Safeguarding and child protection
We believe that all children and young people have the right to learn in a safe and caring environment. This includes the right to protection from all types of abuse. Trustees, staff, tutors, and those in a position of trust who represent the organisation, have to do everything possible to foster these rights. We take seriously our responsibility towards safeguarding all young people who engage with us, with the focus being on their safety and welfare.
We have a comprehensive set of policies in place (see links below), including a robust safeguarding policy created in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023 (KCSiE2023). We have a dedicated guidance document for the delivery of online tuition, to reflect the importance of safeguarding mechanisms when working with young people using online platforms. As well as being accessible to all interested parties on this page, the policies are also readily available to tutors and staff via the relevant internal training/resource platforms.
We work closely with schools and colleges to ensure our tuition is delivered safely. All staff and tutors receive an Enhanced DBS check and training in safeguarding and child protection before being allowed to represent Tutor Trust in an educational setting. We hold introductory meetings with all our partner education providers, before tuition begins, where the safeguarding policies and procedures of that school, college, or alternative provision setting are outlined.
We ensure that all new staff undergo safeguarding and child protection training at induction. Training is updated regularly. In addition, all staff receive regular safeguarding and child protection updates as required (for example, via email, every staff or trustee meeting), and, at least annually, we provide them with updated training to enable them to safeguard children effectively.
We ensure that all tutors have undertaken and completed the relevant training before placement in their roles. Safeguarding training is delivered online, and Tutor Trust awaits evidence of completion before tutors can take on work. Training covers, as a minimum:
- Safeguarding and Child Protection – tutors complete training supplied by TES/Educare, in addition to training on our safeguarding procedures
- Prevent Duty, covering extremism and radicalisation
- Annual refresher training is compulsory for all returning tutors, the training incorporates all relevant changes to KCSIE for that academic year. This must be completed before a tutor takes on new work.
Any questions or concerns about safeguarding can be directed to Tutor Trust's Designated Safeguarding Lead, Jason Heaford, on 0161 833 3055 or jason.heaford@thetutortrust.org. The trustee overseeing safeguarding is Lucy Crompton.
Our policies
Meet our Safeguarding Team
Jason Heaford
Jason Heaford
Chief Operating Officer and Designated Safeguarding Lead
Jason joined Tutor Trust back in 2014 after spending 15 years leading early years provisions within the Stockport area. Jason is a member of the senior management team, and his main responsibilities now include leading Tutor Recruitment, HR, Safeguarding, and Business Operations teams.
Jason began his working life as a professional footballer most notably with Derby County FC.
Jason says: "Alongside working with like-minded people who are passionate, hardworking, and talented, I enjoy the fact that no two days are alike in carrying out my role - I have a very varied in-tray! Ultimately, playing a role in transforming lives through tutoring to so many young people provides me with the greatest satisfaction of all. Long may Tutor Trust continue to champion support to those who need it most!"
Lewis Howell
Lewis Howell
Risk Manager and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Lewis joined Tutor Trust in March 2014 as a Schools Coordinator and worked across both the Manchester and Leeds schools teams, including leading the original Leeds tuition pilot. In Spring 2022 Lewis moved across to the newly created role of Risk Manager covering various operational areas including Safeguarding, Health & Safety, and Data Protection. Lewis is also one of Tutor Trust's Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads.
Before to joining the charity, Lewis had spent the previous two-and-a-half years working in South Africa’s Kalahari Desert. Lewis was the Field Project Manager at the Kalahari Meerkat Project for 18 months, a behavioural research project run by the University of Cambridge looking at the evolution of cooperative breeding in meerkats. He was responsible for managing both the day-to-day research of the project and the team of international volunteers who collected the data. Prior to this, Lewis was one of the research volunteers for 12 months.
Lewis graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2010, having studied Wildlife Conservation.
Lewis says: “I have always enjoyed working at Tutor Trust. The mission is vital and necessary; we’re making a difference and we’re very good at what we do to boot! Just as importantly, I’m surrounded by people who care and help to create a wonderful working environment.”
Joanne Meredith
Joanne Meredith
Director of Tutoring Plus and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
After graduating from Bangor University Jo began her career as a teacher of Chemistry. Jo has over 20 years’ experience in senior leadership across Greater Manchester and Lancashire including Headship, with wide-ranging involvement in both mainstream and Alternative Provision settings.
Having worked in senior positions in both mainstream and Alternative Provision settings across Greater Manchester, Jo is well placed to lead and drive the quality of our tutoring programmes within our Tutoring Plus offer.
Jo is the Director of Tutoring Plus, which provides a bespoke service of one-to-one tutoring and other supportive interventions for the children and young people with even greater barriers to overcome than their peers. This may include cared-for children, those at risk of exclusion, those excluded and children and young people not attending school regularly.
Jo is also Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Jo says: "The Mission and Values of Tutor Trust align perfectly with my own and this is what drew me to working with Tutor Trust initially. However, this has strengthened and developed as we have grown. It is so rewarding to know that you are part of a team of like-minded colleagues all working together to make a difference to the lives of children and young people who need it most."