professional.

c. Providing first aid, when any person administering it is doing so on behalf of an organisation established for the purpose of providing first aid (e.g. Red Cross).

d. Providing personal care as a result of physical or mental illness, including physical assistance with eating or drinking, going to the toilet, washing, bathing, dressing etc., or supervising, training or providing advice/guidance to an adult to undertake these activities themselves where they cannot make the decision to do so unprompted.

e. Providing social work.

f. Assisting with general household matters (e.g. managing a person’s money, paying their bills, shopping on their behalf).

g. Assisting in the conduct of a person’s affairs (e.g. undertaking lasting or enduring power of attorney for an adult under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, being an independent mental health advocate etc.).

h. Conveying (e.g. driving a person specifically for the purpose of conveying them to and from places to receive care as detailed above).

3.6.2. The roles of the College’s Head of Student Health and Wellbeing, College Nurse, College Porters and Dean of Chapel/Chaplain are considered to involve engaging in regulated activity with adults as defined by the relevant legislation.

3.6.3. The roles of the academic Tutors (including Postgraduate Tutors, Senior Tutor and Deputy Senior Tutor), Directors of Studies and Supervisors are not considered to involve engaging in regulated activity with adults as defined by the relevant legislation.

3.6.4. Full definitions of regulated activity in relation to adults can be found here: DH regulated activity (adults)

4. Guidance for those carrying out activities for children or adults at risk

4.1. The College has drawn up guidance for College Fellows, staff and students who come into contact with children and adults at risk as part of their work for the College. This guidance (Appendix 1) sets out examples of behaviour towards children and adults at risk, which may be regarded as appropriate, and others which may be regarded as inappropriate.

4.2. The principles in the guidance are intended not only to safeguard children and adults at risk as from harm but also to ensure that College Fellows, staff or students are not put in a position where their conduct or integrity can be questioned. In the case of a contractor, failure to follow the Statement may result in the termination of their contract.

5. Roles

5.1. The Senior Tutor is the College’s designated Safeguarding Officer. In the absence of the Senior Tutor, the Deputy Senior Tutor will be so designated. As such, they take overall ownership of this policy and will promote the importance of safeguarding within the College including the promulgation of the policy at least annually. The responsibilities of the Safeguarding Officer are outlined in Appendix 2.

5.1.1. Day to day responsibilities will be deputised to the HR Manager in the case of staff matters, and to the Access Admissions Tutor in the case of Access and Widening Participation activities.

5.2. Given the complexity of safeguarding matters, it is essential that any concerns are reported to the Safeguarding Officer to ensure that one person has access to all the relevant information. This is particularly important where a number of seemingly minor issues may collectively give rise to a more substantial concern.

5.3. In the unlikely event that a complaint or accusation is made about the Safeguarding Officer, this will be considered independently by the College’s Deputy Senior Tutor, or in their absence or the Deputy Senior Tutor has been designated as Safeguarding Officer, the Senior Bursar.

5.4. Each Head of Department is accountable for the adoption and implementation of this policy and for promoting safeguarding within their department, this includes the promulgation of the policy at least annually. The Senior Tutor, or their absence, the Deputy Senior Tutor acts as Head of Department in relation to safeguarding matters for Fellows and all teaching staff (including Tutors, Directors of Studies, and Supervisors).

6. Planning activities

6.1. No high-risk activities are anticipated.

6.2. It is the responsibility of the Head of Department to retain oversight for regulated activities within their area and to ensure:

6.2.1. appropriate training and supervision is available to those employees, workers, Fellows, volunteers or students engaging in them;

6.2.2. occasions in which those engaged in them will need to work alone in an unsupervised way are minimised; and

6.2.3. that they are appropriately risk assessed

6.2.4. that children and adults engaged in regulated activities are given clear information about how, and to whom, they can report any safeguarding concerns.

7. Risk Assessment

7.1. It is the responsibility of the Head of Department to ensure:

7.1.1. that a risk assessment is undertaken for regulated activities within their area (the assessment should consider how the risks identified can be minimised or eliminated, outline the local processes for reporting concerns, take account of health and safety considerations and record training requirements);

7.1.2. that completed risk assessments are made available to employees, Fellows, workers, volunteers or students who are involved in the activity; and

7.1.3. that the implementation and review of actions identified within a risk assessment is undertaken in a timely manner

7.2. A template risk assessment can be found in Appendix 3.

7.3. Where any activities involve those under the age of 16 a risk assessment must be reviewed by the Safeguarding Officer.

8. Induction and training

8.1. It is the responsibility of the Head of Department to:

8.1.1. Ensure that any employee, worker, Fellow, volunteer, student working on behalf of the College within their area is made aware of the existence of this policy and asked to familiarise themselves with the contents as part of their induction.

8.1.2. Ensure that any employee, worker, Fellow, volunteer, student working on behalf of the College within their area who engages in a regulated activity completes annual safeguarding training, together with any additional training that may have been identified by any relevant risk assessment processes.

8.1.3. That specific care is taken with the induction of any worker under the age of 18 and that they are clearly made of aware of who to speak to should they have any concern. On the rare occasion a worker is under the age of 16, a permit must be obtained from Cambridgeshire County Council and there will be restrictions on working hours and nature of the work.

8.1.4. Record and monitor the safeguarding training undertaken by those working on behalf of the College in their area.

9. Recruitment and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks

9.1. Standardly, a DBS check will be undertaken when recruiting to the roles of Admissions Tutor, Schools Liaison Officer, Widening Participation Officer, the College’s Porters, Head of Student Health and Wellbeing, College Nurse and Dean of Chapel/Chaplain. Where a Director of Studies, Tutor or Supervisor has a student under the age of 18 who they will be supervising, a DBS check will be carried out. In accordance with the DBS guidance, the type of check will
depend on the nature of the role. For the Schools Liaison Officer and Widening Participation Officer this will be an enhanced check. Other roles may be subject to a basic check however this will be determined by the current guidance.

9.2. The College will undertake additional pre-employment checks where necessary as part of its safeguarding duty, including checking the accreditation of anyone employed by the College as a healthcare or psychotherapy professional such as a Counsellor or Nurse. References from recent previous employers will also be sought.

9.3. It is the responsibility of the Head of Department and HR Manager to:

9.3.1. Identify when a DBS check is required for a role which is to be recruited to, so that the correct documentation can be used as part of the recruitment process;

9.3.2. Ensure appropriate checks are carried out when uncertain whether a check is required.

9.4. In liaison with the relevant authorities, the Safeguarding Officer will refer someone to the DBS if they:

9.4.1. Have had their employment with the College terminated because they harmed someone;

9.4.2. Have had their employment with the College terminated or job role limited because they might have harmed someone; or

9.4.3. Would have had their employment with the College terminated for either of these reasons, but they resigned first.

10. Arrangements for supporting students under the age of 18

10.1. The College is not able to take on the authority, rights and responsibilities of parents in relation to their children, and it will not act in loco parentis in relation to students who are under the age of 18 years. However, when admitting a student who will be under the age of 17 when coming into residence, the College will consider a wide range of issues, including social interaction, provision of tutorial support and supervision:

10.1.1. Tutorial support and teaching – the format of tutorial and teaching support when under-18s are involved will seek, insofar as their educational experience would not be compromised, to avoid singleton meetings with Tutors or supervisions. It is recognised, however, that one-to-one contact with Tutors, Directors of Studies and Supervisors at meetings may occur as part of the ordinary care of a student.

10.1.2. IT – Use of the Internet by under-18s for study will be as for all students.

10.1.3. Alcohol and student arranged activities – Access to alcohol by undergraduates under the age of 18 at any activity which is signed off by or known to the College will not be permitted. It is acknowledged that the individual student must also bear responsibility for his or her actions at any event. Safeguarding issues will be covered at the sign-off stage with student organisers. Consideration should be given to any risk posed by students over 18 at these events.

10.1.4. The College Bar – the College has effective systems and practices to counter underage drinking and no student under 18 is permitted to work in the College bar or serve alcohol on College premises without the supervision of an adult.

10.1.5. Liaison with Faculties and Departments – the College will inform/consult with the relevant Faculty or Department as early as possible about any student who will be under the age of 18 who is being admitted so that the University can put appropriate measures in place to meet its safeguarding obligations.

10.2. Residential accommodation offered by the College is generally intended for the use of adults and, except in exceptional circumstances, special arrangements are not made for students who are under the age of 18 years. Undergraduates are usually housed in separate accommodation to postgraduates for operational and community reasons but this is not always possible.

11. Expectations of External Parties

11.1. It is expected that external bodies utilising the College’s premises or facilities for external events will have their own safeguarding policies and procedures in place and will take full responsibility for the safeguarding of individuals involved in any related activities.

11.2. Before acceptance of summer schools or similar events, the College will seek evidence that external organisers have addressed their safeguarding responsibilities adequately. This includes obtaining and reviewing copies of their own policies and procedures and especially, their Safeguarding Policy for those under the age of 18 years.

11.3. The College requires adult to children supervision levels as follows:

• 15-16 years of age 1:8 supervision ratio;
• 16-18 years of age 1:10 supervision ratio.
• The College does not permit children under the age of 16 years as part of summer school or similar events.

Where an external body has mixed age group students the supervision level should be appropriate to the number of students in each age range and rounded up. If there are any guests under the age of 15 a higher supervision ratio may be required subject to review of the risk assessment by the Safeguarding Officer. The ratio of staff: students for school trips will be in accordance with school policies but with a minimum of 1:8.

11.4. Use of the Internet by under-18s will be as that for over 18’s. It is the responsibility of the external body to monitor usage and conduct on the College network.

11.5. Access to alcohol by any person under the age of 18 is not permitted. The College has effective systems and practices to counter underage drinking and no student under 18 is permitted to work in the College bar or serve alcohol on College premises without the supervision of an adult.

11.6. Safeguarding is a fundamental consideration in any filming/photography taking place on College grounds. Individuals involved in filming, particularly young people, and vulnerable adults, must be treated with dignity and respect. Filming must not take place when it is unwanted or in areas where individuals could reasonably expect privacy, such as accommodation or welfare spaces. The College reserves the right to halt any filming that it deems to compromise the safety, dignity, or welfare of its community.

12. Raising a concern or allegation of abuse

12.1. Any person involved in the work of the College (Fellows, employees, workers, volunteers, students or anyone working on behalf of the College in a paid or unpaid capacity) can raise a concern or allegation of abuse by speaking to their line manager/Tutor/Head of Department or any senior officer of the College who will escalate matters to the Safeguarding Officer as a matter of course. Concerns or allegations can also be made directly to the Safeguarding Officer.

13. Procedure for dealing with suspicions or allegations of abuse

13.1. Those working with children and engaged in regulated activities may:

13.1.1. Have alleged abuse disclosed to them;

13.1.2. Suspect abuse is being carried out; or

13.1.3. Be accused of abusing those in their charge.

13.2. Whilst these issues may require very different courses of action, it is essential that the safety and welfare of the child or adult at risk is prioritised.

13.3. The Safeguarding Officer has responsibility for ensuring that they (or a nominated deputy) are available during normal working hours to respond to allegations without undue delay. Should an issue arise outside of normal working hours, Porters should make contact with the Senior Tutor, Deputy Senior Tutor, or another Tutor. In cases of staff matters, the HR Manager should be contacted.

13.4. In the event there is a risk of immediate serious harm to a child or adult at risk, the emergency services should be contacted via 999 without delay. Anybody can make a referral in these circumstances. The Safeguarding Officer should then be notified of the case.

13.5. Where a child or adult at risk discloses alleged abuse, or a member of the College suspects abuse, which is not deemed to be an emergency, this should be referred immediately to the Safeguarding Officer who will consider what action is required. A referral should be made even where concerns are seemingly minor; in some instances, it is a pattern or range of minor incidents which, when taken together, amount to a more significant concern requiring investigation. It is therefore vital that the Safeguarding Officer is privy to all concerns as they arise.

13.6. The person reporting a concern should make a full note of the facts that gave rise to their concern as soon as is practicable, by completing an Incident Report Form (Appendix 4), and should immediately give a copy of this Form to the Safeguarding Officer.

13.7. Appropriate records will be retained by the Safeguarding Officer in accordance with the College’s Data Protection Policy. Where the matter relates to both staff and students, the Safeguarding Officer will determine where the file should be kept.

13.8. In consultation with the Master and Senior Bursar, the Safeguarding Officer will be responsible for contacting any statutory agencies such as the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) or the Police, if necessary. The Safeguarding Officer will also have responsibility for fulfilling any legal obligations to report an individual to the DBS.

13.9. The College is not expected and should not attempt to investigate suspicions of abuse independently.

13.10. Where a suspicion needs to be investigated by the relevant authority, it may be necessary for the College to do one or more of the following:

13.10.1. move the victim of an alleged safeguarding breach to a safe place;

13.10.2. suspend the individual(s) about whom an allegation or suspicion has arisen;

13.10.3. prevent the individual(s) about whom an allegation or suspicion has arisen from engaging in any regulated activities.

13.11. Serious safeguarding breaches may constitute gross misconduct, or otherwise lead to disciplinary consequences, under the relevant College Statutes, ordinances, policies and processes, and may lead to summary dismissal.

14. Health and Safety

14.1. The College seeks to ensure that it provides a safe physical living, studying and working environment for all its Fellows, staff, students, contractors and visitors. However, many of the College’s premises will present additional hazards and risks to children and it is not possible for the College to guarantee the safety of children on all of its premises.

14.2. Unless they are Fellows, students of the College or members of staff, or are attending the College on duly authorised visits or activities, children are prohibited from entering workshops, food preparation areas, rooftops, and other premises which present particular hazards or contain fragile or valuable equipment. Those premises which are out of bounds to children should be identified as such but if there is any doubt advice should be sought from the College’s Porters Lodge, Maintenance Department, Health and Safety Officer or relevant Head of Department.

14.3. Any accident on College premises involving a child must be reported to the College Porter’s Lodge who shall inform the Head Porter, and the College Health and Safety Officer, as soon as possible. The accident book to be used to record any accident is also available at the Porters Lodge.

15. Relevant College policies

15.1. This policy should be read in conjunction with the College’s policies listed below:

• College Rules
• Harassment
• Data Protection
• Confidentiality Statement
• Appropriate relationships between assistant staff and students
• Computing Facilities Guide
• Photography and Filming Notice
• Health and Safety
• Comments, Suggestions, and Complaints from Students Procedure
• External Events Statement
• External speaker arrangements (PREVENT)
• Alcohol
• Drugs
• Dignity at Work and Study
• Equal Opportunities
• Misconduct Policy

15.2. The College’s key policies can be found at Policies and Procedures | Magdalene College.

16. Relevant legislation

16.1. The following legislation is relevant to this policy because it has influenced its introduction and/or its content:

• Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
• Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
• Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975
• The Police Act 1997
• Protection of Children Act 1999
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• The Human Rights Act 1998
• Sexual Offences Act 2003
• The Children Act 2004
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
• Equality Act 2010
• Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015
• UK General Data Protection Regulation 2018/Data Protection Act 2018

16.2. The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 is of particular importance as all decisions made to bar individuals from working with children or adults at risk are now made by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) under this legislation.