If a child or adult is in immediate danger, call 999.

To report a safeguarding concern about a child in Wiltshire, contact the Integrated Front Door on 0300 456 0108, which operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Out of hours you can also call 0300 456 0100, or email Integratedfrontdoor@wiltshire.gov.uk.

Policy statement

Because I am placed in a position of trust when working with young people and adults, I must do all I can to ensure that these rights are upheld. I take seriously my responsibility towards the safeguarding and protection of those in my care and those who work with them. As part of that responsibility, certain policies and practices have to be in place in the event of concerns about the safety of those in my care.

I work closely with schools and parents or carers, as well as other individuals, to ensure that the work is undertaken safely. All workers with Helen’s Place have undergone an Enhanced DBS check and training in safeguarding and child protection before working. This training is updated yearly and includes understanding the importance of safeguarding, and the identification and accurate reporting of concerns surrounding either a child’s welfare or the welfare of an adult at risk. Where work is undertaken in a third party’s setting, their safeguarding and child protection policies are read and understood by workers prior to any work taking place.

Scope

Safeguarding is defined as:

ensuring that children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
acting to enable all children to have the best life chances
preventing impairment of children’s health or development
protecting children and adults at risk from maltreatment

The term safeguarding children covers a range of measures including child protection procedures. It encompasses a preventative approach to keeping children and adults at risk safe, incorporating health and safety, behaviour and preventing bullying, supporting those with medical conditions, personal, health and social education, first aid, and the security of the settings in which I work.

This policy applies to all workers at Helen’s Place. For the purposes of this policy:

Workers refers to all those working for or on behalf of Helen’s Place, full time or part time, in a paid or regular voluntary capacity.
A volunteer is a person who performs an activity that involves spending time, unpaid, for Helen’s Place, except for approved expenses.
Parent refers to birth parents and other adults who are in a parenting role, for example step-parents, foster carers and adoptive parents.
Child refers to anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday and who comes into contact with Helen’s Place. This includes unborn babies.
Adults at risk refers to any adult who has been identified as at risk of safeguarding issues.

Any safeguarding concern or disclosure of abuse relating to a child, whether it arises during work undertaken by Helen’s Place or outside it, is within the scope of this policy.

It is expected that all workers are:

familiar with this safeguarding policy and have an opportunity to contribute to its review
alert to signs and indicators of possible abuse
able to record and report concerns as set out in this policy
able to deal with a disclosure of abuse from a child
involved in the implementation of individual education programmes, integrated support plans, child in need plans and interagency child protection plans as required

All workers have read and understood Part one of the current version of Keeping Children Safe in Education, the Department for Education’s statutory guidance, which is updated each September.

Conduct and behaviour

Workers representing Helen’s Place are expected to conduct themselves to the highest professional standards. They should adhere to the Teachers’ Standards and the ethical guidelines from BERA, and maintain public confidence in their role as teachers, researchers and representatives of Helen’s Place. Where this is not the case, complaints should be addressed to Dr Ross and an investigation will take place.

How to report a concern

Helen’s Place is a small practice and does not have a separate Designated Safeguarding Lead. I work within Wiltshire and follow the procedures of the Wiltshire Safeguarding Vulnerable People Partnership, which is the partnership formerly known as the Wiltshire Safeguarding Children Board.

In the event of concerns relating to the welfare of young people or adults at risk within the professional activities of Helen’s Place, these should be reported to:

Dr Helen Ross, Owner and Founder, Helen’s Place Education Consultancy. Telephone 07541 557827 or email helen@helensplace.co.uk.

Where concerns relate to Dr Ross, or where a concern needs to be raised independently, they should be addressed directly to Wiltshire’s Integrated Front Door on 0300 456 0108. This service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and is based at County Hall in Trowbridge. The out of hours number is 0300 456 0100 and the email address is Integratedfrontdoor@wiltshire.gov.uk.

Where a concern relates to an event or setting outside Wiltshire, the relevant local authority’s designated safeguarding team should be contacted for advice.

Reporting a concern does not require certainty. If something does not feel right, report it and let the professionals assess it.

Identifying signs of abuse

All workers know how to recognise, and are alert to, the signs of neglect and abuse. The Department for Education’s advice, What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused, and Keeping Children Safe in Education, along with notes from safeguarding training, are important reference documents for all workers. Every worker reads Part one of Keeping Children Safe in Education, which includes supporting guidance about specific safeguarding issues.

Responding to concerns or disclosures of abuse

At Helen’s Place, the following applies when concerned about abuse or when responding to a disclosure of abuse.

Do:

create a safe environment by offering the child a private and safe place if possible
stay calm, reassure the child, and stress that they are not to blame
tell the child that you know how difficult it must have been to confide in you
listen carefully and tell the child what you are going to do next
use the tell me, explain, describe and mirroring strategy
report to Dr Ross, or directly to the Integrated Front Door where the concern relates to Dr Ross
record in detail using the Welfare Concern Record without delay, using the child’s own words where possible

Do not:

take photographs of any injuries
postpone or delay the opportunity for the child to talk
take notes while the child is speaking, or ask them to write an account
try to investigate the allegation yourself
promise confidentiality, for example by saying you will keep the secret
approach or inform the alleged abuser

All reports of abuse or concerns are securely kept by Helen’s Place and reported to the appropriate organisation. Where appropriate, the Integrated Front Door will be contacted for advice on how to proceed. A record will be kept of any contact made.

The voice of the child is central to safeguarding practice, and children are encouraged to express their views and have them given due weight in all matters affecting them.

Those with special educational needs and disabilities

Individuals with additional needs face an increased risk of abuse and neglect. I therefore take extra care to interpret correctly any apparent signs of abuse or neglect. I never assume that behaviour, mood or injury relates to an individual’s additional needs without further exploration.

At Helen’s Place, I understand that additional challenges can exist when recognising abuse and neglect in individuals with SEND, including communication barriers. Those with SEND are also at higher risk of peer group isolation and can be disproportionately affected by bullying.

To address those additional challenges, I work with the individual’s school, parents or carers, and those with caring responsibility, to identify those with additional communication needs, so that wherever possible these young people are given the chance to express themselves to someone with appropriate communication skills.

Female genital mutilation

FGM is illegal in the UK and a form of child abuse with long-lasting harmful consequences. I will inform the authorities immediately if I suspect a girl is at risk of FGM. Teachers and other relevant professionals have a statutory duty to report known cases of FGM in under 18s to the police.

Child-on-child abuse

All individuals have a right to live and learn in a safe environment. All child-on-child abuse is unacceptable and will be taken seriously. It is not tolerated, passed off as banter, or seen as part of growing up. It can affect children of any gender, and some forms disproportionately affect girls. It is likely to include, but is not limited to:

bullying, including cyberbullying, and prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying
abuse within intimate personal relationships between children
physical abuse, including hitting, shaking, biting or otherwise causing physical harm
sexual violence and sexual harassment
causing someone to engage in sexual activity without consent
consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude and semi-nude images or videos
upskirting, meaning taking a picture under a person’s clothing without them knowing, to obtain sexual gratification or cause humiliation or distress
initiation or hazing type violence and rituals

Child-on-child abuse is dealt with as a safeguarding issue and recorded as such. I liaise with other professionals where concerns or disclosures are recorded.

Preventing radicalisation

Protecting children from the risk of radicalisation is part of wider safeguarding duties, and is similar in nature to protecting individuals from other forms of harm and abuse. I use my judgement in identifying individuals who might be at risk of radicalisation, and seek advice where there is concern. This is known as the Prevent duty.

Serious violence

At Helen’s Place, I am trained to recognise both the early warning signs that individuals may be at risk of getting involved in gangs, and indicators that a young person is involved in serious violent crime. Where concerns are noted or a disclosure is made, a referral will be made and subsequent recommendations adhered to.

Whistleblowing

All workers can raise concerns about poor or unsafe practice and potential failures in safeguarding arrangements. If a worker feels unable to raise an issue with the procedures relating to safeguarding or child protection at Helen’s Place, or feels that their genuine concerns are not being addressed, whistleblowing channels are open to them:

The NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line on 0800 028 0285, open 08:00 to 20:00 Monday to Friday and 09:00 to 18:00 at weekends, or email help@nspcc.org.uk. You can contact them anonymously, and the law protects you from being treated unfairly for raising a genuine concern.
Wiltshire’s Integrated Front Door on 0300 456 0108, 24 hours a day.

Keeping Children Safe in Education. Statutory guidance for schools and colleges, updated each September by the Department for Education. All workers read Part one.

Working Together to Safeguard Children. Statutory guidance on multi-agency working to help, protect and promote the welfare of children, most recently updated in March 2026 alongside the Children’s Social Care National Framework.

Children Act 1989, and the 2004 update. The Children Act 1989 gives every child the right to protection from abuse and exploitation, and the right to have enquiries made to safeguard his or her welfare. The Act places duties on several agencies, including schools, to assist Social Services departments acting on behalf of children and young people in need (s17), or enquiring into allegations of child abuse (s47).

Education Act 2002. This requires schools to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, and to have regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State for Education.

Sexual Offences Act 2003. This act sets out an offence of abuse of trust, a sexual or otherwise inappropriate relationship between an adult who is responsible for young people and a young person in their care.

Information Sharing. Department for Education advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers, who have to make decisions about sharing personal information on a case by case basis.

Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, section 26, requires specified authorities, in the exercise of their functions, to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. This duty is known as the Prevent duty.

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 governs the vetting and barring arrangements for those working with children and adults at risk.

The Teachers’ Standards set a clear baseline of expectations for the professional practice and conduct of teachers, and define the minimum level of practice expected of teachers in England.

Children Missing Education. Statutory guidance for local authorities and advice for other groups on helping children who are missing education get back into it.

Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges. Advice on how to prevent and respond to reports of sexual violence and harassment between children.

Review

This policy is reviewed annually, and whenever statutory guidance changes.

Last reviewed: August 2026. Next review due: August 2027.

Safeguarding policy