Safeguarding

Steps to keep children safe:

All tutors are medical students and therefore have gone through prior vetting and all tutors shall be interviewed personally. Tutors are all subjected to DBS checks and are required to provide 2 references prior to working with us. All tutors are required to sign a code of conduct with us which outlines our expectations for the tutors.

How you will respond to any child protection concerns:

If a child or adult at risk, is at risk of immediate harm or needs emergency medical attention, the emergency services must be contacted and the parents/carers informed that immediate steps are being taken to get help.

The person who receives a safeguarding allegation must make a note of the basic details of the allegation, to include the:

• Name of the individual whom the allegation is about and any other identifying information, including location

• Name of any children/adult at risk involved • Date and time of the allegation arising

• Name and contact details of the person making the allegation

• Key information about the nature of the safeguarding allegation

The person should then inform their line manager in the first instance and agree next steps to safeguard a child/ren at risk. If the concern is about the founder then the person should inform the senior tutor.

In some cases, Tutorcyte will decide to suspend the employee who is the subject of the allegation or cease to use the services of a volunteer on a temporary basis. The act of suspension does not indicate a person’s guilt, it is a neutral act. An individual must not be suspended automatically when there has been an allegation or without careful thought.

Suspension should be considered in any case where:

• There is reason to suspect a child is at risk of significant and the allegation warrants investigation by the police

• The allegation is so serious that if substantiated might be grounds for dismissal

• There are concerns that the person about whom the allegations are made may put pressure on or interfere with potential witnesses

• The person by carrying out their normal duties may pose a risk to others and where this risk cannot be reasonably mitigated against through increased supervision or a temporary change of duties

Code of Conduct for the student:

Why we have a behaviour code: This code of behaviour is there to make sure everyone who takes part in Tutorcyte’s activities knows what is expected of them and feels safe, respected and valued. Tutorcyte must make sure that everyone taking part in our activities has seen, understood and agreed to follow the code of behaviour, and that they understand what will happen if there is inappropriate behaviour.

We expect people who take part in our services to display appropriate behaviour at all times. This includes behaviour that takes place outside our organisation and behaviour that takes place online.

This code of behaviour aims to:

• identify acceptable and unacceptable behaviour

• encourage cooperation, honesty, fairness and respect

• create an environment where your self-esteem, self-respect and self-confidence will grow

• encourage you to recognise and respect the rights of others

• encourage you to take responsibility for your own behaviour

• help resolve conflicts and make it clear what will happen if you decide not to follow the code.

Dos and don’ts for children and young people

You should:

• be supportive and kind to others

• be friendly

• listen to others

• be helpful

• have good manners

• treat everyone with respect

• take responsibility for your own behaviour

• talk to Louisa - founder about anything that worries or concerns you

• follow this code of behaviour and other rules (including the law)

• join in and have fun!

You shouldn’t:

• be disrespectful to anyone else

• bully other people (online or offline)

• behave in a way that could be intimidating

• be abusive towards anyone.

What happens if I do not follow the code of behaviour? This code of behaviour is part of our process for making sure everyone who takes part in our activities gets the support they need.

Minor or first-time incident If you behave in a way that doesn’t follow our behaviour code, our staff or volunteers will remind you about it and ask you to change your behaviour. This gives you the chance to think and to plan how you could behave differently, with support from staff and/or volunteers.

Formal warning If you continue not to follow the code of behaviour after your first reminder, or if your behaviour is more serious, you will be given a formal warning by the person running your activity. They will make a record about what happened and inform your parents or carers if it is appropriate. They will also talk with you about what happened and agree what support you need to improve your behaviour in the future. We might also decide that further steps should be taken, such as restricting you from taking part in some activities.

Final warning If the support we have put in place isn’t helping you to change your behaviour, we might need to give you a final warning. Again, this will be recorded and we’ll inform your parents or carers as appropriate. At this point, we might need to talk with you and your parents or carers about other services that might be more able to give you the support you need.

Child protection procedures If any member of staff or volunteer becomes concerned that your behaviour suggests you might be in need of protection or that you might present a risk of harm to other children and young people, they will follow our child protection procedures. This might involve making a referral to the local authority. If child protection procedures are necessary we will talk this through with you and your parents as soon as possible, unless doing so would put you in danger or interfere with a police investigation.

The role of parents and carers We see parents and carers as important in encouraging positive behaviour and will involve them as appropriate. We will always inform and involve your parents or carers if you receive a formal warning about your behaviour, unless doing so would put you in danger.

Code of conduct for tutors/employees

The purpose and scope of behaviour code: This behaviour code outlines the conduct that Tutorcyte expects from all our staff and volunteers. This includes trustees, agency staff, interns, students on work placement and anyone who is undertaking duties for the organisation, whether paid or unpaid. The behaviour code is there to help us protect children and young people from abuse. It has been informed by the views of children and young people. Tutorcyte is responsible for making sure everyone taking part in our activities has seen, understood and agreed to follow the code of behaviour, and that they understand the consequences of inappropriate behaviour.

The role of staff and volunteers In your role at Tutorcyte you are acting in a position of trust and authority and have a duty of care towards the children and young people we work with. You are likely to be seen as a role model by young people and are expected to act appropriately. We expect people who take part in our services to display appropriate behaviour at all times. This includes behaviour that takes place outside our organisation and behaviour that takes place online.

Responsibility of staff and volunteers

You are responsible for:

• prioritising the welfare of children and young people

• providing a safe environment for children and young people

• ensuring equipment is used safely and for its intended purpose

• having good awareness of issues to do with safeguarding and child protection and taking action when appropriate.

• following our principles, policies and procedures

• including our policies and procedures for safeguarding and child protection, whistleblowing and online safety

• staying within the law at all times

• modelling good behaviour for children and young people to follow

• challenging all inappropriate behaviour and reporting any breaches of the behaviour code to Louisa, Co-founder.

• reporting all concerns about abusive behaviour, following our safeguarding and child protection procedures

• this includes inappropriate behaviour displayed by an adult or child and directed at anybody of any age.

Respecting children and young people

You should:

• listen to and respect children at all times

• value and take children’s contributions seriously, actively involving them in planning activities wherever possible

• respect a young person’s right to personal privacy as far as possible

• if you need to break confidentiality in order to follow child protection procedures, it is important to explain this to the child or young person at the earliest opportunity.

Diversity and inclusion

You should:

• treat children and young people fairly and without prejudice or discrimination

• understand that children and young people are individuals with individual needs

• respect differences in gender, sexual orientation, culture, race, ethnicity, disability and religious belief systems, and appreciate that all participants bring something valuable and different to the group/organisation

• challenge discrimination and prejudice

• encourage young people and adults to speak out about attitudes or behaviour that makes them uncomfortable.

Appropriate relationships

You should:

• promote relationships that are based on openness, honesty, trust and respect

• avoid showing favouritism

• be patient with others

• exercise caution when you are discussing sensitive issues with children or young people

• ensure your contact with children and young people is appropriate and relevant to the nature of the activity you are involved in

• ensure that whenever possible, there is more than one adult present during activities with children and young people

• if a situation arises where you are alone with a child or young person in person, ensure that you are within sight or can be heard by other adults

• if a child specifically asks for or needs some individual time with you in person, ensure other staff or volunteers know where you and the child are

• only provide personal care in an emergency and make sure there is more than one adult present if possible unless it has been agreed that the provision of personal care is part of your role and you have been trained to do this safely.

When working with children and young people, you must not:

• allow concerns or allegations to go unreported

• take unnecessary risks

• smoke, consume alcohol or use illegal substances

• develop inappropriate relationships with children and young people

• make inappropriate promises to children and young people

• engage in behaviour that is in any way abusive including having any form of sexual contact with a child or young person

• let children and young people have your personal contact details (mobile number, email or postal address) or have contact with them via a personal social media account

• act in a way that can be perceived as threatening or intrusive

• patronise or belittle children and young people

• make sarcastic, insensitive, derogatory or sexually suggestive comments or gestures to or in front of children and young people.

Upholding this code of behaviour

You should always follow this code of behaviour and never rely on your reputation or that of our organisation to protect you.

If you have behaved inappropriately, you will be subject to our disciplinary procedures. Depending on the seriousness of the situation, you might be asked to leave Tutorcyte. We might also make a report to statutory agencies such as the police, GMC and/or the local authority child protection services. If you become aware of any breaches of this code, you must report them to Louisa, Founder. If necessary, you should follow our safeguarding and child protection procedures.