Safeguarding Policy

Introduction, Scope and Purpose

Multiverse Group Limited (Multiverse, our) is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all learners, staff and visitors and aware of its legal duties to safeguard children, young people and adults at risk. Multiverse may encounter children and adults at risk through its apprenticeship programmes. Multiverse will take all reasonable steps to ensure provision of a safe environment beneficial to work, study and the enjoyment of a positive experience for all members of its community. This policy applies to all individuals working for Multiverse including directors, temporary and permanent employees.

Multiverse will maintain the highest possible standards in meeting its responsibilities to protect and safeguard the welfare of children and adults at risk. Multiverse is committed to working in partnership with other organisations (as appropriate) to facilitate this.

In implementing this policy, Multiverse will be mindful of its duty of care and other legal obligations in accordance with the Keeping Children Safe in Education Statutory Guidance 2024, the Working Together to Safeguard Children Statutory Guidance 2023, as well as the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, The Care Act 2014, The Protection of Children Act 1999, The Sexual Offences Act 2003, The Equality Act 2010, The Mental Capacity Act 2005, The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and the General Data Protection Regulation as enacted by the Data Protection Act 2018 (please see our Privacy Policy). We will also adhere to safeguarding legislation, including the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and the implementation of the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS); the Children Act 2004, the Equality Act 2010, and the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. Multiverse commits to monitoring any changes to the applicable law or guidance as detailed in this section 1.3 to ensure that it continues to meet its legal obligations.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to demonstrate the commitment of Multiverse to safeguarding adults and children and to ensure that everyone involved is aware of:

1. The legislation, policy and procedures for safeguarding adults and children.
2. Their role and responsibility for safeguarding adults and children.
3. What to do or who to speak to if they have a concern relating to the welfare or wellbeing of an adult or child within the organisation.

This Multiverse policy covers all learners regardless of location and covers all aspects of our apprenticeship programmes. All Multiverse staff will take responsibility to understand their role in supporting safeguarding across all aspects of provision and for familiarising themselves with the appropriate procedures, assessment of risks, and other policies that support this overarching document.

Definitions

1. “Child” – a person or persons under the age of 18 years. The individual may be studying with Multiverse or a learner may disclose a situation where a child(ren) is at risk of harm, for example, domestic abuse.
2. “Adult at risk” – Multiverse bases its definition of “Adult at risk” on that used within the Care Act 2014. The Care Act 2014 defines an adult at risk as someone who is 18 or older and meets the following criteria:
   1. Has care and support needs
   2. Is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect
   3. Is unable to protect themselves from abuse or neglect because of their care and support needs
3. Examples of conditions that may indicate an adult is at risk may include but are not limited to:
   1. Having a physical disability, learning difficulty, or sensory impairment
   2. Having mental health needs, such as dementia or a personality disorder
   3. Having a long-term health condition
   4. Misusing alcohol or substances to the extent that it affects their ability to manage day-to-day living
4. “Safeguarding Children” – In defining our approach towards children, Multiverse aligns on the definition used by the DfE Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 (KCSIE) which refers to Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children as:
   1. Providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge.
   2. Protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online.
   3. Preventing the impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development.
   4. Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.
   5. Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
5. “Safeguarding Adults at Risk” – While Multiverse is not subject to the provisions of the Care Act 2014, Multiverse draws broadly on this act to inform its policy on safeguarding Adults at Risk. Multiverse will play its part to:
   1. Ensure that the rights of Adults at Risk are protected to enable them to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect.
   2. Ensure that the wellbeing of an Adult at Risk is promoted and that in deciding on any action, where possible, Multiverse will consider their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs, for example when considering whether to refer concerns to statutory bodies or when seeking support from charitable organisations.
6. “Safeguarding” is an all-encompassing term used to describe many aspects of keeping our learners safe, which for learner health, safety, and wellbeing encompasses:
   1. Physical Abuse: Involves causing physical harm through actions such as hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, or drowning. It can also include fabricating symptoms or deliberately inducing illness.
   2. Emotional Abuse: Persistent emotional maltreatment that adversely affects a person's emotional development. This can include conveying worthlessness, imposing inappropriate expectations, serious bullying, and isolation from social interactions.
   3. Sexual Abuse: Forcing participation in sexual activities, including non-consensual acts or the exploitation of minors through pornography and inappropriate sexual behaviour.
   4. Neglect: Continuous failure to meet a person's basic physical and psychological needs, which can lead to serious health or development impairment. It includes inadequate food, shelter, protection, supervision, and medical care.
   5. Financial Abuse: Misappropriation of an individual's finances, such as theft, fraud, or coercing financial agreements contrary to their best interests.
   6. Discriminatory Abuse: Abuse motivated by discriminatory attitudes towards race, gender, culture, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or age.
   7. Institutional Abuse: Poor professional practice or systemic mistreatment in care settings, which can include neglect or gross misconduct.
   8. Domestic Violence: Abuse occurring within families by partners or family members, encompassing psychological, physical, sexual, financial, controlling, coercive or emotional forms.
   9. Modern Slavery: Exploitation of individuals for little or no wages.
   10. Forced Marriage & Honour Based Violence: Marriages conducted without valid consent, often involving coercion. Honour killings may occur for perceived violations of community or family honour.
   11. Under-Age Marriage: Any action leading to marriage before the age of 18, even without coercion, is illegal.
   12. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM): Non-medical cutting or altering of female genitals, typically performed on young girls, leading to severe physical and mental health issues.
   13. Self Neglect: Refusal to attend to personal care or hygiene.
   14. Substance Misuse: Harmful use of illegal drugs, alcohol, and misused medications affecting individual wellbeing and community safety.
   15. Cyberbullying: Using technology to harass or intimidate others.
   16. Vulnerability to Violent Extremism: Concerns related to susceptibility to extreme violence and radicalisation.

Key Principles

Multiverse operates within the following key principles:

1. All people are treated with respect and courtesy by staff and learners in an environment free from harassment or discrimination.
2. All learning environments, communal areas, facilities, and equipment comply with legislative health and safety standards.
3. Multiverse works with learners and other agencies to promote a safe and healthy culture.
4. Multiverse develops partnerships to proactively protect learners at risk of abuse, neglect or at risk of radicalisation.
5. Staff are trained and have a clear understanding of personal safety and good safeguarding practices, as well as what factors may make learners vulnerable to a range of safeguarding concerns.
6. Multiverse works with learners to promote their own personal health, wellbeing and safety including their safety online.
7. Multiverse works proactively to raise awareness of radicalisation and extremism to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.
8. Learners can access various resources designed to help them navigate personal challenges. For those needing more comprehensive support, our Safeguarding Team is available to direct them to specialist external agencies and offer tailored guidance. Learner signposting includes but is not limited to:
   1. Victim Support UK
   2. National Domestic Abuse Helpline
   3. Mental Health Crisis Support:
      1. call Samaritans on 116 123 (UK-wide)
      2. text SHOUT to 85258 (UK-wide)
   4. NSPCC
   5. Finding your local Policing Team
   6. Prevent/Radicalisation Support
   7. Parental Support

Hybrid & remote working

Hybrid and remote working is essential for the delivery of our programmes. Multiverse staff are reminded of our codes of conduct and are expected to follow these without exception.

Online sessions will only be delivered through authorised platforms, and Multiverse staff will where possible be in a neutral area where nothing personal or inappropriate can be seen or heard in the background. Only Multiverse accounts will be used to communicate via email or online platforms, never personal accounts.

Staff accessing learner contact details at home will ensure they comply fully with GDPR and safe online practices. Learners will be spending more time online so regular advice about the benefits and risks of the online world is advised and provided to learners on a regular basis.

Learners' entitlement

To promote a healthy and safe environment, our learners are entitled to the following:

1. The right to make a disclosure to any member of Multiverse staff and know that the disclosure will be dealt with quickly, sensitively, and appropriately.
2. To learn in an environment free from bullying or harassment.
3. To be aware of strategies and actions to keep themselves safe at work, in learning or online.
4. To be aware of the basic principles of safe learning and safeguarding relevant to the programme that the learner is completing.
5. To be aware of how to access support on personal health and safety issues either within Multiverse or from outside agencies.
6. To have up to date information about personal safety issues.
7. The opportunity to comment and feedback on the extent to which Multiverse and programmes promote and maintain wellbeing and personal safety.
8. Learn about interpersonal and communication skills that promote and establish a welcoming, safe, and respectful environment.

Strands of activity

1. The safeguarding efforts of Multiverse are supported by the following core strands of activity, where relevant, working procedures and other policy documents have been signposted within this section.
2. Safe Learning
   1. The principles of the ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ and safeguarding agendas are embedded within Multiverse’s teaching and learning practices and within Multiverse’s quality assurance and quality improvement frameworks. Safe recruitment practices are implemented as outlined in the relevant section of this policy.
   2. Multiverse’s commitment to safe learning is protected within the following policies and procedural documents: the quality assurance and quality improvement strategy; disciplinary procedure and as appropriate HR policies and procedures.
3. Safe Environment
   1. Multiverse provides an environment that is safe and secure for all users, whilst at the same time is friendly and welcoming. Multiverse follows strict regulations for authorised entry only for staff and registration processes for visitors. A culture of respect that is free from bullying and harassment is engendered. Health and safety are of paramount importance and must never be compromised or shortcut as such all facilities and resources comply with legislative requirements for health and safety.
   2. Multiverse’s commitment to the safe environment is enshrined within the following policy and procedure documents: the Health and Safety Policy and manual; the IT Acceptable Use Policy for apprentices and the Incident Reporting Procedures.
4. Safer Recruitment
   1. Multiverse complies with best practice in the recruitment and training of its staff, in line with legislative requirements. All staff undergo the appropriate pre-employment checks including DBS checks for their role and undertake mandatory safeguarding training appropriate to their role. Staff understand the principles of safe working practices, as outlined in the Multiverse Health and Safety Policy and how not to put themselves in situations that compromise themselves or learners. All new starters receive an appropriate induction, including safeguarding training for all managers and learner facing staff.
5. Safeguarding Learners
   1. Multiverse has a legal obligation to protect young people and vulnerable adults from abuse.
   2. Multiverse has an appropriately trained Safeguarding Team, who ensure that disclosures made by learners are dealt with quickly, sensitively, and appropriately. The contact details of this team can be found at the bottom of this policy.
   3. All managers and learner facing staff are trained in the appropriate response to a learner's disclosure and the correct procedure for dealing with concerns about a learner. This process is regularly updated to allow for new information and processes to be put in place as and when appropriately required.
6. Preventing Terrorism Involvement
   1. Multiverse has certain duties preserved within the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 and the Prevent Statutory Duty Guidance 2023.
   2. All staff are aware of their Prevent duties and Multiverse has robust processes in place to respond to concerns about learners and staff members.
   3. Learners are aware they can explore and discuss issues in a safe and open environment with their coach and/or the Safeguarding Team.
   4. Multiverse's dedication to the Prevent strategy is reflected in our Prevent Policy, which is aligned with the  Counter Terrorism & Security Act 2015 & Prevent Duty Guidance 2023. This commitment is further enhanced through our risk assessment and action plan and has been integrated into the IT Acceptable Use Policy and Safeguarding procedures.

Links with external agencies

Multiverse works with Local Safeguarding Children Boards, the Local Authority Designated Officer, the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub, Regional Prevent Education Coordinators and other professions to ensure a comprehensive safeguarding network is in place. Advice is taken from professionals within these organisations as appropriate.

Key responsibilities

1. CEO: Our CEO will ensure that policies are implemented and followed and that sufficient time, training and resources are allocated to employees to carry out their responsibilities.
2. The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): They are responsible for ensuring that safeguarding processes and procedures are robust and consistently implemented and applied and that Multiverse fulfils its legal duties as enshrined within the legislation.
3. The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL): They are responsible for assisting the DSL in all safeguarding and child protection matters, offering support to staff, advising on concerns raised, escalating those concerns where appropriate, and ensuring that appropriate referrals are made to relevant agencies in the absence of the DSL. As a key member of the Safeguarding Team, the DDSL will respond to all disclosures quickly, sensitively and appropriately. They have the responsibility of providing information, guidance and support to all safeguarding stakeholders during the apprenticeship journey, as and when required.
4. The Multiverse Coach: The learner’s Multiverse coach is their first line of support during their apprenticeship. They are the learner’s primary content facilitator and their key point of contact during the apprenticeship. As a result, they will know the learner better than anyone else at Multiverse as well as having the most knowledge of the programme being delivered.
5. The Employer: Learners are full time employees and generally spend approximately 80% of their time with their employer, and 20% of their time completing work relevant to their Multiverse apprenticeship. As a result, whilst Multiverse will ensure that all possible and appropriate support is provided to the learner, the learner is an employee first, and a learner second.

Reporting

1. If a member of Multiverse staff becomes aware of an emergency or urgent concern involving a learner, they must immediately contact the appropriate emergency services by dialing 999. All staff understand that this duty takes precedence over any other responsibilities. Additionally, the incident must be reported to the Safeguarding Team using the internal disclosure form, ensuring that all relevant information and actions taken are documented appropriately.
2. Multiverse managers and learner facing staff with concerns related to a learner’s physical safety or wellbeing must be reported by the internal disclosure form.
3. All others, including those external to Multiverse, should report their concerns by emailing safeguarding@multiverse.io, or calling the dedicated Safeguarding number +44 (0)7483 904 001.
4. Child protection and Adult Safeguarding overrides confidentiality, internal hierarchies, and objectives. Staff should not collude with a parent, a child, or another member of staff to keep concerns secret in areas of child protection or adults at risk. If an adult at risk lacks capacity, the Designated Safeguarding Lead will need to decide in the adult at risk’s best interest, including considering wider public interest, whether to make a referral.

Route 1 - Reporting a Safeguarding concern to a Multiverse employee

Please note: If you are a learner with a concern relating to a Multiverse employee, please use route 2 and raise the concern directly with the Safeguarding Team.

1. A safeguarding concern is raised by a learner to a Multiverse employee member, typically the learner's coach.

2. Multiverse employee completes a Safeguarding Disclosure Form.

3. The Safeguarding Team will review the disclosure which gets received into the team inbox. Once the concern is received, the learner the information will be placed in the case management system, triaged, and given a RAG rating. The case management system pulls together all the relevant information regarding that specific learner e.g. programme, expected gateway date, coach etc. This log will contain all future actions taken.

4. The Safeguarding Team member will take reasonable and appropriate action to support the learner. This may include (but is not limited to); contacting the learner directly, reporting to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, or contacting Local Safeguarding Agencies. This action will be logged in the case management system.

5. The Safeguarding Team will continue to review all reported concerns and any progress. RAG risk status will continue to be discussed and moved up or down the scale accordingly with concerns being marked as resolved once the Safeguarding Team is satisfied that there is no longer a concern. Safeguarding concerns may be reopened if there is a further cause for concern in future.

Route 2 - Reporting a Safeguarding concern directly to the Safeguarding Team

1. A safeguarding concern is raised by a learner to the Safeguarding Team directly via email: safeguarding@multiverse.io. This will be picked up by the on-duty team member, reviewed and triaged.

2. Once the concern is received, the learner the information will be obtained and  placed in the case management system, triaged, and given a RAG rating. The case management system pulls together all the relevant information regarding that specific learner e.g. programme, expected gateway date, coach etc. This log will contain all future actions taken.

3. The Safeguarding Team member will take reasonable and appropriate action to support the learner. This may include (but is not limited to); obtaining further information from the learner, consulting with relevant teams across Multiverse, and reporting to the Designated Safeguarding Lead. The actions will be logged in the case management system.

4. The Safeguarding Team will continue to review all concerns reported by the learner. RAG risk status will continue to be discussed and moved up or down the scale accordingly with concerns being marked as resolved once the Safeguarding Team is satisfied that there is no longer a concern. Safeguarding concerns may be reopened if there is a further cause for concern in future.

Confidentiality

Regardless of a learner's age, it is important to respect personal data and information at all times and comply with Data Protection legislation, particularly when sharing sensitive data with other Multiverse staff or external stakeholders such as the employer. For more information on how Multiverse respects personal data, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

Contact details and named persons

Designated Safeguarding Lead

Julia Bindley

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead/ Safeguarding Executive

Meelie Thorpe

Senior Additional Learning Needs Executive

Hannah Pereira

Safeguarding Team

safeguarding@multiverse.io

+44 (0)7483 904 001

Emergency Services

999: Police, Ambulance, Fire

Safeguarding Governor Link

Barbara Van der Eecken

Local Prevent Lead

Jennie Fisher - Prevent.London@service.education.gov.uk
Jennie.FISHER@education.gov.uk
07880 469 588

Document control

Effective date: 11/03/2025
Version number: V.30
Date of next review: 11/08/2025