Safeguarding Policy - Introducing 5&2 Education

Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy

5&2 Education is thoroughly committed to safeguarding and protecting children and

vulnerable adults from abuse and harm. We follow all national guidelines to ensure that the

highest levels of safeguarding and child protection are maintained by all staff.

We do this by:

Following Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance issued by the Department for
Education.
Ensuring that educators confirm they have read Part 1 of KCSIE and will keep up to date
with any changes. It is imperative that all educators registered and working with 5 and 2 Education understand their duties and responsibilities to keep children safe.
Ensuring educators are up to date regarding any relevant changes to legislation and
guidance.
Ensuring all educators work in line with 5 and 2 Education ‘Code of Conduct Policy’
policy.
Ensuring all staff are aware of 5 and 2 Education ‘Safeguarding – Child and
Vulnerable Adult Protection’ policy, and that staff are trained in line with this policy.
Ensuring all educators complete Safeguarding Children Level 2 training on an annual basis.
Following DfE guidelines on managing concerns/allegations regarding educators.
Making 5 and 2 Education policies on ‘Safeguarding – Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection’, and ‘Procedure for Managing Concerns, Allegations, and Unsuitability’, accessible to all clients and educators.

Aims

5 and 2 Education aims to ensure that:

Appropriate action is taken in a timely manner to safeguard and promote children’s welfare. All staff are aware of their statutory responsibilities with respect to safeguarding Staff are properly trained in recognising and reporting safeguarding issues.

2. Legislation and statutory guidance

This policy is based on the Department for Education’s (DfE’s) statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education (2025) and Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023), the Maintained schools governance guide and Academy trust governance guide. We comply with this guidance and the arrangements agreed and published by our 3 local safeguarding partners (see section 3).

This policy is also based on the following legislation:

Section 175 of the Education Act 2002, which places a duty on schools and local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils
The School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009, which set out what must be recorded on the single central record and the requirement for at least 1 person conducting an interview to have completed safer recruitment training
The Children Act 1989 (and 2004 amendment), which provides a framework for the care and protection of children
Section 5B(11) of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003, as inserted by section 74 of the Serious Crime Act 2015, which places a statutory duty on teachers to report to the police where they discover that female genital mutilation (FGM) appears to have been carried out on a girl under 18
Statutory guidance on FGM, which sets out responsibilities with regards to safeguarding and supporting girls affected by FGM
The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, which outlines when people with criminal convictions can work with children
Schedule 4 of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which defines what ‘regulated activity’ is in relation to children
Statutory guidance on the Prevent duty, which explains schools’ duties under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 with respect to protecting people from the risk of radicalisation and extremism
The Human Rights Act 1998, which explains that being subjected to harassment, violence and/or abuse, including that of a sexual nature, may breach any or all of the rights which apply to individuals under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
The Equality Act 2010, which makes it unlawful to discriminate against people regarding particular protected characteristics (including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation). This means our staff carefully consider how they are supporting their pupils with regard to these characteristics. The Act allows our school to take positive action to deal with particular disadvantages affecting a specific group of pupils (where we can show it’s proportionate). This includes a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils. For example, it could include taking positive action to support girls where there’s evidence that they’re being disproportionately subjected to sexual violence or harassment
The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), which explains that we must have due regard to eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation. The PSED helps us to focus on key issues of concern and how to improve pupil outcomes. Some pupils may be more at risk of harm from issues such as: sexual violence, homophobic, biphobic or transphobic bullying or racial discrimination
The Childcare (Disqualification) and Childcare (Early Years Provision Free of Charge) (Extended Entitlement) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (referred to in this policy as the ‘2018 Childcare Disqualification Regulations’) and Childcare Act 2006, which set out who is disqualified from working with children
This policy also meets the requirements relating to safeguarding and welfare in the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

3. Purpose of this Policy

This policy is intended to protect children and vulnerable adults who are in the care of educators and hirers working with 5 and 2 Education.
This policy is intended to provide guidance and overarching principles to those who represent 5 and 2 Education and guide our approach to child and vulnerable adult protection and safeguarding.

4. Policy Review

4.1. The Safeguarding Lead will keep ‘Safeguarding – Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection’ policy up to date in line with any legislative changes. A review of this policy will take place annually.

Designated Safeguarding Lead

5 and 2 Education’s Designated Safeguarding Lead is Daniel Miguel and can be

contacted on [email protected]

This policy should be read alongside 5 and 2 Education other policies, procedures, guidance and other related documents:

Code of Conduct Policy
Procedure for Managing Concerns, Allegations, and Unsuitability policy
Safer Recruitment Policy

Application of this Policy

‘Educators’ are referred to in this policy as supply staff placed into educational settings

(the hirer) by 5 and 2 Education. Educators will be working directly in contact with children
and/or vulnerable adults.
‘5 and 2 Education staff’ are employees of 5 and 2 Education who in most cases
will place the educator into the educational settings (the hirer) and be the main point of contact for both the educator and the hirer.
All educators and internal staff to adhere to this policy at all times.
This policy works in conjunction with the hirer’s ‘Safeguarding and Child Protection’ policy
which should be given to educators at the beginning of an assignment. Educators, whilst not
employed by the school or college, are under the supervision, direction and control of the

governing body or proprietor when working in the school or college and should adhere to their

policies and procedures at all times.

The designated safeguarding lead (DSL)

The DSL takes lead responsibility for child protection and wider safeguarding for 5 and 2 Education.

The DSL will share resources and support to:

Operate with the best interest of children at heart.
Provide advice and support to other staff on child welfare and child protection matters
Take part in strategy discussions and inter-agency meetings and/or support other staff to do so
Contribute to the assessment of children
Refer suspected cases, as appropriate, to the relevant body (local authority children’s social care, Channel programme, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), and/or police), and support staff who make such referrals directly
Have a good understanding of harmful sexual behaviour
Have a good understanding of the filtering and monitoring systems and processes in place at our school
Make sure that staff have appropriate Prevent training and induction for all staff including training and adherence to statutory guidelines and documents.
Ensure regular update training is provided to internal staff.
Oversee and take responsibility for any child protection issues which may be raised.
Ensure internal staff are given training as to what constitutes safeguarding concern and how to deal with them.
Keep up to date their own knowledge and skills by undertaking training annually and
ensure any Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads also renew this training.
Recording keeping of all safeguarding concerns.

The DSL will also:

Keep the ‘hirer’ informed of any issues

Liaise with local authority, case managers and designated officers for child protection concerns as appropriate
Discuss the local response to sexual violence and sexual harassment with police and local authority children’s social care colleagues to prepare the school’s policies
Be confident that they know what local specialist support is available to support all children involved (including victims and alleged perpetrators) in sexual violence and sexual harassment, and be confident as to how to access this support
Be aware that children must have an ‘appropriate adult’ to support and help them in the case of a police investigation or search
Champion this policy across 5 and 2 Education and promote a culture of vigilance across the business.

What do we mean by a child or a young person?

Anyone under the age of 18 should be considered as a child or young person for the purposes of this document.

Indicators of Abuse and Neglect

Recognising abuse and taking action

All staff are expected to be able to identify and recognise all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation and shall be alert to the potential need for early help for a child who:

Has a disability
Has special educational needs (whether or not they have a statutory education health and care (EHC) plan)
Is a young carer
Is bereaved
Is showing signs of being drawn into anti-social or criminal behaviour, including being affected by gangs and county lines and organised crime groups and/or serious violence, including knife crime
Is frequently missing/goes missing from education, care or home
Is at risk of modern slavery, trafficking, sexual and/or criminal exploitation
Is at risk of being radicalised or exploited
Is viewing problematic and/or inappropriate online content (for example, linked to violence), or developing inappropriate relationships online
Is in a family circumstance presenting challenges for the child, such as drug and alcohol misuse, adult mental health issues and domestic abuse
Is misusing drugs or alcohol
Is suffering from mental ill health
Has returned home to their family from care
Is at risk of so-called ‘honour’-based abuse such as female genital mutilation (FGM) or forced marriage
Is a privately fostered child
Has a parent or carer in custody or is affected by parental offending
Is missing education, or persistently absent from school, or not in receipt of full-time education
Has experienced multiple suspensions and is at risk of, or has been permanently excluded
Staff, volunteers and governors must follow the procedures set out below in the event of a safeguarding issue.

Please note – in this and subsequent sections, you should take any references to the DSL to mean ‘the DSL (or deputy DSL)’.

7.1. If a child is suffering or likely to suffer harm, or in immediate danger

Make a referral to local authority children’s social care and/or the police immediately if you believe a child is suffering or likely to suffer from harm, or is in immediate danger. Anyone can make a referral.

Tell the DSL (see section 5.2) as soon as possible if you make a referral directly.

Set out your local procedures for making a referral, as per the arrangements put in place by the 3 safeguarding partners.

You might also include the following link to the GOV.UK webpage for reporting child abuse to your local council: https://www.gov.uk/report-child-abuse-to-local-council

7.2. If a child makes a disclosure to you

If a child discloses a safeguarding issue to you, you should:

Listen to and believe them. Allow them time to talk freely and do not ask leading questions
Stay calm and do not show that you are shocked or upset
Tell the child they have done the right thing in telling you. Do not tell them they should have told you sooner
Explain what will happen next and that you will have to pass this information on. Do not promise to keep it a secret
Write up your conversation as soon as possible in the child’s own words. Stick to the facts, and do not put your own judgement on it
Sign and date the write-up and pass it on to the DSL. Alternatively, if appropriate, make a referral to local authority children’s social care and/or the police directly (see 7.1), and tell the DSL as soon as possible that you have done so. Aside from these people, do not disclose the information to anyone else unless told to do so by a relevant authority involved in the safeguarding process
Bear in mind that some children may:
Not feel ready, or know how to tell someone that they are being abused, exploited or neglected
Not recognise their experiences as harmful
Feel embarrassed, humiliated or threatened. This could be due to their vulnerability, disability, sexual orientation and/or language barriers
None of this should stop you from having a ‘professional curiosity’ and speaking to the DSL if you have concerns about a child.

7.3. If you discover that FGM has taken place or a pupil is at risk of FGM

Keeping Children Safe in Education explains that FGM comprises “all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs”.

FGM is illegal in the UK and a form of child abuse with long-lasting, harmful consequences. It is also known as ‘female genital cutting’ ‘circumcision’ or ‘initiation’.

Any staff who either:

Is informed by a girl under 18 that an act of FGM has been carried out on her; or
Observes physical signs which appear to show that an act of FGM has been carried out on a girl under 18 and they have no reason to believe that the act was necessary for the girl’s physical or mental health or for purposes connected with labour or birth

Must immediately report this to the police, personally. This is a mandatory statutory duty, and teachers will face disciplinary sanctions for failing to meet it.

Unless they have been specifically told not to, they should also discuss the case with the DSL and involve local authority children’s social care as appropriate.

Any other member of staff who discovers that an act of FGM appears to have been carried out on a pupil under 18 must speak to the DSL and follow our local safeguarding procedures.

The duty for teachers mentioned above does not apply in cases where a pupil is at risk of FGM or FGM is suspected but is not known to have been carried out. Staff should not examine pupils.

Any member of staff who suspects a pupil is at risk of FGM or suspects that FGM has been carried out [if relevant, insert: or discovers that a pupil aged 18 or over appears to have been a victim of FGM] should speak to the DSL and follow our local safeguarding procedures.

Insert details of your local procedures for this here.

7.4. If you have concerns about a child (as opposed to believing a child is suffering or likely to suffer from harm, or is in immediate danger)

Figure 1 below, before section 7.7, illustrates the procedure to follow if you have any concerns about a child’s welfare.

Where possible, speak to the DSL first to agree a course of action.

If in exceptional circumstances the DSL is not available, this should not delay appropriate action being taken. Speak to a member of the senior leadership team and/or take advice from local authority children’s social care. You can also seek advice at any time from the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000. Share details of any actions you take with the DSL as soon as practically possible.

Make a referral to local authority children’s social care directly, if appropriate (see ‘Referral’ below). Share any action taken with the DSL as soon as possible.

Early help assessment

If an early help assessment is appropriate, the DSL will generally lead on liaising with other agencies and setting up an inter-agency assessment as appropriate. Staff may be required to support other agencies and professionals in an early help assessment, in some cases acting as the lead practitioner.

We will discuss and agree, with statutory safeguarding partners, levels for the different types of assessment, as part of local arrangements.

The DSL will keep the case under constant review and the school will consider a referral to local authority children’s social care if the situation does not seem to be improving. Timelines of interventions will be monitored and reviewed.

Add details of your local procedures for early help assessments.

Referral

If it is appropriate to refer the case to local authority children’s social care or the police, the DSL at the hirer’s place of work will make the referral or support you to do so. If this relates to internal staff of 5 and 2 Education, then speak to our DSL.

If you make a referral directly (see section 7.1), you must tell the DSL at the hirers place of work if it relates to a child in their setting as soon as possible.

The local authority should make a decision within 1 working day of a referral about what course of action to take and will let the person who made the referral know the outcome. The DSL or person who made the referral must follow up with the local authority if this information is not made available, and ensure outcomes are properly recorded.

If the child’s situation does not seem to be improving after the referral, the DSL or person who made the referral must follow local escalation procedures to ensure their concerns have been addressed and that the child’s situation improves.

Add details of your local procedures for referral and escalation.

7.5. If you have concerns about extremism

If a child is not suffering or likely to suffer from harm, or in immediate danger, where possible speak to the DSL first to agree a course of action.

If in exceptional circumstances the DSL is not available, this should not delay appropriate action being taken. Speak to a member of the senior leadership team and/or seek advice from local authority children’s social care. Make a referral to local authority children’s social care directly, if appropriate (see ‘Referral’ above). Inform the DSL or deputy as soon as practically possible after the referral.

Where there is a concern, the DSL will consider the level of risk and decide which agency to make a referral to. This could include the police or Channel, the government’s programme for identifying and supporting individuals at risk of becoming involved with or supporting terrorism, or the local authority children’s social care team.

The DfE also has a dedicated telephone helpline, 020 7340 7264, which school staff and governors can call to raise concerns about extremism with respect to a pupil. You can also email [email protected]. Note that this is not for use in emergency situations.

In an emergency, call 999 or the confidential anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321 if you:

Think someone is in immediate danger

Think someone may be planning to travel to join an extremist group

See or hear something that may be terrorist-related

7.6. If you have a concern about mental health

Mental health problems can, in some cases, be an indicator that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering abuse, neglect or exploitation.

Staff will be alert to behavioural signs that suggest a child may be experiencing a mental health problem or be at risk of developing one.

If you have a mental health concern about a child that is also a safeguarding concern, take immediate action by following the steps in section 7.4.

If you have a mental health concern that is not also a safeguarding concern, speak to the DSL to agree a course of action.

Add further details as necessary, about your procedures for identifying possible mental health problems, including routes to escalate and referral and accountability systems. Refer to the Department for Education guidance on mental health and behaviour in schools for more information.

8. Safeguarding Principles

Every person under this policy holds responsibility for:

Remaining alert and aware of possible safeguarding risks to children.
Identifying children who may benefit from early help. Early help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges.
Guarding children and vulnerable adults against harmful environments with appropriate actions.
Taking positive steps to maintain the safety and wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults.
Recognising and reporting concerns appropriately and without delay. Recognising and reporting any concerns of inappropriate or harmful behaviour of another adult engaging with children and vulnerable adults.

Acting appropriately, and in line with 5 and 2 Education’s ‘Code of Conduct’ policy.
Having professional curiosity. Children and vulnerable adults may not feel ready to know how to tell someone that they are being abused, exploited, or neglected. Equally, they may not recognise their experiences as harmful. For example, children may feel embarrassed, humiliated, or threatened which could be due to their vulnerability, disability, and/or sexual orientation or language barriers. This should not prevent
educators from having a professional curiosity and speaking to the Designated Safeguarding Lead if they have concerns about a child.
Determining how best to build trusted relationships with children and young people which facilitate communication.

8.4. If any person believes a child is in immediate danger, they must call 999.

9. Safeguarding Issues

Educators should have an awareness of safeguarding issues that can put children at risk of harm.
Behaviours linked to issues such as drug taking and/or alcohol misuse, unexplainable and/or persistent absences from education, serious violence (including that linked to county lines), radicalisation and consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude and semi-nude images and/or videos put children in danger.
Educators must be aware that children can abuse each other (also known as child-onchild abuse). It can happen both inside and outside of school or college and online.
Educators should be clear as to the educational setting’s policy and procedures with
regards to child-on-child abuse and the role they have to play in preventing it and responding to it where they believe a child may be at risk.

Child-on-child abuse is most likely to include, but may not be limited to:

Bullying (including cyberbullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying)
Abuse in intimate personal relationships between children (sometimes known as

‘teenage relationship abuse’)
Physical abuse which can include hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or
otherwise causing physical harm
Sexual violence, such as rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault
Sexual harassment, such as sexual comments, remarks, jokes and online sexual
harassment
Causing someone to engage in sexual activity without consent, such as forcing
someone to strip, touch themselves sexually, or to engage in sexual activity with a third
party
Consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude and semi-nude images and/or videos
(also known as sexting or youth produced sexual imagery)
Upskirting which typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing without
their permission, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks to obtain sexual gratification, or cause the victim humiliation, distress, or alarm, and initiation/hazing type violence and rituals (this could include activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group and may also include an online element).

Child sexual exploitation

Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a form of child sexual abuse where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child into sexual activity. It may involve an exchange for something the victim needs or wants and/or for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. It may, or may not, be accompanied by violence or threats of violence.

The abuse can be perpetrated by males or females, and children or adults. It can be a one-off occurrence or a series of incidents over time, and range from opportunistic to complex organised abuse.

The victim can be exploited even when the activity appears to be consensual. Children or young people who are being sexually exploited may not understand that they are being abused. They often trust their abuser and may be tricked into believing they are in a loving, consensual relationship.

CSE can include both physical contact (penetrative and non-penetrative acts) and non-contact sexual activity. It can also happen online. For example, young people may be persuaded or forced to share sexually explicit images of themselves, have sexual conversations by text, or take part in sexual activities using a webcam. CSE may also occur without the victim’s immediate knowledge, for example through others copying videos or images.

In addition to the CCE indicators above, indicators of CSE can include a child:

Having an older boyfriend or girlfriend

Suffering from sexually transmitted infections or becoming pregnant

If a member of staff suspects CSE, they will discuss this with the DSL. The DSL will trigger the local safeguarding procedures, including a referral to the local authority’s children’s social care team and the police, if appropriate.

Child-on-child abuse

Child-on-child abuse is when children abuse other children. This type of abuse can take place inside and outside of school. It can also take place both face-to-face and online, and can occur simultaneously between the two.

Our school has a zero-tolerance approach to sexual violence and sexual harassment. We recognise that even if there are there no reports, that doesn’t mean that this kind of abuse isn’t happening.

Child-on-child abuse is most likely to include, but may not be limited to:

Bullying (including cyber-bullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying)

Abuse in intimate personal relationships between children (this is sometimes known as ‘teenage relationship abuse’)

Physical abuse such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm (this may include an online element which facilitates, threatens and/or encourages physical abuse)

Sexual violence, such as rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault (this may include an online element which facilitates, threatens and/or encourages sexual violence)

Sexual harassment, such as sexual comments, remarks, jokes and online sexual harassment, which may be standalone or part of a broader pattern of abuse

Causing someone to engage in sexual activity without consent, such as forcing someone to strip, touch themselves sexually, or to engage in sexual activity with a third party

Consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude and semi-nude images and/or videos (also known as sexting or youth produced sexual imagery)

Upskirting, which typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing without their permission, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks to obtain sexual gratification, or cause the victim humiliation, distress or alarm

Initiation/hazing type violence and rituals (this could include activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group and may also include an online element)

Where children abuse their peers online, this can take the form of, for example, abusive, harassing, and misogynistic messages; the non-consensual sharing of indecent images, especially around chat groups; and the sharing of abusive images and pornography, to those who don’t want to receive such content.

If staff have any concerns about child-on-child abuse, or a child makes a report to them, they will follow the procedures set out in section 7 of this policy, as appropriate. In particular, section 7.8 and 7.9 set out more detail about our school’s approach to this type of abuse.

When considering instances of harmful sexual behaviour between children, we will consider their ages and stages of development. We recognise that children displaying harmful sexual behaviour have often experienced their own abuse and trauma and will offer them appropriate support.

Domestic abuse

Children can witness and be adversely affected by domestic abuse and/or violence at home where it occurs between family members. In some cases, a child may blame themselves for the abuse or may have had to leave the family home as a result.

Types of domestic abuse include intimate partner violence, abuse by family members, teenage relationship abuse (abuse in intimate personal relationships between children) and child/adolescent to parent violence and abuse. It can be physical, sexual, financial, psychological or emotional. It can also include ill treatment that isn’t physical, as well as witnessing the ill treatment of others. This can be particularly relevant, for example, in relation to the impact on children of all forms of domestic abuse, including where they see, hear or experience its effects.

Anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexuality or background, and domestic abuse can take place inside or outside of the home. Children who witness domestic abuse are also victims.