POLICY STATEMENT AND SAFEGUARDING PRINCIPLES

South West Association of Training Providers (Swatpro) is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all learners, including young people and vulnerable adults, by preventing abuse, exploitation, bullying, harassment, neglect, and self-harm. We recognise that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and all staff, directors, senior leaders, and partners must understand their role in identifying and responding to safeguarding concerns.

This policy ensures that everyone in our organisation understands the risks and issues related to safeguarding, and knows how to recognise, report, and act on safeguarding concerns in line with the latest version of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2024 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018. All staff and volunteers should be familiar with the procedures for managing and escalating concerns, with a clear understanding of their responsibilities in safeguarding matters.

The policy applies to all staff, including senior leadership, board members, and partner organisations, who apply this policy through their own organisational policies. Safeguarding issues will be raised as a standard agenda item at all team, senior leadership, and board meetings, ensuring continued oversight and action. Swatpro is committed to working with local safeguarding organisations, including local authorities, police, health services, the Education Skills Funding Agency, and other community and referral groups, to support the safeguarding of all learners.

The policy will be reinforced with a Safeguarding Support Guide, which will detail information on referral agencies, reporting procedures, signs for recognising abused or at-risk learners, and incident forms.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY

The Swatpro Board has overall responsibility for safeguarding and supports the Swatpro Safeguarding Lead in reviewing the policy, processes, and monitoring of safeguarding practices.

The Board is committed to this policy, and its key items are embedded in annual contracts and service-level agreements with partners. Swatpro ensures that its staff and partners, who deliver services to learners, have trained safeguarding personnel within their organisation.

Swatpro’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) will work closely with partner safeguarding leads and deputies to ensure that incidents or concerns are handled appropriately, communicated to the correct safeguarding agencies, and that the impact of each concern is monitored and reviewed for lessons learned.

Swatpro will continue to ensure that partners report any safeguarding incidents involving staff and/or learners to the Swatpro Safeguarding Lead, provide updates throughout any investigation, and inform them of the outcome. The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) will be informed as a matter of course. Safeguarding will remain an agenda item at all team, senior leadership team, and Board meetings.

TRAINING AND STAFF AWARENESS

Swatpro ensures that all staff receive annual safeguarding training, in alignment with the latest version of KCSIE 2024, including specific training on how to implement the safeguarding policy effectively. This training covers key areas such as recognising signs of abuse, reporting procedures, understanding specific safeguarding risks (e.g., sexual harassment, online safety, radicalisation, and extremism), and how to report concerns about colleagues.

In addition to general safeguarding training, Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) and their deputies will receive more in-depth, specialised training every two years. All other staff members who have direct contact with learners will undergo refresher training every three years. This ensures that everyone is familiar with current safeguarding issues and is aware of the procedures for managing and escalating concerns.

Training will also address the Prevent Duty, highlighting how staff can identify and act on potential indicators of radicalisation or extremism, in line with the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015.

Swatpro will continue to monitor its partners' records to ensure they provide adequate safeguarding training, have companywide awareness, and that their safeguarding leads and champions are current and qualified to the required level. Every partner is required to have a designated safeguarding lead, who will meet regularly with the Swatpro Safeguarding Lead.

DESIGNATED SAFEGUARDING LEAD (DSL) AND DEPUTIES

Swatpro’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all learners, ensuring that safeguarding policies are effectively implemented and that concerns are acted upon promptly. The DSL will work closely with deputies and the safeguarding leads in partner organisations, ensuring that incidents are appropriately managed and communicated to the relevant authorities.

The DSL will regularly review safeguarding arrangements to ensure policies and procedures are up-to-date and compliant with KCSIE 2024 and other relevant legislation. The DSL will have sufficient time, resources, and training to carry out their role effectively and will provide regular updates to the senior leadership team and Board of Directors.

SAFER RECRUITMENT AND DBS CHECKS

Swatpro is committed to safer recruitment practices, ensuring that all staff working with young people and vulnerable adults undergo thorough background checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, checks on qualifications, and experience. All staff members working with learners are required to undergo DBS checks, which will be updated every three years.

Swatpro will maintain a Single Central Record (SCR), which will include records of DBS checks, safeguarding training, and other relevant vetting checks. The SCR will be monitored and reviewed regularly to ensure compliance with KCSIE 2024.

Swatpro will confirm, through annual due diligence and in-year reviews, that partner staff have been DBS checked. Ongoing monitoring of DBS checks will take place throughout the year to ensure partner staff details are kept up-to-date. It is a contractual requirement for partners to respond to these requests for information.

The DSL will ensure that both Swatpro and partner Single Central Records (SCR) are kept up-to-date, including records of DBS checks, qualifications, and training.

HANDLING ALLEGATIONS AGAINST STAFF

Swatpro has a clear process for managing allegations against staff, ensuring that all concerns are taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, and reported appropriately. If an allegation is made against a member of staff, the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) will immediately inform the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) to ensure the correct procedures are followed.

If the allegation involves the DSL, the Board of Directors will be notified, and an alternative senior leader will be assigned to handle the case. Allegations will be managed in line with Part 4 of KCSIE 2024, ensuring that any outcomes of the investigation are reported to the relevant authorities, including the DBS, if required.

PREVENT DUTY STATEMENT

In line with the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, Swatpro is committed to ensuring all staff are aware of the Prevent Duty and are trained to identify and respond to the risks of radicalisation and extremism. This includes recognising early signs that a learner may be at risk of being drawn into terrorism and understanding how to escalate concerns.

We will continue to educate learners about the dangers of radicalisation and promote the importance of British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

Swatpro and its partners will ensure that all staff are vigilant in safeguarding learners from radicalisation and extremism and continue to work with professional bodies, external agencies, and the local community to ensure that all learners are safe from harm.

REVIEW OF POLICY

Swatpro will review this policy and its safeguarding practices annually to ensure they reflect current government guidance and any changes in safeguarding law. The policy will also be reviewed in response to significant safeguarding incidents or the emergence of new safeguarding risks.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is responsible for ensuring that reviews are conducted and will incorporate feedback from staff, partners, and external agencies to improve safeguarding practices. Self-assessment and external audits will be used to ensure continuous improvement.

PRACTICE AND POLICY PROMOTION

All safeguarding activities and issues will be reported directly to the Board of Directors. A Safeguarding Improvement Group, made up of Swatpro and its partner DSLs and deputies, will meet at least every six months to review activities, referrals, and support arrangements.

This policy will be promoted on the company website and shared with partners via email. It will also be stored within the Swatpro & Partners Safeguarding Intranet.

PREVENT DUTY STATEMENT

Under the United Kingdom Government’s ‘Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015’ a requirement was laid upon “specified authorities” including ‘Training Providers’, when exercising their functions, to have due regard to the need to PREVENT people from being drawn into terrorism.

The Swatpro Board is fully committed to safeguarding including promoting the welfare of all learners and staff against radicalisation and extremism.

This statement reinforces the requirement for all staff at Swatpro and its partners to be fully engaged about being extra vigilant regarding safeguarding, radicalisation, and extremism. The company remains committed to continuing to work in partnership with professional bodies, external agencies, and partners in our local community, to ensure that all learners are safe from harm.

All staff, learners and services contracted to Swatpro are required to uphold and promote the fundamental principles of ‘Human Rights and British Values’ and exemplify these in their practice, including democracy; the rule of law; individual liberty; mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

Perceptions that UK government policy is discriminatory (e.g., counter-terrorist legislation)

Swatpro’s DSL [Designated Safeguarding Lead] acts as the PREVENT lead for the company and will continue to work with the partners safeguarding DSL or team to ensure that the monitoring and management of PREVENT Channel referrals and incidents are completed in the correct manor and are communicated to the Regional PREVENT team.

The Swatpro board will continue to support the Swatpro lead in completing risk assessments and training materials for staff. The PREVENT leads will continue to meet regularly to discuss PREVENT developments, matters arising and learner referrals to the Channel programme.

Swatpro will continue to ensure that both itself and its partners who deliver services to learners have trained PREVENT DSLs [Designated Safeguarding Leads] in place within their organisations.

Further Swatpro remains committed to ensuring that all its staff, its partners and learners are directly supported in PREVENT, through appropriate training, awareness sessions, teaching & learning materials, and resource development.

Swatpro and partners commit to undertake risk assessments using the Prevent Duty Self-Assessment Toolkit - FE and DFE (Department for Education) Risk Assessment Template to identify where and how learners or staff may be at risk of being drawn into terrorism.

Safeguarding and PREVENT will remain as agenda items at each team, senior leadership, and board meeting.

Swatpro will ensure its partners continue to report any PREVENT incidents to the Swatpro Safeguarding Lead, provide updates throughout the investigation and inform them of the outcome.

The Swatpro board through the auspices of the CEO will support the DSL (Designated Safeguarding Leads) in an ongoing reviewing of policy, process, and monitoring of PREVENT.

A safeguarding group, made up of Swatpro and its partner safeguarding and PREVENT champions, will meet a minimum of every six months to review activities, referrals, and support arrangements.

POLICY PROMOTION

The policy is promoted on our website https:///swatpro.org.uk and is also shared with partners via email and stored within the Swatpro & Partners intranet site.