Tutor Safeguarding
We use safeguarding and suitability checks appropriate to each tutor's role and require tutors to maintain appropriate professional boundaries with learners.
OUR COMMITMENT
Safeguarding Is Part of How We Work
Safeguarding is more than a DBS certificate. It includes appropriate tutor vetting, professional boundaries, clear reporting procedures, suitable record keeping and responding appropriately when concerns arise.
Reviewed Every Year
We review the safeguarding status of active tutors at least once every 12 months alongside our wider safeguarding procedures.
Clear Reporting
Parents, carers, learners, tutors and others can report a concern, including a concern involving a particular tutor.
Clear Escalation
Serious concerns can be referred to the appropriate safeguarding authorities, and concerns do not have to be reported to North Wales Tutoring first.
Our Commitment and Scope
North Wales Tutoring provides tutoring services to children and young people across North Wales, Wales and the wider UK.
We recognise the position of trust held by anyone providing tuition to a child or young person. Everyone providing or supporting tuition through North Wales Tutoring is expected to take safeguarding seriously and act in the best interests of learners.
Our approach is child-centred. Where information comes to our attention suggesting that a child or young person may be at risk, their safety and welfare will take priority over commercial or administrative considerations.
This policy applies to online tuition, any in-person tuition arranged through North Wales Tutoring, lesson-related communications, homework, learning platforms, file sharing and other interactions connected with a tutoring arrangement.
It applies to tutors and other people delivering or supporting our tutoring services, regardless of whether they are engaged as independent contractors, self-employed tutors, employees or under another appropriate contractual arrangement.
You do not need to prove that abuse, misconduct or a safeguarding breach has occurred before raising a concern.
Key Safeguarding Definitions
The following terms are used throughout this policy.
Child
A person who has not yet reached their 18th birthday.
Safeguarding
The wider actions taken to promote welfare, prevent harm and protect children and adults at risk.
Child Protection
Action taken where there are concerns that a particular child may be experiencing, or be at risk of, abuse, neglect or other harm.
Adult at Risk
An adult who is experiencing or is at risk of abuse or neglect, has needs for care and support, and because of those needs is unable to protect themselves from that abuse, neglect or risk.
Designated Safeguarding Lead
The person leading North Wales Tutoring's safeguarding response. Our current DSL is Jesse.
Low-Level Concern
Conduct which causes concern or falls below the professional standard expected, but which may not, when considered alone, meet one of the Section 5 threshold criteria.
Section 5 Four Threshold Criteria
The current Wales Safeguarding Procedures identify four threshold criteria when considering allegations or concerns about practitioners or people in positions of trust. In summary, these relate to circumstances where a person may have:
- behaved in a way that harmed, or may have harmed, a child or adult at risk;
- possibly committed a criminal offence against, or related to, a child or adult at risk;
- behaved towards a child or adult at risk in a way indicating that they may pose a risk of harm;
- behaved in their personal life in a way that may indicate that they present a safeguarding risk within their work or role.
North Wales Tutoring does not make the final determination on matters that properly fall to statutory safeguarding authorities.
Roles and Responsibilities
Jesse is the Designated Safeguarding Lead for North Wales Tutoring.
The DSL has lead responsibility for North Wales Tutoring's safeguarding procedures. This includes receiving and recording concerns, considering immediate protective action, deciding what action North Wales Tutoring should take within the parts of the tutoring service it controls, and seeking advice from or referring matters to appropriate safeguarding authorities where necessary.
The DSL does not attempt to independently investigate suspected criminal offences or make findings which properly belong to the police, social services, the relevant Local Authority safeguarding service or another statutory body.
Tutors are expected to understand how to report safeguarding concerns, maintain appropriate professional boundaries, take concerns seriously, preserve relevant factual information, co-operate with appropriate safeguarding processes and promptly tell North Wales Tutoring about relevant changes which may affect their suitability to work with learners.
Concerns about the Designated Safeguarding Lead
If your concern relates directly to Jesse, you do not have to report it to him. You may contact the relevant local authority safeguarding service, children's social services or the police directly.
You never need North Wales Tutoring's permission before contacting an appropriate safeguarding authority.
Tutor Status and Responsibilities
North Wales Tutoring is a tutoring provider. Families arrange and pay for tutoring through North Wales Tutoring, and tutors deliver tuition under the contractual arrangement applying to their individual role.
Tutors may work with North Wales Tutoring under different arrangements. This may include independent, self-employed contractor arrangements or employment arrangements.
Nothing in this policy creates, changes or determines the employment or contractual status of an individual tutor.
Where a tutor provides services as an independent self-employed contractor, that tutor remains responsible for their own professional conduct, actions and omissions in accordance with their contractual and legal responsibilities.
Where a tutor is employed by North Wales Tutoring, their responsibilities will also be governed by their employment arrangements, applicable policies and the law.
Regardless of contractual status, appropriate safeguarding requirements and professional boundaries apply to anyone providing tuition through North Wales Tutoring.
North Wales Tutoring remains responsible for its own acts and omissions and for safeguarding responsibilities applying to the parts of the tutoring service which it manages. Individual tutors remain responsible for their own conduct and responsibilities applicable to their role.
Tutor Safeguarding, Vetting and DBS Checks
Safeguarding begins before a tutor provides tuition through North Wales Tutoring.
We use reasonable safeguarding and suitability checks appropriate to the tutor's role and circumstances.
These may include identity verification, reviewing qualifications or experience, references where appropriate, safeguarding declarations and criminal record information where an appropriate check is legally available for the role.
Where a tutoring role is eligible for an Enhanced DBS check and, where applicable, Children's Barred List information, North Wales Tutoring may require appropriate evidence as part of its safeguarding process.
DBS eligibility is assessed according to the relevant role. We do not request a level of criminal record check which the role is not legally eligible to receive.
Where appropriate and available, DBS Update Service information may form part of an ongoing safeguarding review.
A DBS certificate is one part of a wider safeguarding process. Criminal record checks cannot guarantee how an individual will behave in the future and do not replace appropriate professional conduct, reporting systems or ongoing safeguarding awareness.
Tutors are expected to tell North Wales Tutoring promptly if relevant circumstances change in a way that could affect their suitability to work with children or the accuracy of safeguarding information previously supplied.
If information comes to our attention which may affect a tutor's suitability, North Wales Tutoring may stop facilitating lessons, suspend future tutoring arrangements, withhold further referrals or remove a tutor from our network while appropriate safeguarding action is considered.
A temporary safeguarding restriction is a precaution and does not itself mean that an allegation has been proven.
Safeguarding Awareness and Induction
Safeguarding procedures are only effective where people understand what is expected of them and know how to raise a concern.
Tutors are directed to North Wales Tutoring's safeguarding requirements and reporting route as part of their engagement with our service.
Safeguarding awareness may include professional boundaries, responding to disclosures, online safeguarding, recognising possible abuse or neglect, and knowing when and how to escalate a concern.
Safeguarding awareness and any additional training requirements are considered as part of our ongoing and annual safeguarding review process.
Concerns relating to radicalisation or extremism should also be treated as safeguarding concerns and reported through the same safeguarding route so appropriate advice can be sought.
Professional Boundaries and Safer Working
Tutors providing tuition through North Wales Tutoring are expected to maintain clear, appropriate professional boundaries with learners.
- Do not promise a learner complete secrecy. Where information raises a safeguarding concern, it may need to be shared appropriately.
- Keep communications professional and appropriately related to tuition.
- Avoid unnecessary sharing of personal information with learners.
- Do not connect with learners through personal social media accounts.
- Do not use disappearing or secret communication channels with learners.
- Cameras, chat, screen sharing and lesson resources should only be used appropriately.
- Tutors must not develop inappropriate personal or sexual relationships with learners.
- Tutors must never ask a learner to conceal an interaction from a parent, carer or North Wales Tutoring.
- Behaviour which causes safeguarding concern or falls below expected professional boundaries should be reported rather than ignored.
Safeguarding During Online Tutoring
Most tutoring arranged through North Wales Tutoring takes place online. Online tuition changes the nature of some risks, but appropriate professional boundaries remain essential.
Appropriate Lesson Use
Cameras, screen sharing, chat and learning tools should be used appropriately for the purpose of tuition.
Professional Communication
Tutor and learner communication must remain appropriate and connected to tuition.
Parents and Carers
For younger learners, parents and carers should know when tuition is taking place and which platform is being used.
No Secret Contact
Tutors must never encourage secret or hidden communication with a learner.
Concerns relating to harmful online content, grooming, sexualised communication, blackmail, coercion, exploitation, radicalisation or another online safeguarding risk should be reported through the safeguarding process.
Where a learner, parent, carer or tutor feels uncomfortable with something taking place during a lesson, the session may be ended and the concern reported.
Reporting a Safeguarding Concern
A concern may relate to something that happens during a lesson, communication before or after a lesson, information disclosed by a learner, or information about a tutor or another adult which raises questions about their suitability to work with children.
Physical abuse
Emotional abuse
Sexual abuse
Neglect
Grooming
Exploitation
Inappropriate communication
Bullying
Harassment
Online harm
Coercion
Radicalisation
Professional boundary concerns
Serious safety concerns
You do not need to decide which category a concern belongs to or prove that wrongdoing occurred before reporting it.
1
Immediate Danger
If somebody is in immediate danger, call 999 first.
2
Tell Us
Contact safeguarding@nwttutoring.com or use the safeguarding concern form below.
3
Record and Consider
Relevant factual information is recorded and the DSL considers what action is appropriate within North Wales Tutoring's role.
4
Refer Where Appropriate
Information may be referred to or discussed with the appropriate Local Authority safeguarding service, children's social services, police, LADO, DOS, DBS or another relevant authority where appropriate.
If a Learner Tells Us Something Concerning
If a learner makes a safeguarding disclosure, the priority is to listen, take the concern seriously and pass the information on safely.
- Listen carefully and remain calm.
- Take what the learner says seriously.
- Do not promise complete confidentiality.
- Do not pressure the learner for unnecessary additional information.
- Do not ask leading questions.
- Do not confront the person being accused.
- Do not attempt to investigate the concern yourself.
- Reassure the learner that they were right to speak about something that worried them.
- Record relevant factual information, including the learner's own words where possible.
- Pass the concern to the Designated Safeguarding Lead without unnecessary delay.
Allegations and Concerns About Tutors
A safeguarding concern involving a tutor is treated separately from an ordinary complaint about teaching quality, lesson content, availability, scheduling or customer service.
Where information concerning a tutor or another person in a position of trust may meet one or more of the Four Threshold Criteria under Section 5 of the Wales Safeguarding Procedures, North Wales Tutoring will consider seeking advice from or reporting the matter to the relevant Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), or Designated Officer for Safeguarding (DOS) where those functions have been delegated.
Children's social services or the police may also be contacted where appropriate.
Conduct which causes concern but does not appear to meet that level may still be recorded and reviewed. Several apparently lower-level concerns may together indicate a pattern which requires further safeguarding action.
Depending on the circumstances, North Wales Tutoring may stop facilitating tuition involving the person concerned, suspend future arrangements, preserve relevant records, withhold further referrals or remove a tutor from our network.
Where an allegation should properly be investigated by the police, social services, the Local Authority safeguarding service, DBS or another statutory body, North Wales Tutoring will not attempt to replace that investigation or determine criminal guilt.
Interim restrictions are protective safeguarding measures. They are not a finding that an allegation has been proven.
Record Keeping, Information Sharing and Confidentiality
Safeguarding information is treated sensitively and should only be accessed or shared where there is an appropriate reason.
North Wales Tutoring may maintain records of safeguarding concerns, relevant decisions, communications, referrals and actions taken.
Where safeguarding information needs to be shared, North Wales Tutoring will consider what information is relevant, who needs to receive it and why it is being shared.
We cannot promise complete confidentiality where doing so could prevent appropriate action being taken to protect a child, young person, adult at risk or another person.
Data protection requirements do not prevent lawful and necessary information sharing for safeguarding purposes.
Safeguarding Risk Management
North Wales Tutoring is primarily an online tutoring provider, so our safeguarding procedures place particular emphasis on safe online communication, appropriate lesson platforms, professional boundaries and clear escalation procedures.
Where tuition is arranged in person, the circumstances should be considered separately and appropriate safeguarding and practical precautions used.
A tutor should not remain in a situation which they reasonably believe is unsafe. Concerns should be reported to North Wales Tutoring and, where necessary, directly to an appropriate external safeguarding authority.
Concerns About How We Handled Safeguarding
If you are concerned about how North Wales Tutoring has handled a safeguarding matter, you can raise this with us and ask for the matter to be reviewed.
Raising the matter with North Wales Tutoring is not a condition of contacting an external safeguarding organisation.
You can report externally at any time
Depending on the circumstances and location, you may contact children's social services, the police, the relevant Local Authority safeguarding service, the LADO or DOS, the Disclosure and Barring Service, a relevant professional regulator or another appropriate safeguarding body directly.
Safeguarding Adults at Risk
North Wales Tutoring's safeguarding work primarily concerns children and young people, but we may also provide tuition to adults.
Where information suggests that an adult learner may be an adult at risk, the concern will be treated seriously and the DSL will consider whether advice or referral to the relevant adult safeguarding service, police or another appropriate authority is necessary.
The safeguarding route will depend on the individual's circumstances and location.
Annual Safeguarding Review and Document Control
Safeguarding is not treated as a one-off onboarding exercise.
North Wales Tutoring reviews the safeguarding status of active tutors at least once every 12 months.
The review may include confirming safeguarding declarations, checking whether relevant circumstances have changed, confirming awareness of current safeguarding requirements and reviewing appropriate DBS evidence or DBS Update Service information where available and applicable.
The annual review does not replace a tutor's continuing responsibility to tell North Wales Tutoring promptly about relevant changes between reviews.
This Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is formally reviewed at least once every 12 months.
It may be reviewed sooner following changes to legislation, safeguarding guidance, Wales Safeguarding Procedures, our services, an incident or an identified improvement to our safeguarding arrangements.
Version
2.0
Policy owner
North Wales Tutoring
Safeguarding Lead
Jesse
Last reviewed
4 September 2026
Next scheduled review
September 2027
Responsibilities and liability
North Wales Tutoring and each tutor remain responsible for their respective acts, omissions and responsibilities under their contractual arrangements and applicable law.
Nothing in this policy is intended to exclude, limit or restrict any responsibility or liability which cannot lawfully be excluded, limited or restricted.
Safeguarding Law, Statutory Guidance and Procedures Informing This Policy
North Wales Tutoring is based in Wales and our safeguarding framework is primarily informed by Welsh safeguarding law, statutory guidance and procedures.
North Wales Tutoring is not a school and not every statutory duty applying to a maintained school, college or Local Authority applies to a private tutoring provider in the same way. Where education safeguarding guidance does not directly apply to North Wales Tutoring, it may still inform our safeguarding practice where relevant.
- Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014
- Working Together to Safeguard People: Volume 5, Handling Individual Cases to Protect Children at Risk
- Working Together to Safeguard People: Volume 6, Handling Individual Cases to Protect Adults at Risk
- Wales Safeguarding Procedures, Section 5: Safeguarding Allegations and Concerns About Practitioners and Those in Positions of Trust
- Welsh Government: Keeping Learners Safe
- Working Together to Safeguard People: Code of Safeguarding Practice
- Disclosure and Barring Service guidance for self-employed people and personal employees
- Disclosure and Barring Service guidance
Because North Wales Tutoring may support learners elsewhere in the UK, the appropriate safeguarding process and external authority may differ depending on where the learner, tutor or incident is located. Relevant local procedures will be considered where necessary.
REPORT A CONCERN
Tell Us About a Safeguarding Concern
You can use this form if you are a parent, carer, learner, tutor or another person who is concerned about something connected with North Wales Tutoring.
This includes a concern involving a specific tutor.
Is somebody in immediate danger?
Call 999 immediately. Do not wait for North Wales Tutoring to respond to this form.
Please provide facts where possible
Include relevant names, dates, lesson details and what happened where possible. You do not need to investigate the concern yourself.
Do not send indecent images of a child
Do not upload, forward, copy or send sexual or indecent images of a child. Tell us that such material exists so appropriate safeguarding advice can be sought.
Safeguarding Concern Form
Report a concern
OUR APPROACH
Safeguarding Is Everyone's Responsibility
North Wales Tutoring maintains safeguarding procedures for the parts of the tutoring service it manages. Tutors remain responsible for their own professional conduct and safeguarding responsibilities applicable to their role.
Policies, DBS information and suitability checks can reduce safeguarding risk, but no vetting system can guarantee how an individual will behave in future.
Where a safeguarding concern comes to North Wales Tutoring's attention, we will consider reasonable and proportionate action within our role and, where appropriate, seek advice from or share information with an appropriate safeguarding authority.
If something concerns you, please tell us.
SAFEGUARDING FAQ
Common Safeguarding Questions
North Wales Tutoring applies safeguarding and
DBS checks according to each tutor's role and the
level of check legally available and appropriate
for that role.
Where a role is eligible for an Enhanced DBS check
and, where applicable, Children's Barred List
information, appropriate evidence may be required.
DBS information forms part of a wider safeguarding
process and cannot guarantee future behaviour.
We review the safeguarding status of active tutors
at least once every 12 months.
Tutors are also expected to tell North Wales Tutoring
promptly about relevant changes rather than waiting
for the annual review.
Jesse, Founder of North Wales Tutoring, is the
Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Safeguarding concerns can be sent to
safeguarding@nwttutoring.com.
Yes.
The safeguarding concern form allows you to name
the tutor involved and explain what happened.
You do not need to prove that wrongdoing occurred
before raising a concern.
Not necessarily.
Tutors may work with North Wales Tutoring under
different contractual arrangements, including
independent self-employed contractor arrangements
and employment arrangements.
Safeguarding expectations apply regardless of
contractual status.
We consider the immediate safeguarding risk and
what action North Wales Tutoring should take within
the parts of the service it controls.
Where information may meet one or more of the
Section 5 Four Threshold Criteria, we may seek
advice from or report the matter to the relevant
LADO, or DOS where those functions are delegated,
and other authorities where appropriate.
If somebody is in immediate danger, call
999.
Do not wait for North Wales Tutoring to respond to
a form submission or email.
No.
You can contact children's social services,
the police, the relevant Local Authority
safeguarding service or another appropriate
safeguarding authority directly.
You do not need North Wales Tutoring's permission
to do so.
SAFEGUARDING CONTACT
Have a Concern? Please Tell Us.
If something involving a learner or tutor does not feel right, you can raise it with our Designated Safeguarding Lead.