Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy

Remarkable Minds connects families, schools and local authorities with vetted specialists who support neurodivergent children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Many of the people we serve are, by virtue of their age, disability or circumstances, more vulnerable to harm.

Remarkable Minds is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young adults who come into contact with our service. We believe that every child and young person, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, has the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse. The welfare of the child is paramount.

This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of Remarkable Minds, including directors, employees, contractors, specialists accepting bookings through the platform, volunteers, and anyone else who has contact with — or access to information about — children and young people through our service.

For the purpose of this policy, a “child” is anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday. We also recognise that many of the young adults we support (those aged 18–25, including those with an Education, Health and Care Plan) may be adults at risk, and we extend the protective principles of this policy to them in line with the Care Act 2014. Sessions are delivered remotely via our online platform, and this policy covers online as well as in-person contact.

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children and young people in England, including:

• Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004 (including the section 11 duty to safeguard and promote welfare)
• Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023)
• Keeping Children Safe in Education (statutory guidance, current edition)
• Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice (0–25)
• Care Act 2014 (safeguarding adults at risk)
• Equality Act 2010
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (DBS and regulated activity)
• Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR
• The Online Safety Act 2023 and relevant online safety guidance

This statement should be read alongside our supporting procedures (see section 12).

We will safeguard children and young people by:

• Valuing, listening to and respecting children and young people
• Appointing a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and ensuring everyone knows who they are
• Adopting safeguarding practices through procedures and a code of conduct for staff and specialists
• Recruiting and vetting safely, including Enhanced DBS checks for all specialists
• Providing safeguarding training and making sure everyone understands their responsibilities
• Sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children, families and specialists
• Recording, storing and sharing information securely and in line with data protection law
• Using our online platform safely, including session recording, monitoring and verified identities
• Building a safeguarding culture where staff and specialists feel able to raise concerns

Remarkable Minds has a named Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) who takes lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection across the service. The DSL is responsible for managing safeguarding concerns, making referrals to the local authority and other agencies, keeping records, and ensuring this policy is followed and reviewed.

We operate safer recruitment practices for everyone who works with children through Remarkable Minds. Before any specialist can accept a booking, we:

• Verify government-issued identity against a live image
• Require and verify a current Enhanced DBS certificate (with barred list check where the role is regulated activity)
• Verify professional qualifications and registrations against the awarding or regulatory body
• Take up references and confirm work history
• Require a self-declaration of suitability to work with children and young adults

DBS status and qualifications are re-checked at renewal. Further detail is published on our Trust & safety page.

Everyone working with children through Remarkable Minds must maintain professional boundaries and behave in a way that protects children and protects themselves from misunderstanding or allegation. Among other things, staff and specialists must:

• Treat all children and young people with dignity and respect
• Deliver sessions only through Remarkable Minds’ official platform and channels
• Never arrange private contact, off-platform messaging, or in-person meetings with a child outside the service
• Never connect with a child on personal social media or share personal contact details
• Avoid being alone with a child in an unmonitored setting wherever possible
• Report any concern, disclosure or boundary breach immediately to the DSL

Because our sessions are delivered online, online safety is central to how we protect children. We:

• Verify the identity of every specialist before they go live
• Keep communication on official, monitored channels
• Encourage a parent, carer or trusted adult to be aware of and able to oversee sessions for younger children
• Provide guidance to families and specialists on safe online conduct
• Act promptly on any report of harmful, inappropriate or illegal online content or contact

Anyone who is worried about a child — whether because of something they have seen, something a child has told them (a disclosure), or the behaviour of an adult — must act. We expect everyone to:

• Respond calmly, listen, and reassure the child without promising confidentiality
• Not investigate or ask leading questions
• Record what was seen or heard, in the child’s own words, as soon as possible
• Report the concern to the DSL without delay

The DSL will decide on next steps, which may include a referral to the relevant local authority children’s social care team, the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), the police, or — for an adult at risk — adult social care. Where a child is in immediate danger, we will call 999 without waiting. A concern can be raised directly with the NSPCC Helpline or, by a young person, with Childline (see contacts).

Where an allegation is made that a member of staff or a specialist may have harmed a child, behaved towards a child in a way that indicates they are unsuitable to work with children, or behaved in a way that may pose a risk, the DSL will refer the matter to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) within one working day and will not conduct their own investigation first. The individual may be suspended from the platform while the matter is considered. Where appropriate, we will make a referral to the DBS and any relevant professional regulator.

Anyone who has concerns about the safeguarding practice or conduct of a colleague, specialist or the organisation itself must raise them. Concerns can be reported to the DSL, and where the concern is about the DSL, directly to a company director. Concerns will be taken seriously and investigated, and anyone raising a genuine concern will be protected from retaliation. If an internal concern is not acted upon, it can be escalated externally to the relevant local authority or the NSPCC Whistleblowing Helpline.

Safeguarding records are kept securely, separately from general records, and are accessible only to those who need them. We share information lawfully and proportionately to protect a child; concerns for a child’s safety always override a duty of confidentiality, and we handle all personal data in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR.

This policy statement is supported by detailed procedures covering: responding to concerns and disclosures; safer recruitment; code of conduct; managing allegations; whistleblowing; online safety; data protection and record keeping. These are available on request.

The DSL undertakes safeguarding lead training and refreshes it at least every two years. All staff and specialists are required to complete safeguarding training appropriate to their role at induction and to refresh it regularly. Everyone is made aware of this policy and how to report a concern.

This policy is owned by the Designated Safeguarding Lead and approved by the directors of Remarkable Minds. It will be reviewed at least annually, and sooner following any significant change in legislation or guidance, or any safeguarding incident.

• Emergency (child in immediate danger): 999
• Police non-emergency: 101
• Remarkable Minds DSL: Jake Owen — jake@remarkableminds.app
• NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000 (help@nspcc.org.uk)
• Childline (for children & young people): 0800 1111
• Your local authority: contact the children’s social care / MASH team and the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for your area