Safeguarding
Safeguarding can be explained as the processes and measures that the College puts in place to protect students, visitors and staff. We recognise our explicit duty to safeguard and protect children and vulnerable adults from abuse.
How do we safeguard?
We have a Safeguarding Team is made up of eight Safeguarding Officers and a Safeguarding Coordinator. The Safeguarding Team are highly skilled and expertly trained in responding to suspicions, disclosures or observation of abuse. The College also:
- Takes a positive approach to creating a culture and environment in which safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from potential harm or damage is a priority
- Takes all appropriate actions to address concerns about the welfare of children and vulnerable adults
- Works to agreed local policies and procedures in full partnership with other local agencies
- Plans, implements, monitors and reviews policies and procedures to ensure the maximum is done to improve a safe environment for children and vulnerable adults welfare is minimised
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are worried about yourself or about someone else, you can talk in private to a member of the Safeguarding Team. Hugh Baird College have a dedicated Safeguarding Team, based in the POD. You can call in to the POD at any time to speak to one of the Team or, if you prefer, you can ask your tutor to contact the Safeguarding Team to organise a meeting for you.
If you would like to make the Team aware of your concerns but are not able to call in to see someone, you can report your concerns online selecting the 'Report a concern' button at the top of this page.
If you want to report anything that is not urgent but you think it is still serious, you can call the Police‘s NON EMERGENCY number on 101. If something serious has happened to you, or to someone you are worried about, you should contact the Police. If it’s an EMERGENCY, you should call 999.
You can also always speak to Student Services if you ever feel unfairly treated, intimidated or bullied in any way. Or, you can send a confidential message to the Safeguarding Officers at Hugh Baird College by emailing safeguarding@hughbaird.ac.uk.
You can talk privately to a member of staff at the College. This could be your tutor or a member of the Student Services team. Your concerns will be treated sensitively and taken seriously. Equally, you may feel that your friends are putting pressure on you to do things that you are uncomfortable, this can be a form of bullying and will be treated with the same sensitivity and seriousness by all staff at the College.
- If anyone says or does anything that worries or frightens you, talk to a trusted adult - someone in your family or at College.
- Remember - alcohol and drugs can harm your health and can encourage you to take risks.
- It’s OK to shout out loud or run away from an adult who is trying to hurt you.
- Don’t accept money or a lift home from someone you’ve never met before - if you run out of money and have no money for your journey home, call someone to pick you up and stay in well-lit areas until you’re collected.
- If you go out alone, always tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll return. Carry a mobile with speed dial emergency numbers (parents, carers, etc) programmed in to it so you can call quickly if you need to.
- Someone only wants to talk to you in secret and they are asking you not to tell anyone about your conversations.
- Never agree to talk to anyone in secret, especially if they are threatening you not to tell anyone about it. Always inform a trusted adult of your online conversations.
- Someone online, who you don’t know, insists on taking your phone number or address.
- Never give out personal details such as your real name, address or phone number and never tell anyone which school/college you go to. Keep your personal details private. In the wrong hands, these details can be used to find you, meaning you may become at risk.
- You are sent an email that makes you feel uncomfortable or worried. For example, the person emailing you may say things or send you embarrassing pictures. In addition, the person could be insisting that you use a webcam or send them photographs of yourself that make you feel uncomfortable.
- Always tell a trusted adult if someone makes inappropriate comments or suggestions or makes you feel uncomfortable.
- Never agree to meet anyone from a chatroom on your own. Only meet someone from a chatroom in a public place with one of your parents or another trusted adult.
You can call in to the POD to ask to talk to a Safeguarding Officer. The team can also be contacted via Push the Button. Alternatively, you can email the team on safeguarding_team@hughbaird.ac.uk.
