Safeguarding Essentials

min read

Essential information for employers working with young people. Clear, practical guidance on keeping young people safe.

Good news: Most safeguarding is common sense. Treating young people with respect, maintaining appropriate boundaries, and knowing when to report concerns covers most situations.

Safeguarding means protecting children and young people from harm. When you work with under-18s, you have a responsibility to:

Protect them from maltreatment

Prevent harm to their health or development

Ensure they're growing up in safe circumstances

Take action if you're concerned about their welfare

It's everyone's responsibility

Safeguarding isn't just for trained professionals. Everyone who works with young people has a role to play. That means anyone in your organisation who interacts with students should:

  • Understand basic safeguarding principles
  • Know how to behave appropriately
  • Know what to do if they have concerns

DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks reveal criminal history that might be relevant when working with children.

Types of DBS check

Basic

Shows unspent convictions only. Anyone can apply.

Standard

Shows spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, warnings.

Enhanced

Same as Standard, plus relevant police information. Required for most work with children.

Enhanced + Barred

Also checks whether someone is barred from working with children.

When do you need one?

Situation DBS needed?
One-off school visit (supervised by school staff) No
One-off workplace visit (students supervised throughout) No
Regular volunteering with same group of students Probably yes
Work experience supervisor with regular unsupervised contact Yes (Enhanced)
Mentoring programme with one-to-one contact Yes (Enhanced)
Tip: If you're unsure whether a DBS check is needed for your activity, ask the school. They can advise based on the specific circumstances.

Maintaining professional boundaries protects both young people and you.

Do
  • Treat all young people with respect and dignity
  • Be a positive role model
  • Maintain professional language and behaviour
  • Ensure another adult is present when possible
  • Be visible and avoid isolated situations
  • Report any concerns through proper channels
Don't
  • Be alone with a young person behind closed doors
  • Have physical contact (except in emergencies)
  • Share personal contact details
  • Give gifts to individual students
  • Make comments about appearance
  • Share inappropriate content or jokes
  • Show special attention to particular students

Communication

  • Only contact students through official school channels
  • Copy school staff into any communications
  • Never connect with students on personal social media
  • Keep all communications professional and transparent

Sometimes young people share information about abuse, neglect, or other concerns. Here's what to do:

1. Listen and reassure
  • Stay calm and listen carefully
  • Let them speak — don't interrupt
  • Reassure them they were right to tell you
  • Don't promise secrecy — explain you may need to tell someone who can help
2. Don't investigate
  • Don't ask detailed questions
  • Don't promise things you can't deliver
  • Don't try to contact parents or alleged abuser
  • Don't share with colleagues (except to report)
3. Report immediately
  • Tell the school's Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) same day
  • Write down what was said (student's exact words)
  • Note date, time, and context
  • Hand this to the DSL
Important: Always report concerns to the school. It's not your job to decide whether something is serious enough — let trained safeguarding professionals make that judgement. Reporting is not betraying the young person; it's getting them help.

If you're running virtual sessions or mentoring online, additional considerations apply:

Platform & access
  • Use school's preferred platform
  • Require password or waiting room
  • Don't share links publicly
  • Have staff member present or copied in
During sessions
  • Record sessions if appropriate
  • Use professional backgrounds
  • Dress appropriately
  • Disable private messaging if possible
Content
  • Only share appropriate content
  • Check links before sharing
  • Don't ask students to share screens with personal info

Taking and sharing photos of young people requires care:

Before taking photos
  • Get consent — school handles parental consent
  • Check which students cannot be photographed
  • Have a clear purpose for the photos
Taking photos
  • Focus on activities, not individuals
  • Avoid embarrassing photos
  • Use company equipment, not personal devices
Sharing on social media
  • Get explicit consent before posting
  • Don't tag or name individual students
  • Avoid uniform details, school names, locations

School is responsible for
  • Overall duty of care for students
  • Collecting parental consent
  • Risk assessing school trips
  • Providing accompanying staff
  • Having a Designated Safeguarding Lead
  • Investigating and reporting safeguarding concerns
You are responsible for
  • Ensuring your workplace is safe for young visitors
  • Appropriate behaviour from your staff
  • Reporting any concerns to the school
  • Having appropriate insurance
  • DBS checks for staff with regular unsupervised contact
  • Complying with health and safety requirements

Useful resources

Keeping Children Safe in Education NSPCC Learning (free courses) DBS Check Service
If in doubt, report.
You don't need to be certain something is wrong. If something doesn't feel right, report it to the school's safeguarding lead. It's always better to share a concern that turns out to be nothing than to ignore something serious.
On this page
0%
Back to Resources