You have the right to be and feel safe.
We have a duty of care to all students on campus.
Our approach to Safeguarding
Bournemouth & Poole College is committed to embedding Safeguarding across the whole college.
The College recognises that all students, particularly children, young people and vulnerable adults, have a fundamental right to be protected from harm, exploitation and discrimination, to ensure that they feel safe and capable to attend college and successfully complete their courses.
The College provides an inclusive environment which promotes equality, self-confidence and ensures that students feel valued and respected. The College also endeavours to show support and give students an understanding that their concerns are listened to and acted upon.
The College is committed to ensuring that best practice is adopted when working with all children, young people and vulnerable adults, and is dedicated to offering them support and protection. The College accepts that it has a legal and moral responsibility to fulfil its duty of care, by implementing procedures to safeguard students’ well-being and to protect them from abuse.
The College ensures that all staff, Board Members, volunteers and contractors at the organisation understand the importance of working in partnership with students, their families/carers and other agencies. This measure is completed, to promote and safeguard the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults at the College.
The Prevent Strategy is a cross-Government policy that forms one of the four strands of CONTEST: the United Kingdom’s Strategy for Counter Terrorism. It includes the anti-radicalisation of vulnerable adults and children.
The objectives of this strategy are to:
- Respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat we face from those who promote it.
- Prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure that they are given appropriate advice and support.
- Work with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation that we need to address.
Prevent is part of our Safeguarding requirements. We ensure that staff and students are aware of the risks of radicalisation/involvement in violent or non-violent extremist activities and will support anyone thought to be at risk of becoming involved.
We actively promote the British Values of democracy; individual liberty; the rule of law; mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and belief, as outlined in the Government’s Prevent strategy. We recognise how British Values have a place in our own expectations, visions and values, and see that they underpin what it is to be a citizen in a modern and diverse Great Britain.
The Prevent Policy & Procedures detail more about Prevent and our duties in relation to it. To view these Policies please click here.
Hard copies of these documents are available upon request. Please contact Student Services (01202) 205896.
Sexual abuse or harassment - Statement
Following the introduction of the website ‘Everyone's Invited’ we wish to reassure all students and their parents and carers that we have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of sexual abuse or harassment, including between peers.
Our dedicated and trained safeguarding team are available during college opening hours to listen and respond to disclosures. We can be contacted by email (wellbeing@bpc.ac.uk) or phone (01202 205764).
- We treat all disclosures with sensitivity, ensuring that the student's voice is heard
- We have male and female listeners available
- We work closely with the Police and outside agencies to ensure that there is a joined-up approach to any disclosure. This includes contacting the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) with any disclosures of students aged under 18 (aged under 25 if in receipt of an Educational Health Care Plan EHCP)
- We will support the alleged victim at every stage of the disclosure
- We will support the alleged perpetrator at every stage of disclosure
- We support disclosures in line with our published Safeguarding Policy
- We set expectations of behaviour between peers through tutorials for all 16-18 students
- We follow our Managing Student Behaviour policy when addressing allegations of sexual abuse or harassment between peers
If a student is in immediate danger of harm the Safeguarding emergency contact details are 07774974781 (for Lansdowne and Apprentice students) or 07714851103 (for North Road and Fulcrum students) or speak to any member of staff.
Useful links and documents for Parents and Carers
Police Sharing of Information regarding Domestic Abuse
The Police, via Children’s Services, alert the College to any domestic abuse incident that has occurred at the home of one of our students. Routinely the detail of the incident will not be shared with the College unless there are other concerns about the young person’s welfare.
- Supporting children and young people's mental health and wellbeing
- Family Information Directory – Coronavirus: Family Information & Updates
- Bereavement support
- The law on leaving your child on their own
- Student Guide to Managing Mental Health During COVID-19
- How to Support Your Child Returning to School/ College
