Staff Code of Conduct relating to Safeguarding and Welfare of Students and Safe Work
Practices for Staff to be read in conjunction with: Keeping Children Safe in Education 2015
and:
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Abbey College Birmingham Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
Abbey College Birmingham e-safety Policy
Abbey College Birmingham Staff Handbook
The Alpha Plus schedule of policies including the Alpha Plus Whistleblowing Policy
Abbey College Birmingham seeks to provide a safe and supportive environment which ensures the
well-being and very best outcomes for our students. The aim of the Code of Conduct is to provide
clear guidelines about behaviour and actions so as not to place students or staff at risk of harm or of
allegations of harm to a student.
The Code of Conduct sets out the professional behaviour expected of staff and gives advice as to what
constitutes illegal behaviour and what might be considered misconduct. The Code lists safe practice
and details behaviour that should be avoided. Failure to follow this Code of Conduct may lead to
Disciplinary action. The Code of Conduct applies to all adults, paid or voluntary working at Abbey
College Birmingham whatever their position roles and responsibilities.
It is an offence for a person aged 18 or over , such as a teacher, to have a sexual relationship with a
child under 18 where that person is in a position of trust in respect of that child, even if, in the case of
those over 16, the relationship is consensual.
Core Principles and Values
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The safety and welfare of our students is paramount and is the responsibility of all our staff.
All Staff should abide by the College Staff Handbook and Alpha Plus Policies and must be
familiar with Abbey College Birmingham Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.
All Staff are responsible for their own actions and should avoid conduct that would lead any
reasonable person to question their motivation and intentions. Staff should work and be seen
to work in an open and transparent way.
Staff must promptly tell their line manager or, if in the case of safeguarding, the DSP of any
incident which gives rise to concern. Records will be made of any such incidents and further
action agreed.
All Staff , paid and voluntary must read Keeping Children Safe in Education Part One (
2015) and complete Level One Child Protection Training; all must ensure they have a
thorough understanding of Safeguarding and Child Protection arrangements and understand
their responsibilities to safeguard and protect our students.
All staff must be aware that the Designated Senior Person for Safeguarding and Child
Protection is Sarah Munton.
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Safe work practices for the protection of all our staff and students.
All Abbey College staff are accountable for the way in which they exercise authority, manage risk,
use resources and protect students from discrimination and avoidable harm.
All staff whether paid or voluntary have a duty to keep learners safe and to protect them from physical
and emotional harm. Staff are expected to foster caring and professional relationships between
students and staff which demonstrate integrity, maturity and good judgement.
To ensure student and staff safety and welfare all staff should:
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Always be vigilant and aware of the needs of our students and watchful for any signs of
abuse.
Not spend time alone with young people especially away from others. Meetings with
individual young people should take place as openly as possible and in a room with a glass
panelled door or with the door left partly open and other staff informed of the meeting.
Not have unnecessary physical contact with students. There may be occasions when physical
contact is unavoidable or necessary, such as providing comfort and re-assurance, or for
physical support. Contact may also take place during sport. Physical contact however should
only take place with the student’s consent and the purpose of the contact should be made
clear.
Understand that Physical contact should only be made to restrain students who are in danger
of hurting themselves or someone else.
Not take young people alone in a car, however short the journey. Where this is unavoidable it
should only be with the full consent of the parents or guardian and someone in charge of the
activity.
Ensure that their personal relationships do not have an affect the young people around them.
Remember that on rare occasions young people themselves can be responsible for abusing
their peers.
Staff should never:
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Engage in sexually pro-active or rough physical games
Allow students to use inappropriate language and go unchallenged (racist, sexist,
homophobic, personal comments)
Make sexually suggestive comments, in front of, or about, or to a student, even in fun
Use sarcasm
Let allegations made by a student go unaddressed and unrecorded and fail to inform the
appropriate member of staff e.g. DSP.
Deter young people from making allegations through fear of being not believed.
Give students their personal details such as their home or personal email address, mobile
phone or home number, social network sites, gamer tags or web pages unless the need to do
so is agreed by the SLT; If students do become aware of your gamer tag you must change it.
Leave themselves open to charges of professional misconduct if compromising images of a
member of staff are made available by anybody on a public profile.
Whistleblowing
Where an individual discovers information which they believe shows serious malpractice or wrong
doing within the college then this information should be disclosed internally without fear of reprisal
according to the procedures outlined in APG Policy on Whistleblowing and ACB Safeguarding
Policy.
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