Safeguarding
Safeguarding is the whole job.
A child with additional needs, alone with an adult in a home or at the back of a classroom, is among the least visible children there are. Our system is built for that.
The framework, in plain terms
Six rules we write down.
- 01
Policy and code
Every professional signs our safeguarding policy and code of conduct before placement. A named safeguarding lead at Special Minds is reachable by the professional, by the family and by the school.
- 02
Reporting
Concerns are reported to us the same day, recorded, and acted on. Immediate risk to a child goes first to the family and to the emergency services, then to us.
- 03
Boundaries
A shadow teacher and a special educator educate and support. Neither diagnoses, treats, prescribes, handles medication beyond what is agreed in writing with the family and a clinician, restrains a child, or provides medical care.
- 04
Transport, photography, devices, confidentiality, domestic staff
Each has a written rule in the placement agreement. Nothing about a child is photographed, posted or shared. Household information stays in the household. The professional is never asked to be alone with a child behind a closed door where the household cannot see.
- 05
Complaints
Families, schools and practitioners each have a route to complain to us, and each complaint is documented and answered.
- 06
Training and review
Safeguarding refresher training for every professional, and an annual review of the policy itself.
A note we put in writing
We would rather decline than blur the line.
Before any professional is placed in a role that involves medication, physical support, transporting a child, or care outside the household's sight, the family and Special Minds agree the arrangement in writing with the child's clinician where relevant, and the role is defined accordingly. We would rather decline a placement than blur that line.
A therapist, psychologist or nurse is a separately qualified professional.