Maintaining Safety Whilst Learning

Intro
At Abbeydale we feel it is our duty of care to provide all learners, staff and associates with a learning environment that feels safe and free from threats.

A safeguarding issue is a serious risk of abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, and financial), neglect or any other event that is likely to cause significant harm. It also covers things such as extremism, forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

Where these matters present themselves Abbeydale has a duty to take steps to protect its students, and will do so professionally. Abbeydale may have to speak to others (including employers, parents or external agencies like the police or social services) to deal with the concerns, but we will always try to maintain confidentiality and involve you in the process as much as we can.

This duty covers young people up to the age of 18 as well as adults who may be vulnerable because of their situation. Therefore, to keep everyone safe from harm, regardless of age, little distinction is made between our procedures.

Safeguarding issues usually take place in ‘real life’ but also happen on mobile phones, social media, and the internet. At Abbeydale we treat all matters equally seriously regardless of where they occur.

Abbeydale aims to ensure that all our learners are safe from being abused or harmed in any way. Within Abbeydale this can include during lessons and whilst working within training practices or within social settings or the home environment.

For Abbeydale’s safeguarding policy click here

What we do to keep learners safe.

  • Information about safeguarding and prevent issues are communicated to learners on induction, during compulsory tutorials and in our own quarterly newsletter, Safe & Sound.
  • All staff have annual training in Safeguarding and Prevent issues with regular updates being provided during staff meetings.
  • Safeguarding and Prevent are part of our clinical coach training course with references made to the statutory guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education (link https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2)
  • Promotion of Abbeydale’s own values and British Values with a zero-tolerance approach to any negative issues
  • Easy reporting system to one of the directors or the placement location officer
  • Provide access to numerous helplines and if need be an educational counsellor.
  • CCTV is set up on the outside of the building and the surrounding area is well maintained with street lighting and off-road car parking.
  • Provision of qualified first aiders on site and access to our own AED
  • Ability to perform remote teaching in cases of bad weather or emergency closure.
  • Kirsty, Sam and Emma have all undergone Mental Health First Aid training.

What to do if you have a safeguarding concern

Please remember that if you or somebody else is at risk of being harmed in any way then you must tell someone.

If you believe somebody is in immediate danger phone 999

Within Abbeydale you can report to:

Within your workplace:

  • Your clinical coach
  • Any trusted member of the management team

Harmful online content and reporting

Harmful content can cause a person distress or harm, this might include online abuse, bullying/harassment, threats, impersonation, unwanted sexual advances (not image based), violent content, self- harm or suicide contest and pornographic content. This encompasses a huge amount of content and can be very subjective depending on who is doing the viewing; what may be harmful to one person might not be considered an issue by someone else.

If you wish to report any harmful online content or are simply seeking advice the click the button below:

SWGfL Report Harmful Content

The following contacts may also be useful for advice and help:

Vetlife 0303 0402551 (www.vetlife.org)
BVNA 01279 408644
Samaritans 116 123
Police (non-emergency) 101
ChildLine 0800 1111
NHS Direct 111
National debt helpline 0808 808 4000