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Online Safeguarding Policy

Effective Date: 2 December 2025

Review Date: December 2026

Immediate Emergency

In the event that a child is in immediate danger or there is an emergency risk, Staff or Users must contact 999 (UK emergency services) before contacting the DSL.

1. Introduction and Scope

EduWin is deeply committed to creating a safe and positive learning environment for all students who use our platform, including our educational content, live online tutoring, career guidance, and competitions. We take safeguarding very seriously and are always committed to the highest standard of safety and well-being of children.

This policy applies to all EduWin staff, tutors, contractors, and volunteers ("Staff") and sets out our procedures for protecting children and young people from harm, in accordance with UK statutory guidance, including Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE).

1.1 Key Principles

•The welfare of the child is paramount and must be the top priority for any tutor.
•Safeguarding requires everyone to be fully committed to the highest possible standards of openness, integrity, and accountability.
•All children, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation, or identity, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse.
•Concerns will be treated seriously and dealt with promptly and confidentially.

2. Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Contact

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) acts as the first point of contact for any tutor or member of staff who suspects a child is being abused or mistreated in some way. The DSL holds an authoritative position, has undertaken the necessary training, and will decide how best to proceed with any reported concern.

Role	Name/Title	Contact	Responsibilities
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)	Ola	ola@eduwin.co.uk	Overseeing the safeguarding and child protection policy; managing referrals; gathering relevant information; and acting as a source of support, advice, and expertise for all staff.

3. Safer Recruitment, Vetting, and Training

3.1. Background Checks

All Staff, including tutors and career advisors, undergo rigorous vetting, including:

Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks (or equivalent international checks) for all individuals who will have unsupervised contact with children.
Verification of identity, right to work, qualifications, and previous employment history.

3.2. Training

All Staff receive regular, up-to-date safeguarding training, covering signs of abuse, our reporting procedures, and specific online safety protocols.

4. Tutor Duties and Code of Conduct

Tutors are duty bound to ensure they can work with children in a professional, competent, and safe manner. Along with abiding by the EduWin Terms of Service, all tutors must adhere to this Code of Conduct:

4.1 General Duties (All Sessions)

Professional Relationship: Do not stray from a professional tutor-student relationship. Politeness and professionalism must be maintained at all times.
Non-Discrimination: Treat all students with civility and without prejudice, regardless of their background, race, gender, or disability.
Language: Employ appropriate language and refrain from uttering any discriminatory, suggestive, lewd, derogatory, or offensive terms.
Sensitive Topics: Be circumspect and cautious when discussing sensitive topics with young students.
Work Judgement: Be sensitive in your judgement of the student's work and value the effort they have put into it.
Confidentiality (GDPR): You have a legal obligation to keep student names, contact details, residential addresses, school information, work, comments, and grades secure and confidential in accordance with GDPR guidelines. This information must never be shared with anyone outside of official EduWin business.

4.2 Online Tutoring Sessions

All live, one-on-one, or small group sessions are conducted under strict rules:

Recording: All live tutoring and advisory sessions are automatically recorded by EduWin for safeguarding purposes and held securely. These recordings are only accessed by the DSL or senior management in case of a complaint or a suspected safeguarding issue, or provided to police if a criminal offence is suspected.
Lesson Environment: Tutors must ensure their physical background during online lessons is quiet, neutral, and does not display any inappropriate images or documents.
Parental Presence (Under 18s): If the student is under the age of 18, their parent or guardian should ideally be present or immediately accessible during the lessons. If a parent/responsible adult is not present, the tutor should check that the student is comfortable to continue the session. If the student is not comfortable, the tutor can terminate the session.
Timeliness: Tutors must arrive on time for their online lesson.

4.3 Prohibited Contact and Activities

Tutors must not:

• Contact students outside of the official EduWin platform (e.g., personal email, private chat, personal phone). All communication must occur via recorded EduWin channels.
• Send unsolicited communications to the student.
• Search for or make friend/follow requests to students on social media sites.
• Attempt to obtain any details about students' social media accounts or extraneous details regarding their social life.
• Openly or surreptitiously take photographs or videos of students, or request that they send you any photographs or videos of themselves.

5. Recognising and Reporting Concerns

5.1 Definition of Bullying and Abuse

Abuse refers to mistreatment (physical or emotional) of a child, which may take place during lesson time or outside it. Tutors are bound by law to report any signs that a child is suffering from abuse.

Bullying is action undertaken by an individual or group, to deliberately cause suffering to another individual or group. It can be physical (violent assaults), verbal (slander, name-calling), emotional (ostracising, exclusion), or online (cyberbullying).

5.2 Signs of Abuse and Bullying

Tutors should be attentive to:

• Visible injuries (bruises, cuts) that are unexplained.
• Sudden alterations in character (e.g., changing from exuberant to sullen/watchful).
• Signs that a student is afraid of someone or does not want to return home.
• Changes in dress (e.g., wearing baggy clothes to hide injuries).
• Distress when checking a phone or computer (sign of cyberbullying).

5.3 Reporting Procedure for Staff

In the case that you have discerned signs a child has been bullied or abused, or if a safeguarding allegation is brought to your attention, you are bound by law to take the appropriate steps:

Immediate Action (Emergency): If the child is in immediate danger (e.g., an abuser is coming to collect them), CALL 999 IMMEDIATELY. Inform the DSL after the police have been contacted.
Report to DSL: For all non-immediate concerns, report the concern immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or Deputy DSL (see Section 2). Do not attempt to investigate the matter yourself.
Record: Immediately document the concern using factual, non-judgemental language, noting dates, times, and what was seen or heard.

5.4 Procedures Following Disclosure by a Child

If a child makes a direct declaration of abuse or has information relating to the abuse of another child, it is paramount that the tutor:

Be Supportive: Engender an atmosphere where the child feels comfortable and able to express themselves.
Do Not Promise Secrecy: If the child requests a promise not to tell anyone, the tutor must be honest and clear that they cannot keep secrets related to safety, as they are obligated to report the information.
Record Wording: Take care to communicate to the DSL all the information the child disclosed, using, as much as possible, the same words and phrases the child used, as precise wording can be extremely significant to professional child protection units.

5.5 Action by EduWin (DSL)

Once a matter is reported, the DSL's task is to record all details and make a decision on how best to proceed. EduWin will:

Gather Information: Collect and record all relevant information from the reporting party.
Referral: The DSL will notify the Local Authority Children's Social Care and/or the Police Child Protection Unit.
No Independent Inquiries: EduWin will not at any point undertake independent inquiries or investigation into a safeguarding allegation. We will work with the local authorities, supplying them with any information needed in their investigation.
Tutor Suspension: If the concern involves a tutor, that tutor will be immediately suspended from contact with all students pending the outcome of the investigation.

6. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed and updated annually, or whenever there are changes in statutory guidance or in the organisation of the service.