Safeguarding and Child Protection

1. Purpose

1.1 Statement of intent

Care Cove Alternative Provision works with young people who have often been excluded, let down or harmed. Many of our learners carry risks that most schools meet rarely: criminal and sexual exploitation, serious youth violence, self-harm, substance misuse and harm online. We plan for those risks from the day a learner is referred. We do not wait for something to go wrong.

We believe that:

• every child has the right to be safe, and safeguarding is everyone's responsibility;

• we act in the best interests of the child, and we listen to what children tell us and show us;

• behaviour is communication, and a learner who is struggling may be a learner who is being harmed;

• it could happen here: no adult, family, partner or setting is beyond question;

• because we never exclude, we keep children close and keep working with them when things are hard.

Safeguarding means protecting children from maltreatment, inside or outside the home and online, preventing harm to their health or development, and acting so that every child has the best outcomes. Child protection is the part of safeguarding that responds to children who are suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm.

1.2 What this policy does

This policy tells every adult what to look for, what to do and by when. It sets out how the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) decides what happens next, how we share information and keep records, and how we are held to account outside Ofsted inspection.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

• everyone who works or volunteers in Care Cove Alternative Provision: employed staff, agency and supply staff from First Class Teachers, counsellors from My Solution Wellbeing, sessional and vocational tutors, volunteers, students on placement and members of the Social Work Management Committee (SWMC);

• every learner in the provision, whoever commissions the place (a local authority or a school);

• every place we work: 37 Townhead Street, our outdoor classrooms, off-site visits, work placements and tasters, transport, home visits, and online contact through Care Cove Connect.

A child is anyone under 18. If a learner turns 18 while with us, adult safeguarding procedures under the Care Act 2014 apply and the DSL will take advice.

37 Townhead Street is shared with Care Cove Short Breaks and Dreams Are Real CIC, which have their own safeguarding arrangements. Our written zoning plan keeps the AP apart from other activity. Any adult in the building who has a concern about an AP learner follows this policy.

3. Law and guidance

• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 (KCSIE), in force from 1 September 2026, including Part Five on child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment.

• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 (as updated).

• Children Act 1989 (sections 17 and 47) and Children Act 2004.

• Sheffield Children's Safeguarding Partnership procedures and thresholds: sheffieldscp.trixonline.co.uk.

• Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, section 26, and the Prevent duty guidance.

• Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003, section 5B (mandatory reporting duty).

• Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (children are victims in their own right).

• DfE statutory guidance on gender questioning children, as referenced in KCSIE 2026.

• UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025; DfE information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners.

• DfE filtering and monitoring standards (Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges) and DfE guidance on generative AI in education.

• UKCIS guidance, Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people.

• Searching, Screening and Confiscation (DfE, 2022); the Children Missing Education statutory guidance.

• DfE Alternative Provision statutory guidance (2013) and the commissioning local authority's own AP standards.

4. Roles and responsibilities

4.1 Who's who

4.2 DSL cover in every operating hour

• A trained DSL (the DSL or the Deputy DSL) is on site in every operating hour, from 08:45 until the last learner has left, and contactable outside those hours.

• The Head of AP publishes a weekly DSL cover rota on Connect and in the staff area, showing who is the duty DSL each day and how to reach them. Every adult is told who the duty DSL is at the start of each day.

• The DSL and Deputy DSL do not both leave site at the same time while learners are present. Panels, meetings and training are planned around this.

• If an unforeseen absence leaves no trained DSL on site, the Head of AP tells the Director at once. A trained DSL comes to site as soon as possible and stays reachable by phone until they arrive. The gap and how it was covered are recorded on Connect and reported to the SWMC.

• A third member of staff will be trained to Level 3 DSL by 18 December 2026 to strengthen cover.

• Connect sends every new concern straight to the safeguarding roles, so it reaches the duty DSL wherever they are. Staff still tell the DSL in person or by phone.

4.3 What each role does in addition

• The DSL also attends or reports to strategy meetings, child protection conferences, core groups and child in need meetings; liaises with social workers and the Virtual School; reports safeguarding themes to the SWMC and, at half-termly monitoring, to commissioning local authorities; and transfers records when a learner leaves.

• The Deputy DSL follows the same procedures and records on Connect in the same way whenever acting as DSL.

• The Director is accountable for safeguarding across Care Cove, commissions the annual external audit and makes sure the provision has the staff, training and time to keep learners safe.

• The SWMC (the Chair and two registered social workers) ratifies this policy and provides professional challenge.

• Counsellors explain the limits of confidentiality at the first therapy session, tell the DSL within the session about any disclosure or rising risk, and share risk and themes, not session content. They never hold risk alone.

• Every adult reads this policy and KCSIE Part One (and Annex B if they work directly with learners), knows who the duty DSL is, tells the DSL immediately, records on Connect the same day, and acts if a concern is not being dealt with.

5. Working safely with part-time placements

Our learners attend 2 or 3 days a week. Their school, or the local authority for permanently excluded learners, stays responsible for their education and arranges the other days. We are not the child's only setting, so we may see only part of the picture. These arrangements close that gap.

5.1 Before and at admission

• Before day one, the DSL asks the referring school's DSL, the panel and any social worker for relevant safeguarding information, including any child protection or child in need plan, risk information and known conflicts.

• At placement start we complete the entry risk assessment, the exploitation screening tool, a contextual risk map, the travel assessment and consent for outdoor spaces, and check known conflicts with the panel.

• Entry triggers a Team Around the Family (TAF) meeting. We attend, and we convene one if none exists.

• The DSL reviews each learner's exploitation screening and contextual risk map with the key mentor every month, and sooner after any incident.

• The name and contact details of the school's DSL are recorded on the learner's Connect record.

5.2 Daily information sharing with the school

• The register is taken on arrival and after each transition. Every absence is followed up the same morning, and daily attendance is shared with the referring school.

• Any safeguarding concern is shared with the school's DSL the same day, unless the DSL decides that sharing would put the child at risk and records why.

• At admission we agree with the school that it will tell us about anything significant that happens on the other days, including any domestic abuse notification it receives from the police (Operation Encompass).

• We ask what the learner does on the days they are not with us. If the answer is unclear, or there is no arrangement, the DSL raises it with the school and the commissioning local authority the same week, because a child without suitable education on those days may be a child missing education.

5.3 Part-time timetables as an Early Help indicator

KCSIE 2026 recognises children on part-time timetables, or repeatedly removed from class, as needing Early Help consideration. That describes every learner we take. At admission the DSL checks whether an Early Help assessment or TAF is in place and, if not, discusses one with the family and the school. KCSIE 2026 also names children who are pregnant or young parents, and children showing early harmful behaviour, as Early Help indicators.

5.4 Arrivals, departures and transitions

Arrivals and departures are staggered and transitions are supervised, especially where learners may be in conflict. Our zoning plan keeps AP learners apart from Short Breaks and Dreams Are Real CIC activity. When a mix of placements creates risk, we tell the commissioning local authority.

6. Recognising abuse, neglect and exploitation

6.1 The four categories

Abuse is rarely one event. Signs build up over time, which is why every small concern goes on Connect.

6.2 Specific safeguarding issues for our learners

Child criminal exploitation and county lines. Children are groomed or forced into crime, often moving drugs across areas. Look for unexplained money, phones, clothes or injuries, going missing, new older associates, travel to other towns, fear and carrying weapons. Exploited children are victims, even if they have committed offences. The key mentor holds the relationship so a disclosure has somewhere to go, and no learner is questioned alone about associates. The DSL refers to the Sheffield Safeguarding Hub, which can consider a National Referral Mechanism referral, and shares intelligence with the police and the panel where thresholds are met.

Child sexual exploitation. A child is coerced into sexual activity in exchange for something they want or need, in person or online. Signs overlap with criminal exploitation. A child cannot consent to their own exploitation.

Serious youth violence, knife crime and gangs. We check known conflicts with the panel before a placement starts and separate timetables where needed, alongside the arrangements in section 5.4. Searching, screening and confiscation follow DfE guidance. If a weapon is found, we call the police, parents and the school are told the same day, and the SWMC reviews the incident.

Contextual safeguarding. Harm often happens outside the home: in parks, transport hubs, the city centre and online. Each learner's contextual risk map shows the places, people and routes that matter, and informs travel planning, outdoor classrooms and staggered timings.

Online harm. KCSIE groups online risks as content, contact, conduct and commerce, and now names generative AI as a risk. Nude and semi-nude images include AI-generated and deepfake images; an AI-generated sexual image of a child is illegal in the same way as a photograph. In sextortion, a child is threatened with the release of images unless they pay or send more. If a learner tells you about an image, never view, copy, forward or delete it, and never ask to see it. Tell the DSL, who follows the UKCIS guidance, involves the police where needed and can help the learner use the Childline and Internet Watch Foundation Report Remove tool. Tell a learner who is being blackmailed not to pay and not to reply.

Child-on-child abuse and harmful sexual behaviour. This includes bullying (including online), physical abuse, sexual violence and harassment, upskirting, sharing images without consent, initiation violence and coercive control in teenage relationships. It is never "banter". KCSIE 2026 links misogyny with harmful sexual behaviour, so we challenge misogynistic language every time. Section 13 sets out the response.

Domestic abuse. Children who see, hear or experience domestic abuse are victims in their own right. Abuse in a learner's own relationships is domestic abuse too.

Self-harm and suicidal ideation. These are safeguarding concerns in their own right, not only a mental health matter. Any sign of self-harm, or any talk of suicide, goes to the DSL immediately. Section 9 applies.

Mental health. Staff do not diagnose. You notice changes in mood, behaviour, eating, sleep or engagement, and report them. Suspected eating disorders go to the Clinical Advisor before any dietary approach, and we never talk about weight, calories or restriction with learners.

Substance misuse. A learner who uses drugs or alcohol is not excluded. The Clinical Advisor completes a health check and parents are told. The DSL refers the learner to the young people's substance misuse service, working with the learner and family on the referral, and considers whether the use points to exploitation.

Children missing education. Absence can signal abuse, exploitation, forced marriage or neglect. Every absence is followed up the same morning. Section 10 covers learners missing from provision.

Radicalisation. Any concern that a learner is being drawn into terrorism or extremism goes to the DSL, who follows the Prevent and Counter-Extremism policy.

Female genital mutilation (FGM). FGM is illegal and is child abuse. The law (section 5B of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003) gives teachers in schools and some other education settings a personal duty to report to the police on 101 any case where a girl under 18 tells them she has had FGM, or where they see physical signs of it, as soon as possible and normally by the end of the next working day. Whether or not that duty applies in a setting like ours, every Care Cove teacher follows it and also tells the DSL. Every other adult reports the same concerns to the DSL straight away. No member of staff ever examines a learner. If you think a girl is at risk of FGM, tell the DSL immediately.

Forced marriage and honour-based abuse. It is a crime to cause a child under 18 to marry, even without force. Honour-based abuse includes threats, violence and control to protect a family's reputation. Signs include sudden absence, a planned long trip abroad and fear. Do not contact the family or try to mediate. Tell the DSL, who will involve the Hub and the police.

Private fostering. If a learner under 16 (under 18 if disabled) lives for 28 days or more with someone who is not a parent or close relative, the DSL notifies Sheffield City Council through the Hub.

Young carers. Learners who care for a family member may be tired, late or absent. The DSL considers Early Help and a young carer's assessment. Any phone exception for caring reasons is written into the learner's plan.

Children with SEND. Adults may wrongly put signs of abuse down to a child's needs, and learners may find it hard to tell us what is happening. They are also more likely to be bullied or exploited. Staff watch communication and behaviour closely and use each learner's communication tools.

Looked-after and previously looked-after children, and children with a social worker. The DSL keeps in contact with the child's social worker and the Virtual School, contributes to the Personal Education Plan through the school, and records who holds parental responsibility and any contact restrictions on Connect.

Gender questioning children. We follow the DfE statutory guidance on gender questioning children. Any request is discussed with the DSL and the school. Parents are involved as a priority, except in rare cases where that would put the child at significant risk of harm. The DSL makes and records those decisions.

7. What every adult must do: receive, record, report

7.1 Receive

If a learner tells you something, or you notice something that worries you:

1. Stay calm. Listen, and let the learner speak in their own words.

2. Do not ask leading questions. Use open prompts only, such as "tell me more" or "what happened next".

3. Never promise to keep a secret. Say kindly that you will have to share this with the people whose job is to keep them safe.

4. Tell the learner they were right to tell you, that you take it seriously and what will happen next.

5. Do not investigate, confront anyone or contact the family yourself.

7.2 Report

1. If a child is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical help, call 999 first.

2. Tell the duty DSL immediately, in person or by phone. Do not rely on Connect alone, and do not wait until the end of the day.

3. If the concern is about an adult, follow section 17.

7.3 Record

1. Record the concern on Connect the same day, and before you leave the building.

2. Write down the learner's exact words, and your questions, as closely as you can.

3. Record facts: date, time, place, who was present and what you saw and heard. Keep opinion separate and label it.

4. Mark any visible injury on the body map in Connect. Never photograph an injury, and never ask a learner to remove clothing.

5. If Connect is unavailable, use the paper safeguarding form kept at reception, hand it to the DSL and make sure it is entered on Connect as soon as the system returns.

7.4 If the DSL is unavailable

If you cannot reach the DSL or the Deputy DSL, speak to the Head of AP or the Director. If the matter is urgent and no trained DSL can be reached, any member of staff can, and should, refer directly to the Sheffield Safeguarding Hub on 0114 273 4855, or call the police. Tell the DSL as soon as you can and record what you did on Connect.

8. What the DSL does

8.1 A decision within the hour

The DSL decides within the hour of hearing about a concern: school and family contact, Early Help, or a referral to the Sheffield Safeguarding Hub, using the Sheffield Children's Safeguarding Partnership thresholds. The DSL may also involve the police, CAMHS or emergency services. The decision, the reasons and who was told are recorded on Connect, and decisions not to refer are looked at again at the weekly concerns log review.

8.2 The routes

8.3 Telling parents and carers

Parents and carers are told about concerns, and about any referral, unless doing so would increase the risk to the child or anyone else. Examples include suspected sexual abuse or violence within the family, FGM, forced marriage or honour-based abuse, fabricated illness, or where the Hub or the police advise against it. If in doubt, the DSL asks the Hub before telling the family. The decision is recorded either way.

8.4 After a referral

The DSL records the referral on the learner's chronology and tells the school's DSL. If the outcome is not known within three working days, the DSL follows it up. If the DSL thinks the child is still at risk, they use the escalation process in section 18. The DSL attends, or sends a report to, any strategy meeting, conference, core group or review, and keeps the TAF and the key mentor informed so that support continues.

9. Urgent clinical risk

Urgent clinical risk means suicidal intent or a plan, an acute mental health crisis, or a medical emergency.

1. Never leave the learner alone. Stay with them, keep calm and move other learners away.

2. In a medical emergency, or where there is an immediate risk to life, call 999 straight away. Give first aid.

3. Remove anything the learner could use to harm themselves, if it is safe to do so.

4. Tell the duty DSL immediately. The DSL contacts the Clinical Advisor for a same-day clinical decision.

5. The Clinical Advisor and DSL decide between NHS 111, option 2 (24-hour mental health crisis line) and 999. If the Clinical Advisor cannot be reached straight away, the DSL does not wait: they use NHS 111, option 2, or 999, and record why. Never wait for advice if the learner is in danger.

6. Parents and carers are told straight away unless doing so would increase the risk.

7. The DSL refers to the Sheffield Safeguarding Hub within 24 hours.

8. A safety plan is agreed with the learner and family, shared with the school and counsellor, and reviewed by the Clinical Advisor.

9. Everything is recorded on Connect the same day, and the staff involved have a debrief the same day.

10. A learner missing from provision

A learner is missing if they leave the site or a session without agreement, or cannot be found. The register on arrival and after each transition helps us notice quickly.

1. Tell the duty DSL and the Head of AP immediately.

2. Call the parent or carer and the referring school immediately.

3. Search the whole site: every floor, toilets, regulation spaces, entrances and the rear exit. Check CCTV.

4. Search the immediate area, using the contextual risk map to decide where to look. Searching staff go in pairs where possible, carry a phone, and never leave the group below ratio.

5. Staff do not chase or physically stop a learner unless that is needed to prevent immediate serious harm and is in line with the Positive Handling and Physical Intervention policy. Where safe, a member of staff keeps the learner in sight from a distance.

6. Call the police straight away where there is known risk, for example exploitation, self-harm, a medical need, a threat from others or previous missing episodes. Otherwise, if the learner has not been found within 30 minutes, the DSL calls the police. A learner counts as found only when a member of staff, or a parent who is with them, has confirmed they are safe.

7. Where a learner is missing from education, or their whereabouts are not known, the DSL notifies the Children Missing Education team.

8. When the learner is found, the key mentor checks they are safe and well and talks with them about where they went. The DSL considers whether the episode points to exploitation or harm and agrees next steps with the family and school.

9. Record every step and time on Connect. The Head of AP reviews the episode and updates the risk assessment.

The same steps apply on off-site sessions, where the session lead also contacts the member of staff who has stayed on site.

11. Information sharing

11.1 Principles

We follow the DfE information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners. In practice:

• Data protection law is not a barrier to sharing information to keep a child safe.

• Be open with the child and family about what you share and why, unless that would put the child at risk.

• If unsure, ask the DSL. You can seek advice without naming the child.

• Consent is not needed where there is a lawful basis, and should not be sought if asking would put the child at risk.

• Put the safety and wellbeing of the child and others first.

• Share only what is necessary, proportionate, relevant, adequate, accurate, timely and secure.

• Record what you shared, with whom, when and why, or why you decided not to share.

11.2 Lawful basis

Our lawful bases are recorded in our record of processing and our privacy notices. For safeguarding these are normally legitimate interests, including the recognised legitimate interest in safeguarding vulnerable individuals added by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, or a legal obligation. For special category data we rely on the Data Protection Act 2018 Schedule 1 condition for safeguarding children and individuals at risk. Care Cove and each commissioning local authority are independent data controllers under our contracts.

11.3 Working with the referring school and the panel

The referring school keeps the main responsibility for the learner's education and normally holds the main child protection file. For a permanently excluded learner, the DSL agrees with the commissioning local authority where the main file is held. We share concerns with the school's DSL the same day and agree who does what. We share information with the panel, the commissioning local authority's access and inclusion officers and the TAF at our regular reviews, and tell the commissioning local authority about significant safeguarding events for every learner it has placed with us, whoever pays for the place. Information goes through the Connect Partner portal, secure messaging, or by phone followed by a Connect record, never by personal email or messaging apps.

12. Record keeping

12.1 The Connect chronology

Every concern, decision, referral and outcome sits on the learner's safeguarding chronology on Connect. The chronology is append-only: nothing is overwritten or deleted, and corrections are new linked entries. Anyone can raise a concern, but only permitted roles can read safeguarding records. Access is protected by strong security controls. Safeguarding records are kept separate from the general learner record.

12.2 Paper records

The paper safeguarding form and fallback register are used only during a system outage. Paper forms are entered on Connect as soon as possible and then stored in the locked cabinet or securely destroyed, as the Data Protection, Retention and Information Sharing policy sets out.

12.3 When a learner leaves

When a learner leaves us, or moves to a new school or setting, the DSL:

1. transfers our safeguarding records, including current risk information, securely to the receiving setting's DSL and to the school that holds the main file, within five school days, separately from other records;

2. gets confirmation that the records have been received;

3. has a direct conversation with the receiving DSL wherever this would help keep the child safe, especially where there is current risk, and records it on Connect.

12.4 Retention and contract end

Safeguarding records are kept in line with our retention schedule. They are never destroyed while an investigation, review or legal process is open. A commissioning local authority may expect child and family data to be deleted when our contract with it ends. Before any deletion, the DSL makes sure every safeguarding record has been transferred properly to the school or the commissioning local authority, as agreed with that local authority in advance.

13. Child-on-child abuse

We follow KCSIE Part Five. All reports are taken seriously and recorded, whatever the learners' ages and wherever or whenever the abuse happened, including online and on days the learners are not with us.

1. Listen to the learner who reports, reassure them and do not promise confidentiality. Tell the DSL immediately.

2. The DSL makes an immediate risk and needs assessment for the learner who was harmed, the learner alleged to have caused harm and any other learners. It considers the Brook Sexual Behaviours Traffic Light Tool where sexual behaviour is involved.

3. The DSL decides whether to manage the matter internally, seek Early Help, refer to the Sheffield Safeguarding Hub or report to the police. Reports of rape, assault by penetration or sexual assault are passed to the police.

4. Each learner receives separate support with their own named adult. Timetables, transitions and arrivals are separated where needed. A learner is not removed from our provision because they have been harmed, and the learner alleged to have caused harm is not excluded.

5. Both learners' schools and parents are told, unless that would increase risk, and the commissioning local authority is told where the placement mix creates risk.

6. Everything is recorded on each learner's chronology, and the DSL reviews the risk assessment at least weekly while it is needed.

We prevent child-on-child abuse through the Respect Code, the personal development and relationships curriculum, supervised transitions and challenging sexist, misogynistic, racist and homophobic language every time.

14. Online safety, filtering and monitoring

• Learner phones go into the learner's own locker at reception on arrival and come back at the door. This covers lessons, breaks and lunch, as the Mobile Phones and Digital Devices policy sets out.

• Learners use only Care Cove devices and the Care Cove network, both filtered and monitored. Filtering blocks harmful and inappropriate content without stopping reasonable learning. Monitoring alerts go to the DSL.

• The Director, as senior leader, leads an annual review and check of filtering and monitoring with the DSL, against the DfE standards. The review is recorded and reported to the SWMC. Extra checks follow any incident or any change in technology or risk.

• Learners use generative AI only for tasks a teacher sets, with tools on the Director's approved list, under supervision. Learners are taught never to use AI to create images of real people.

• Online safety, including sextortion, deepfakes and AI, is taught through the RESET Tech mastery strand and IT lessons.

• The Online Safety and Acceptable Use policy gives the detail.

15. Staff training and induction

Staff also receive regular safeguarding updates at team meetings and through Connect. Training is recorded on the Connect training matrix, which the Head of AP checks. Nobody has any contact with learners until their pre-appointment checks and before-contact training are complete, as the Safer Recruitment policy sets out, and Connect blocks rostering while a check is outstanding.

16. Safer working practice

Every adult follows the Staff Code of Conduct. In summary: nobody works unobserved with a learner; one-to-one work takes place in rooms with a glazed panel or an open door; regulation spaces are never locked; there is no contact with learners through personal phones or social media; and staff do not use personal phones in front of learners. Visitors have their ID checked, sign in, wear a lanyard and are escorted at all times. Physical intervention is used only by Team Teach trained staff as a last resort. Every use is logged on Connect the same day, reviewed with the DSL within 24 hours and reported to parents and the school the same day; staff involved have a debrief the same day, and the SWMC reviews patterns every term. Drivers hold an Enhanced DBS check with barred list, escorts are deployed on risk assessment, journeys are logged and there is no lone transport without a written risk assessment. Safer recruitment follows the Safer Recruitment policy and KCSIE Part Three. Volunteers in regulated activity need an Enhanced DBS check with barred list, whether or not they are supervised.

17. Concerns and allegations about adults

Any concern that an adult may have harmed a child, or may pose a risk to children, goes to the Director as case manager the same day. Any allegation about the Director goes to the SWMC Chair. The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is contacted within 1 working day, and the person concerned is not told until the LADO advises. The commissioning local authority's contract manager is told and receives a report of the investigation and action taken. Low-level concerns are logged on Connect and reviewed weekly for patterns. The Managing Allegations Against Staff and Low-Level Concerns policy gives the full procedure. If you are worried about how a concern is being handled, use the Whistleblowing policy.

18. Escalation and resolving professional disagreement

Inside Care Cove, if you disagree with a decision about a child, speak to the DSL first. If you are still worried, speak to the Deputy DSL, the Director or the SWMC Chair, or refer directly to the Sheffield Safeguarding Hub. You will not be criticised for doing so.

If the DSL disagrees with another agency's decision, for example a referral that does not lead to action while the child is still at risk, the DSL follows the Sheffield Children's Safeguarding Partnership escalation procedure for resolving professional disagreements. The DSL starts by talking to the worker concerned, then escalates to their manager and on through the stages and timescales in that procedure. The DSL keeps the child's safety at the centre throughout and records each step on Connect. The Director and the SWMC Chair support any escalation that reaches senior level.

19. Assurance outside Ofsted inspection

Because Care Cove AP is part-time and is not registered with Ofsted, it sits outside Ofsted inspection. We treat that as a gap to fill, not an exemption to rely on.

• The DSL reviews the concerns log, chronologies and every escalation each week.

• The Data and Compliance Officer checks the Single Central Record every month and sends an exception report to the Director. The SWMC audits the Single Central Record every term.

• The SWMC audits safeguarding decisions, chronologies and physical intervention trends every term and writes a report with actions and timescales.

• An independent external safeguarding audit is commissioned every year. The full report and action plan are shared with the commissioning local authority's contract manager.

• Learner voice on feeling safe is gathered through a half-termly survey and a termly forum. Parent voice is gathered every half term.

• Safeguarding themes and volumes are reported to commissioning local authorities at half-termly monitoring, and any commissioning local authority may review this policy and our practice at any time.

20. Monitoring and review

The DSL owns this policy. It is signed off by the DSL and the Head of AP, ratified by the Social Work Management Committee, and reviewed every year, or sooner after a serious incident, a change in law or statutory guidance, or a change to our contracts. The SWMC's termly audit and the annual external audit test whether the policy is being followed, and their findings feed into each review. Key contacts in Appendix A are checked every term by the DSL. The policy is available to the commissioning local authority at any time and to parents, carers and schools on request, including through the Family portal.

21. Related policies

• 02 Safer Recruitment
• 03 Managing Allegations Against Staff and Low-Level Concerns
• 04 Whistleblowing
• 05 Prevent and Counter-Extremism
• 06 Online Safety and Acceptable Use
• 07 Behaviour, Rewards and Restorative Practice
• 08 Positive Handling and Physical Intervention
• 09 Searching, Screening and Confiscation
• 10 Mobile Phones and Digital Devices
• 11 Attendance and Children Missing Education
• 12 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
• 14 Therapeutic Practice and Clinical Governance
• 16 Transport and Escorting
• 17 Data Protection, Retention and Information Sharing
• 21 Staff Code of Conduct
• 24 Supporting Medical Needs and Administering Medicines
• 26 Off-site Learning and Educational Visits
• 27 Work Experience and Vocational Placements
• 28 Site Security, Visitors and CCTV
• 29 Anti-Bullying
• 30 Referrals, Admissions and Ending Placements
• 39 Drugs, Alcohol and Substance Misuse
• 41 Volunteers and Student Placements

Appendix A: Key contacts

Checked October 2026, re-check termly. Internal contact numbers for the duty DSL are on the weekly DSL cover rota.

Appendix B: What to do if you are worried about a child

1. Immediate danger or urgent medical need? Call 999 now, then tell the duty DSL.

2. Listen. Stay calm and let the learner use their own words. No leading questions. Never promise to keep a secret.

3. Tell the duty DSL immediately, in person or by phone. The DSL cover rota shows who is on duty.

4. Record it on Connect the same day, before you leave: the learner's exact words, the facts, time and place, and a body map for any visible injury. Use the paper form at reception if Connect is down.

5. The DSL decides within the hour: support within Care Cove, school and family contact, Early Help, a Sheffield Safeguarding Hub referral, or the police. Parents are told unless that would increase risk.

6. Cannot reach the DSL or Deputy DSL? Ask the Head of AP or the Director. If it is urgent, call the Hub yourself on 0114 273 4855, then tell the DSL.

7. Suicidal intent, crisis or medical emergency? Never leave the learner alone. Call 999 if life is at risk. Tell the DSL, who contacts the Clinical Advisor and uses NHS 111, option 2 (24-hour mental health crisis line), or 999.

8. Learner missing? Tell the DSL, call the parent and school immediately, and search the site and area. The police are called straight away where there is known risk, and in every case if the learner is not found within 30 minutes.

9. Worried about an adult? Tell the Director the same day, or the SWMC Chair if it is about the Director. Do not tell the adult concerned.

10. Not happy with the response? Go to the Director or the SWMC Chair, refer directly to the Hub, or use the Whistleblowing policy.

11. Look after yourself. Ask for a debrief and use supervision.

Document control and ratification

This policy is signed off by the Designated Safeguarding Lead and the Head of Alternative Provision, and ratified by the Social Work Management Committee. It is reviewed every year, or sooner after an incident or a change in law, statutory guidance or contract requirements, and it is available to any commissioning local authority on request.