Safeguarding & Child Protection

TutorEd follows these principles:

• The welfare and safety of the child comes first.
• Every child has the right to be protected from abuse, neglect, exploitation and inappropriate behaviour.
• Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.
• Concerns should be reported promptly, even where there is no proof that abuse has occurred.
• Tutors and TutorEd staff must never investigate allegations themselves.
• Children should be listened to and taken seriously.
• Safeguarding information should only be shared with people who need it to protect the child.
• Tutors must maintain appropriate professional boundaries at all times.
• Safeguarding decisions will never be influenced by tutor ratings, revenue, bookings or TutorEd's commercial interests.

TutorEd has a designated Safeguarding Lead responsible for managing safeguarding and child-protection concerns.

Safeguarding concerns can be reported through TutorEd's Help & Support system by selecting Safeguarding concern, or by contacting support@tutored.online.

The Safeguarding Lead is responsible for:

• reviewing safeguarding concerns;
• keeping appropriate safeguarding records;
• deciding what immediate action is required;
• restricting or suspending accounts where necessary;
• obtaining safeguarding advice where appropriate; and
• referring concerns to the relevant authorities when required.

The absence or unavailability of the Safeguarding Lead must never delay action where a child is in immediate danger.

TutorEd takes reasonable steps to ensure tutors are suitable to work with children.

Before becoming publicly available to students, tutors must complete TutorEd's recruitment and verification process. This may include:

• application and identity verification;
• automated video assessment;
• online face-to-face interview;
• qualification or experience verification where appropriate;
• appropriate DBS checks;
• safeguarding requirements and training;
• acceptance of TutorEd's safeguarding rules and tutor code of conduct; and
• final TutorEd approval.

Providing false or misleading information may result in an application being rejected or an existing tutor account being removed.

Tutors must inform TutorEd if circumstances arise that may affect their suitability to work with children. TutorEd may restrict or suspend a tutor while suitability or safeguarding concerns are reviewed.

Tutors are in a position of trust and must maintain professional boundaries at all times.

Tutors must not:

• pursue or encourage romantic or sexual relationships with students;
• flirt with students;
• engage in sexualised conversation;
• make sexual comments or jokes;
• request or share nude, semi-nude, sexual or otherwise inappropriate images;
• engage in grooming behaviour;
• encourage a student to keep conversations or relationships secret from a parent, guardian or TutorEd;
• threaten, intimidate, bully, humiliate or deliberately distress a student;
• exploit the tutoring relationship for personal, financial or sexual benefit;
• engage in discriminatory, abusive or hateful behaviour; or
• behave in a way that could reasonably make a child feel unsafe or uncomfortable.

A student's willingness to engage in inappropriate behaviour does not make that behaviour acceptable. The tutor remains responsible for maintaining the professional boundary.

Where TutorEd provides suitable communication functionality, tutor-student communication must remain within TutorEd.

Tutors must not encourage under-18 students to communicate privately using:

• personal WhatsApp;
• personal text messaging;
• Snapchat;
• Instagram;
• TikTok;
• Discord;
• Telegram;
• personal social-media accounts; or
• other private communication channels.

Tutors must not add, follow or privately message under-18 TutorEd students through personal social-media accounts.

Communication with students should remain professional and reasonably related to:

• lessons;
• homework;
• learning resources;
• academic feedback;
• lesson arrangements; and
• reasonable educational support.

Tutors should avoid unnecessary late-night, excessive or overly personal communication with children.

TutorEd is an online tutoring service.

TutorEd lessons must take place through TutorEd's approved online classroom, including the TutorEd/Lessonspace environment, unless TutorEd expressly authorises another arrangement. Tutors must not move lessons onto private video-conferencing platforms in order to bypass TutorEd's systems.

During online lessons:

• tutors must behave professionally;
• tutors must be appropriately dressed;
• tutors should teach from an appropriate environment;
• inappropriate, sexual, violent or offensive material must not be visible or shared;
• lessons must remain focused on legitimate educational purposes;
• tutors must not ask students to expose private areas of their home;
• tutors must not make inappropriate comments about a student's appearance or body; and
• tutors must report any safeguarding concern that arises during a lesson.

Tutors and students must not independently record TutorEd lessons using personal devices or third-party software.

Tutors must not:

• photograph students;
• take screenshots of students;
• secretly record lessons;
• save video or audio of students; or
• share images or recordings of students.

An exception may only apply where TutorEd has expressly authorised a particular recording process with appropriate safeguarding, privacy and security arrangements.

TutorEd is an online tutoring platform.

Tutors must not independently arrange to meet under-18 TutorEd students in person.

Tutors must not invite an under-18 TutorEd student:

• to their home;
• to private accommodation;
• into their vehicle;
• to a hotel; or
• to another private location.

Any future TutorEd-organised in-person activity would require separate safeguarding arrangements.

Tutors should only request information that is reasonably necessary for providing tuition.

Tutors must not unnecessarily request:

• a child's personal phone number;
• private social-media accounts;
• home address;
• photographs;
• intimate or sensitive personal information; or
• information unrelated to the tutoring relationship.

Personal information obtained through TutorEd must not be used for unrelated personal purposes.

All lesson payments must take place through TutorEd's authorised payment system.

Tutors must not:

• request direct payment from students or parents outside TutorEd;
• lend money to students;
• borrow money from students;
• request financial assistance;
• offer significant personal gifts; or
• use gifts or financial arrangements to develop an inappropriate relationship.

Safeguarding concerns may include:

• physical abuse;
• emotional abuse;
• sexual abuse;
• neglect;
• grooming;
• online abuse;
• bullying;
• child-on-child abuse;
• sexual harassment;
• sexual exploitation;
• criminal exploitation;
• domestic abuse;
• coercive or controlling behaviour;
• radicalisation or extremism;
• serious threats to a child's safety;
• inappropriate tutor behaviour;
• serious boundary violations; or
• a disclosure that a child is being harmed or feels unsafe.

Safeguarding concerns can occur entirely online. A tutor does not need proof before reporting a concern.

If a child says that they are being harmed, abused or are unsafe, the tutor should:

1. remain calm;
2. listen carefully;
3. take the child seriously;
4. allow the child to explain what happened in their own words;
5. avoid asking leading or investigative questions;
6. not confront the person accused;
7. explain that the information may need to be shared with someone who can help;
8. make an accurate written record as soon as possible; and
9. report the concern promptly to TutorEd.

Tutors must never promise to keep a safeguarding disclosure secret. The tutor's role is to listen, record and report — not investigate.

Any student, parent, guardian, tutor or other person may report a safeguarding concern.

Reports can be made:

• through TutorEd's Help & Support system by selecting Safeguarding concern; or
• by emailing support@tutored.online.

Where possible, a report should include:

• the student's name;
• the tutor's name, where relevant;
• the relevant lesson or booking;
• what happened or what was observed;
• the date and time;
• exactly what was said where relevant; and
• whether anyone appears to be in immediate danger.

A report must not be delayed simply because some of this information is unavailable.

If a child appears to be in immediate danger or there is an emergency, the emergency services should be contacted immediately. TutorEd should then be informed as soon as reasonably possible.

Internal TutorEd procedures must never delay urgent action required to protect a child.

Safeguarding reports are treated separately from ordinary customer-service complaints.

TutorEd may:

• review the report;
• preserve relevant account, lesson and messaging records;
• contact the person who submitted the concern where appropriate;
• obtain additional information where appropriate and safe;
• restrict messaging or booking functionality;
• temporarily suspend a tutor or other user;
• prevent further tutor-student contact;
• seek external safeguarding advice; and
• make a referral to the appropriate authority.

Safeguarding information will only be shared where necessary and appropriate.

Any allegation that a tutor has:

• harmed a child;
• potentially harmed a child;
• behaved in a way that suggests they may pose a risk to children;
• committed or potentially committed an offence involving a child; or
• behaved in a way that raises serious concerns about their suitability to work with children

must be reported to TutorEd immediately.

TutorEd may restrict or suspend the tutor's access to:

• lessons;
• bookings;
• messaging;
• students; and
• the TutorEd platform

while the concern is assessed. Suspension is a safeguarding measure and does not by itself mean that an allegation has been proven.

TutorEd may refer concerns to:

• the police;
• local authority children's social care;
• the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO);
• the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS); or
• another appropriate safeguarding authority.

TutorEd will not conduct an internal investigation in a way that could interfere with a police or statutory safeguarding investigation.

Not every concern will amount to an allegation of abuse.

However, behaviour that appears inappropriate, unusual or inconsistent with TutorEd's professional standards should still be reported. Examples include:

• repeatedly attempting to contact a student privately;
• excessive familiarity;
• inappropriate jokes;
• asking unnecessarily personal questions;
• sharing excessive personal information;
• favouritism;
• contacting students at inappropriate times;
• attempts to bypass TutorEd messaging;
• behaviour that makes a student uncomfortable; or
• repeated minor boundary breaches.

TutorEd may record such concerns to identify patterns of behaviour. A pattern of smaller concerns may become a serious safeguarding issue.

Students must also behave appropriately when using TutorEd.

Students must not:

• sexually harass tutors;
• send sexual images or material;
• threaten, bully or abuse tutors;
• secretly record tutors;
• deliberately expose themselves;
• make discriminatory or abusive comments; or
• misuse TutorEd's messaging or classroom systems.

Tutors must not respond in kind. Instead, tutors should maintain professional boundaries and report the incident. Where the student is under 18, TutorEd will also consider whether the student's behaviour itself raises a safeguarding concern.

TutorEd may preserve relevant messaging, account, attendance and lesson records where necessary for safeguarding purposes.

Deleting a message from a user's normal view does not necessarily mean that all underlying records relating to that message will be immediately erased where TutorEd has a lawful safeguarding, security or legal reason to retain them.

Internal safeguarding notes and flags must not be visible to tutors, students or unrelated users.

Safeguarding information is sensitive.

TutorEd will restrict access to safeguarding information to people who need it to perform their role.

Information may be shared with external authorities without the consent of a student, parent, tutor or other person where this is necessary and lawful to protect a child or another person from harm.

Confidentiality must never be used as a reason not to protect a child.

TutorEd will maintain appropriate safeguarding records. Records may include:

• reports submitted;
• relevant messages;
• lesson and attendance information;
• account information;
• factual notes;
• actions taken;
• communications with relevant people; and
• referrals to external authorities.

Safeguarding records should distinguish clearly between:

• facts;
• observations;
• allegations;
• information reported by another person; and
• decisions made by TutorEd.

Records will be stored securely with restricted access.

TutorEd encourages parents and guardians to take an appropriate interest in their child's online tutoring. Parents and guardians may report concerns through TutorEd's safeguarding reporting route.

Where appropriate, TutorEd may inform or involve a parent or guardian following a safeguarding concern. However, TutorEd may decide not to inform a parent or guardian immediately where doing so could:

• place the child at greater risk;
• compromise an investigation; or
• be contrary to advice from safeguarding authorities.

TutorEd recognises that some children may be more vulnerable to harm or may face additional barriers to reporting concerns. This may include children:

• with special educational needs or disabilities;
• with communication difficulties;
• who have experienced previous abuse;
• who are socially isolated;
• experiencing bullying;
• experiencing discrimination; or
• otherwise requiring additional support.

Concerns must not be dismissed simply as part of a child's disability, behaviour or communication style.

Tutors must complete the safeguarding training required by TutorEd before becoming approved to tutor.

Training should include:

• recognising abuse and neglect;
• professional boundaries;
• online safeguarding;
• grooming;
• dealing with disclosures;
• reporting concerns;
• emergency situations; and
• TutorEd's safeguarding procedures.

TutorEd may require tutors to undertake refresher or updated safeguarding training.

Before becoming approved and publicly bookable on TutorEd, tutors must confirm that they have read, understood and agree to follow TutorEd's safeguarding requirements.

TutorEd may record:

• the tutor's identity;
• the date and time of acceptance; and
• the version of the safeguarding policy accepted.

Failure to follow these requirements may result in account restriction, suspension or permanent removal from TutorEd. Serious concerns may also be referred to external authorities.

Anyone working for or through TutorEd should report concerns if they believe safeguarding matters are:

• being ignored;
• concealed;
• mishandled; or
• influenced by commercial or reputational considerations.

A genuine safeguarding concern raised in good faith should not result in retaliation.

Safeguarding takes priority over:

• tutor ratings;
• tutor earnings;
• TutorEd revenue;
• lesson volume;
• reputation; and
• operational inconvenience.

Where TutorEd reasonably considers that restricting or removing access is necessary to protect a child, TutorEd may take immediate safeguarding action.

TutorEd will review its safeguarding arrangements regularly and whenever there is:

• a significant safeguarding incident;
• a relevant change in safeguarding guidance or law;
• a significant change to TutorEd's services;
• a new communication or classroom feature; or
• evidence that existing safeguarding controls need improvement.