Safeguarding Policy

For all Aveea after-school sessions and programmes

Last updated: May 2025

1. Our Commitment

Safeguarding children is the foundation of everything we do at Aveea.

We are committed to providing a safe, respectful environment where all young people are protected from harm, abuse, or neglect - whether they’re with us in a school, university, museum, or on a field trip.

2. Who This Policy Applies To

  • All Aveea staff (including freelancers, facilitators, volunteers, session leaders)

  • All Aveea programmes, regardless of location

  • All students and children who engage with Aveea sessions

3. Safeguarding Structure

  • First point of contact: The Aveea Lead delivering the session - all are safeguarding trained

  • If escalation is needed: Aveea Lead contacts our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) at HQ

  • If on school/university premises: We will also inform the host organisation’s DSL, unless their safeguarding policy supersedes ours

4. What We Do if a Child Discloses or is at Risk

If a child discloses abuse or a staff member has concerns:

  1. The Aveea team member listens without judgement

  2. The child is reassured - never blamed

  3. A safeguarding concern form is completed immediately

  4. The incident is passed to the Aveea HQ DSL and the host venue’s DSL (if applicable)

  5. Urgent cases may be reported directly to Social Care or the police

5. Types of Abuse We Watch For

Our staff are trained to recognise:

  • Emotional abuse

  • Physical abuse

  • Sexual abuse

  • Neglect

  • Exploitation or inappropriate adult attention

  • Peer-on-peer abuse

6. Record Keeping & GDPR

All safeguarding records are:

  • Kept secure and confidential

  • Logged using standardised forms

  • Stored in line with our Data Protection Policy and UK GDPR

  • Reviewed periodically as part of our safeguarding audit cycle

7. Allegations Against Staff

If a child, parent or school raises a concern about Aveea staff:

  • The allegation is logged immediately

  • Our HQ DSL informs the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)

  • OFSTED is notified if required

  • Suspension may occur depending on LADO advice

  • A full investigation is carried out

  • We may refer to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) where appropriate

8. Training & Recruitment

We take safeguarding training and recruitment extremely seriously. Aveea ensures that:

  • Every member of the internal and delivery team completes rigorous pre-employment checks, including enhanced DBS verification, professional references, and right-to-work validation.

  • Lead staff hold or work toward a minimum of Level 1 Safeguarding certification as standard.

  • Each new joiner receives mandatory induction training covering Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) and Aveea’s safeguarding escalation routes.

  • Ongoing training refreshers and scenario-based reviews occur every academic year.

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Prits Patel, Director of Academy.

Prits oversees safeguarding governance, training compliance, and liaison with external agencies (LADO, Ofsted, and local authorities).

9. Use of Photography

  • We may take photographs/videos during sessions to showcase learning

  • All media is vetted internally before sharing

  • If parents opt out in advance, no images of their child will be used

10. Safeguarding Misuse & Parent Conduct

  • Aveea reserves the right to reject or investigate any safeguarding allegation that appears to be false, malicious, or made in bad faith

  • We may bar any parent or carer from our sessions if their conduct is abusive, threatening, or unsafe

11. Annual Policy Review

This policy is reviewed every year by Aveea’s leadership, with updates made in response to:

  • Legislative changes

  • Feedback from schools, partners or families

  • Safeguarding incidents or investigations

12. Policy Maintenance & Assurance

To ensure accountability and transparency:

  • All safeguarding documentation, staff certification records, and DBS logs are stored securely in Aveea’s internal HR system.

  • Policies are reviewed annually each May.

  • The current version and all related certifications (DSL ID, insurance, safeguarding letter) are saved in a dedicated “School Documentation” folder in the internal Notion workspace for easy access by approved staff.

  • When the policy or insurance documents are updated, the previous versions are deleted to avoid duplication.

📩 Report a Concern

To report a safeguarding issue involving an Aveea session:

📧 info@aveea.org

📍 Or speak to the Aveea Lead at your child’s workshop

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