Safeguarding Policy

Acarise Ltd is an online e-learning platform providing academic support for GCSE and A Level students and learners across other academic programmes globally. We are headquartered in England and Wales and operate in full accordance with applicable UK legislation and statutory safeguarding guidance.

We are fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people who use our platform. This commitment extends across every service we deliver, every tutor we engage, and every member of staff we employ.

This policy applies to:

• •All permanent, temporary, and contracted staff
• •All tutors whether employed or self-employed
• •All volunteers and third-party contractors
• •Any partner organisations operating on behalf of Acarise Ltd

It applies across all platform features including live tutoring sessions, recorded lessons, messaging tools, resource libraries, and any future features introduced by Acarise.

This policy covers:

• •All users under the age of 18 who interact with any Acarise service
• •All staff, tutors, and contractors regardless of role or engagement type
• •All digital interactions on the platform including video, messaging, content, and forums
• •International users where equivalent or greater protections are imposed by local law
• •Any organisation accessing Acarise services through a school, college, or MAT agreement

Acarise has appointed a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) who holds overall responsibility for safeguarding across the organisation.

The DSL is trained to Level 3 Safeguarding standard and refreshes training at a minimum every two years in line with KCSIE guidance.

The DSL is responsible for:

• •Receiving and reviewing all safeguarding referrals and concerns
• •Maintaining a confidential record of all safeguarding matters
• •Liaising with statutory agencies including local authority children’s services, the police, and the LADO
• •Ensuring all staff and tutors receive appropriate safeguarding training
• •Reviewing and updating this policy annually
• •Acting as the first point of contact for all safeguarding queries

In the absence of the DSL a nominated deputy will assume full responsibilities. Contact details for the deputy are maintained internally and available to all staff upon request.

This policy is informed by and aligned to:

• •Children Act 1989 — Establishes the paramountcy of the child’s welfare
• •Children Act 2004 — Introduces the duty to cooperate to improve children’s wellbeing
• •Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2024 — Statutory guidance for educational settings
• •Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 — Multi-agency safeguarding guidance
• •Online Safety Act 2023 — Duties on online platforms to protect children from harm
• •Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 — Prevent duty obligations
• •Equality Act 2010 — Protects individuals from discrimination
• •UK GDPR — Governs the handling of personal data including children’s data
• •Sexual Offences Act 2003 — Defines and criminalises sexual offences against children
• •Modern Slavery Act 2015 — Addresses trafficking and exploitation

All staff and tutors are trained to recognise indicators of abuse. The four main categories are:

Additional areas of concern include:

• •Child sexual exploitation (CSE) and child criminal exploitation (CCE)
• •Domestic abuse and its impact on children
• •Female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage
• •Honour-based abuse
• •Online grooming and exploitation
• •Radicalisation and extremism (Prevent duty)
• •Human trafficking and modern slavery
• •Child-on-child abuse including cyberbullying

All individuals engaged by Acarise who have direct or indirect contact with learners must complete the following checks before engagement:

• •Enhanced DBS check with barred list check renewed every three years
• •Identity verification and right to work check
• •At least two professional references
• •Verification of qualifications and teaching credentials where applicable
• •Self-declaration of any known cautions, convictions, or regulatory concerns
• •Online presence check as part of due diligence

No individual will be permitted to interact with learners under 18 until all pre-engagement checks have been satisfactorily completed and reviewed by the DSL.

• •All staff and tutors must complete Acarise safeguarding induction training before working with learners
• •Refresher training is required at least annually for all staff and every two years for the DSL
• •Training covers recognising abuse, reporting obligations, online safety, safer recruitment, Prevent duty, and child-on-child abuse
• •Training completion records are held by the DSL
• •The DSL attends external safeguarding training provided by local safeguarding partnerships

As an exclusively online platform Acarise recognises the specific safeguarding risks that arise in digital environments.

Acarise recognises its obligations under the Prevent strand of the government’s counter-terrorism strategy CONTEST. We are alert to signs that a learner or staff member may be at risk of radicalisation or extremist influence.

• •All staff and tutors receive Prevent awareness training as part of their induction
• •Concerns about radicalisation are reported to the DSL who will refer to the relevant Channel panel if appropriate
• •Acarise does not permit the promotion or glorification of terrorism, extremism, or violent ideologies on the platform

Acarise recognises that abuse can be perpetrated by children against other children. This includes:

• •Cyberbullying and online harassment between learners
• •Sharing of intimate images without consent
• •Sexual harassment or coercion through platform messaging tools

All such incidents are treated with the same seriousness as adult-perpetrated abuse. Reports are made to the DSL who will follow the same referral process.

• •All safeguarding information is held in strict confidence
• •Information is shared only on a need-to-know basis and in accordance with UK GDPR
• •Confidentiality is never a barrier to sharing information where a child is at risk of significant harm
• •All staff are made aware that they cannot promise confidentiality to a child who discloses abuse
• •Records of all safeguarding concerns and referrals are maintained securely by the DSL

Where an allegation is made against a member of staff or a tutor:

• •The DSL will be notified immediately
• •The individual concerned will be suspended from platform access pending investigation
• •The matter will be referred to the LADO within one working day
• •A referral to the DBS will be made where the individual is removed from regulated activity
• •No internal investigation will proceed in a manner that could compromise the statutory process
• •The individual will be informed of the allegation and their rights in accordance with applicable employment law

• •All safeguarding concerns, referrals, and outcomes are recorded in writing by the DSL
• •Records are stored securely and separately from general personnel files
• •Safeguarding records relating to a child are retained until the child reaches the age of 25 or for a minimum of seven years whichever is longer
• •Records involving allegations against staff are retained indefinitely in line with statutory guidance
• •All records are subject to UK GDPR and accessible only to authorised personnel

This policy will be reviewed annually by the DSL and updated to reflect any changes in legislation, statutory guidance, or organisational practice. All staff and tutors will be notified of material updates.

Next Review Date: January 2026 · Policy Owner: Acarise Ltd — Designated Safeguarding Lead