My Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy

Last updated: 10th October 2025

The purpose and scope of this policy

The purpose of this policy statement is to

• Protect children and young people who receive Abigail Cross’s services from harm. This includes the children of adults who use the services

• Provide the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.

This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of Abigail Cross, including paid staff and volunteers.

Legal framework

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England. A summary of the key legislation and guidance is available from nspcc.org.uk/childprotection.

Supporting documents

This policy statement should be read alongside the related policies, procedures, guidance as annexes to this document:

• Terms and conditions

• Safeguarding child protection policy and procedures (annex 1)

• Code of Conduct (annex 2)

• Online safety policy and procedures (annex 3)

• Privacy policy, including data protection

• Anti-bullying policy and procedures (annex 4)

• Complaints and whistle blowing policy and procedures (annex 5)

• Health and safety policy and procedures (annex 6)

We believe that

• Children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind

• We have 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 recognise that

• The welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take

• Working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare

• All children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation have equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse

• Some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues

• Extra safeguards may be needed to keep children who are additionally vulnerable safe from abuse.

We will seek to keep children safe by

• Valuing, listening to and respecting them

• Adopting child protection and safeguarding best practise through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers

• Developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related procedures

• Keeping policies and relevant training up to date to ensure policies, procedures and behaviour codes are followed confidently and competently

• Recruiting any staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made

• Recording and storing using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance

• Sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children and their families via information on the website and one-to-one discussions

• Making sure children, young people and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern

• Using the safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately

• Using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately

• Creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy and procedure to help deal with bullying effectively and with any bullying that may arise

• Ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistle blowing measures in place

• Ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance

• Building a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.

Contact details

Abigail Cross

07740730609

abigailjanecrossteacher@gmail.com

We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practise annually.

NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000

Annex 1 – Safeguarding and Child protection policy and procedures

Policy statement

Safeguarding is the broad process of protecting children from maltreatment and promoting their health and welfare. This is a wide ranging process that includes creating safe policies, providing education and building secure environments to enable children to have the best outcomes.

Child protection is the set of activities designed to protect specific children who are suffering or are likely to suffer, significant harm. It is a reactive process, which is triggered when there are concerns about a child and aims to protect a child from harm that is already happening or is likely to happen. Child protection is part of safeguarding.

They both are the responsibility of everyone who comes into contact with children, including individuals and organisations such as health, education and social services.

All staff, volunteers and individuals associated with ‘Abigail Cross’ will develop an understanding of the various issues that can cause students harm, using this knowledge to remain vigilant to risks and promote a safe environment for learning.

All staff, volunteers and individuals associated with ‘Abigail Cross’ will acquire a basic knowledge of, and be able to identify the signs of the four most commons forms or abuse: emotional, physical, sexual and neglect.

All staff, volunteers and individuals associated with ‘Abigail Cross’ will remain aware that those experiencing abuse can be any age, gender, class, ethnicity, sexuality or faith; and those who abuse can be any age, gender, class, ethnicity, sexuality or faith.

All staff, volunteers and individuals associated with ‘Abigail Cross’ will be aware that it is not always clear whether an adult is vulnerable. While it may be obvious in some settings, in other situations it may not be immediately discernible, e.g. when taking on a new adult student and work on the basis that adults may be vulnerable until more information is available.

Adult students at music conservatoires, universities or colleges will be viewed as though they are children for the purposes of safeguarding (although the reporting process is different for adults, who have more say in what action is taken).

When working with non-vulnerable adults all staff, volunteers and those associated with ‘Abigail Cross’ will maintain a professional relationship at all times. Sexual harassment and bullying are never appropriate, and a respectful attitude should always be part of professional conduct.

What to do if you have a concern about a child:

A concern about a child might arise for the following reasons:

• Something that a child has said e.g. allegation of harm

• Child’s appearance – including frequent or unexplained injuries/marks/bruises and/or unexplained marks as well as dress

• Behaviour change

• Witnessed concerning, harmful or inappropriate behaviour.

Act immediately and record the concerns

• Reassure the child

• Clarify concerns, using open questions and if necessary (Tell, Explain, Describe)

• Use the child’s own words, recording facts not opinions

• Sign and date any records

• Seek support for yourself if required from the NSPCC

If there is an immediate risk of harm them call the police on 999 or 101. Otherwise use judgement and report to guardians, the school, the children’s social care, adults social care, or the police as appropriate. If unsure and in need or further guidance, call the NSPCC’s free 24-hour helpline on 0800 800 5000. NOTE that a disclosure should not necessarily be referred to guardians if it relates to them, so take advice in this situation.

Record any action taken including any monitoring that may be required.

Child protection records are kept confidentially and stored securely and separately from any other information stored about a child.

Annex 2 – Code of Conduct

At all times a professional teacher/ student relationship will be maintained. All staff, volunteers and those associated with ‘Abigail Cross’ will:

• Maintain high standards of personal behaviour. Being friendly and approachable but professional in all interactions. Never using inappropriate language, sexual or otherwise, including in writing. Never engaging in sexual relationships with students, including those over 16 if the relationship is professional. Not befriending students or share details of your private life with them. Never working under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or smoke in front of students.

• Never exchanging details such as phone, mobile phone, email or social media contact with students under 18. If a student under 18 makes direct contact then they will not be responded to and their parents will be contacted via agreed channels (i.e. email or phone)

• Ensure that consent is gained from all relevant parties for all photos or films of students, and that these are stores securely and retained for no longer than necessary.

• Maintain an up to date DBS check using the online DBS Update Service (certificate available on request).

• Ensure that reports on young people are based on factual information and emphasise their strengths and areas of improvement

• Acting with compassion and being impartial. Encouraging and praising students where appropriate.

Annex 3 – Online safety policy and procedures

Policy statement

To keep users, especially children safe from online harm, such as cyber bullying, inappropriate content, and online predators.

All staff, volunteers and those associated with ‘Abigail Cross’ will:

• Ensure guardians are fully informed that online teaching is happening and are given information about appropriate practise relating to it (see terms and conditions on the website).

• Use professional email address that is specifically for teaching and education work.

• Use professionally appropriate photographs for email, text messaging, social media profiles and so on, making every effort to avoid inappropriate photographs being seen by students.

• Restrict profiles on social media so that these do not automatically accept contact requests and cannot be viewed by students.

• Similarly, restrict profiles when teaching online via Zoom or other video calling apps. Encourage students to do the same.

• Never communicate with a student via social media such as Twitter, Facebook etc, or give unnecessary personal details to a student.

• Ensure consent if a lesson needs to be recorded for some reason (from a guardian if appropriate). If possible and practical, record audio only and delete the recording if it was created to be given to a student. If the recording needs to be retained, for example if a lesson is to be observed as part of a professional development programme, explain this to guardians and agree a date by which the recording will be deleted.

• Dress appropriately and professionally as for a face-to-face lesson and use a neutral background and/or a background blurring setting.

• Terminate the call if the student wears excessively informal attire, has an inappropriate background or behaves inappropriately, and communicate the reason with afterwards (with a guardians if appropriate).

Annex 4 – Anti-bullying policy and procedures

Policy statement

‘Abigail Cross’ is committed to providing an safe and supportive environment where students can thrive musically and personally without the fear of bullying.

All staff, volunteers and those associated with ‘Abigail Cross’ will:

• Maintain a professional relation with students at all times by following the code of conduct (Annex 2).

• Be able to recognise the possible indicators for bullying (a change in behaviour, social exclusion, the use of inappropriate language, anxiety or frustration).

• Use the ‘what to do if you have a concern about a child’ contained in the ‘Safeguarding and Child Protection’ policy (Annex 1).

Annex 5 – Complaints and whistle blowing

Any staff, volunteers, children, parents or anyone involved with Abigail Cross can access the NSPCC whistle blowing helpline regarding any concerns about child protection failures.

0800 028 0285 (0800 AM to 0800 PM Monday to Friday) or email help@nspcc.org.uk

Annex 6 – health and safety policy and procedure

The physical well-being of the student and teacher are of paramount importance and essential for the learning process to be effective.

All staff volunteers and those associated with ‘Abigail Cross’ will:

• Ensure both the teacher and student have an ergonomically sound setup to prevent strain from prolonged sitting.

• Be aware that the management of cumulative sound exposure is important. Where necessary employing the use of ear plugs, dampening sound acoustics and structuring lessons to manage volume.

• Ensue all technical equipment is checked regularly, is safe to use and care is taken with regard to cables and other equipment so it does not pose a risk.

• Ensure students are aware that it is their responsibility to ensure all electrical equipment is safe (via terms and conditions).