Safeguarding and Student Protection Policy

1. Policy Statement

Jokings International Business College ("the College" or "JIBC") is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every student. The College seeks to provide a safe, respectful, inclusive, and supportive environment in which students are protected from abuse, neglect, exploitation, bullying, harassment, radicalisation, and other forms of harm.

Safeguarding is a shared responsibility. All staff, volunteers, contractors, students, parents, and members of the College community must contribute to maintaining a safe environment and must report safeguarding concerns promptly.

The welfare and safety of the student will always be the College's primary consideration.

2. Purpose of This Policy

This policy establishes the College's approach to:

• Preventing abuse, neglect, exploitation, and other forms of harm.
• Recognising and responding to safeguarding concerns.
• Defining safeguarding roles and responsibilities.
• Providing safe and confidential reporting arrangements.
• Recruiting and training suitable staff, volunteers, and contractors.
• Preventing bullying, harassment, sexual exploitation, and radicalisation.
• Supporting students affected by safeguarding concerns.
• Recording, monitoring, and reviewing safeguarding incidents.

3. Scope

This policy applies to:

• All students enrolled at the College.
• Teaching and non-teaching staff.
• Members of management.
• Volunteers, contractors, consultants, and temporary workers.
• Visitors and any other individuals undertaking activities on behalf of the College.

The policy applies to conduct occurring:

• On College premises.
• During College-organised activities, trips, placements, or events.
• Through College communication systems and online learning platforms.
• Outside the College where the conduct may affect a student's safety, welfare, or participation in College life.

4. Definitions of Abuse and Neglect

Safeguarding concerns may arise in many forms. The following definitions are not exhaustive.

5. The College's Safeguarding Commitments

JIBC will:

• Take reasonable steps to prevent abuse, neglect, exploitation, and other forms of harm.
• Treat all safeguarding concerns seriously and respond promptly, sensitively, and fairly.
• Promote a culture of respect, inclusion, dignity, and care.
• Provide clear and accessible reporting channels.
• Ensure students know where and how to seek help.
• Provide or arrange appropriate support for students affected by harm.
• Cooperate with relevant safeguarding agencies and authorities.
• Maintain accurate and secure safeguarding records.
• Review safeguarding arrangements regularly and improve them where necessary.

6. Roles and Responsibilities

7. Responding to a Disclosure

When a student discloses abuse or another safeguarding concern, the person receiving the disclosure should:

• Listen calmly and take the student seriously.
• Allow the student to speak in their own words.
• Avoid asking leading, suggestive, or unnecessary questions.
• Reassure the student that they were right to speak up.
• Explain that the information may need to be shared with people who can help keep them safe.
• Avoid promising secrecy or absolute confidentiality.
• Make an accurate written record as soon as possible, using the student's own words where appropriate.
• Report the matter promptly to the Designated Safeguarding Officer or an appropriate senior staff member.
• Take immediate protective action and contact emergency services if anyone is in immediate danger.

Staff must not conduct their own investigation. Their responsibility is to listen, record, report, and take any immediate action needed to protect the student.

8. Reporting Safeguarding Concerns

9. Emergency Procedures

Where a student's safety is at immediate risk, staff must:

• Contact emergency services where necessary.
• Take reasonable steps to move the student to a safe location.
• Notify the Designated Safeguarding Officer or an appropriate senior staff member as soon as possible.
• Preserve relevant evidence and avoid unnecessary questioning.
• Record the incident and all actions taken.

The College's safeguarding handbook and emergency procedures must be followed where applicable.

10. Confidentiality and Information Sharing

Safeguarding information will be handled sensitively and shared only with individuals who need it to protect the student, assess risk, fulfil a legal duty, or ensure an appropriate response.

The College will:

• Store safeguarding records securely.
• Limit access to authorised individuals.
• Seek the student's consent before sharing information where appropriate and safe.
• Share information without consent where there is a risk of harm, a legal obligation, or another lawful safeguarding reason.
• Avoid discussing safeguarding matters in public or with people who have no legitimate need to know.

Confidentiality must never be used as a reason to delay or prevent action necessary to protect a student.

11. Safer Recruitment

The College will use safer recruitment procedures when appointing staff, volunteers, and contractors whose roles involve contact with students.

These procedures may include:

• Identity and eligibility-to-work checks.
• Appropriate criminal-record or background checks.
• Verification of qualifications and employment history.
• References from suitable sources.
• Interviews that assess the candidate's suitability to work with students.
• Clear safeguarding expectations in job descriptions and contracts.
• Appropriate supervision and probation arrangements.

Appointments will be made in accordance with applicable laws and the requirements relevant to the role.

12. Safeguarding Training

All staff members, volunteers, and relevant contractors will receive safeguarding information and training appropriate to their responsibilities.

Training will address:

• Recognising possible signs of abuse and neglect.
• Responding appropriately to disclosures.
• Reporting and recording concerns.
• Maintaining professional boundaries.
• Online safety.
• Bullying and harassment.
• Sexual exploitation and harmful sexual behaviour.
• Radicalisation and extremist influence.
• Confidentiality and lawful information sharing.
• Emergency safeguarding procedures.

Training will be refreshed regularly and updated when legal requirements, risks, or recognised good practices change.

13. Preventing Bullying and Harassment

The College has zero tolerance for bullying and harassment and will maintain a clear anti-bullying strategy.

The College will:

• Promote respect, equality, inclusion, and tolerance.
• Provide education on preventing and responding to bullying.
• Address verbal, physical, social, discriminatory, and online bullying.
• Provide accessible reporting arrangements.
• Investigate concerns fairly and promptly.
• Provide support to students who experience or witness bullying.
• Take appropriate disciplinary or protective action where allegations are substantiated.

14. Student Welfare and Support

The College will provide or facilitate appropriate pastoral and mental-health support for students. Depending on students' needs and the resources available, this may include:

• Counselling services.
• Welfare officers.
• Mentoring programmes.
• Academic and pastoral support.
• Referrals to specialist services.
• Reasonable safety and support plans.

Students will be given clear information about how to seek help confidentially.

15. Preventing Sexual Exploitation

The College will take reasonable steps to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation, grooming, sexual harassment, harmful sexual behaviour, and online sexual abuse.

Preventive measures may include age-appropriate education on:

• Consent.
• Healthy and respectful relationships.
• Personal boundaries.
• Grooming and exploitation.
• Online safety and image sharing.
• How and where to seek help.

Reports of sexual exploitation or abuse will be handled sensitively, without blame, and with appropriate consideration for the student's immediate safety and support needs.

16. Preventing Radicalisation

The College will maintain appropriate arrangements to identify and respond to concerns about radicalisation and extremist influence.

This will include:

• Promoting critical thinking, respect, inclusion, and responsible citizenship.
• Training relevant staff to recognise possible indicators of concern.
• Providing a clear process for raising and assessing concerns.
• Following applicable Prevent Duty guidance and referral procedures.
• Working with appropriate authorities and support services when intervention is necessary.

Safeguarding action will be based on observable concerns and a fair assessment of risk. It must not be based solely on a person's religion, ethnicity, nationality, political views, or other protected or personal characteristic.

17. Record-Keeping

All safeguarding concerns, decisions, referrals, and actions must be documented accurately and promptly.

Records should include:

• The nature and circumstances of the concern.
• The date the concern was reported.
• The people involved.
• The information considered.
• Decisions made and the reasons for them.
• Referrals or notifications made.
• Protective or supportive action taken.
• Follow-up activity and outcomes.

Safeguarding records will be retained securely and separately from general student records where appropriate, in accordance with applicable legal and institutional requirements.

18. Protection From Retaliation

The College will not tolerate victimisation or retaliation against any person who raises a safeguarding concern in good faith, supports another person in making a report, or participates in a safeguarding process.

Any suspected retaliation must be reported and will be addressed promptly.

Deliberately false or malicious reports may be managed under the College's disciplinary procedures. A report that is not substantiated will not, by itself, be treated as malicious.

19. Monitoring and Review

The Designated Safeguarding Officer, in consultation with senior management, will review this policy regularly and whenever:

• Relevant legislation or official guidance changes.
• A serious safeguarding incident occurs.
• Monitoring identifies a weakness in existing arrangements.
• Changes to College activities or services create new safeguarding risks.

Safeguarding incidents will be documented and monitored to confirm that appropriate action has been taken, identify recurring risks, and improve the College's safeguarding practices.

20. Conclusion

The safety and welfare of every student are of paramount importance to Jokings International Business College. This policy establishes a proactive, consistent, and collaborative approach to preventing harm and responding to safeguarding concerns.

Every member of the College community has a responsibility to help create an educational environment in which students feel safe, supported, included, and respected.