At the ACT we are extremely committed to the protection and safeguarding of all learners (including apprentices) who undertake learning with us online or face to face. We believe that everyone has an equal right to protection from abuse, regardless of their age, race, religion, ability, gender, language, background or sexual identity.
We expect ACT staff, tutors, and anyone else who has direct contact with learners, to have read, understood and adhere to this policy and related procedures. We will take every reasonable step to ensure that all learners are kept safe and secure so that they can learn and thrive. ACT will not tolerate abuse and exploitation by staff or associated personnel.
Learners can expect that they will be treated sensitively and with dignity should a safeguarding incidence/concern occur, or an allegation of abuse be made. The ACT requires staff to treat such matters confidentially, notifying colleagues only on a ‘need to know’ basis under the direct guidance of the Director of Learning. Our team understands that any of our learners who confide in them may want to keep the information shared confidential. But for safety reasons, if there is a concern about safety, our staff may need to report the problem to the relevant organisations.
a) Safeguarding
The term ‘Safeguarding’ describes the approach to planning and procedures that are necessary to be in place to protect peoples' health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live in safety and free from harm, abuse and neglect.
In our organisation, we understand it to mean having a culture of vigilance where all staff know their responsibilities and act accordingly, and all learners are aware of what they can expect from the ACT. It is about providing a deep commitment to place the learner at the centre and to build policies, practices and procedures around the learner for them to succeed.
We commit to addressing safeguarding, through the stages of prevention, reporting and response. We will:
For the purposes of this procedure, a complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction or concern about the way in which a safeguarding matter has been dealt with by us.
The complainant must be the person directly affected by the issue or an interested party to the person affected (e.g., a close relative or employer), and not an unrelated third party or wider observer.
Anyone who has a complaint or concern relating to safeguarding should report it immediately to the safeguarding team as follows:
The team’s responsibilities include:
All reasonable efforts will be made to resolve a concern swiftly and informally if possible, and where appropriate. However, we appreciate that this may not always be possible or appropriate and therefore have the following process in place to deal formally with all complaints raised.
a) Stage One
In the first instance, the complaint should be made to the Director of Learning via email at safeguarding@treasurers.org using the ACT’s Safeguarding Complaint form available for download at the bottom of this page.
The complaint must include/cover:
The Director of Learning will acknowledge receipt of the complaints within three working days and a full response will be forwarded within fifteen working days.
Within this timescale, the Director of Learning will do the following:
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*As far as possible the confidentiality of the complainant will be respected, however, to investigate the concerns properly it may be necessary to gain consent for other individuals to be informed. The complainant may request anonymity, but this may affect the team’s ability to investigate the concerns.
If it is not possible to respond within fifteen working days, we will make contact again to advise when a response can be expected.
It is hoped that an acceptable resolution will be found and that the complaint can be resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction at this level.
b) Stage Two
If the complainant is not happy with the proposed resolution of their complaint at stage one, then within ten working days of being notified of the proposed resolution they must inform the Director of Learning of their decision to initiate stage two. The Director of Learning will notify the Director of Membership and Governance who will make the final decision and will:
The reply to the complainant will inform of the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action to be taken as a result of the complaint. The Director of Membership and Governance’s decision shall be final.
In the event that a complaint raised under the Safeguarding Policy constitutes a potential breach of the ACT’s Ethical code by an ACT member, then the matter will be referred to the Director of Membership & Governance for investigation in accordance with the ACT’s Ethical Codes & Disciplinary Rules. However, the Director of Learning will continue to investigate the complaint in accordance with this Safeguarding Policy.
In the event that a complaint is raised against an employee under the safeguarding policy, then the matter will be referred to the Head of HR and Facilities for investigation in accordance with the ACT’s disciplinary rules. However, the Director of Learning will continue to investigate the complaint in accordance with this Safeguarding Policy.
The Safeguarding policy is underpinned by the below policies.
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Download the ACT's Safeguarding Complaint Form