Focus on Safeguarding  

One of the concerns often cited about non-school Alternative Provision is the vulnerability of children placed in these settings, and what’s seen as the variable quality of safeguarding practiced among the diverse range of provisions available. The DfE’s recently published national standards framework aims, among other things, to ensure effective safeguarding mechanisms are maintained across the sector. 

I used to run a non-school AP and part of my role was as Designated Safeguarding Lead for the provision. I adopted Keeping Children Safe in Education as my bible in safeguarding –  it seemed sensible to meet the requirements set out for registered schools, even though this was a high bar and not a statutory requirement for us at the time; this approach certainly helped us qualify for local authority commissioning frameworks and prepared us for converting to an independent special school, which we eventually did. 

Compliance wasn’t always easy given the flexible and responsive provision required to meet the needs of the children referred to us. It was the extreme vulnerability and complex issues faced by our students which drove me towards a standard of safeguarding over and above what was expected of non-school AP. For a long time I used spreadsheets and word documents to log concerns and record actions and outcomes.

I know that many colleagues in the sector continue to work effectively in this way. As our student numbers grew, I became less comfortable with my processes, and increasingly anxious that something important could be missed leading to a child put at additional risk by something I did or failed to do. I was lucky enough to be friends with a web developer who agreed to work with me in creating the programme which evolved over time into the LearnTrek on offer today.

We were extremely fortunate to have technical help in developing a system which would  manage safeguarding, remind staff and DSLs to follow up on actions and to analyse patterns in the concerns raised. Small APs are not always in a position to invest in IT solutions. Here are a few tips to help ensure safeguarding is effective, and which don’t require a hefty budget: 

• Get Level 3 DSL training for those responsible for managing safeguarding – this can be done online and is at the level needed to understand the role fully. Online courses cost in the region of £65(renewed 2 yearly to comply with KICSIE) and are well  worth the outlay in my experience.
• Have a team and share the responsibility – There needs to be cover for when the DSL is absent, so appoint and train a team of Deputy DSLs (DDSL) and make  arrangements for managing concerns consistently when they come in; communicate regularly with DDSLs  to discuss safeguarding issues and keep records.
• If you’re working with spreadsheets, use the formulae functions  to remind you to follow up, and check your spreadsheet daily to make sure you are up to date with actions including chasing external professionals.
• Use your calendar to set reminders around safeguarding actions .
• Have some strategic oversight in place – use your trustees, governors, board members if you have them, and make sure they are trained appropriately – they need to be a ‘critical friend’. Collaborating with other local providers can work well in this respect – I’ve known groups of providers to work together on safeguarding to quality assure and share best practice. Make records of your discussions and plans to address any issues which arise.
• Check out your local Safeguarding Partnership website for resources. They should have self-audit safeguarding templates to download, as well as a wealth of other training opportunities and materials. One  of the LSCPs we worked with, put on an annual free safeguarding conference and attendance automatically updated DSL training. 

Above all, don’t be isolated in safeguarding work. You need support and challenge to keep children safe and to  be safe and well yourself. It’s wrong for one person to carry the responsibility alone. Why not consider setting up a local hub and invite other providers? Online would work well, face-to-face with tea and cake even better!