Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy

1. Policy Statement

Bond Yoga believes that the welfare of every child attending the Calm and Create Day is paramount. This policy sets out how the workshop will be run safely for children aged 5–9, and how the two staff members delivering it — a qualified teacher who is also a Deputy Headteacher, and a teaching assistant — will safeguard children in their care for the duration of the event.

Every child, regardless of age, gender, ability, ethnicity, religion or belief, has an equal right to protection from harm. This policy applies to the whole of the workshop day, including arrival, activities, breaks, and collection.

2. Scope and Purpose

This policy applies to the Deputy Headteacher and the Teaching Assistant delivering the Calm and Create Day at Defford, and to any other adult present on site during the workshop (e.g. venue staff, parent helpers). It covers the single-day session and any associated communication with parents/carers before and after the event.

The purpose of this policy is to:

• Protect children participating in the workshop from harm.
• Set out clear responsibilities and reporting lines for both staff members.
• Ensure staff know how to recognise and respond to concerns about a child's welfare.
• Provide a framework for safer working practice specific to a physical activity (yoga) and mindfulness setting.

3. Legal and Policy Framework

This policy has been written with reference to the following legislation and statutory/non-statutory guidance:

• Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004
• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 (statutory guidance)
• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025
• Keeping children safe during community activities, after-school clubs and tuition — DfE non-statutory guidance (2022)
• UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018
• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

Because both staff members hold current enhanced DBS certificates and up-to-date safeguarding training through their school, this policy adapts and applies that existing knowledge to the specific context of a one-day, off-site physical activity workshop.

4. Roles and Responsibilities

4.1 Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) — Deputy Headteacher / Yoga Teacher

The Yoga teacher acts as DSL for the workshop and holds overall responsibility for safeguarding on the day. Their responsibilities are to:

• Be the first point of contact for any safeguarding concern, disclosure or allegation.
• Decide on and take any necessary action, including making referrals to children's social care, the police, or the LADO.
• Ensure the Teaching Assistant knows how to raise a concern and to whom.
• Hold and complete any incident or concern records and store them securely and confidentially.
• Confirm before the session that both staff members' DBS checks and safeguarding training are current.

4.2 Deputy DSL — Teaching Assistant

As only two staff are present, the second adult acts as deputy safeguarding contact so that a concern can always be raised even if the DSL is directly engaged with a child. The second adult deputises for all DSL responsibilities in the DSL's absence.

4.3 Teaching Assistant

The Teaching Assistant supports the safe running of the session and is responsible for supervising children during activities, transitions, breaks and toileting; reporting any concern or incident immediately to the DSL; and supporting registration, collection checks, and first aid as directed.

5. Recognising Abuse and Neglect

Staff should remain alert to indicators of the four recognised categories of abuse — physical, emotional, sexual abuse, and neglect — as well as signs of bullying, or a child feeling unsafe at home. In a one-day workshop setting, staff are more likely to notice possible indicators through what a child says, unexplained bruising or injury, changes in behaviour or mood, extreme anxiety about being collected, or comments made by a parent/carer at drop-off or pick-up.

Staff do not need to decide whether abuse has occurred — only to notice, record accurately, and report promptly in line with Section 12.

6. Safer Recruitment and Staff Vetting

Both individuals delivering the workshop are employed teaching staff at their school and hold a current enhanced DBS certificate (including barred list check) and up-to-date safeguarding training completed through their school, in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025.

Any additional adult present on the day who is not covered by an existing enhanced DBS check must not be left unsupervised with children and must not be included in the staff:child ratio.

7. Staff-to-Child Ratios and Supervision

For children aged 5–9 taking part in a physical activity session, Bond Yoga will maintain a minimum ratio of 1 adult to 8 children. Two staff members must always be on site together — children must never be supervised by only one adult.

• Maximum group size for this workshop: 16 children.
• If the group size increases, an additional DBS-checked adult must be added to maintain ratio.
• Toileting: the TA or teacher waits outside an open toilet door within sight/hearing of the group; children are not accompanied into individual cubicles unless requested.

8. Code of Conduct and Safer Working Practice

Because yoga involves physical movement staff will follow the safer working practice below, consistent with guidance already used in their school setting:

• Physical contact for pose adjustment is kept to a minimum, always in view of the other adult and other children, and limited to hands/shoulders/back where necessary for safety or technique.
• Before any hands-on adjustment, staff will ask the child's permission and offer a verbal-only alternative at all times.
• No child is ever taken to a separate room alone with one member of staff.
• Staff mobile phones are kept away during sessions and are not used to take personal photographs of children.
• Any photography for Bond Yoga purposes requires prior written parental consent and is taken on a Bond Yoga device only.
• Staff do not transport children in private vehicles.
• Staff do not contact children or share personal contact details/social media with children or families outside official Bond Yoga channels.

9. Session and Site Safety

9.1 Arrival and registration

Children are only released to a named parent/carer at drop-off, recorded on a signing-in register. A register of all children present, with emergency contact numbers and any relevant medical/allergy information, is held on site throughout the day.

9.2 Collection

Children are only released at the end of the day to the parent/carer who signed them in, or another named adult confirmed in advance in writing. If an unfamiliar adult arrives for collection, staff will verify identity and confirmed authorisation before releasing the child.

9.3 Risk assessment and venue

A written risk assessment for the Defford venue is completed before the event, covering the physical space, fire evacuation routes, first aid provision, and any site-specific hazards.

9.4 Medical, allergies and first aid

Parents/carers provide medical and allergy information in advance; this is reviewed by the DSL before the session and kept accessible but confidential on the day. At least one staff member holds a valid first aid certificate; a stocked first aid kit is on site. Any injury or medical incident is recorded and parents/carers are informed at collection or immediately if significant.

10. Responding to a Disclosure or Concern

If a child discloses something that raises a concern, or a member of staff notices something concerning, staff will:

• Stay calm, listen carefully, and not show shock or disbelief.
• Not promise confidentiality — explain gently that the information may need to be shared with someone who can help.
• Avoid asking leading questions; let the child speak in their own words.
• Reassure the child they were right to speak up.
• Record what was said as soon as possible afterwards, using the child's own words, with times, dates, and any observed injuries.
• Report to the DSL immediately — before the end of the session wherever possible, and always on the same day.

11. Reporting and Referral Procedure

All concerns, however small, are reported to the DSL. The DSL decides on next steps and, where required, makes an external referral without delay:

• Any concern is raised immediately with the DSL (Deputy Headteacher) or, if unavailable, the Deputy DSL (T.A).
• The DSL records the concern on the Concern Record (Appendix A).
• If a child is at immediate risk of harm, the DSL calls 999.
• If the concern meets the threshold for a safeguarding referral, the DSL contacts Worcestershire Children's Social Care (Family Front Door) the same day.
• The DSL informs the child's parent/carer, unless doing so would place the child at further risk.

12. Allegations Against a Member of Staff

If a concern or allegation is raised about the conduct of the Deputy Headteacher, the Teaching Assistant becomes the point of contact and immediately informs the LADO. If the allegation is about the T.A, the Deputy Headteacher (DSL) takes the lead.

Any allegation against a member of staff is reported the same day to the Worcestershire Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), regardless of whether the individual is also employed elsewhere. The member of staff concerned is not left alone with children while the allegation is being considered, and no internal investigation is carried out that might interfere with a LADO, children's social care, or police investigation.

13. Confidentiality, Record-Keeping and Data Protection

Safeguarding information is shared only with those who need to know, on a need-to-know basis, in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Information sharing to protect a child's safety and welfare always takes priority over confidentiality.

• Concern records are factual, timed, dated, and signed by the member of staff who made them.
• Records are stored securely, separately from general workshop administration.
• Records are retained in line with statutory retention requirements.

14. Photography, Filming and Social Media

• No child is photographed or filmed without specific, prior written parental/carer consent, collected at booking.
• Consent is recorded per child and checked before any photography takes place.
• Images are stored securely and never include a child's full name alongside their image without separate explicit consent.
• Staff do not photograph children on personal devices.

15. Anti-Bullying and Positive Behaviour Management

Bond Yoga promotes a calm, inclusive, and non-judgemental atmosphere consistent with the ethos of a mindfulness workshop. Any unkind, exclusionary, or bullying behaviour between children is addressed promptly, calmly and age-appropriately. Physical restraint is not used except to prevent immediate injury to the child or others, and any such incident is recorded and reported to the parent/carer at collection.

16. Missing Child Procedure

• Staff immediately stop the session and one member of staff checks the immediate area, toilets, and entrances while the other keeps the remaining children together and supervised.
• If the child is not found within a few minutes, the DSL contacts the venue and, if not quickly resolved, calls the police (999) and the child's parent/carer.
• A written record of the incident, timeline, and actions taken is completed by the DSL as soon as possible afterwards.

17–19. Equality, Whistleblowing & Training

All children are welcomed and supported to take part regardless of race, religion, gender, disability, or family circumstance. Either member of staff who has a concern about the conduct or practice of the other may raise it directly or with Worcestershire LADO. Both staff members already hold current safeguarding training and enhanced DBS certification through their school employment.

20. Monitoring and Review

This policy is reviewed by Bond Yoga before each workshop and at least annually, or sooner following any safeguarding incident, change in guidance, or change to the venue or staffing arrangements.

21. Key Contacts

Contact details for Worcestershire's Family Front Door and LADO service should be checked against safeguardingworcestershire.org.uk before each workshop, as these can change.