Policy Statement:

Primed Talent is deeply committed to practices that protect children, young people, and adults at risk from abuse, neglect, or significant harm. Staff acknowledges and accepts their responsibility to develop awareness of the risks and issues involved in safeguarding. Primed Talent declares, at every induction, that everyone (staff and learners) must have zero tolerance for abuse, bullying, neglect, and violence. The organization also recognizes its responsibility to protect staff from unfounded allegations of abuse and is committed to working with the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hubs (MASH).

Primed Talent Ltd has a statutory and moral duty to ensure that it functions with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young, and vulnerable people receiving education and training. It recognizes its role in facilitating the well-being of children, young, and vulnerable people. All Staff are required to complete an awareness module to understand safeguarding and preventing young children and young adults from radicalization. Primed Talent embraces and promotes the five expected outcomes for children and young people as set out in the Ofsted Common Inspection Framework:

• Enjoying a healthy lifestyle
• Staying safe
• Enjoying and achieving
• Making a positive contribution
• Achieving economic well-being

Throughout these policies and procedures, reference is made to “children and young or vulnerable people,” referring to those under the age of 18. Primed Talent recognizes that some adults are also vulnerable to abuse; accordingly, the procedures may be applied, with appropriate adaptations, to allegations of abuse and the protection of young or vulnerable adults.

Primed Talent is committed to:

• Provide a safe environment for all its learners to learn in.
• Identify children and young or vulnerable people who are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm.
• Take appropriate action to help ensure that such children and young or vulnerable people are kept safe.

In pursuit of these aims, Primed Talent will approve and annually review policies and procedures with the goal of raising awareness of issues relating to the welfare of children and young or vulnerable people and the promotion of a safe environment for them. This includes aiding the identification of those at risk and establishing procedures for reporting concerns, dealing with allegations of abuse against staff, and ensuring safe recruitment of staff.

The Director and all staff working with children and young or vulnerable people will receive training adequate to familiarize them with protection issues and responsibilities, and the procedures and policies, with refresher training at least every two years. There will be a senior member of the management team with lead responsibility for protection issues (the designated senior member of staff with lead responsibility for the protection of children and young or vulnerable people). He/she will be supported by a designated member of staff with special responsibility for protection issues.

The Designated Safeguarding Officer for Primed Talent Ltd is Rakhee Mangal, and any issues must be reported to her immediately.

Accountability and Responsibility:

 Lead responsibility for Safeguarding rests with the Managing Director. For day-to-day activity, the Safeguarding Officer provides general advice and training, monitors and manages concerns, allegations, or disclosures, and liaises with safeguarding agencies. The Safeguarding Officer is responsible for overseeing the referral of cases of suspected abuse or allegations to the relevant investigating agencies, providing advice and support to other staff on issues relating to child and young or vulnerable people’s protection, maintaining proper records of any protection referral, complaint, or concern, and ensuring that learners are aware of the College’s protection policy, among other responsibilities.

The Safeguarding Officer is also responsible for reporting deficiencies in procedure or policy identified at the earliest opportunity. The Safeguarding Officer will act as the first point of contact for all safeguarding matters, provide support and training for staff, support staff in making effective referrals to appropriate agencies, keep copies of all referrals related to safeguarding learners, ensure that all staff receive information on safeguarding policies and procedures, and keep up to date with changes in local policy and procedures, among other duties.

Training:

Primed Talent Ltd has a duty to promote the safeguarding policy to staff to ensure they:

• Recognize concerns as they are identified.
• Report concerns to the safeguarding officer on the same day.
• Refer to appropriate authorities on the same day.
• Record incidents to facilitate investigations.
• Respond to requests for information and involvement in case reviews.

Safeguarding Code of Behaviour:

Primed Talent Ltd recognizes that it is not practical to provide definitive instructions that would apply to all situations at all times when staff come into contact with children and vulnerable adults. However, the standards of behavior required of staff are outlined to fulfill their roles and duty of care within the organization. These guidelines apply to any volunteers, contracted staff, and temporary staff members.

Staff must not:

• Spend excessive amounts of time alone with children or adults at risk away from others.
• Make unnecessary physical contact with children and adults at risk.
• Meet children and adults at risk outside the work or learning environment.
• Start an investigation or question anyone after a concern, allegation, or disclosure has been raised; this is the job of the authorities.
• Show favoritism to any one child or adult, nor should they issue or threaten any form of physical punishment.
• Initiate or engage in sexually provocative conversation or activity.
• Allow the use of inappropriate language to go unchallenged.
• Do things of a personal nature for children and adults at risk that they can do themselves.
• Allow any allegations made by a child or adult at risk to go without being reported and addressed.

Staff must:

• Respect children’s and adults at risk’s right to privacy and encourage them to feel comfortable reporting attitudes or behavior they do not like.
• Act with discretion regarding personal relationships.
• Be aware of procedures for reporting concerns, allegations, or disclosures and familiarize themselves with the contact details of the Safeguarding officer.
• If a member of staff finds themselves the subject of inappropriate affection or attention from a child or adult at risk, they should make other members of their delivery team aware of this.
• If a member of staff has any concerns relating to the welfare of a child or adult at risk in their care, be it concerns about actions/behaviors of another staff member or concerns based on any conversation with the child or adult at risk, they should report this to the Safeguarding officer.

Procedure for Responding to a Concern, Allegation, or Disclosure:

If a child or young person tells a member of staff about possible abuse, the following steps should be taken:

• Listen carefully and stay calm.
• Do not interview the child or person concerned but question normally and without pressure.
• Do not put words into the child or person’s mouth.
• Reassure them that by telling you, they have done the right thing.
• Inform them that you must pass the information on but that only those who need to know about it will be told and inform them of whom you will report the matter to.
• Note the main points carefully.
• Using the relevant form, make a detailed note of the date, time, place, what the child or person said or did, and your questions.
• Staff should not investigate concerns or allegations themselves but should report them immediately to the Designated Person or, in his/her absence, to a designated member of staff with special responsibility for protection issues.

Staying Safe Online:

Primed Talent acknowledges the potential risks of the internet and aims to provide learners with the skills to keep themselves safe online and safeguard the assets of the companies they work for. The organization’s role includes assessing how learners may be at risk of harm using the internet or technology, providing relevant training at induction for learners to be aware of risks and how to mitigate them when working online, and ensuring staff are trained to identify and deal with concerns about online safety.

Reporting:

Information regarding a concern, allegation, or disclosure is to be recorded on the Safeguarding Adults at risk and Children Reporting Form. Completion of this form should be initiated as soon as possible by the person with first-hand information. The Safeguarding officer is responsible for passing information regarding the report to local or appropriate safeguarding agencies or the Police. If a referral is made, this must be confirmed in writing to the appropriate agency within 24 hours.

The Safeguarding officer may consider that those involved may require counseling. Where there is a need for counseling (for the learner, other students, or staff involved), the Safeguarding officer will make the necessary arrangements.

Actions Taken Against Staff:

Staff who breach any of the above may be subject to the disciplinary procedure. If an allegation against a member of staff occurs, an investigation will be carried out. Primed Talent Ltd reserves the right to suspend any member of staff under the Safeguarding Policy to protect young people and vulnerable adults while an internal and/or external investigation takes place. The organization can implement its own internal investigation during any stage of this process, which may result in disciplinary action being taken against a member of staff.

Suspension of Staff Under the Safeguarding Procedure:

 If Primed Talent Ltd decides to suspend the employee due to a safeguarding concern, the company disciplinary policy will be utilized. If the suspension is subject to external investigation, the Primed Talent Ltd representatives will be unable to discuss the details of any allegations made.

Confidentiality:

Confidentiality and trust should be maintained as far as possible, but staff must act on the basis that the safety of the child and vulnerable adults is the overriding concern. The degree of confidentiality will be governed by the need to protect the child or vulnerable adults. The child or vulnerable adults should be informed at the earliest possible stage of the disclosure that the information will be passed on. All conversation regarding a child or vulnerable adults should always be held in private. Primed Talent Ltd complies with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998, which allows for the disclosure of personal data where this is necessary to protect the vital interests of a child or vulnerable adult.

Staff must not discuss the case with anyone other than those involved in the case. If staff have any concerns about the progress of the case or any other concerns, these must be discussed with the Safeguarding officer.

Allegations Against Staff:

The primary concern of the organization is to ensure the safety of the child and vulnerable adult. In all cases of suspected abuse by a member staff, action is taken quickly and professionally, regardless of the validity of the allegations. If any member of staff suspects any other member of staff of abusing a student, it is their responsibility to bring these concerns to the Safeguarding officer.

On being notified of any such matter, the Safeguarding officer shall:

• Seek and follow advice from the LADO.
• Take such steps as she considers necessary to ensure the safety of the child or vulnerable adult in question and any other child or vulnerable adult who might be at risk.
• Ensure that a report of the matter is completed by the person who reported the original concern.
• Put in place the steps necessary to follow the advice of the LADO.

Details for the Safeguarding Officer: Name: Rakhee Mangal (Director)

Email for any safeguarding issues: info@primedtalent.com

Navin Kumar

Feb 2023