Herts Mandarin School Child Protection Policy and Procedures
Herts Mandarin School – Child Protection & Safeguarding Policy and Procedures
(Updated to reflect KCSIE 2025)
1. Introduction
Herts Mandarin School is committed to ensuring the safety, protection and welfare of all children who attend our Saturday morning and after-school Mandarin classes. We recognise our duty to safeguard children from harm and to promote their welfare in line with statutory requirements, including the updated Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025 guidance, and best practices. Our approach ensures that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and that we take a proactive stance on identifying and reducing risks of harm (including online harms) in our setting.
2. Aims
To provide a safe and secure environment for all students.
To ensure all staff understand their responsibilities in identifying, reporting and responding to child protection concerns including early help.
To establish clear procedures for handling concerns or allegations of harm, neglect or abuse.
To ensure that online safety, digital resilience and evolving risks (including disinformation, misinformation and emerging technologies) are addressed within our safeguarding framework.
To ensure our recruitment, training and governance arrangements are aligned with current statutory requirements and KCSIE 2025.
3. Key Principles
The welfare of the child is paramount.
All children, irrespective of age, ability, gender, race, religion, or socio-economic background, have the right to feel safe and protected from harm.
All concerns, suspicions or disclosures must be taken seriously and acted upon promptly — including those that may be subtle or relate to emerging risks (e.g., online content) or repeated absence.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Staff, volunteers and leaders must exercise professional curiosity and recognise that children’s welfare may be impacted by factors inside and outside the setting, including online.
We will maintain a culture of vigilance, continuous improvement and learning.
4. Roles and Responsibilities
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL):
The DSL has overall responsibility for safeguarding and child protection (including online safety) at Herts Mandarin School. The DSL will:
Manage and respond to child protection and safeguarding concerns.
Ensure staff receive appropriate safeguarding training (including updates on new risks, online safety, generative AI, misinformation/disinformation).
Act as main point of contact for concerns and referrals to statutory agencies.
Ensure that children’s safeguarding files are maintained, information is shared appropriately, and our processes align with KCSIE 2025 guidance on information sharing and record-keeping (see Annex C of KCSIE).
Support the leadership team in reviewing and updating safeguarding policy, practice and risk assessments.
DSL Contact Details:
Name: Qin Lin
Email: hertsmandarin@gmail.com
Phone: 07928 717162
Staff Responsibilities:
All staff and volunteers must complete and keep up to date with safeguarding training, including awareness of new risks (e.g., online harms, AI, digital content).
All staff must be familiar with this policy and understand their role in safeguarding — for example, recognising signs of harm, knowing how to respond, knowing to whom to report.
All staff must report any concerns about a child’s welfare immediately to the DSL.
All staff must maintain professional boundaries and behave according to the staff Code of Conduct (see section 9).
Staff must be aware of the responsibilities around filtering/monitoring of online access and the use of emerging technologies in the classroom context (KCSIE 2025 emphasises this).
5. Recognising Signs of Abuse and Emerging Risks
Staff should be alert to any indicators of abuse or neglect, and also to evolving risks, including online-related harms and digital influences. Typical categories remain (physical, emotional, sexual abuse, neglect) — but these must now be viewed alongside risks such as exposure to misinformation/disinformation, harmful online content, extreme behaviours, and absence from education.
Examples:
Physical abuse: unexplained injuries, bruises, burns, repeated injuries.
Emotional abuse: withdrawal, fearfulness, low self-esteem, persistently being treated negatively.
Sexual abuse: inappropriate sexual behaviour/language, forced sexual acts, grooming.
Neglect: poor hygiene, malnutrition, frequent absence, missed appointments.
Online/digital related harms: access to harmful or inappropriate content, exposure to conspiracy theories, misinformation, disinformation, radicalisation, use of generative AI in unsafe ways.
Absence/missing education: Repeated or prolonged absence may itself be a safeguarding concern.
6. Reporting Procedures
If a staff member has a concern about a child:
Report Immediately: Inform the DSL as soon as possible.
Record the Concern: Write a detailed account of the concern — date, time, what was seen or said, any observations, your actions.
Follow-Up: The DSL will assess the concern and, if necessary, refer to the relevant statutory agencies (e.g., children’s services, the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), police).
Information Sharing: The setting will follow the guidance around sharing information safely and appropriately, pursuant to KCSIE 2025 Annex C.
Contact Information for Reporting:
Hertfordshire Children’s Services: 0300 123 4043
Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO): 0300 123 4043
NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000
In an emergency (child in immediate danger) call 999.
7. Managing Disclosures
If a child discloses abuse or harm:
Listen carefully and calmly.
Do not ask leading questions, nor probe for more detail than the child offers.
Reassure the child that they have done the right thing by speaking up.
Do not promise confidentiality — explain you will have to pass on the information to the DSL so that the child can be kept safe.
Immediately inform the DSL.
Record the disclosure (as above) and preserve any relevant evidence (e.g., messages, digital content) if safe to do so.
8. Safer Recruitment and Ongoing Staff Checks
All staff and volunteers will undergo enhanced DBS checks (or the relevant UK equivalent) before working with children.
Employment history, references and any gaps in employment will be thoroughly checked.
In accordance with KCSIE 2025, ongoing vigilance is required — DBS check is one step, but safeguarding is continuous.
Where the setting uses or arranges alternative provision (or third-party/contracted provision), ensure there are written assurances that appropriate safeguarding checks have been carried out.
9. Code of Conduct for Staff
Staff should avoid being alone with a child in a closed or private space where they cannot be seen or overheard.
Maintain professional boundaries; do not share personal contact details (e.g., private mobile number, social media) with students.
Use appropriate and professional language and behaviour at all times.
Understand the risks of online interaction; if online sessions occur or children access digital systems, staff must follow the school’s online safety policy and the settings’ monitoring/filtering protocols (see KCSIE 2025 emphasis on online safety).
10. Supporting Students
Our small class sizes (maximum 12 students) enable closer monitoring of each student’s well-being and raise proportionate opportunities for adults to notice changes or concerns.
Teachers will foster a safe, inclusive and positive learning environment where students feel able to speak up.
Additional support will be offered to students experiencing difficulties (whether academic, emotional or social).
Staff will be alert to students who may be at increased vulnerability (for example: children with special educational needs or disabilities, children with a social worker, young carers) and take appropriate early-help or referral action.
Promote digital resilience: educate students about safe online behaviours, the risks of misinformation/disinformation, how to recognise harmful content and how to seek help. (Reflecting the new online harms references in KCSIE 2025).
11. Monitoring, Audit and Review
This policy will be reviewed at least annually — or sooner if there are changes in legislation, guidance or best practice.
The DSL (or designated safeguarding governor/trustee) will conduct periodic audits of safeguarding practice (including record-keeping, training compliance, online safety monitoring, filtering/monitoring systems) and report to the leadership/committee.
We will also review our online safety systems and digital safeguards (including how we monitor use of generative AI or access to inappropriate content) in light of KCSIE 2025’s added emphasis on this.
12. Contact Information for Safeguarding Concerns
DSL: Qin Lin, Tel: 07928 717162
Hertfordshire Children’s Services: 0300 123 4043
LADO: 0300 123 4043
NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000
Approval
By implementing this policy, Herts Mandarin School aims to ensure the safety and welfare of all children in our care, including addressing both traditional safeguarding concerns and emerging digital risks.
Approved by:
Qin Lin
Date: 1st of November 2025
Review date: 1st of November 2026
