Safeguarding & Prevent

Intec Business Colleges is one of the UK’s leading employment-focused training companies. It delivers a comprehensive range of training programmes funded by organisations and government agencies.

Intec Business Colleges Ltd is one of the UK’s leading employment-focused training companies. It delivers a comprehensive range of training programmes funded by organisations and government agencies. This policy reflects our legal obligations under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, Working Together to Safeguard Children Act 2018, Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015, Prevent Statutory Guidance 2021, Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022, Education and Training (Welfare of Children) Act 2021, Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and all statutory guidance.

For the purposes of this policy and procedure children and young people are defined in the Children Act of 1989 as a person under the age of 18 years. The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 defines a ‘vulnerable adult’ as a person aged 18 and over and:

• receiving a social care service
• receiving a health service
• living in sheltered accommodation
• detained in custody or under a probation order
• requiring assistance in the conduct of his/her affairs
• receiving a service or participating in an activity targeted at older people, people with disabilities or with physical or mental health conditions

The judgement of trained employees will also be considered when they assess an individual to be vulnerable for other reasons than those defined.

Policy

Intec is strongly committed to practices that protect children, young people and vulnerable adults from abuse, neglect or significant harm.  Staff recognise and accept their responsibility to develop the awareness of the risks and issues involved in safeguarding and behaviour or actions that may be considered extreme. The Company also recognises that it has a responsibility to protect staff from unfounded allegations of abuse. The Company is committed to working with existing local safeguarding or adult safeguarding Boards and other health and social care partnerships to ensure the safeguarding of its learners.

Policy Review

This policy is reviewed annually by the Intec Safety, Health, Equality, Diversity and Safeguarding (SHEDS) Group.

Policy last reviewed:          January 2025 

Next review date:               January 2026

Additionally this policy will be reviewed as a result of legislative changes between dates.

1.       Accountability and Responsibility

1.1      Intec Business Colleges Ltd has a trained Safeguarding Manager from the Senior Management Team (SMT). Incidents or concerns are reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or one of the Safeguarding Deputy Leads (SDL). The names and contact details of the DSL and SDL are detailed further within this policy.

2.       Application of Policy

2.1      Intec’s Safeguarding team are responsible for monitoring and managing incidents or concerns and liaising with safeguarding agencies. The team is responsible for responding to raised safeguarding incidents and the safeguarding and Prevent Risk Assessment. This policy operates alongside Intec’s On-line Safety Policy.

2.2      The application of this policy is the responsibility of all Intec employees. Managers must ensure all employees in their direct line management undertake their annual training and awarness and apply the principles throughout the delivery process. As a minimum Safeguarding and Prevent principles, in line with Intec’s scheme or work, are to be visited with learners at the outset of their programme and at the agreed review points. Learners must understand how to raise a concern and how a concern will be treated in line with our policy. Awareness of what may constitute a safeguarding concern must be covered using Intec’s learner training resources. The application of this policy aims to protect those who are vulnerable and provide an understanding for all learners and staff in how to protect themselves. 

3.       Training

3.1      The Company has a duty to promote safeguarding, online safety and Prevent duty measures to staff and ensure they can:

• Analyse their own practice against established good practice, and assess risk to ensure their practice is likely to protect them from false allegations
• Recognise their responsibilities and report any concerns about suspected poor practice, possible abuse, extremist activity (Code of Conduct)
• Follow the guidelines for staff
• Ensure all new employees undertake Intec’s Safeguarding and Prevent training as part of their induction and this is recorded in their induction record.
• Undertake regular training on safeguarding, Online safety and Prevent to raise awareness of current issues and legislation. This includes procedures to follow, who to contact within Intec when they have a cause for concern, understanding behaviour of learners and employees that may indicate radicalisation.
• Awareness and examples of what a safeguarding and prevent investigation may look like.
• Monitor ICT use where learners attend learning at the central centre.
• Provide learners with an awareness of safeguarding, online safety and prevent and how to understand what may indicate a safeguarding concern, indicators of radicalisation, how to identify and handle radical and extreme views and how to raise a concern.
• Provide guidance and support to learners where appropriate and are aware of their Intec point of contact to deal with a concern.
• Undertake Prevent duty training to raise awareness of current issues and legislation.
• Understand the regional and national Prevent picture based on information supplied at meetings.

3.2      The development of Safeguarding and Prevent training is the responsibility of Intec’s Designated Safeguarding lead and overseen by the organisation’s Safety, Health, Equality, Diversity and Safeguarding Group (SHEDS). Primary source of training resources are through the Education and Training Foundation supported by other identified materials. It will include but is not limited to training employees and learners in:

• Identifying and monitoring behavioural changes
• Identifying, dealing with and reporting a cause for concern.
• How to protect against radicalisation influences
• Resilience against extreme narratives

3.3      All training activity must be recorded on the individual employees CPD record and sign off by their line manager to confirm attendance, understanding and commitment to the initiative. Learning undertaken by leaners must be recorded as part of their ongoing learning records.

4.       Raising a cause for concern

4.1     A cause for concern should be raise for either safeguarding or prevent related concern.

Where an employee raise’s a cause for concern then Intec’s Cause for Concern procedure and paperwork must be followed. See Appendix 1.

4.2     When a cause for concern is completed you will be required to complete a categorisation. This will be reviewed immediately by the safeguarding team. The guidance on categorising is as follows:

• Safeguarding - Protect from harm or damage with an appropriate measure. Is the person in at immediate or pending danger of harm or abuse to themselves or others.
• Wellbeing - The individuals state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy not just at work but at home too.
• Welfare - The health, happiness, and fortunes of a person. Concerns over domestic circumstances
• Competency - The ability to do something successfully or efficiently. Are they doing what is expected of them in their role at work or on the apprenticeship? Is this something Intec need to get involved with or is it between the employer and learner?

5.       Safeguarding Team

5.       Disclosure & Barring Service(DBS) Checking

5.1     The Company has a responsibility to ensure safe recruitment and employment practices. New and existing staff who frequently or intensively work with children, young people and vulnerable adults in training, supervision, care, advice, treatment and transport have to be checked through the Home Office for criminal record information. 

6.       Statutory Framework

6.1      Intec aims to meet legislative requirements and good practice in Safeguarding and Prevent duty. The statutory framework under which we operate includes Keeping children safe in education 2022 which guides the policies, procedures, training and actions we have in place as a training provider. Additionally, the Children Act 1989, this provides the legal framework for the protection of children and young people in the UK. The Protection of Children Act 1999 requires employers to carry out Criminal Record Checks before employees are allowed to come into contact with children and young people.  The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 sets out the type of activity in relation to children, young people and vulnerable adults for which employers and individuals will be subject. Should Intec undertake delivery within the Care Sector then the Care Act 2014 section 4.2 onwards becomes applicable in both our actions and the teaching to learners and must be reviewed. The Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 sets out Prevent duty.

7.       Review and Monitoring

7.1     The Safeguarding and Risk assessment will be reviewed at SHEDS meetings and action taken where developmental actions are required in the business. It will be supplied to the Governance Team providing an understanding of the organisation’s Safeguarding and Prevent position and actions being taken.