You must have a safeguarding policy in place to protect your riders and staff. Your safeguarding policy will inform:
- safeguarding report form
- booking and consent forms
- code of conduct
- data protection (GDPR)
Your policy must cover the following areas:
- safer recruitment
- risk mitigation through management, training and a code of conduct
- risk mitigation through use of consent and booking forms
- response to allegations of significant harm to a child or vulnerable adult
- instructions for staff on how to deal with welfare concerns and disclosures of abuse
- data handling and data protection. You may prefer to create a separate data policy.
You must name a safeguarding lead in your policy. This individual will receive, record and pass on welfare concerns or disclosures of abuse. The safeguarding lead or other staff can complete DBS checks.
Your instructors must know the correct details of a school’s safeguarding officer. Instructors should not have to talk to a teacher or reception to log a concern.
Very small training providers may need to name an external safeguarding lead. If only one or two instructors work for you, you do not have to inform and check staff in your policy. You must state in your policy how many instructors work for you and that you do not plan to recruit.
Your safeguarding policy should be available to the public at any time.