Safeguarding

Hopespring is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

This page outlines a summary of our policies on Safeguarding - please refer to the full policy documents for full details of our arrangements for safeguarding. Links to these can be found at the bottom of this page.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people as defined for the purposes of this summary as:  protecting children and young people from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development; ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Staff Recruitment, Induction and Training

Child Protection

Each Hopespring independent school has a child protection policy and procedures in place that are in accordance with locally agreed inter-agency procedures.  This includes having a Designated Officer who is specially trained to deal with child protection concerns and liaise with other agencies as necessary. 

The Child Protection Policy outlines the action staff should take if they are concerned that a child or young person is suffering significant harm or is likely to do so, and the action that should be taken to promote the welfare of a child in need of additional support, even if they are not suffering harm or are at immediate risk.

Hopespring follows a ‘safer recruitment’ process that makes sure all appropriate checks are carried out on staff and volunteers to ensure they are suitable to work with children and young people. 

  • Before beginning any work at Hopespring Education where they will have regular and sustained contact with children, all staff and volunteers are checked through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).  Hopespring renews these checks every 3 years. 

  • This includes a check of the ‘Children’s Barred List’ and ‘Prohibition Order List’ to ensure that they have not been barred from teaching or working with children and young people. 

  • In addition, all staff have had checks made to confirm their identity, qualifications and right to work in the UK. 

  • References are taken which include questions about the person’s suitability to work with children and young people. 

  • All visiting staff from other organisations (e.g. drug worker, sports coaches), have also been properly vetted by their employers and confirmation of this is held in Hopespring Education single central records.

All new staff undergo an induction programme, where they become familiar with policies and procedures relating to safeguarding and welfare issues, such as health and safety, first aid, bullying and child protection.  All Hopespring staff receive refresher training in safeguarding annually.

Allegations Against Staff or Volunteers

Each Hopespring independent school has a policy for dealing with allegations of abuse made against staff or volunteers.  These procedures comply with the Government’s statutory guidance and locally agreed inter-agency guidance.  Details of how to make a complaint can be found in the Hopespring Education’s Client Complaints Procedure, which you can find here.

Policy review and availability

Hopespring’s policies and procedures relating to Safeguarding and welfare are reviewed and updated at least annually and are available at the bottom of this page or upon request from any member of Hopespring staff.  

E-safety

At Hopespring, we work to provide high quality guidance for pupils and their families in relation to the dangers of the online digital world.  We also provide guidance and support to help stay safe and avoid these risks and dangers. Please ask a member of staff for details.

Complaints

Hopespring Schools’ pupils and their parents or carers and referrers have the right to receive a high standard of service. The Complaints Procedure is in operation to enable our service users to be listened to and to ensure that any complaints are dealt with fairly, quickly and confidentially.

We view complaints positively as they give us the opportunity to improve the quality of our services. Many complaints can be resolved before they reach the formal stage. If this is not possible, it is important that fair, accessible action is taken.

If you wish to make a complaint, please talk to a member of staff in the first instance.  If you do not feel your complaint has been resolved, you may put it in writing referring to the Complaints Procedure below.

Hopespring has never received a formal complaints before