POLICIES

This behaviour code outlines the conduct that French with Sophie UK is following. The behaviour code is there to help us protect children and young people from abuse. French with Sophie UK is responsible for making sure everyone taking part in our activities has seen, understood and agreed to follow the code of behaviour, and that they understand the consequences of inappropriate behaviour. We encourage parents/guardians to talk openly to us about any concern they may have and to let us know if their child needs extra support so we can meet their needs.

We follow the governments and the NSPCC advice on safeguarding and child protection for tutors.

Safeguarding and child protection for tutors | NSPCC Learning

 

This policy is based on the following principles:

• We believe everyone has a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them.

• We will give equal priority to keeping all children and young people safe regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

• We recognise that some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of discrimination, previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues.

 

Our responsibility as a tutor is to:

• prioritise the welfare of children and young people

• provide a safe environment for children and young people

• stay within the law at all times

• have a valid and recent DBS check

• keep professional boundaries with children and adults at any time

• model good behaviour for children and young people to follow

• report all concerns about abusive behaviour, following our safeguarding and child protection procedures. This includes inappropriate behaviour displayed by an adult or child and directed at anybody of any age

• ensure that we won’t share anything inappropriate on our screen or any inappropriate link during the online lesson. Parents are responsible for the use of the internet and the online safety of their children (we are unable to check what other websites the child may visit on their own during the online lesson)

 

Respecting children and young people

We do:

• listen to and respect children at all times

• value and take children’s contributions seriously, actively involving them in planning activities wherever possible

• respect a young person’s right to personal privacy as far as possible. If we need to break confidentiality in order to follow child protection procedures, we consider it is important to explain this to the child or young person at the earliest opportunity

 

Diversity and inclusion

We do:

• treat children and young people fairly and without prejudice or discrimination

• understand that children and young people are individuals with individual needs

• respect differences in gender, sexual orientation, culture, race, ethnicity, disability and religious belief systems, and appreciate that all participants bring something valuable and different to the group

• challenge discrimination and prejudice

• encourage young people and adults to speak out about attitudes or behaviour that makes them uncomfortable

 

Appropriate relationships

We do:

• promote relationships that are based on openness, honesty, trust and respect

• avoid showing favouritism

• be patient with others

• exercise caution when we are discussing sensitive issues with children or young people

• ensure our contact with children and young people is appropriate and relevant to the nature of the activity we are involved in

• ensure that whenever possible, there is more than one adult present during activities with children and young people. If a situation arises where we are alone with a child or young person, we ensure that we are within sight or can be heard by other adults

 

Inappropriate behaviour

When working with children and young people, we do not:

• allow concerns or allegations to go unreported

• develop inappropriate relationships with children and young people

• engage in behaviour that is in any way abusive or inappropriate

• let children and young people have our personal contact details (mobile number, email or postal address) or have contact with them via a personal social media account

• act in a way that can be perceived as threatening, intrusive or insensitive

• patronise or belittle children and young people

• let the children hear or see anything inappropriate from other people in our home (in case of online lessons)

 

Child abuse concern

We follow the governments guidelines if we need to report child’s abuse (physical, emotional, sexual abuse and neglect):

Child abuse concerns: guide for practitioners - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Report child abuse - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

As well as the NSPCC recommendations:

Safeguarding and child protection for tutors | NSPCC Learning

 

French with Sophie UK June 2022