A sample Safeguarding Policy — see what Launch44 generates.

The registered manager acts as the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) for Oakfield House. The DSL is responsible for:

• receiving, recording, and acting on all safeguarding concerns
• making referrals to the local authority's children's social care team, the police, or other agencies where the threshold is met
• ensuring that all staff understand what to report, how to report it, and that concerns are never ignored, minimised, or delayed
• maintaining the home's safeguarding records securely and in compliance with data protection requirements
• liaising with Ofsted, the local safeguarding children partnership, and other statutory bodies as required

In the DSL's absence, a named deputy safeguarding lead (a senior member of the care team) holds responsibility. Both the DSL and deputy have completed multi-agency safeguarding training to at least Level 3, refreshed every two years.

All staff at Oakfield House are trained to recognise the signs and indicators of abuse and neglect, including:

• Physical abuse — unexplained injuries, changes in behaviour after contact, flinching from touch
• Emotional abuse — persistent criticism, rejection, or scapegoating by adults; withdrawal, anxiety, or low self-esteem in the child
• Sexual abuse — age-inappropriate sexual knowledge or behaviour, reluctance to be alone with a particular person, physical indicators
• Neglect — poor hygiene, hunger, untreated medical conditions, lack of supervision
• Child sexual exploitation (CSE) — gifts or money from unknown sources, going missing, older "boyfriends/girlfriends", secretive phone or online activity
• Child criminal exploitation (CCE) — unexplained possession of money, phones, or weapons; association with unknown older individuals; county lines indicators
• Radicalisation — sudden changes in peer group, expressed sympathy with extremist ideologies, withdrawal from previous interests
• Peer-on-peer abuse — bullying, online abuse, sexual harassment, and harmful sexual behaviours between children

Staff are trained not to investigate suspicions themselves but to record what they have observed factually, using the child's own words where possible, and to report to the DSL without delay.

Any member of staff who has a safeguarding concern must report it to the DSL on the same day. If the DSL is unavailable, the concern must go to the deputy safeguarding lead. If neither is available and the concern is urgent, the staff member must contact the local authority's children's social care team or the police directly — safeguarding is never delayed because a manager is absent.

The DSL will:

1. record the concern using the home's safeguarding concern form
2. assess the information against the local safeguarding children partnership threshold guidance
3. make a referral to children's social care within 24 hours if the threshold for significant harm is met, or sooner if urgent
4. notify Ofsted of any safeguarding event that meets the notification threshold (Regulation 40)
5. inform the placing authority

All safeguarding concerns, referrals, and outcomes are recorded, stored securely, and reviewed by the DSL at least monthly to identify patterns or themes.

If a member of staff believes the DSL has not acted on a concern appropriately, they may report directly to the local authority or Ofsted. Oakfield House operates a whistleblowing policy that protects anyone who raises a safeguarding concern in good faith.

If an allegation of abuse is made against any member of staff — including the registered manager, agency workers, or volunteers — the matter is referred immediately to the local authority designated officer (LADO) and reported to Ofsted. The registered manager must not investigate the allegation themselves.

The member of staff may be suspended from duties pending investigation where this is necessary to protect children; suspension is a neutral act and not a presumption of guilt. The responsible individual is informed and oversees the home's response.

If the allegation is against the registered manager, the responsible individual takes lead responsibility and makes the LADO referral directly. If the allegation is against the responsible individual, the registered manager refers to the LADO and notifies Ofsted.

A record of the allegation, the actions taken, and the outcome is maintained for the lifetime of the staff member's employment and retained in accordance with safer recruitment guidance after they leave.

Children at Oakfield House have age-appropriate, supervised access to the internet and digital devices. We recognise that the online world is a significant part of children's lives and that the risks — grooming, exploitation, exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, and radicalisation — require active management, not blanket prohibition.

Our approach is:

• age-appropriate filtering on home devices and the home's Wi-Fi network
• clear agreements with each child about acceptable use, reviewed regularly
• direct conversations with children about staying safe online, recognising risks, and knowing what to do if something goes wrong
• monitoring usage proportionately — not reading private messages as a matter of routine, but responding to intelligence, changes in behaviour, or specific safeguarding concerns
• reporting online exploitation, grooming, or illegal content to the police and CEOP

Online safeguarding concerns are recorded and managed through the same reporting pathway as any other safeguarding concern.

Oakfield House follows a clear protocol when a child is missing from the home or from their expected location. The protocol is consistent with the home's missing child policy and the local authority's missing-from-care procedures.

When a child is identified as missing:

1. an immediate search of the home and grounds is conducted
2. the police are contacted if the child is not located within a timeframe proportionate to the assessed risk (for high-risk children, this may be immediate)
3. the placing authority and, where appropriate, the child's parents are informed
4. Ofsted is notified in line with Regulation 40 (Schedule 5)
5. on the child's return, an independent return interview is facilitated within 72 hours

Every missing episode is recorded, reviewed for patterns, and used to update the child's risk assessment and the home's safeguarding response. Going missing is always treated as a potential safeguarding indicator — never as defiance or a behavioural issue alone.

Safeguarding begins before a member of staff enters the building. Oakfield House follows safer recruitment practices for every person who works at the home, whether employed, self-employed, or volunteering. These include:

• an enhanced DBS check with barred list check, obtained before the person starts work
• verification of identity, right to work, and qualifications
• a minimum of two references, including one from the most recent employer (or, where the candidate has worked with children, from that employer)
• a face-to-face interview that explores the candidate's attitude to safeguarding, understanding of boundaries, and motivation for working with children
• a probationary period with safeguarding competencies explicitly assessed

No person begins unsupervised work with children until all checks are satisfactorily completed and recorded on the home's single central record. Where a DBS check is pending in exceptional circumstances, a risk assessment is completed and the person works under direct supervision only.

All staff complete safeguarding training as part of induction, before working unsupervised with children. Training covers recognising abuse and neglect, the home's reporting procedures, online safety, CSE, CCE, radicalisation, and the role of the LADO.

Safeguarding training is refreshed at least annually, with multi-agency training for the DSL and deputy refreshed every two years. Staff also receive regular updates on emerging risks, local safeguarding themes, and lessons learned from practice.

Supervision is the primary mechanism for maintaining safeguarding vigilance day to day. Every staff member receives formal, recorded supervision at least monthly, and safeguarding is a standing item in every supervision session. The registered manager models a culture in which raising a concern is expected, supported, and never punished.