Safeguarding Policy
including Child Protection

1. Introduction

Sable Guardians is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people (referred to as “children” throughout; defined as under 18). We believe that:

• the welfare of children is paramount;
• all children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation, have an equal right to protection from harm; and
• working in partnership with children, parents, schools/colleges, host families and agencies is essential to promote children’s welfare.

We will create a culture of vigilance in which concerns are identified early and responded to promptly, in line with UK legislation, statutory guidance and AEGIS Quality Standards. All staff, contractors and host families share this commitment.

Every child and young person deserves to feel safe and protected from all forms of abuse - physical, emotional, sexual, or neglect. Safeguarding applies equally to all children, regardless of gender identity, background, or circumstance.

Children may seek help from a range of adults, including Sable Guardians staff, school or college staff, boarding house staff, chaplains, medical professionals, counsellors, or independent listeners. The contact details for the DSL are provided to each school or college safeguarding team.

Safeguarding issues should be addressed by children’s schools through the curriculum, personal, social, and health education, and tutorial systems, as well as within boarding houses. Pastoral care and school policies should ensure all children have strategies and contacts for self-protection.

It is continuously updated and accessible on the Sable Guardians website, with hard and electronic copies available to parents, students, and hosts.

2. Scope

3. Aims

Sable Guardians aims to promote the physical and mental health and emotional well-being of all young people in their care; to protect them from harm and neglect; and to keep them safe from maltreatment.

• Ensure children/students feel valued, secure, and able to speak openly
• Ensure children/students know there are approachable adults at school or college
• Take children/students’ wishes and feelings into account when determining actions and services

4. Procedures

Sable Guardians will:

• Maintain a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and at least one Deputy DSL, all appropriately trained
• Ensure all staff and host families are aware of signs of abuse, the need for early help, and their roles in supporting safeguarding
• Promote awareness of specific issues: peer-on-peer abuse, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), Children Missing Education (CME), Radicalisation (Prevent), sexual violence and harassment
• Clearly communicate the duty to report concerns to the DSL and, if necessary, escalate concerns directly to Children’s Social Care Services
• Regularly review and update safeguarding procedures

Roles and Responsibilities

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL):

• maintains safeguarding oversight across the organisation; ensures policies, training, safer recruitment and recordkeeping meet legal/AEGIS requirements;
• acts as single point of contact for safeguarding and Prevent concerns; liaises with schools/colleges, LSCP/MASH, LADO and police as appropriate;
• ensures 24/7 on-call arrangements and that out-of-hours staff can access advice.

Deputy DSL(s)

• trained to the same level as DSL; covers when DSL unavailable.

All staff and host families:

• are responsible for reading the policy and knowing how to report concerns;
• complete induction and regular refresher training;
• complete screening, interview, accommodation inspection, ID verification, enhanced DBS check for those over 16, and reference checks before appointment
• observe and report changes in behaviour or disclosures of difficulty from children
• maintain professional boundaries and follow the Code of Conduct.

Reporting Concerns: A Quick Reference Checklist If a child is at immediate risk of significant harm call 999.

Otherwise:

• 1. Listen, reassure, do not promise confidentiality. Do not ask leading questions.
• 2. Record the facts and words used as soon as possible on the Safeguarding Concern Form (Appendix A).
• 3. Report to the DSL immediately (and within the same working day). If the concern involves an allegation about an adult, contact the LADO via the DSL (or directly if the DSL is implicated).
• 4. DSL decision-making: The DSL considers threshold and consults with MASH/Children’s Social Care, police and/or the school DSL. The DSL records rationale and next steps.
• 5. Informing parents/carers will be agreed with Children’s Social Care/police.

Early help and Family Help: Staff and host families should act on emerging concerns as soon as possible. The DSL will work with the school safeguarding team to consider whether a child may benefit from community-based early help, local authority Family Help or a statutory referral, taking account of local safeguarding partnership thresholds and the child’s wishes and feelings where appropriate.

5. Types of Child Abuse and Safeguarding Issues

We adopt the categories of abuse set out in statutory guidance:

• Physical Abuse
• Neglect
• Emotional Abuse
• Sexual Abuse

We also recognise specific safeguarding issues including (but not limited to): child-on-child abuse, sexual violence and harassment, online harms, child criminal/sexual exploitation (CCE/CSE), county lines, serious violence, domestic abuse, FGM, forced marriage, honour or faith-based abuse, radicalisation, self-harm, children requiring mental health support, young carers, children questioning their gender, and children who are absent from or missing education.

Abuse can affect any child or young person. Safeguarding applies equally to all, regardless of gender identity or background. All staff and hosts must avoid assumptions about victims or perpetrators and use inclusive language at all times.

Abuse can be perpetrated by anyone and experienced by any individual—safeguarding measures must support all children equally.

Statement of Inclusion: Sable Guardians affirms that safeguarding applies equally to all children and young people, regardless of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, ability, or background.

Children who may need additional support:

Some children may need extra help because of their circumstances, including children who are absent from education, young carers, children with mental health needs, children who are questioning their gender, children affected by domestic abuse or exploitation, and international students who may be away from their usual family support networks. Staff and hosts must report concerns promptly rather than attempting to investigate or diagnose the issue themselves.

Recognising vulnerabilities associated with being an international student:

International students may face additional vulnerabilities because they are living away from their usual family support networks, may be adapting to a new country, language, school system and culture, and may be unfamiliar with UK safeguarding expectations or how to ask for help. They may also experience homesickness, isolation, anxiety, cultural adjustment, communication barriers, pressure from family expectations, uncertainty about travel or accommodation arrangements, or reliance on adults they do not know well. Staff and hosts should be alert to signs that a student is struggling, withdrawn, unusually anxious, confused about arrangements, reluctant to speak openly, or dependent on others in a way that may increase risk. Concerns should be reported to the DSL so that support can be coordinated with the school, parents, host family and relevant agencies where appropriate.

Mental health and safeguarding:

Mental health concerns may be a sign that a child has experienced, or is at risk of, abuse, neglect or exploitation. Staff and hosts should notice changes in mood, behaviour, attendance, communication, eating, sleeping, self-care, self-harm or talk of suicide, and report concerns to the DSL immediately. Where there is imminent risk, emergency services must be contacted.

6. Training

• All staff receive safeguarding and child protection training at induction and refresher courses at least annually, in line with most recent statutory guidance
• All staff read and confirm that they understand Part One of the current version of Keeping Children Safe in Education. For the 2026–27 academic year, this means KCSIE 2026 from 1 September 2026. Staff are also given regular safeguarding updates throughout the year, including changes to statutory guidance and emerging risks relevant to guardianship.
• Training includes recognising and reporting abuse, safe working practice, and specific safeguarding issues
• DSL and Deputy DSLs undertake additional training, updated every two years
• All Sable Guardians staff complete Prevent Awareness training annually.

7. Communication with Parents

• The DSL will decide whether, when and how to communicate safeguarding concerns to parents, unless doing so would increase risk, impede a criminal investigation, or conflict with advice from Children’s Social Care, police or the school DSL.
• Use translators if necessary
• Ensure parents understand safeguarding responsibilities and partnership with other agencies, with communication coordinated by the DSL where there is a safeguarding concern.
• Staff and host families must not contact parents directly about safeguarding concerns unless instructed to do so by the DSL. All concerns must be escalated to the DSL first, except where a child is at immediate risk of significant harm, in which case emergency services should be contacted immediately and the DSL informed as soon as possible.

8. Safer Recruitment

9. Whistleblowing

We have a whistleblowing policy that protects staff, host families and contractors who raise genuine concerns about poor practice or wrongdoing. Concerns can be raised with the DSL, Managing Director or external prescribed bodies such as the NSPCC whistleblowing helpline. Staff are encouraged to raise concerns about safeguarding or the conduct of colleagues.

10. Code of Conduct & Professional Boundaries

We maintain a Code of Conduct that covers: appropriate communication and contact (including online), transport, gifts and hospitality, social media, photography/video, one-to-one situations, home visits, and managing conflicts of interest. Breaches may constitute a safeguarding concern.

11. Low-level Concerns, Allegations & LADO

Low-level concerns:

We encourage early reporting of any conduct that does not meet expectations. The DSL maintains a confidential record and takes proportionate action.

Allegations that may meet the harm threshold:

Any allegation that an adult who works with children has: behaved in a way that has harmed a child or may have harmed a child; possibly committed a criminal offence against/related to a child; behaved in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children; or behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children (including behaviour outside work) must be reported immediately to the DSL and referred to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) within 1 working day. We will follow LADO advice, including on suspension and information sharing.

We will support staff facing allegations and follow statutory procedures as detailed in the latest guidance. We will inform parents if their child is involved in an allegation, as appropriate.

12. Induction, Training and Culture

13. Information Sharing, Confidentiality & Record Keeping

We share information in line with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and statutory safeguarding guidance where it is necessary to safeguard a child. Safeguarding concerns may override confidentiality where a child is at risk of harm. Staff and host families must not promise confidentiality; they should explain that information may need to be shared with the DSL and, where appropriate, with the school, Children’s Social Care, police, LADO, medical professionals or other relevant agencies.

We will usually aim to be open with children and parents about information sharing, but we may share information without consent where asking for consent could put a child at greater risk, delay urgent action, interfere with a criminal investigation, or prevent safeguarding agencies from doing their job. The DSL will decide what information needs to be shared, who it should be shared with, and whether the child or parents should be informed first, taking advice from the school DSL, Children’s Social Care, police or LADO where appropriate.

Information sharing will be limited to what is relevant and necessary. Decisions and reasons for sharing, or not sharing, safeguarding information will be recorded clearly and securely.

Records are factual, timely and secure; stored in our safeguarding system; and retained/disposed of in line with our retention schedule. We will transfer relevant records securely when a student moves school/guardian.

14. Managing Risk

We risk assess all travel arrangements; use vetted drivers (DBS, licence/insurance checks) and reputable companies; and require seat belt use at all times. Lone car travel with a single adult and a child should be avoided where possible and risk assessed if unavoidable.

We manage risks relating to devices, social media, image sharing, livestreaming, online bullying, online grooming, harmful online content, misinformation, disinformation, conspiracy theories, AI-generated content, deepfake or manipulated images, coercive image sharing and other image-based abuse.

15. Accessing the Policy and Updates

• The most current version of this policy is always available on the Sable Guardians website
• Staff, parents, and students can request a copy from [email protected]
• All statutory guidance references are updated annually (next review: August 2026)
• Contact details and links are checked regularly for accuracy

Remember: Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. All children deserve protection, respect, and support – regardless of gender, identity, or background.

16. AEGIS Standards Alignment

This policy is intended to support Sable Guardians’ compliance with the AEGIS Guardianship Organisation Quality Standards, including expectations for safeguarding and child protection policy, DSL arrangements, safeguarding training, whistleblowing, allegations and low-level concerns, Prevent, missing students, student behaviour, anti-bullying including cyberbullying, online safety, safer recruitment, record keeping, emergency procedures, information sharing, student wellbeing, mental health, travel arrangements, homestay checks and liaison with partner schools and parents.

Where Sable Guardians has separate policies or procedures covering these areas, this safeguarding policy should be read alongside them, including the Code of Conduct, safer recruitment procedures, missing student procedures, anti-bullying and online safety guidance, complaints procedure, data protection policy, emergency plan, mental health support guidance and homestay handbook.