After-school clubs, community activities, and tuition: Safeguarding guidance for providers (September 2023)

Updated May 2024

Introduction

This non-statutory guidance is intended for organisations or individuals offering community activities, tuition, or after-school clubs for children, collectively known as out-of-school settings (OOSS). It aims to help providers run safe environments to ensure the welfare of attending children.

Out-of-school settings (OOSS) are organisations or individuals in England that offer tuition, training, instruction, or activities to children without parental or carer supervision. They do not include schools, colleges, registered alternative education settings, 16 to 19 academies, or providers registered with Ofsted or a childminder agency.

As a provider of extra-curricular training, tuition, or community clubs and activities, you or your organisation may care for children outside normal school hours or part-time during school hours.

Checklist of safeguarding arrangements

As a provider, you and your staff and volunteers have a legal duty of care towards the children attending. You must take reasonable steps to ensure their safety and protect them from harm.

Safeguarding and child protection

You should:

·        Implement an effective safeguarding and child protection policy.

·        Establish a staff behaviour policy or code of conduct.

·        Be aware of and trained on specific safeguarding issues, including online risks.

·        Have clear procedures for addressing concerns about staff, volunteers, or other adults who may pose a risk to children.

·        Appoint a designated safeguarding lead (DSL) with appropriate training.

·        Provide parents or carers with a contact person for raising safeguarding concerns.

·        If you're a lone provider, give parents or carers contact details for local children’s services or the NSPCC helpline.

·        Understand the local referral process for children's social care.

·        Report any allegations of harm to a child to your local authority designated officer (LADO) and the police as soon as possible.

·        Know if you have a legal duty to refer to the Disclosure and Barring Service and make referrals when appropriate.

Section 1: Safeguarding and child protection 

All providers should:

·        Have a written safeguarding and child protection policy with procedures in place.

·        Be aware of specific safeguarding issues that can put children at risk and undertake appropriate training.

·        Appoint a suitably trained designated safeguarding lead (DSL).

·        Be aware of the referral route into children’s social care.

Providers with staff and a DSL should also:

·        Inform staff and volunteers about what to do if they have concerns about a child.

·        Inform staff and volunteers about what to do if they have concerns about safeguarding practices within the setting.

·        Ensure all staff and volunteers know the referral route into children’s social care.

 

Safeguarding and child protection policy

You should have an up-to-date safeguarding and child protection policy that explains how you will protect children in your care. Tailor the policy to your organisation, review it annually, and update it after any incidents.

Safeguarding procedures

If you have employees or volunteers, write down your procedures to ensure all staff understand their responsibilities and know what to do in the event of a safeguarding concern.

Designated safeguarding lead

Designate an adult (potentially yourself) as the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) with responsibility for safeguarding children in your care. When appointing the DSL, consider the needs and characteristics of the children attending your setting.

Managing safeguarding concerns

For detailed information on a DSL's duties and relevant training, refer to Part Two: The Management of Safeguarding in "Keeping Children Safe in Education" (KCSIE). Although KCSIE is for schools and colleges, it can be useful for out-of-school settings as best practice.

Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) teams are the contact point for reporting safeguarding concerns within local authorities. Contact details for your local authority’s MASH, safeguarding lead, or Prevent officer can typically be found on their website under "child safeguarding" or "child protection services." 

Specific safeguarding issues

Everyone working with children should be aware of safeguarding issues that can put children at risk both online and offline. Training will vary by setting, but all staff and volunteers should receive appropriate training in safeguarding and child protection, including online safety.

Abuse and neglect

Ensure that your staff and volunteers are familiar with the indicators of abuse and neglect. This will enable them to identify children who may need help or protection and know how to address the situation.

Child-on-child abuse

Staff and volunteers should recognise that child-on-child (also known as peer-on-peer) abuse is a safeguarding concern.

Mental health and wellbeing

Mental health issues and suicidal thoughts can impact anyone regardless of age or background. Children and young people commonly experience mental health problems, though they may be challenging to identify.

Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

Under the Equality Act 2010, you must not discriminate based on disability, including in admissions. You are also required to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled children are not disadvantaged compared to non-disabled children in how you organise and provide your services.

Staff and volunteer responsibilities

Safeguarding and child protection are responsibilities shared by all. The statutory guidance "Working Together to Safeguard Children" applies to all organisations involved with children. A child-centred approach, prioritising the interests and needs of the child, should be adopted. Staff and volunteers must promptly raise all safeguarding concerns with their designated safeguarding lead (DSL).

What to do if a child makes a disclosure of abuse or harm

If a child discloses abuse or expresses feeling at risk of harm in your setting, immediately follow your safeguarding policies and procedures. If a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 999.

Working alone with children

In organisations with multiple employees or volunteers, it's generally best practice not to work alone with a child. However, there may be situations where this is unavoidable, or if you are a lone provider, you should adhere to this guidance.

 

Section 2: Suitability of staff and volunteers

You should:

·        Take appropriate steps during the recruitment process to ensure suitability of new staff and volunteers.

·        Determine if you are a regulated activity provider and understand your responsibilities.

·        Conduct appropriate recruitment and pre-appointment checks on staff and volunteers, such as identifying the correct level of DBS check.

·        Know how to address concerns raised about staff or volunteers who may pose a risk to children.

·        Regularly review the performance and suitability of staff and volunteers after their appointment.

·        Volunteers, paid employees, and lone providers should apply for the level of DBS check they are eligible for.

 

Section 3: Health and safety 

As a provider, you have a legal duty of care to ensure the safety of individuals who visit or attend your premises. This entails taking reasonable steps to guarantee their safety for the intended purposes. You are responsible for health and safety regardless of the setting, whether it be a classroom, youth centre, sports pitch, tuition centre, or even your own home or the child’s home.

 

Section 4: Governance

Governance encompasses the management and regulation of organisations, including the establishment of rules and procedures to facilitate effective decision-making. Good governance is crucial for ensuring transparent and efficient processes in all areas of an organisation's operations.

Charities

Organisations in England and Wales may need to register as charities with the Charity Commission, depending on their structure and activities. The Charity Commission primarily regulates charities in these regions. Additional guidance on safeguarding within charities is also accessible.

All other providers

Even if your organisation isn't a charity and has multiple employees or volunteers, establishing a management committee is beneficial for ensuring smooth operation and day-to-day management. This group can be referred to by various names such as the executive committee or steering group.

Complaints policy

You should have a clear policy to deal effectively with complaints.

Whistleblowing policy

All staff and volunteers should feel able to raise concerns about poor or unsafe practice and potential failures in the provider’s safeguarding regime. They should know that you'll take any concerns seriously.

Legal requirements and statutory guidance

When considering governance in your setting, you must comply with the following legal requirements if they apply.

Other considerations

There are other requirements you may need to consider to make sure your setting is safe; including: Using school, college, or local authority premises

·        Extremism and radicalisation

·        Online safety issues

·        Child performances

·        Photography and sharing images

·        Visitors and visiting speakers

·        Educational visits and overnight stays

·        GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 Food safety

Resources

After-school clubs, community activities and tuition: safeguarding guidance for providers - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-out-of-school-settings-code-of-practice

Keeping children safe in education - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2

Working together to safeguard children - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2

What to do if you are worried a child is being abused - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-to-do-if-youre-worried-a-child-is-being-abused--2