Big School Camps Safeguarding Policy:
All adults involved have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people during outdoor learning, during on site & off-site visits whilst learning outside the classroom.
Big School Camp leaders will ensure that they are informed by the school of any children and young people who may be particularly vulnerable or have specific safeguarding needs, and ensure that other staff/adults are made aware as necessary.
Reporting
When any concerns about a young person are identified these should be raised with the establishment’s designated safeguarding lead. This safeguarding lead will likely be within the school that we are working with at that time.
When visits occur out of hours, or out of term time, we will ensure that adequate and appropriate cover arrangements are in place.
If a child is in immediate danger or is at risk of harm, we will make a referral to children’s social care and/or the police immediately.
Where referrals are not made by the designated safeguarding lead, we will inform the designated safeguarding lead that a referral has been made as soon as possible. Reporting child abuse to your local council via the following link directs you to your local children’s social care contact number. www.gov.uk/report-child-abuse-to-local-council.
Overnight Stays
Where activities and visits involve overnight stays, careful consideration will be given to sleeping arrangements, taking into account issues of privacy and child protection. Children, young people, staff and parents will be informed of sleeping arrangements prior to the start of the trip by the school. Attention will be given to ensure safe staff/participant ratios and to the gender mix of staff. The school is responsible for managing the sleeping arrangements for their children and staff.
New Places and New People
A key benefit of an outdoor experience on or off the school site, is that children and young people have the opportunity to explore new places and meet new people. This may leave them vulnerable unless they are adequately prepared and appropriate measures have been put in place to control any significant risks.
Relationships and Professional Behaviour
During outdoor learning, on & off-site visits and learning outside the classroom, relationships between staff and participants are often less formal than in the usual school or workplace.
Young people may also build relationships with each other and with other adults and young people from outside the group, activity instructors.
This can have many positive benefits, but it also brings risks, of which all staff involved will be made aware.
Adults are in a position of trust and need to ensure that their behaviour remains professional at all times and stays within clearly defined professional boundaries. They are responsible for their own actions and behaviour and should avoid any conduct which would lead any reasonable person to question their motivation and intentions.
They should operate, and be seen to operate, in an open and transparent way. The same professional standards should always be applied regardless of culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious belief and/or sexual identity.
Our full Safeguarding policy is available to download here.
