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Date updated: 18/05/2022

Safeguarding the welfare of young people and adults is the responsibility of all organisations which engage in education and training.

It is important that staff and tutors working for Adult Skills and Education Service (ASES) get safeguarding right. This is for two reasons. Firstly, ASES has a statutory duty for safeguarding its learners. Secondly, during Ofsted inspections, inspectors will make a key judgement on whether the organisation, its senior managers and tutors, have implemented appropriate measures to ensure that all learners are reasonably safeguarded. The safeguarding judgement will inform the overall judgement on ASES provision. 

But safeguarding is not just a matter of inspection grades and following due process. It is important to ASES as a teaching and learning community to make sure that our learners thrive as they learn and develop. This means that we are alert to the welfare of our learners, exercise our professional judgement and take timely and appropriate steps to support those who may be suffering significant harm.

In addition to ensuring that learners are safeguarded while learning with us, we also have a role to play in managing risks that learners face in the wider community. This includes the recently introduced Prevent agenda which deals with radicalisation. 

Contacts

ASES Safeguarding Leads
020 7332 1211 / 020 7608 2753
020 7332 3918

Out of hours Children's Social Care
0208 356 2346
0208 356 2710

Out of hours Adult Social Care
020 8356 2300

​The age of 18 is a watershed in safeguarding practice. The Children Act 1989 defines a child as a person under 18. The status of being a child brings with it more extensive criteria set out in 3.1. If the person is over 18, they are considered to be an adult. 

The Protection of Vulnerable Adults Scheme (PoVA 2004) defines a vulnerable adult as a person aged 18 or older who has:

  • a substantial learning or physical disability
  • a physical or mental illness or mental disorder, chronic or otherwise, including addiction to alcohol or drugs
  • a significant reduction in physical or mental capacity