Child Protection Policy
Child Protection Policy 2020
Introduction
Oxbridge International Summer School fully recognises its responsibilities for child protection. We are dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all students who we work with, as well as other students who are in venues in which we work. This policy, as well as our training, has been written in consultation with a Child Protection consultant. This policy is in place to protect students, staff, and volunteers.
Reporting Concerns
Oxbridge International Summer School members of staff and volunteers are advised to maintain an ‘it could happen here’ mindset as far as safeguarding is concerned. When concerned about the welfare of a child, staff members and volunteers should always act in the interest of the child.
This means that if abuse of any nature (physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse or neglect) of a child is suspected it should be reported to the Safeguarding Lead as soon as possible, and within 24 hours. It is not the duty of staff or volunteers to investigate suspected abuse, but it is important to report anything which suggests a child may be at risk, even if it seems minor. Please remember that abuse can be caused by adults or other children.
The designated safeguarding lead is: Chris Gurney, Executive Director, 07932 085 062, chris.gurney@oxfizz.org
If for any reason you feel that you cannot report a concern to Chris, you should contact Sanjay Lobo, Non-Executive Director, 07876 344 470
Expectations
Whenever working for, or volunteering for us, all staff and volunteers should take all necessary practical steps to protect the well-being of children, which includes not putting themselves in a potentially compromising situation.
All members of staff and volunteers are expected to:
- Treat all children with respect, and encourage positive and safe behaviour among children
- Be an active listener
- Be alert to changes in child’s behaviour, and recognise challenging behaviour may be an indicator of abuse
- Be aware that the personal and family circumstance and lifestyles of some children lead to an increased risk of neglect and/or abuse
- Maintain appropriate standards of conversation and interaction with and between children, and avoiding the use of sexualised or derogatory language
- Maintain professional standards and boundaries at all times on and off the school site
- Ask the child’s permission before doing anything for them which is of a physical nature e.g. physical support during an activity, or administering first aid
- Do not accept requests from young people to be friends or contacts on social media emerging from your volunteering role with us
Working online
As a result of COVID-19 we are increasingly needing to provide our support online.
Having reviewed the available platforms we have determined that Zoom is the most appropriate platform to support safe, high-quality online learning.
To support the safe use of the platform, we have introduced the following controls in addition to our existing safeguarding practices:
- Meeting rooms will be set up specifically for the purpose of the session and one-off IDs and passwords generated, which are only shared with participating staff, volunteers and students;
- Students will not be required to set up an account to access the session;
- Videos will be set to off as default;
- Sessions will be supervised by Oxbridge International Summer School staff;
- Meetings are recorded to provide follow up in the event of any complaints;
- Recordings are destroyed at the end of interview season.
Other Useful Contacts
- NSPCC, Child Protection Helpline: 0808 800 5000