Safeguarding Policy | Otto Education

Version 1.0 · Reviewed May 2026

1. Our commitment

Otto Education believes that the welfare of children and young people is paramount. All children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, have equal rights to protection from harm. We are committed to practising in a way that protects children and promotes their wellbeing.

This policy applies to Myette Blannin and any associates or colleagues working with or on behalf of Otto Education in any capacity, whether delivering tutoring, consultancy, CPD or any other service involving contact with children or young people.

2. Designated Safeguarding Lead

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): Myette Blannin

The DSL is responsible for:

Receiving and acting on safeguarding concerns raised by anyone connected with Otto Education
Making referrals to statutory agencies where appropriate
Maintaining confidential records of all safeguarding concerns and actions taken
Ensuring this policy is reviewed annually and following any significant event
Liaising with the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) where allegations are made against a member of staff

Contact: safeguarding@ottoeducation.co.uk

3. Legislative framework

This policy is informed by and complies with:

Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023): HM Government statutory guidance
Keeping Children Safe in Education (2024): Department for Education statutory guidance
Children Act 1989 and 2004
The Children and Families Act 2014, including SEND provisions
Data Protection Act 2018 / UK GDPR, regarding safe handling of child and family data
The Prevent Duty, Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015

4. Recognising abuse and neglect

All staff and associates of Otto Education are trained to recognise the signs and indicators of the four main categories of abuse as defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023):

Physical abuse: including hitting, shaking, poisoning, burning, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm
Emotional abuse: persistent emotional maltreatment causing severe and persistent effects on a child's emotional development
Sexual abuse: forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening
Neglect: persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs

We also recognise additional categories including child sexual exploitation (CSE), child criminal exploitation (CCE), online abuse, domestic abuse in the home, female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage, honour-based abuse, and radicalisation.

5. Procedure for raising a concern

If any person associated with Otto Education has a concern about the welfare or safety of a child or young person, the following steps should be followed:

Do not investigate yourself. It is not your role to determine whether abuse has occurred.
Record. Make a factual, contemporaneous note of what was said, seen or heard, using the child's words where relevant. Do not delay.
Report immediately to the DSL (Myette Blannin). If the DSL is unavailable and the child is at immediate risk, contact the police (999) or children's social care directly.
Do not share concerns more widely than necessary, and do not inform the alleged abuser that a referral may be made.
The DSL will assess the concern and determine whether a referral to children's social care, the police, or another statutory agency is required.

In Surrey, referrals are made to: Surrey Children's Single Point of Access (C-SPA), 0300 470 9100

In Hampshire, referrals are made to: Hampshire Children's Services, 0300 555 1384

In an emergency, always call 999.

6. Safe working practice

All Otto Education associates working with children and young people are expected to follow safe working practices at all times:

Hold a current Enhanced DBS check with barred list check (children)
Never meet with a child alone in an unobserved or isolated space
For virtual sessions: ensure a parent or carer is present in the home and aware a session is taking place; sessions must not be recorded without written consent of the parent/carer
Never share personal contact details (personal mobile, personal email, social media) with a child or young person
Maintain appropriate professional boundaries at all times
Never transport a child in a personal vehicle without explicit written parental consent and the presence of another adult

7. Online safety

Where sessions are delivered virtually, Otto Education takes additional steps to maintain safety:

All virtual sessions take place via a pre-agreed, secure platform (e.g. Zoom, Teams or Google Meet)
Session links are shared with the parent or carer in advance and not shared on public channels
Children are not asked to download software or access links outside the agreed platform
Any disclosure of online harm, grooming, or exploitation is treated as a safeguarding matter and reported according to section 5 above
The CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection) command can be contacted at ceop.police.uk

8. Allegations against staff

If an allegation is made against Myette Blannin or any associate of Otto Education, the matter will be referred immediately to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for the relevant local authority:

Surrey LADO: 0300 123 1650
Hampshire LADO: 01962 876 364

The individual who is the subject of the allegation will be informed only once the LADO has been consulted and has agreed this is appropriate.

9. Confidentiality and information sharing

Safeguarding concerns are not confidential in the normal sense. The welfare of the child overrides any duty of confidence. Where a child shares information that suggests they or another child is at risk of harm, that information will be shared with the appropriate statutory agencies even if the child asks us not to. We will always explain to the child what we are doing and why, in an age-appropriate way.

Records of safeguarding concerns are stored securely, separately from other records, and shared only with those who have a need to know. They are retained for a minimum of 25 years or until the child reaches the age of 25, whichever is longer.

10. Review

This policy is reviewed annually by Myette Blannin, or sooner following any significant safeguarding event, change in legislation, or update to statutory guidance. The current version and review date are shown at the top of this document.

Useful resources:

Last reviewed: May 2026 · Next review: May 2027 · Policy owner: Myette Blannin, Otto Education