Safeguarding
Keeping our students and staff safe is a top priority of our college.
What is safeguarding?
Safeguarding means protecting a child/young persons health, wellbeing and human rights. Allowing them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. The Children Act 2004 reinforces that all people and organisations working with young people have a responsibility to help safeguard and promote welfare across the UK.
Nottingham College takes pride in ensuring the college is a safe, and supportive atmosphere for our students to thrive. The college is committed to ensuring that students have access to a range of support from student services, student support, security, tutors, and additional learning support. Nottingham college also works alongside a wide range of external organisations who we regularly refer to for support.
If you have any safeguarding concerns about a student at the college you can contact the college on 0115 9100 100, or alternatively you can send the safeguarding team an email on Safeguarding@Nottinghamcollege.ac.uk.
If there are concerns around a student outside of college hours, then please contact the Police on 101 for non-emergency incidents or 999 for any serious concerns.
What is Prevent?
Prevent forms part of the Government’s CONTEST counter-terrorism strategy. The Prevent duty requires specified authorities such as education, health, local authorities, police and criminal justice agencies (prisons and probation) to help prevent the risk of people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
The objectives of Prevent are to:
- Tackle the ideological causes of terrorism
- Intervene early to support people susceptible to radicalisation
- Enable people who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate.
Nottingham College takes disclosure, allegations, suspicion of harm or abuse seriously and handled in a sensitive manner.
Meet the Team
In order to ensure that safeguarding referrals are dealt with efficiently and effectively, Nottingham College has a range of specially trained colleagues who can pick up and respond to any concerns.
First Response Officers (FROs) are our first point of contact for any safeguarding cases raised regarding learners. FROs have received additional training to be able to manage low level safeguarding cases, and escalate concerns through our internal processes and required.
Designated Safeguarding Officers (DSOs) have received a higher level of training, and ensure that we are able to manage all of the safeguarding cases. DSOs will manage cases regarding child protection or other social care related issues. DSOs also provide support and guidance to First Response Officers and other colleagues across the college regarding appropriate actions required.
You can meet the Safeguarding Team here.
At Nottingham College, we take pride in ensuring the college is a safe and supportive atmosphere for students to thrive.
Nottingham College is committed to ensuring that students have access to a range of support from tutors, wellbeing mentors, additional learning support and security when it comes to safeguarding students.
Where we feel that students may need additional support in order continue or manage their studies, Nottingham College works with a wide range of external organisations who we regularly refer to for support.
If you have any safeguarding concerns about a student at the college and you think they may need additional support, please contact the college on: 0115 9100 100 and you will be directed to the most appropriate person. If there are concerns around a student outside of college hours, then please contact the Police on 101 for non-emergency incidents or 999 for any serious concerns.
What does ‘Safeguarding’ mean?
- Safeguarding looks at keeping children, young people and adults safe from a wide range potential harm, and puts in procedures into place to prevent, as well as acting to stop harm.
- Child protection looks at recognising abuse and neglect and acting to stop it. Special measures are put in place to protect and support any students we are concerned are at risk of significant harm.
- Prevent is about supporting students and helping them to stop them from becoming involved in extremist/terrorist activities.
Information for professionals
In your role, it may be that you are working with students that are leaving school, re-accessing education or are currently studying with us. If you have any safeguarding concerns or queries that you need to share with the college, please get in touch by calling either 0115 9100 100 and you will be directed to a member of the safeguarding team. Alternatively, you can contact the safeguarding team via email on safeguarding@nottinghamcollege.ac.uk. Please state to our call centre colleagues or in email about whether the enquiry is urgent.
For further details, please see our safeguarding policy in full here. If you are working with a student who is involved in any social care meetings, looked after reviews or any other safeguarding meetings, do contact the college and we will arrange for a representative of the college to attend.
Safeguarding Files
In accordance to Keeping Children Safe in Education (2018) schools are required to share relevant safeguarding information or files with the education provision that student moves to. If schools or alternative education provisions are aware that their students are progressing onto courses with Nottingham College, please get in touch with the safeguarding team at safeguarding@nottinghamcollege.ac.uk and a member of the team will get in touch.
Professionals visiting Nottingham College
Guidance from Nottingham City Council has outlined clear guidance to professionals around controlling access to school premises.
To summarise:
- Any professional wishing to undertake work in college with our students must be expected to make a formal appointment and the safeguarding team will take the steps to ensure a risk assessment is carried out and logged appropriately.
- The named professional must be the person who undertakes any intervention · Professionals must show their organisation ID on arrival
- Professionals must sign in on reception, and where possible be accompanied by a member of staff at all times
Support we can offer
Meet the Safeguarding Team
We have a dedicated Safeguarding team that supports students in many different ways.
Prevent
Find out how Prevent is safeguarding people and communities from the threat of terrorism both here in the UK and overseas.
British Values
Nottingham College is positively committed to creating an inclusive environment which is free from discrimination and where there is mutual respect and equality for all.