For adults working with young people it is important to be aware of potentially difficult situations and to follow Safeguarding guidance which applies to all young people under the age of 18 and vulnerable adults under the age of 25, to provide protection against abuse and non-accidental injury. 
 

The employer understands their duty of care to the student on the work placement, particularly with respect to child protection. Employers should do all they can to ensure their employees’ relationships with young people on work experience are appropriate to their age, and do not give rise to comment or speculation.  Attitude, behaviour and language all require care and thought.

 

Employers must advise of any changes relating to safeguarding; for example, if an employee is convicted of any offence that would disqualify them from working with children or present a safeguarding risk.

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) provides access to criminal record information through its Disclosure Service. However , in the vast majority of placements, since  the employer / employees involved will not have regular unsupervised access to young people at work - there is no need for DBS checks to take place.  Across the country, around 550,000 work experience placements take place each year and it is estimated that DBS checks take place for just 1% of these.
 
The guidance provided here by The Employability Partnership (in both information and policy form) is to assist employers in ensuring that the placements provided are a secure and productive environment for all students.

 

Please email us for a copy of our Safeguarding Children Policy or a copy of our Safeguarding Children Poster. The poster is for displaying on a noticeboard so that all those who have involvement with students on work experience are aware of the key issues involved when hosting a placement.

 

The policy is not intended to replicate or replace any existing company policies already in place, but can be adopted by a company or incorporated in to existing policies and procedures.