Designated Safeguarding Lead – Chnoor Saeeb
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead – Sabrina Pvasi
 
All candidates have the right to be protected from all types of harm and abuse, and all exam systems, processes and policies should operate with the best interests of any person under the age of 18 or vulnerable adult  at their heart. This Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy (“this Policy”) forms a fundamental part of our approach to providing excellent pastoral care to all candidates, as it pertains to their use of our Exam Centre.
 
This Policy and its implementation procedures set out the arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of candidates who use our centre. They have been prepared in compliance with, and with regard to:
 
 
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
The Children Act 2004
What to do if you’re worried a Child is being Abused March 2015
Working Together to Safeguard Children March 2026 (A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children)
Keeping Children Safe in Education September 2025
Disqualification under the Childcare Act 2006 September 2018
Information Sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services May 2024
DBS Referrals Guidance (as may be amended from time to time)
Restrictive interventions, including the use of reasonable force, in schools April 2026
Preventing and Tackling Bullying July 2017
Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools November 2018
 
London Professional Training College (LPTC) recognises and acts upon the legal duties set out in the above statutes, regulations and guidance, to protect its vulnerable / minor candidates (and staff) from harm, and to co-operate with other agencies in carrying out those duties and responding to safeguarding concerns. 
 
LPTC will ensure that its safeguarding arrangements take into account local procedures and practice, including local criteria for action and protocol for assessment. 
 
This Policy is addressed to all members of staff and volunteers at LPTC (temporary and permanent). Adherence to this Policy is mandatory for all staff and volunteers and its use is not subject to discretion. This Policy applies whenever staff or volunteers are working with candidates under the age of 18 years or vulnerable adults, including where this is online, or away from the centre, for example at a candidate’s home or another institution such as a secure or medical facility in order to facilitate an Exam Arrangement.
 
This Policy is available to all LPTC users on our website. A paper copy is also available to centre users upon request.
 
The centre recognises that safeguarding covers much more than child protection, and therefore this policy will operate in conjunction with LPTC’s staff code of conduct, and all related local and national safeguarding guidance, policy, and procedures covering centres such as ours.
 
As well as protecting children from harm, ‘safeguarding’ widens the responsibility to preventing harm and promoting the welfare of children / vulnerable adults. Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children as: 
Providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge 
Protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online 
Preventing the impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development 
Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care 
Promoting the upbringing of children with their birth parents, or otherwise their family network through a kinship arrangement, whenever possible and where this is in the best interests of the children 
Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes in line with the outcomes set out in the Children’s Social Care National Framework. 
 
Where a child / vulnerable adult is suffering significant harm, or is likely to do so, action will be taken to protect that child / vulnerable adult. Action will also be taken to promote the welfare of a child/vulnerable adult in need of additional support, even if they are not suffering harm or at immediate risk. The centre recognises the importance of children/vulnerable adults receiving the right help at the right time to address risks and prevent issues escalating, the importance of acting on and referring the early signs of abuse and neglect, keeping clear records, listening to the views of the child/vulnerable adult, sharing information quickly, and challenging inaction. 
 
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children/vulnerable adults is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children/vulnerable adults and their families and carers has a role to play in safeguarding. Everyone who works with our candidates should make sure that their approach is considerate of their age / vulnerability as applicable at all times. 
 
Having these safeguards in place not only protects and promotes the welfare of children / vulnerable adults but also it enhances the confidence of our staff, volunteers, and the general public. 
 
 The Centre has systems to: 
Prevent unsuitable people working with candidates; 
Identify candidates who are at risk of and/or are likely to suffer significant harm and take appropriate action, and promote the welfare of candidates in need of additional support; 
Promote safe practice and challenge poor and unsafe practice; 
Protect candidates and staff from online risks; these include online safety education and training where applicable, policies and procedures governing the use of IT for staff and candidates, and procedures to manage any incidents that occur; 
Deal with issues of confidentiality, information sharing and consent; 
Ensure that staff do not, through their actions, place young people / vulnerable adults at risk of harm, or place themselves at risk from an allegation of harm (by providing guidance on areas such as 1:1 tuition and inappropriate electronic communication. Relevant guidance can be found in the centre’s Staff Code of Conduct. 
 
The Centre encourages candidates to raise any concerns that they might have and ensure that these are taken seriously.
 
Aims 
Our aims are to: 
Create an environment in the Centre which is safe and secure for all candidates.
Work with candidates (and their families where the candidate is under 18 years or a vulnerable adult) to build their understanding of and commitment to the welfare of all candidates. 
Ensure that all staff are recruited using the safer recruitment framework, and that all staff and third party contractors are suitably DBS checked, including ensuring that all required employment checks for the suitability of staff and volunteers to work with young people and adults is in place. Appropriate supervision arrangements are put in place if staff start work before their DBS disclosure has been obtained, and in all cases a Barred List Check and Prohibition Order check (if applicable) will have been undertaken. Relevant staff are also asked to confirm that they do not meet the criteria for disqualification under the Childcare Act 2006 and the 2018 Regulations. 
The centre will refer to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) anyone who has harmed, or poses a risk of harm, to a child where: 
the harm test is satisfied in respect of that individual; 
the individual has received a caution or conviction for a relevant offence, or if there is reason to believe that the individual has committed a listed relevant offence; and 
the individual has been removed from working (paid or unpaid) in regulated activity, or would have been removed if they had not left (this includes suspension or deployment to another area of work that is not regulated activity) 
The referral will be made as soon as possible after the resignation, removal or q redeployment of the individual in accordance with the procedural guidance at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-barring-referrals-to-the-dbs. In cases involving teaching staff, the centre will also consider whether it would be appropriate to refer the matter to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) who may decide to prohibit the individual from teaching.  
All centre staff are alert to signs of abuse and neglect, and all staff know to whom they should report concerns or suspicions of abuse or neglect. 
 All centre staff keep themselves updated on safeguarding issues and child protection procedures by accessing advice, guidance and training as appropriate to their role. 
 
Responding to Safeguarding and Child Protection Concerns 
Everyone who comes into contact with children / vulnerable adults and their families has a role to play in safeguarding. All staff then have a responsibility to take appropriate action, working with other services as needed. 
Any concern, allegation or incident of abuse must be referred to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.   Staff should not assume that a colleague or another professional will take action and share information that might be critical in keeping children/vulnerable adults safe. They should be mindful that early information sharing is vital for effective identification, assessment and allocation of appropriate service provision. All concerns, discussions and decisions made and the reasons for those decisions should be recorded in writing. If in doubt about sharing information or recording requirements, staff should discuss this with the Designated Safeguarding Lead. Fears about sharing information must not be allowed to stand in the way of the need to promote and protect the safety of children/vulnerable adults.  
If staff have concerns about a child /vulnerable adult (as opposed to a child/vulnerable adult being in immediate danger or at risk of harm – see below) they will need to decide what action to take. All staff should be prepared to identify children/vulnerable adults who may benefit from early help, that is, support as soon as a problem emerges. Such problems should be discussed in the first instance with the Designated Safeguarding Lead. The early help process may also involve sharing information with other professionals and contributing to an early help assessment. 
If a child/vulnerable adult is in immediate danger or at risk of harm, this must be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, who will make a referral to children’s social care and/or the police immediately (see section 5.12). It is not the responsibility of the centre to investigate suspected or alleged abuse; this is the role of the Police and Social Services. 
If a candidate reports abuse from another candidate or candidates, staff should follow the procedures in this section. All children/vulnerable adults involved, whether a potential perpetrator or victim, will be treated as being ‘at risk’. The Designated Safeguarding Lead will liaise with local agencies in relation to handling any such cases which arise. 
Immediate Response
Allow the conversation to be dictated by the candidate, ask only open questions, accept what is being said and do not ask for further detail, acknowledge how hard it was for them to tell you, show by voice tone/facial expression that you are taking their concerns seriously, note carefully any clearly visible signs of possible injury or neglect, reassure them that they have done the right thing, that it is not their fault, and explain whom you will have to tell (DSL) and why
Recording Information
 
Make a record, including the date, time, place and context – include what was actually said in exact words wherever possible, not assumption or interpretation.  Clearly distinguish between fact, observation, allegation, and opinion. Alert the DSL either verbally or through the written record, appreciate that your record may be used in any criminal or disciplinary investigations
 
Reporting Concerns
 
All reports must be made to the DSL, or in their absence the Deputy DSL as soon as possible, and at the latest by the end of the day. Where a safeguarding issue is identified, the DSL will report the disclosure to Social services within 24 hours.  In more serious cases, and if evidence of a crime, the DSL will contact the police. If, at any point, there is a risk of immediate serious harm to a child a referral should be made immediately.
 
Allegations against staff
The aim is to deal with any allegation quickly and in a fair and consistent way which provides effective protection for the child/vulnerable adult and at the same time provides appropriate support for the person who is the subject of the allegation. 
Where a safeguarding-related allegation or cause for concern is made against any member of staff, supply staff, contractor or volunteer (including the Designated Safeguarding Lead), the matter should be reported immediately to the Head of Centre (unless the allegation relates to the HoC or there is a conflict of interest in reporting the matter to the HoC). The Head of Centre should not speak to the member of staff who is the subject of the allegation at this point. In the absence of the HoC the allegation should be reported to exam manager Chnoor Saeeb