Safeguarding Policy

The Node Foundation is committed to keeping every young person who takes part in our Projects, Preparation, and Pathways programmes safe. Safeguarding applies to all of our activities, whether in-person workshops, online sessions, or employer visits, and to everyone who works with our students - staff, near-peer mentors, volunteers, and partner organisations.

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Shahida Begum, Co-Founder & CEO, shahida@thenodefoundation.com, with (TBD) as deputy. Any safeguarding concern raised with anyone at The Node Foundation is passed to the DSL without delay.

Everyone working directly with students: staff, near-peer mentors, and volunteers - undergoes an enhanced DBS check (or equivalent for those based outside England and Wales) before unsupervised contact with students, along with reference checks and a safeguarding induction covering this policy and our code of conduct.

Everyone working with our students agrees to:

• Treat every student with respect, and never favour or single one out inappropriately.
• Avoid being alone with a single student where it can be avoided; keep sessions visible and, where online, recorded or observed.
• Use only official, monitored channels (not personal social media or phone numbers) to contact students.
• Never ask a student to keep a secret from their parent, guardian, or school.
• Report any concern, disclosure, or incident to the DSL the same day.

Where sessions run online, students join through school or parent-approved accounts where possible, sessions are hosted by at least one DBS-checked adult, and content and chat are monitored throughout. In-person workshops follow the venue’s own safeguarding and health and safety procedures alongside ours.

If you’re a student, parent, guardian, or partner and you’re worried about a student’s welfare or about the conduct of anyone connected to our programmes, contact our DSL directly at shahida@thenodefoundation.com or email info@thenodefoundation.com. If a child is in immediate danger, contact the police on 999.

Information shared during a safeguarding concern is shared only with those who need to know internally, and with statutory agencies (such as children’s services or the police) where required - never more widely than necessary to keep a student safe.

This policy is reviewed at least annually, or sooner following any safeguarding incident, change in legislation, or change to statutory guidance such as Keeping Children Safe in Education.