Notepad Wisdom Community Interest Company (CIC) Child Safeguarding Policy
- Purpose of the Policy
As the owner and lead mentor of Notepad Wisdom, I am committed to promoting the welfare, protection, and safeguarding of all children and young people I work with in schools. This policy outlines the procedures and principles I adhere to, ensuring that children are safe, respected, and supported during my mentorship programs.
- Scope of the Policy
This policy applies to all mentoring activities and interactions I undertake as an external provider within schools. It aligns with statutory safeguarding guidance, including the UK’s Keeping Children Safe in Education (or equivalent local guidelines), and works in partnership with the school’s safeguarding policies.
- Principles
I am committed to:
Ensuring the safety and well-being of all children.
Acting promptly and appropriately on any safeguarding concerns.
Maintaining professional boundaries and relationships at all times.
Complying with all legal obligations related to safeguarding and child protection.
- Legal Framework
This policy adheres to the following UK legislation and statutory guidance:
Primary Safeguarding Legislation
- Children Act 1989
- Children Act 2004
- Children and Social Work Act 2017
- Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026
- Children and Families Act 2014
Education & School Safeguarding
- Education Act 1996
- Education and Inspections Act 2006
- School Standards and Framework Act 1998
- School Discipline (Pupil Exclusions and Reviews) Regulations 2012
- Education (Provision of Full-Time Education for Excluded Pupils) Regulations 2007
- SEND Regulations 2014
Statutory Safeguarding Guidance
- Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026
- Keeping Children Safe in Education (latest edition)
- SEND Code of Practice
- Prevent Duty Guidance
- Information Sharing Advice for Safeguarding Practitioners
Equality & Human Rights
- Equality Act 2010
- Human Rights Act 1998
Data Protection & Confidentiality
- UK GDPR
- Data Protection Act 2018
- Freedom of Information Act 2000
- Common Law Duty of Confidentiality
Criminal & Protective Legislation
- Sexual Offences Act 2003
- Serious Crime Act 2015
- Domestic Abuse Act 2021
- Modern Slavery Act 2015
- Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003
- Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015
- Protection from Harassment Act 1997
- Crime and Disorder Act 1998
- Online Safety Act 2023
Workforce & Safer Recruitment
- Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
- Police Act 1997
- Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
Health & Safety
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- RIDDOR 2013
Legal Duties Under the Children Act 1989
Section 17 – Children in Need
Staff must:
- Identify children requiring additional support
- Contribute to Early Help and Child in Need plans
- Escalate concerns regarding neglect, wellbeing or developmental impairment
- Work collaboratively with local authority services
Section 47 – Risk of Significant Harm
Where abuse or significant harm is suspected, staff must:
- Report concerns immediately to the DSL
- Make safeguarding referrals without delay
- Never investigate allegations independently
- Maintain accurate factual records
- Preserve disclosures verbatim where possible
Concerns may include:
- Physical abuse
- Emotional abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Neglect
- Child criminal exploitation
- Child sexual exploitation
- County lines
- Radicalisation
- Honour-based abuse
- Domestic abuse exposure
- Online exploitation
Section 27 – Duty to Cooperate
Staff are expected to:
- Attend safeguarding meetings
- Participate in multi-agency plans
- Share safeguarding information lawfully
- Work collaboratively with partner agencies
Duties Under the Children Act 2004
Under Sections 10 and 11:
- Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility
- Staff must cooperate with safeguarding partners
- Child welfare must remain paramount
- Staff must undertake safeguarding training
- Safe systems and procedures must be followed
This includes:
- Schools
- Social care
- Police
- Health services
- CAMHS
- Youth offending services
- Early Help teams
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026
The organisation shall comply fully with Working Together 2026.
Staff must:
- Work within multi-agency safeguarding arrangements
- Understand local safeguarding thresholds
- Follow Family Help procedures
- Share information proactively where children are at risk
- Understand contextual safeguarding
- Recognise anti-racist safeguarding responsibilities
- Recognise exploitation and coercive control
- Understand online safeguarding risks
2026 Safeguarding Priorities
Practice must reflect:
- Anti-racist safeguarding principles
- Contextual safeguarding
- Group-based exploitation awareness
- Child-on-child abuse procedures
- Online harms and digital exploitation
- Teenage relationship abuse awareness
- Improved information-sharing expectations
- Family Help reforms
- Earlier intervention pathways
Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE)
All staff working within schools, AP or PRU settings must comply with KCSIE.
Staff must:
- Read and understand Part One
- Understand Annex B safeguarding risks
- Follow school safeguarding procedures
- Report concerns immediately
- Maintain professional boundaries
- Understand low-level concern procedures
- Recognise online safety risks
- Recognise indicators of abuse and exploitation
Equality, Inclusion & Anti-Discriminatory Practice
Under the Equality Act 2010:
- Discrimination is prohibited
- Reasonable adjustments must be considered
- Neurodiversity and SEND needs must be recognised
- Staff must challenge discriminatory language and behaviour
Protected characteristics include:
- Race
- Disability
- Religion
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Gender reassignment
- Pregnancy/maternity
Safeguarding practice must actively consider:
- Disproportionality in exclusions
- Cultural safeguarding needs
- Barriers to disclosure
- Bias and stereotyping
SEND & Additional Needs
In accordance with the Children and Families Act 2014 and SEND Code of Practice:
- Young people with SEND must receive equitable support
- EHCP obligations must be respected
- Behaviour must not be viewed in isolation from unmet needs
- Trauma, SEMH and neurodiversity must be considered in interventions
Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing
The organisation recognises that mental health concerns may indicate safeguarding risk.
Staff must:
- Recognise self-harm and suicide indicators
- Escalate urgent mental health concerns immediately
- Support emotionally vulnerable young people
- Refer appropriately to mental health services
- Understand trauma responses and attachment difficulties
Relevant legislation includes:
- Mental Health Act 1983
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
Child Exploitation, Abuse & Harm
Staff must recognise and respond to:
- Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)
- Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
- County lines activity
- Domestic abuse
- Coercive control
- Modern slavery
- Trafficking
- Honour-based abuse
- Forced marriage
- Female genital mutilation (FGM)
- Radicalisation
- Online grooming
- Sextortion
- Peer-on-peer abuse
All concerns must be escalated immediately.
Prevent Duty & Radicalisation
In line with the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015:
- Staff must identify radicalisation concerns
- Concerns must be reported immediately
- Vulnerability to extremism must be recognised
- Referrals to Prevent/Channel may be made where appropriate
Practice must remain:
- Proportionate
- Non-discriminatory
- Child-centred
Online Safety & Digital Safeguarding
Under the Online Safety Act 2023 and KCSIE:
- Online risks must be treated as safeguarding concerns
- Staff must recognise online exploitation indicators
- Harmful online content must be escalated
- Staff must support safe digital engagement
Risks include:
- Grooming
- Sextortion
- Online coercion
- Harmful social media content
- Self-harm/suicide content
- Extremist material
Information Sharing & Confidentiality
The organisation complies with:
- UK GDPR
- Data Protection Act 2018
- Information Sharing Guidance
Staff must:
- Share safeguarding information where necessary to protect children
- Keep accurate, factual and secure records
- Only share information on a need-to-know basis
- Never promise confidentiality where safeguarding concerns exist
Safeguarding concerns override normal confidentiality requirements where risk of harm exists.
Professional Boundaries & Safer Working Practice
All staff must:
- Maintain professional boundaries
- Avoid inappropriate relationships
- Use approved communication methods only
- Avoid private/social contact with young people
- Report low-level concerns
- Follow safer working practice guidance
Safer Recruitment & DBS
The organisation complies with:
- Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
- Police Act 1997
All staff must:
- Hold appropriate DBS clearance
- Disclose relevant convictions where required
- Follow safeguarding conduct expectations
Attendance, Exclusions & Alternative Provision
Staff working in exclusions/AP settings must:
- Promote reintegration where appropriate
- Consider SEND and safeguarding factors in behaviour
- Recognise exclusion as a safeguarding indicator
- Identify risks linked to missing education
The organisation recognises links between exclusion and:
- Exploitation
- Criminality
- Mental health difficulties
- Vulnerability to harm
Health & Safety
Staff must:
- Follow lone-working procedures
- Complete risk assessments
- Report incidents appropriately
- Maintain safe environments
- Follow violence reduction procedures
Particular attention must be given to:
- Home visits
- Community outreach
- High-risk pupils
- Off-site work
Recording & Reporting Procedures
All safeguarding concerns must:
- Be recorded promptly
- Be factual and accurate
- Include dates/times
- Include exact disclosures where possible
- Be reported to the DSL immediately
Staff must:
- Never delay referrals
- Never investigate independently
- Escalate concerns if insufficient action is taken
Multi-Agency Working
Staff are expected to:
- Attend safeguarding meetings
- Participate in CIN/CP/EHCP reviews
- Cooperate with safeguarding partners
- Share information lawfully and proportionately
Partner agencies may include:
- Schools
- Social care
- Police
- CAMHS
- Youth justice
- Health services
- Early Help teams
Allegations Against Staff
All allegations or low-level concerns involving staff must:
- Be reported immediately
- Be handled in accordance with safeguarding procedures
- Be escalated to the appropriate safeguarding lead/LADO where necessary
Whistleblowing
Staff have a duty to:
- Report unsafe practice
- Escalate safeguarding failures
- Raise concerns regarding professional misconduct
Concerns may be raised without fear of victimisation.
Monitoring & Review
This policy shall be:
- Reviewed annually
- Updated following legislative change
- Updated following safeguarding incidents or learning reviews
- Aligned with current statutory guidance
The organisation will ensure all safeguarding procedures remain compliant with:
- Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026
- Keeping Children Safe in Education
- Relevant safeguarding legislation and amendments currently in force
Final Safeguarding Commitment
This organisation is committed to:
- Protecting children from harm
- Promoting safety, wellbeing and inclusion
- Maintaining lawful, ethical and trauma-informed safeguarding practice
- Working collaboratively with safeguarding partners
- Ensuring every child is heard, protected and supported
- My Responsibilities as a Mentor
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS): I hold an up-to-date enhanced DBS check, which is renewed in accordance with legal requirements.
- Training: I undertake regular annual safeguarding and child protection training through online college to remain informed of best practices and latest updates.
- Professional Conduct: I ensure my interactions with children are professional, respectful, and appropriate at all times.
- Reporting Concerns: I follow the school’s safeguarding protocol and report concerns immediately to the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
- Confidentiality: I handle sensitive information securely, sharing it only with the relevant authorities or the school’s DSL in line with safeguarding requirements.
- Supervision sessions: I undertake regular supervision sessions via a private counsellor (credentials available on request).
- Safeguarding Procedures
Identifying Concerns: As a mentor, I am vigilant in recognizing signs of abuse, neglect, or harm, including physical, emotional, sexual abuse, or neglect.
Responding to a Disclosure:
- Listen without judgment, stay calm, and reassure the child.
- Do not promise confidentiality; explain that I must report concerns to ensure their safety.
- Record the details of the disclosure accurately and immediately.
- Report the disclosure to the school’s DSL as soon as possible.
Working in Partnership with Schools
- I respect and adhere to the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures.
- I maintain open communication with the DSL and staff to ensure the safety of children.
- I attend meetings or training as requested by the school to align my practices with theirs.
- Monitoring and Review
This policy will be reviewed annually or sooner if there are changes in legislation, guidance, or circumstances affecting the safeguarding environment.
- Contact Details
For questions or concerns regarding this policy, please contact:
Sanjay Jalporte
jalporte@hotmail.co.uk
School Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL):
I will familiarize myself with and note the contact details of each school’s DSL at the start of every engagement.
This policy represents my unwavering commitment to safeguarding the children and young people I work with, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for their development and well-being.
Signed:
Sanjay Jalporte
Date: 25/05/2026