Safeguarding Policy
Our commitment to protecting children and promoting their welfare
Safeguarding determines the actions that we take to keep children safe and protect them from harm in all aspects of their life. As a company, that visits schools, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all their pupils.
The actions that we take to prevent harm; to promote wellbeing; to create safe environments; to educate on rights, respect and responsibilities; to respond to specific issues and vulnerabilities all form part of the safeguarding responsibilities of our staff in conjunction with the schools we visit. As such, this overarching policy will link to other policies which will provide more information and greater detail.
- To provide staff with the framework to promote and safeguard the wellbeing of children and in so doing ensure they meet their statutory responsibilities.
- To ensure consistent good practice.
- To demonstrate our commitment to protecting children.
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone's responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all staff should make sure their approach is child centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.
Safeguarding measures are put in place to minimise harm to children. There may be occasions where gaps or deficiencies in our policies and processes will be highlighted. In these situations, a review will be carried out in order to identify learning and inform the policy, practice and culture of our staff.
If any pupil in any school we visit starts to talk about situations, or share concerns, which are causing them worries, our staff will attempt, where appropriate, to direct these pupils towards school staff. If this is not immediately possible, they should listen to the pupil and then report what has been divulged verbatim to school staff. If necessary, they will, on request, complete a statement. Our staff will listen to the pupil, take their worries seriously and share the information with the schools safeguarding lead.
Keeping Children Safe in Education (2024) and the Ofsted inspection framework (2024), have highlighted and separated a number of safeguarding areas:
- Emerging or high-risk issues (part 1)
- Those related to the pupils as an individual (part 2)
- Other safeguarding issues affecting pupils (part 3)
- Those related to the running of a school (part 4)
Our staff will at all times, whilst on school premises, adhere and assist the school in upholding these policies.
Within this document:
Safeguarding is defined in the Children Act 2004 as protecting from maltreatment; preventing impairment of health and development; ensuring that children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care; and work in a way that gives the best life chances and transition to adulthood. Our safeguarding practice applies to every child.
The term Staff applies to all those working for or on behalf of Horrid Historia, full time or part time, in either a paid or voluntary capacity.
Child refers to all young people who have not yet reached their 18th birthday. On the whole, this will apply to pupils of schools we visit; however, the policy will extend to visiting children and students from other establishments.
Indicators that a child is living within a relationship with domestic abuse may include:
- being withdrawn
- suddenly behaving differently
- anxiety
- being clingy
- depression
- aggression
- problems sleeping
- eating disorders
- bed wetting
- soiling clothes
- excessive risk taking
- missing school
- changes in eating habits
- obsessive behaviour
- experiencing nightmares
- taking drugs
- use of alcohol
- self-harm
- thoughts about suicide
Horrid Historia Staff Safeguarding Policy
This policy outlines the standards to which all of our staff must adhere to. When visiting schools our staff will also adhere to any additional safeguarding policies that the school applies. Our staff will always endeavour to meet local safeguarding requirements but are reliant on school staff making them aware of these local policies.
In addition to any local policy our staff must:
- Identify themselves immediately to school staff when they arrive on site.
- Sign in on the schools' system and sign out when they leave the premises.
- Adhere to any local Safeguarding policies that they are informed about.
- Report any concerns that they have with regards to Safeguarding to the schools' leadership team as soon as is possible and before they leave the site.
- Horrid Historia staff must never be left alone with any pupils whilst on site. A member of school staff must be attendance at all times when Horrid Historia staff are working with children.
- Horrid Historia staff will always put the needs of a child first whilst delivering a workshop.
- Horrid Historia staff will never initiate any physical contact or respond physically to any physical contact from a child.
- Horrid Historia staff will always seek permission from the child before any physical contact that is required during the delivery of the workshop. Any such physical contact is to be kept to a minimum and solely for the purpose of assisting the child with a task.
- Horrid Historia staff will ensure that all of the tools and resources that they are using with the children are safe and fit for purpose. They will remove or replace any equipment that does not meet this criteria to a safe place where children cannot access them.
- Safety is our number one priority and as such Horrid Historia staff must stop any workshop if they feel that it has become unsafe to continue.
- Horrid Historia encourage all of our staff to complete an enhanced DBS check however because our Safeguarding Policy prohibits our staff from ever being alone with children in schools, it is not required by law.
- All of our staff are vetted and trained during the recruitment process.
- Horrid Historia operates a separate safer recruitment process as part of its Recruitment Policy.
- Our recruitment process checks the identity, criminal record, mental and physical capacity, right to work in the U.K., professional qualification and seeks confirmation of the applicant's experience and history through references.
- All new staff will receive training to enable them to both fulfil their role and also to understand our child protection policy, the safeguarding policy, the staff behaviour policy/code of conduct, and part one of Keeping Children Safe in Education.
- This induction may be covered within the annual training if this falls at the same time; otherwise, it will be carried out separately during the initial starting period.
There is a requirement that all businesses must have a Health and Safety Policy that details the organisation, roles and responsibilities and arrangements in place at the premise for the managing and promoting of Health and Safety in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work act 1974 and regulations made under the act.
Horrid Historia assess all their workshops for hazards and record any significant findings along with what control measures are required. These risk assessments take a common sense and proportionate approach with the aim to allow activities to continue rather than preventing them from taking place. All of our risk assessments are available on our website, for schools who have booked a visit, to access.
- Horrid Historia will seek consent from the school before taking and publishing photographs or videos that contain images that are sufficiently detailed to identify the individual in our publications, printed media or on electronic publications.
- We will also seek consent for photos where you would not be able to identify the individual and seek clarification of any images taken before they are used for any purpose by Horrid Historia.
- All images that we receive consent to take will be shown to school staff for approval before they are used. All other images will be deleted by our staff with a member of school staff as a witness.
- Horrid Historia will remove photographs of a child or adult (or staff member who has left) if consent is withdrawn.
Questions About Our Safeguarding Policy?
If you have any questions about our safeguarding practices or need further information, please contact us.