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Safeguarding Policy

Protecting children and young people who work with Mango Learn

version 1.0 | 15 October 2026

Owner: Joe Maingot | Business: Mango Learn | Contact: joe@mangolearn.co.uk | Address: 24 Cherry Garden Road, Maldon, CM9 6ET

1. Policy statement

Mango Learn is committed to protecting the safety and welfare of every child and young person who receives mentoring or tutoring. Joe Maingot recognises that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and that a child's welfare must be taken seriously. The approach is child-centred, respectful and responsive to the young person's communication, needs, wishes and circumstances.

This policy applies to private clients, online and face-to-face sessions, community outings, work commissioned by schools and any communication related to the service. It covers children and young people under 18. Where concerns relate to a person aged 18 or over, appropriate adult safeguarding and emergency procedures will be considered.

2. Scope and limits of the service

Mango Learn provides educational mentoring and tutoring. It is not a clinical therapy, medical treatment, crisis service, childcare service or substitute for statutory safeguarding services. Joe will work within his competence, seek advice where needed and signpost or refer concerns to appropriate services.

3. Safeguarding lead and contacts

Safeguarding Lead: Joe Maingot. Contact: joe@mangolearn.co.uk / 07900914244.

Children & Families Hub (Essex County Council)

  • Main / Priority & Consultation Line: 0345 603 7627
  • Out-of-Hours / Emergency Duty Team: 0345 606 1212
  • Email: emergency.dutyteamoutofhours@essex.gov.uk

You can contact the Essex Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) service via the Essex Safeguarding Children Board's allegations management page:

  • LADO Duty Line: 03330 139 797
  • LADO Duty Email: lado@essex.gov.uk
  • Referral Form: email LADO@essex.gov.uk with “Intention to Refer” in the subject line, then reply to the automatic response with the completed form attached

Emergency: call 999 if a child or another person is in immediate danger or urgent police/ambulance assistance is needed. For non-emergency police matters, use 101 where appropriate. Do not delay urgent action while seeking internal advice.

4. Core principles

  • Listen to the young person and take what they say seriously.
  • Treat every young person with dignity and respect, without discrimination.
  • Make reasonable adjustments for communication, sensory needs, disability, anxiety and neurodivergence.
  • Do not use shame, humiliation, threats, physical punishment or coercive methods.
  • Respect the young person's right to express views and to decline or pause a task, while managing immediate safety risks.
  • Share information only where appropriate and lawful, but never promise secrecy about a safeguarding concern.
  • Keep clear, factual, dated records of concerns and actions.

5. Safer recruitment, checks and professional development

Joe holds an Enhanced DBS check and is subscribed to the DBS Update Service. The level and scope of the check, including whether a Children's Barred List check is included, must be confirmed against the certificate and current eligibility rules. The Update Service status should be checked with the individual's permission and in line with DBS requirements when appropriate.

Joe will maintain relevant safeguarding knowledge, review this policy regularly and seek training or advice appropriate to his role. If other workers, assistants or volunteers are engaged in future, appropriate checks, references, role descriptions, supervision and safeguarding induction must be completed before they work with young people.

6. Before support begins

  • Obtain the parent/carer's contact details, emergency contact, relevant consent and information about parental responsibility or authority.
  • Explain the service, its boundaries, the privacy notice, how to raise a concern, and the limits of confidentiality.
  • Discuss relevant learning, communication, health, sensory, mobility and safety needs, asking only for information necessary to provide safe support.
  • Agree session arrangements, the parent/responsible adult's presence, how the young person can ask for a break or end a session, and how contact will take place between sessions.
  • For school-commissioned work, agree in writing the school's safeguarding procedures, named Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), reporting route, emergency contacts, information-sharing arrangements and responsibilities.
  • Agree permissions and a risk assessment before any outing, travel, park visit, public place activity or use of the therapy dog.

7. Parent/responsible adult presence and supervision

For face-to-face sessions in a family home, a parent or responsible adult agreed in advance must be present in the house throughout the session. They do not have to sit in the room or accompany every activity, but must be available if needed. If the agreed adult is not present, the session will not proceed unless a safe alternative has been agreed in advance.

For an agreed walk, park visit or other community activity, the parent/responsible adult does not have to accompany Joe and the young person, but written or otherwise clearly recorded permission must be obtained in advance. The agreement should specify the destination, route or activity, start/end arrangements, emergency contact, travel method, any relevant risks and whether the young person can be left temporarily unsupervised. Joe will not transport a young person in a vehicle unless a separate written arrangement, appropriate insurance and risk assessment are in place.

For online sessions, the parent/responsible adult should be in the home and contactable throughout, unless a different arrangement is agreed in writing with the commissioning school and family and is safe and appropriate. The young person should be able to participate in a suitable space. At the start of an online session, Joe will know how to contact the parent/responsible adult if the connection fails or a concern arises.

8. Professional boundaries and communications

  • Use agreed professional communication channels and keep communications relevant to the service.
  • Avoid private or secretive communication with a young person. Include a parent/carer or school contact as appropriate, while respecting the young person's rights and agreed confidentiality.
  • Do not connect with young people through personal social media accounts or exchange personal gifts, money or personal contact details.
  • Do not make promises of secrecy, enter inappropriate relationships, or communicate in a way that could reasonably be misunderstood.
  • Where possible, hold sessions in an agreed, observable and appropriate setting, with clear start/end times.
  • Keep physical contact to a minimum and only where appropriate, necessary, safe and respectful; explain and seek agreement wherever possible.
  • Do not photograph, film or record a young person without a clear purpose, advance permission and appropriate safeguards.

9. Online safeguarding

  • Use Microsoft Teams for online sessions and keep account access secure.
  • Do not record sessions by default. If recording is proposed, explain the reason, access and retention arrangements beforehand and obtain all required permissions.
  • Check at the beginning of a session that the young person is safe to continue and knows how to contact a parent/responsible adult.
  • If a young person appears to be in immediate danger, establish their location if possible, contact emergency services and the responsible adult where safe, and follow safeguarding procedures.
  • If the connection unexpectedly ends during a concerning disclosure or incident, attempt to reconnect and contact the agreed responsible adult or emergency services as appropriate.

10. Recognising and responding to concerns

Concerns may include abuse or neglect, physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, grooming, domestic abuse, bullying, online harm, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, exploitation, radicalisation, neglect of basic needs or a significant change in behaviour. This list is not exhaustive. A concern does not need to be proven before it is recorded or passed to the appropriate safeguarding service.

11. If a young person discloses harm

  1. Stay calm, listen carefully and take the young person seriously.
  2. Allow them to speak in their own words. Do not ask leading questions, investigate or press for details.
  3. Explain in an age-appropriate way that you may need to tell people whose job it is to help keep them safe.
  4. Do not promise secrecy and do not confront the person alleged to have caused harm.
  5. Record as soon as possible the date, time, context, the young person's words as accurately as possible, any observations, and the actions taken. Distinguish fact from opinion.
  6. Contact the appropriate children's social care/MASH, DSL for school-commissioned work, police or emergency service as appropriate. Do not assume that reporting to a school alone is sufficient where urgent referral is needed.
  7. Share information only with people who need it to protect the child, and record why, with whom and when information was shared.

12. Reporting and escalation

For school-commissioned work, Joe will follow the school's agreed safeguarding procedures and contact its DSL promptly. Where there is immediate danger, suspected serious crime, or a risk that cannot safely wait, Joe will contact the relevant emergency service or children's social care directly. If a concern involves the DSL or another person in the usual reporting route, Joe will use the alternative local authority or police route.

Where the concern relates to an adult working with children, including an allegation about Joe, it will be handled fairly and promptly and referred to the relevant LADO/local authority route where the threshold is met. Joe will cooperate with lawful safeguarding enquiries. Please see above contact details.

13. Confidentiality and information sharing

Information will be recorded and shared proportionately, securely and on a need-to-know basis. Consent will be sought where appropriate, but it is not always required to share information to safeguard a child. The reason for sharing or not sharing information should be recorded. Safeguarding records will be stored separately or with restricted access where practicable.

14. Risk assessments and outings

A proportionate risk assessment will be completed for activities outside the home, including walks, parks, public transport, travel training or trips. It will consider the young person's needs and wishes, route and destination, road and water hazards, public interaction, communication and distress plans, weather, medication or health needs voluntarily disclosed and relevant to safety, emergency contacts, toileting needs, accessibility, transport and arrangements if the activity must stop.

For trips involving transport, tickets, admission charges or other costs, the family or commissioning school must agree in advance who pays and what permissions are needed. Joe will not provide transport until suitable motor insurance and written permissions are confirmed.

15. Therapy dog

Maïka, Joe's therapy dog, may attend only where the family and young person agree and it is appropriate. Before an introduction, Joe will check for allergies, phobias, cultural or sensory concerns, and any relevant safety issues. The young person will never be required to interact with the dog. Maïka will be managed so that the young person can opt out and the dog's welfare is protected.

16. Allegations, complaints and whistleblowing

Any allegation or complaint about Joe's conduct will be taken seriously, recorded and acted on. The safety of the young person comes first. Depending on the concern, Joe will seek advice from the LADO, children's social care, police, insurer or an appropriate independent adviser. If a parent, young person or school has a concern, they can contact joe@mangolearn.co.uk. If the concern involves Joe, they may contact the relevant local authority LADO or children's services directly.

17. Missing session, distress or emergency

If a young person does not join an online session or is not available at an agreed home session, Joe will contact the agreed parent/responsible adult rather than attempt to locate or supervise the young person independently. If a young person becomes distressed, Joe will pause or adapt the activity, seek support from the agreed adult where appropriate and prioritise safety. In a medical or other emergency, Joe will call 999 where needed and notify the responsible adult as soon as practicable.

18. Records and review

Safeguarding records will be factual, dated, secure and limited to relevant information. Records will be retained according to the safeguarding retention schedule and any lawful school or local-authority requirements. This policy will be reviewed at least annually and after a significant incident, change in law or change in service delivery.

19. Policy administration

Policy owner: Joe Maingot. Approved/reviewed on: 15th October, 2026. Next review due: October, 2027

Safeguarding training last completed: 21st July, 2026