Parents and Learners
Safeguarding
Keeping learners physically and emotionally safe is a key priority at Red Balloon of the Air (RBAir) and RBET; every child has the right to feel safe when working with our staff, both in person and online. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and is core to our ethos; it underpins our policies, practice and processes.
RBAir aims to keep its learners safe by:
- following safer recruitment practices to employ staff;
- maintaining our SCR in accordance with KCSiE requirements;
- annual staff completion of Level 1 statutory safeguarding training, as well as specific training in Preventing Radicalisation, Keeping Children Safe Online and E-safety training for all staff;
- carrying out a thorough Initial Assessment with the learner’s parent/carer prior to admission, which covers aspects such as the learner’s home life, mental and physical health. This is reviewed by our Safeguarding Team before a learner joins us;
- making Online Safety training compulsory for all learners at the start of their time with us;
- ensuring that online learning only takes place on a RBAir device, which has a monitoring and filtering system installed (Smoothwall – click here for more details)
- by holding a Cyber Essentials certification, which demonstrates that we comply with the requirements of the Cyber Essentials Scheme;
- logging all concerns in CPOMS, (our child protection and monitoring system)
- holding a weekly Safeguarding Team meeting in which concerns (and agreed actions) from across the organisation are discussed.
Attendance
RBAir closely monitors a learner’s arrival online. If a learner has not joined a session within 5 minutes (or leaves a session or is non-responsive) our Admin Team will attempt to reach all emergency contacts for the learner. If this is unsuccessful, the matter will be escalated to the Safeguarding Team. Please click here to view our Attendance Policy or here for our Attendance Strategy.
RBAir staff work hard to develop trusting relationships with our learners, and, through regular training, staff have the knowledge and tools to respond to any concerns that a learner or their parent/carer shares.
In addition to the above, we ensure that we embed all legislative requirements and guidance across our hybrid provision delivery platform through our robust policies and procedures. Policies can be found here.
Our Safeguarding Team
Designated Safeguarding Leads and Deputy DSLs are senior staff trained to assist specifically with safeguarding matters within an education setting, although all RBAir staff are trained to seek the support of the safeguarding team and work closely with them in the event of safeguarding concerns. Positive and open communication is essential for keeping everyone safe; therefore, we may share information with parent(s)/carer(s) or other appropriate agencies when required, but learners will be kept informed if this occurs.
Our Safeguarding Team are available to offer advice to staff, learners and parent(s)/carer(s).
If you require advice or are aware of any potential child protection or safeguarding issue you can contact our Safeguarding Team by phoning 01223 354338 or email safeguarding@rbair.org.uk.
Under the Education Act 2002 (section 175/157), independent and maintained schools must ‘make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children’.
Whilst Red Balloon of the Air does not fall into a maintained or independent school category, it is committed to the guidance shown below. Please note that the word ‘school’ is used throughout, but this would include all educational settings, such as Red Balloon of the Air.
We will endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued.
The school will therefore be alert to signs of abuse and neglect and will follow the commissioning Local Authority’s Safeguarding Children Partnership Board’s procedures to ensure that children receive appropriate and effective support and protection.
Parents/carers should know that the law requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to a concern about a child’s welfare, including risk from neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse. Parents/carers should know that records of safeguarding concerns may be kept about their child. They should be informed that school staff will seek, in general, to discuss any concerns with them including referrals to other agencies.
Local procedures state that ‘Consent should always be sought from an adult with parental responsibility for the child/young person before passing information about them to Children’s Social Care, unless seeking consent would place the child at risk of significant harm or may lead to the loss of evidence for example destroying evidence of a crime or influencing a child about a disclosure made.’ This includes allowing them to share information without consent, if it is not possible to gain consent, if it cannot be reasonably expected that a professional gains consent, or if to gain consent would place a child at risk.
Where there is a need to share special category personal data, the Data Protection Act 2018 contains ‘safeguarding of children and individuals at risk’ as a processing condition that allows professionals to share information.
In accordance with legislation and local Information Sharing protocols, we will ensure that information is shared securely and sensitively. Information will only be shared with other services where it is deemed necessary and proportionate to ensure that children and young people are safe and receive the right service. In all circumstances, the safety of the child will be the paramount concern. Schools will contact Children’s Social Care when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Occasionally, concerns are passed on which are later shown to be unfounded. Parents/carers will appreciate that the member of staff in the school with responsibility for child protection (known as the Designated Safeguarding Lead or Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) was carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and acting in the best interests of all children.
Under Section 3 (5) of the Children Act 1989, any person who has care of a child ‘may….do what is reasonable in all the circumstances of the case for the purpose of safeguarding promoting the child’s welfare’. This means that on rare occasions, a school may need to ‘hold’ a child in school whilst Social Care and the Police investigate any concerns further.
RBAir follows the DfE policies on Working Together to Safeguard Children and Keeping children safe in education.