Safeguarding Induction
At Learning Academies, we take our safeguarding responsibilities very seriously. By ensuring that Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and everyone’s priority we can keep you and our students as safe as possible.
You will already have received a copy of our written Safeguarding Induction and, within that, a copy of our Safeguarding Policy. You will also find this in your Freelance Agreement. It’s one of our key documents and it is really important that you fully understand the way we work in regards to safeguarding. We always lean on the side of caution. So, if you have any concerns at all you are always able to call one of our 3 Designated Safeguarding Leads.
Our Designated Safeguarding Leads are:
Matthew Brakenbury 07957932407. 01206 252152. matthew@learningacademies.co.uk
Sacha Brakenbury 078899 35248. 01206 252152. sacha@learningacademies.co.uk
Diane Zinzan 07742 931063. diane@equilibriumeducation.org.uk
Our Commitment to Safeguarding
Our commitment to safeguarding is demonstrated in a number of ways, including;
Gold Membership of the NWG, a UK network of over 14 500 practitioners who disseminate information down through their services, to professionals working on the issue of child sexual exploitation (CSE) and trafficking within the UK.
Ongoing Membership of the Essex Safeguarding Children Board.
A clear set of policies and procedures that govern our work. (See Policies Section)
All our tutors and Education Directors hold an Enhanced DBS Certificate.
All our tutors are qualified to at least a Level 2 in Safeguarding.
We have specific Leads for Child Protection. Our Designated Safeguarding Leads are listed above.
All tutors and our Designated Safeguarding Leads have current PREVENT Training from the UK Home Office. This introductory training provides knowledge around the risks of radicalisation and the kinds of support available to those at risk.
We have our own designated CSE Champion (Child Sexual Exploitation). Our CSE Champion is in the process of securing official registration of an Essex CSE Champion via Essex County Council.
Our Recruitment Policy is robust and ensures that all required checks are in place, including the take up of references and ensuring that at least one member of every recruitment panel is trained in Safer Recruitment in Education.
We maintain a Single Central Record that enables us to track and monitor all team member training.
We comply fully with the Statutory Guidance in place in Part One of Keeping Children Safe in Education.
In addition we encourage all team members to read and refer to Effective Support for Child and Families – this Essex guidance document provides a really helpful guidance document for those working with children, young people and their families.
Here is a copy of our latest Safeguarding Newsletter
Learning Academies Autumn Safeguarding Update 2025
What to do if you have a concern.
As you will see in our Safeguarding Policy, if you have any concerns whatsoever, it is essential to share these. If a child or young person is in immediate danger you should call the police without delay.
These are the steps required in the event of a disclosure being made to you…
Stay calm and listen carefully.
Reassure the young person that they have done the right thing in telling you.
Do not investigate or ask leading questions.
Do let them know that you will need to tell someone else.
Do not promise to keep what they have told you a secret.
Inform a Designated Safeguarding Lead as soon as possible. This will generally be one of the three DSL’s at Learning Academies. Additionally, if on school premises, you should, immediately inform the school’s own Designated Safeguarding Lead. The DSL at the student’s school is likely to hold additional information and ‘context’ that could be helpful. This can be by phone or in person.
A written record must then be made of this safeguarding disclosure, using the Learning Academies Safeguarding Disclosure Form. (This can be found on the Safeguarding page of this website and at the back of our Safeguarding Policy).
When completing your Disclosure Form keep the statement objective, succinct and accurate.
Refer without delay. You should also report a safeguarding disclosure at the earliest possible moment following the disclosure. (E.g straight away at the end of a session).
If in doubt, refer. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
If you have a safeguarding concern (from something you have seen, heard or inferred) then this must be reported in the same way as a disclosure. Ensuring that a Disclosure Form is completed at the first possible opportunity and shared with one of the three DSL’s at Learning Academies (and at the school if the tuition is taking place on school premises).
The Learning Academies DSL’s will review your disclosure immediately and will then share this with the DSL at school.
Online Safeguarding and Protocols
At Learning Academies we often deliver tuition ONLINE and always work hard to do this as safely as possible. The following three protocols underpin the ‘rules of the road’ for working online. Tutors should ensure they are familiar with all three.
Completing a Disclosure Form
As soon as you have shared your concern you must complete a Safeguarding Disclosure Form which can be found at the back of our Safeguarding Policy and here:
This should be sent, password protected, to matthew@Learningacademies.co.uk AND sacha@learningacademies.co.uk and you should ensure that receipt is acknowledged. It is important NOT to just ‘send’ and forget – as emails can go into Spam folders etc. So please ensure your disclosure has been acknowledged.
The critical part of a Safeguarding Disclosure is the ACTIONS. You should always detail the actions you have taken and any follow ups required. Your DSL’s will help you with that.
By working together, we can keep each other as safe as possible. If in doubt, SHARE
All tutors are required to attend at least one of our internal Safeguarding Workshops each year. This is a great opportunity to hear more about our safeguarding commitments and to discuss these with one of our DSL’s In the meantime, please ensure you have watched this abridged version prior to starting you tuition with us.
Please take the time to watch our short Safeguarding Presentation by clicking HERE.
