SAFEGUARDING & PREVENT

1. Introduction

This policy must be followed by all Thatcham Research Academy employees and those who are contracted for services, as it provides the necessary detail to ensure that all children and vulnerable adults are safeguarded (including issues relevant to the ‘Prevent’ agenda).

 In conjunction with this policy, please ref to other documents within qpulse.

• Safeguarding apprentice welfare process ACAD- PRO7
• Prevent channel referral process ACAD-PRO8

A child is any learner aged under 18 and a vulnerable adult for the purpose of Thatcham Research Academy is any learner aged 18+ who has a disability, learning difficulty or any characteristic that would deem them as vulnerable.  Thatcham Research Academy has high expectations of its employees and takes its obligation to ensure that children and vulnerable adults are kept safe very seriously.

All employees are expected to provide a caring, positive, safe, and stimulating environment that promotes the social, physical, and moral development of the individual child/young person

• Support learners’ development in ways that foster security, confidence and promote independence.
• Provide a place where learners and vulnerable adults can feel safe and secure and be valued and respected.

A place where learners can feel confident and know how to approach a member of staff if they are in any difficulty and can be sure they will be effectively listened to.

• Raise awareness of employees of the need to safeguard children and employee responsibilities in identifying and reporting possible case of abuse.
• Ensure correct processes are followed by employees in cases of suspected abuse.
• Develop and provide effective working relationship with other agencies and close liaison with lead providers via subcontracting provision.

2.  Employee Guidance

If a member of the team is concerned or worried about a young person or vulnerable adult and think they may be suffering harm, be at risk of harm or be at risk of radicalisation, follow this process.

1. Top Priority: If you suspect that someone is at immediate risk and/or harm call 999
2. Contact one of the nominated safeguarding leads, who is trained and will support the incident with you.
3. Always notify a member of the academy management team if they are available
4. Working with the nominated safeguarding lead complete an initial safeguarding report form
5. If a learner is funded by Babingtons. The nominated safeguarding lead will liaise at the earliest opportunity directly with their safeguarding team to update them of the incident.
6. The nominated safeguarding lead or line manager securely stores report and all correspondence and conversations relevant to the safeguarding issue.

The Safeguarding Lead is:

 David Simms, david.simms@thatcham.org Tel 07932755161

Unable to follow steps 2-6? Contact the Advice and Assessment Service at West Berkshire Council as below:

• Advice & Assessment Service: 01635 503190
• Out of office hours Duty Team: 01344 786543

Do you suspect that somebody may pose a risk to national or international security?

Call 999 if the threat is immediate Otherwise, call the confidential anti-terrorist hotline: 0800 789 321 Alamgir Sheriyar – Police Channel Safeguarding Lead, SECTU (South East Counter Terrorism Unit) Preventreferrals@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

3.  Employee Training

Thatcham Research Academy recognise that some employees may not undertake safeguarding training from day one of their employment. It is also the case that some employees who receive training, may need a refresher to have identify the symptoms of a harm, abuse, or neglect in young people/vulnerable adults.

Thatcham Research Academy maintains high standards of employee training in safeguarding and prevent. All Academy employees directly involved with learners are trained to Safeguarding essentials.

 There are nominated Academy employees trained as designated safeguarding. Training should be updated at least every 2 years for safeguarding and prevent training.

4.  Legislation

This policy has been developed in accordance with legislation to do with the PREVENT AGENDA and the principles established by the Education Act 2002, Children Act 2004 and Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning act 2009 in line with government publications as follows: –

• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022
• Equality Act 2010
• Section 26(1) of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (“the Act”) 
• Working together to Safeguard Children 2018
• Pan Berkshire Safeguarding Children Procedures.

Thatcham Research takes seriously its responsibility in line with current legislations to safeguard and provide the welfare to all its learners

We recognise that all Thatcham Research employees including Managers and Directors have a full and active part to play in protecting our learners from harm, and that learners’ welfare is our paramount concern.

All academy employees have a duty to provide a caring and positive, safe, and stimulating environment that promotes the social, physical, and moral development of the individual learner

5.  Scope of Prevent

Thatcham Research Academy understands its responsibilities under the Counter Terrorism & Security Act 2015 to prevent people of all ages being radicalised or drawn into terrorism and seeks to meet its obligations in the ways shown below, after setting the context.

• Thatcham Automotive Academy accepts apprentices from the age 16+ from all over England.
• In its busiest weeks it may have 60 Apprentices and 10 employees, and we work with 2 local Hotels which undertake risk assessment annually to satisfy safeguarding, H&S and prevent awareness and compliance.
• The Academy has always promoted a multi – cultural environment where respect and tolerance of other beliefs is required.
• Thatcham Research Academy is in Thatcham a small town in Berkshire with multi-cultural local population.

6. What is Radicalisation?

Radicalisation is a process by which an individual or group comes to adopt increasingly extreme political, social, or religious ideals and aspirations that

• reject or undermine the status quo or
• reject and/or undermine contemporary ideas and expressions of freedom of choice.

The Prevent Duty is a non-criminal process designed to help divert people away from a path that may lead to a life of extremism. Consequently, this is a safeguarding matter and you should follow the guidance in section 2.

7. Ways to Counteract Risks

• Promote a safe and supportive internal environment via clear expectations of accepted behaviours and those, including radicalisation and extremism, that will not be tolerated
• Promote core British values through documents given to students, notices around the Academy via curriculum. Approach is to educate that this is how things are in UK, although it may be different to your country.
• Where possible, develop critical awareness and thought to counter accepting extremism without question, especially of online material.
• Challenge radical or extremist views in any context (formal or informal) via stated procedures.

In most situations this would require an immediate response, referring to internal environment of the Academy, and tolerance expected (Hotel Safeguarding Risk Assessment), then reporting concerns (see section 2)

• Be ready to react when world or local events cause upset, and the likelihood of conflicting feelings being expressed. Prevent lead to take initiative in these situations.
• Ensure all learners read and confirm our online safety and remote learning guidelines (code of conduct agreement) explaining the learners’ responsibilities and conduct against browsing, downloading or uploading material that is considered offensive or illegal. For example: accessing extremist/ terrorist websites / uses of social networks to exchange extremist/ terrorist views.
• Ensure that extremist speakers do not use premises to distribute material or expound views; have system for vetting any visiting speakers/ presenters.
• Employees and hotels get to know students, their home circumstances and friendship groups, making it easier to spot changes in behaviour
• Employees and hotels to be observant and vigilant in noticing any signs of radical or extremist behaviour
• Welfare, all employees, and hotels to work hard supporting any students identified as vulnerable.