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Safeguarding FAQs

1. Have we checked proof of identification of all employees? Yes.

2. Have we checked relevant qualifications (where required to undertake the job)? Yes.

3. Have we completed DBS checks? (Is information included to confirm what level of DBS has been completed? eg. enhanced)? Yes,
or equivalent when in a foreign jurisdiction (criminal record check, police report or certificate
of good standing).

4. Have we completed barred list checks, where adults are working in regulated activity (unsupervised)?
Yes, where applicable.

5. Have we had prohibition checks completed (via the DfE Secure Portal), where the adults have a
teaching role? Yes, where applicable.

6. Have we sought certificates of good conduct, where an adult has worked or lived overseas? Yes.

7. Have we made employees aware of the childcare disqualification guidance and the requirement to
disclose any convictions (listed in Table A of the guidance) if working with under 8s, including
childcare? We do not work with under 8s.

8. Have we provided safeguarding training to our OLAs? Yes. All askOLA staff have undergone safeguarding training, and this is repeated annually as a minimum.

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Your students’ safety is our number one priority

More information

Our Safeguarding Policy and procedures follow guidance laid down by an independent safeguarding consultant with longstanding experience as a Director of Safeguarding in a leading MAT, as well as being an accredited and trained BACP counsellor – https://ellasavellboss.co.uk/about/ Our Safeguarding Policy was written by our consultant in the context of the role of askOLA (both inside and outside of school) and our mental wellbeing partnership with Kooth.

The leadership team at GLUU have years of experience in supporting safeguarding in schools within both Trust and mainstream settings either as the Chair of Governors or as a Safeguarding Governor. Our DSL is level 3 trained.

The approach has been for askOLA to act as a school and follow Safer Recruitment and KCSIE guidance as laid down by the DfE. This is the backdrop to all of our policies and procedures.

Our approach is reviewed regularly by our safeguarding consultant who quality assures our delivery regularly. Our consultant also works with us to ensure that in the event of a disclosure we are able to escalate appropriately according to the time of day and severity of the disclosure.

All OLAs are recruited following Safer Recruitment guidance without exception. As we are an international business we follow this guidance as closely as possible, but as a minimum we require a criminal record check, reference follow-ups (at least two) and proof of any claimed qualifications. We also ask OLAs to sit an entrance examination specific to their subject specialism.

If recruited, all OLAs follow a set two week training programme which covers safeguarding, Prevent and child protection guidance. It also covers the processes adopted by Kooth in delivering their safeguarding policy and procedures.

Once schools agree to join the askOLA platform, we will tag all pupils so that we know the school from which they have been registered. This means that OLAs can access in real time information on the school DSL and/or local authority agencies should a disclosure require action.

Low and Medium level disclosures will be directed at all times to the askOLA DSL immediately for review and action. High level disclosures will be directed immediately into the school DSL or local authority agencies by phone, and the to the askOLA DSL. Reports will be provided as appropriate

In all instances in links are sent to the pupil via askOLA signposting to Kooth, or other charities such as NSPCC or The Samaritans depending on the need.

The askOLA DSL will, by the next day latest, seek to discuss any disclosure which needs escalating to the school-nominated DSL.

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