KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE AT SERENA'S TUITION
SAFEGUARDING AND CHILD PROTECTION POLICY
Person Responsible for this Policy: Serena Cumming
Policy last updated: 2nd June, 2025
Next update: 2nd June, 2026
1. Introduction, Government Guidance and Aims
Serena’s Tuition is committed to the wellbeing and safeguarding of all children, adults and staff who attend tuition with them. This policy’s main aim is to provide all children and adults with a comprehensive, secure and clear commitment to safeguarding and a framework to ensure all children attending Serena’s Tuition are protected from harm.
Under no circumstances must tutors or teaching assistants at Serena’s Tuition use physical force as a punishment.
This Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is written with consideration of the following Department for Education statutory guidance:
Keeping Children Safe in Education (2024)
Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023)
and the following guidance from HM Government:
o Prevent Duty Guidance (2023)
o Information Sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services (2024)
and the following Department for Education non-statutory guidance:
After-school clubs, community activities and tuition: safeguarding guidance for providers (2023)
What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused (2015)
In addition, this setting operates in accordance with the local authority in partnership to keep children safe. Details of the local authority can be found here:
Kent County Council’s Social Services – For Child’s Safeguarding Concerns:
Phone: 03000 41 11 11
Text Relay: 18001 03000 41 11 11
Email: social.services@kent.gov.uk
Kent County Council’s Social Services – For Adult’s Safeguarding Concerns:
Phone: 03000 41 61 61
Text Relay: 18001 03000 41 61 61
Email: social.services@kent.gov.uk
In cases where a criminal offence has been committed or it is suspected that one has been committed, the matter must be reported immediately to the local police force using the 101 service. In an emergency this must be reported using the 999 service.
Definitions of ‘significant harm’ are taken from Section 47 of The Children Act (1989)
This policy must be read in conjunction with the Serena’s Tuition policies below:
TTA Code of Practice
Privacy Policy/GDPR
Safeguarding Policy
Parental Consent Form
Health and Safety Policy
It is available to all parents whose children use our settings upon request, and is available on our public-facing website (www.serenastuition.co.uk). In addition, posters and booklets at the setting display safeguarding information for parents and children.
For the purpose of this policy, ‘children’ refers to any student under the age of 18 attending the setting. ‘Adults’ refers to parents or other responsible adults who drop off or collect their child at or from the setting.
The aims of this policy are:
To ensure that all coming into contact with Serena’s Tuition understand the importance of safeguarding and that it is everyone’s responsibility
To support any child who makes a disclosure of abuse
To ensure everyone at Serena’s Tuition knows who to inform in the event of a disclosure, concern or safeguarding issue and to ensure they are alert to the signs of possible child abuse
To aid everyone at Serena’s Tuition in understanding and recognising specific safeguarding concerns
To ensure, in accordance with The Children Act 1989, that the welfare of the child is paramount at all times
2. Designated Safeguarding
The Designated Safeguarding Lead is
· Name: Serena Cumming
· Job Title : Owner
· Contact Details:
Tel: 07738 335178
Email: office@serenastuition.co.uk
The role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is to:
Be a point of advice on safeguarding and pastoral issues
Have overall responsibility for safeguarding (this cannot be delegated)
Raise awareness of safeguarding amongst those attending the setting
Manage referrals from to the local authority
Manage the record-keeping of safeguarding concerns and ensure records are kept up to date
To update their own Level 3 safeguarding training at least once every two years using an external provider including Online Safety training and Prevent training
Make referrals to the local authority Prevent Officer under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015
3. Safeguarding Issues
For further details and definitions of types of abuse and neglect, we can reference DfE guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) and Keeping Children Safe in Education(2024). External training will also reference these documents including definitions of abuse and neglect.
a. Types of abuse
For the purposes of this policy, Serena’s Tuition is aware of and vigilant to the following types of abuse and safeguarding issues:
Physical abuse
Emotional abuse
Sexual abuse
Neglect
Child on child abuse (see below)
Extremism and radicalisation
Sexual harassment
Bullying
Substance abuse
Online exploitation and abuse
Domestic abuse
b. Contextual safeguarding
We are also aware that safeguarding incidents and behaviours can occur outside the home environment and are vigilant to reports of these. These contextual safeguarding issues form part of external training. These include:
Child Sexual Exploitation
Child Criminal Exploitation
Female Genital Mutilation
Honour Based Abuse
Knife Crime
Children Absent from Education
c. Child on child abuse
We are vigilant to the possibility of child-on-child abuse at the setting. Close supervision of children attending the setting is designed to mitigate this risk, however we maintain the attitude of ‘it could happen here’.
Such abuse can include:
abuse in intimate personal relationships between children
harmful sexual behaviour including but not limited to the use of inappropriate sexual language, sharing of nude of semi-nude images or videos, upskirting, sexual violence
bullying (including cyberbullying)
physical abuse such as:
hitting
kicking
shaking
biting
hair pulling
otherwise causing physical harm
In the event of suspected child-on-child abuse involving one or more children who attend the setting against another child who attends the setting and where there is reasonable cause to suspect significant harm the case must be referred to the local authority.
d. Children with Additional Educational Needs, Disabilities and other vulnerabilities
Serena’s Tuition are aware that children with Additional Educational Needs, disabilities or health issues may face additional safeguarding issues. We are vigilant to:
Any indicators of possible abuse not in keeping with the child’s additional needs or history
Any communication challenges the child faces in disclosing the abuse (for example, if the child is non-verbal)
The fact that children with additional needs or other vulnerabilities are disproportionally impacted by abuse and behaviours such as bullying
That children who are (or are perceived to be) lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans are more likely to suffer child on child abuse and are more vulnerable to abuse
4. Reporting Concerns about a child
Serena’s Tuition are aware that barriers to reporting abuse exist, and that some children may not be ready or not know how to tell someone that they are being abused. We are aware that children with Additional Educational Needs or disabilities are more vulnerable to abuse. We never assume that an issue has been reported or disclosed by another person.
If a child discloses abuse:
We will stop and listen straight away without delay
We will write notes as soon as possible after the conversation
We must not guarantee confidentiality
We use TED – Tell me, Explain to me, Describe to me. We can ask children whether they have been harmed and the nature of that harm, without asking leading questions.
We will not conduct our own investigation but will refer immediately
We will maintain a calm and professional attitude and prioritise the wellbeing of the child at all times.
Reports to the local authority children's safeguarding board must be undertaken:
As soon as possible and within 2 hours of the concern being raised or suspected
For a child at risk or suspected to be at risk of significant harm, the concern must be raised immediately
In person or by telephone as required by local services.
We note that it is usually best practice to share concerns with parents/ carers. However, for children at risk of significant harm (or where there is reasonable cause to suspect this), it may not be appropriate to do so. Decisions on whether to share information must be made in conjunction with the DSL. It may be helpful to refer to the following guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-practitioners-information-sharing-advice
The DSL will decide if a concern should be raised with the local authority. If a child is at risk of significant harm, in accordance with Section 47 of The Children Act (1989), statutory child protection agencies will conduct the investigation and the DSL must not investigate. At all times, decision-making in this regard must be documented, including:
Who raised the concern (include details of date, time, job title)
Who was the concern raised about (include details of child’s name, date of birth, address, school)
What decision was made and why – what were the reasons for making the referral
Who was consulted
What action was taken
Whether parents/ carers were consulted and if not, why not
5. Useful Contact Details
Contacts
DSL
Serena Cumming
Tel: 07738 335178
Email: office@serenastuition.co.uk
Local authority contacts
Kent County Council Safeguarding Team
Child Services Tel: 03000 41 11 11
Adults’ Services: 03000 41 61 61
Email: social.services@kent.gov.uk
Out of Hours: 03000 41 91 91
LADO (Local Authority Designated Officers)
Email: lesasenquiries@kent.gov.uk
Specialist helplines
Police – immediate threat - 999
Police – serious concerns – 101
Prevent (non-emergency advice) – 0800 011 3764
NSPCC helpline – 0808 800 5000
Childline – 0800 1111
Ofsted – 0300 123 4666