Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy

Virtual Work Experience, Data Futures Events and Onsite Data Days

1. Purpose, scope and commitment

Data Inspiration Group Ltd (Digdata) is committed to providing a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for children and young people taking part in its virtual work experience, live careers webinars, online challenges and onsite Data Days at schools and colleges. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. This policy applies to Digdata staff, facilitators, employer speakers, volunteers and other representatives involved in delivery.

This policy operates alongside the host education provider’s safeguarding procedures for onsite activities and relevant statutory guidance in the jurisdiction where an event takes place. For England, Digdata will consider the current editions of Keeping Children Safe in Education, Working Together to Safeguard Children and DBS guidance. Digdata complies with the guidance in the devolved nations.

2. Safeguarding leadership and accountability

The Digdata Safeguarding Lead is Sam Bottomley (sam@digdata.online). All Digdata personnel must promptly report concerns to Sam Bottomley. Neither role replaces statutory safeguarding agencies or the school/college DSL.

For onsite events, the education provider retains responsibility for the safeguarding, behaviour management and supervision of its students. Digdata remains responsible for the conduct, briefing and management of its own personnel and for reporting concerns. These responsibilities must be agreed before each event.

3. Virtual events: supervision and moderation

• Live Zoom sessions are hosted and moderated by designated Digdata personnel, supported where appropriate by partner representatives. A Digdata moderator monitors student interactions throughout each session.
• Student cameras and microphones are disabled. Student interaction takes place through moderated Q&A at designated times.
• Inappropriate contributions are moderated; access may be restricted or removed where necessary, with safeguarding concerns recorded and escalated.
• External guest speakers are briefed on safeguarding and professional boundaries and submit presentation materials for suitability review in advance. No private messaging, unsupervised one-to-one communication or exchange of personal contact details with students is permitted.
• Sessions will be recorded for quality assurance and access to learning materials.
• Students can raise concerns by emailing info@digdata.online; urgent concerns are escalated to the Digdata Safeguarding Lead rather than waiting for a routine inbox response.

4. Onsite Data Days: supervision and visitor arrangements

Before each onsite Data Day, the host school or college must sign an agreement setting out its safeguarding and supervision responsibilities. Digdata obtains the host DSL and DDSL contact details, named onsite staff, emergency arrangements, volunteer duties and visitor requirements. Appropriate host teaching or education staff must remain present throughout activities involving students. Digdata staff and employer volunteers must never be left unsupervised with students. These arrangements are shared during the event-specific volunteer briefing and in the volunteer pack.

• All visiting personnel sign in/out, follow host visitor procedures and wear the identification provided.
• Digdata staff and volunteers remain in approved areas, follow the host’s supervision arrangements and do not escort students alone or conduct private one-to-one meetings.
• The host provides appropriate staff supervision and manages student behaviour, welfare, first aid and site emergencies; Digdata personnel cooperate fully.
• If agreed staffing or supervision cannot be maintained, Digdata will pause the affected activities immediately and may end the event if safe arrangements cannot be restored.

5. Volunteers, suitability and DBS checks

Employer volunteers may support Digdata activities occasionally. Not all volunteers hold DBS certificates. Occasional attendance alone does not establish an exemption from checks. Eligibility for a DBS check and whether a role constitutes regulated activity depends on the actual duties, frequency, supervision, and applicable law.

Before allocation, every volunteer must agree to Digdata Volunteer Terms, which incorporate this Safeguarding Policy. Volunteers are asked whether they have undertaken, or are scheduled to undertake, other volunteering involving teaching, training, instructing, caring for or supervising children within the same rolling 30-day period, and to provide sufficient details for assessment. Digdata records volunteer participation and safeguarding communications in HubSpot. Digdata describes volunteer duties and supervision to the host, seeks confirmation of the host’s written risk assessment and visitor arrangements, and records its own suitability and DBS eligibility decision before allocation. Volunteers without appropriate checks must not undertake regulated activity or be left unsupervised with children.

An existing DBS certificate is not necessarily appropriate for a different role, and DBS certificates do not have a universal expiry date.

5.1 Regulated activity assessment and DBS decision

For each role, Digdata assesses actual duties, frequency, relevant activity at other settings, any overnight or frequency-independent regulated activity, supervision and the suitability of any existing check. From 1 September 2026, supervision alone does not remove otherwise qualifying activity from regulated activity. For relevant teaching, training, instruction, care or supervision, activity on more than three days in any rolling 30-day period may meet the frequency condition; other regulated activities can apply without this threshold. Where regulated activity applies, the legally appropriate Enhanced DBS with Barred Lists checks must be completed before the duties begin. A check must not be requested at a level for which the role is ineligible. Decisions, date, assessor and rationale are recorded securely; relevant changes trigger reassessment.

6. Staff, speaker and volunteer code of conduct

• Treat all children and young people respectfully, maintain professional boundaries and follow host and Digdata safeguarding instructions.
• Do not exchange personal phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses or social media details with students; do not arrange contact outside approved channels.
• Do not photograph, film, record or publish student information without the necessary permissions and event arrangements.
• Do not engage in inappropriate physical contact, favouritism, discriminatory conduct or personal conversations that compromise boundaries.
• Immediately report concerns, disclosures, boundary breaches or allegations; do not investigate them personally.
• Volunteers receive an event-specific briefing covering supervision, disclosure handling, reporting, confidentiality, conduct, photography, emergencies and host DSL/DDSL contacts; the same information is included in the volunteer pack. Their earlier acceptance of the Volunteer Terms and Safeguarding Policy is recorded before event allocation. HubSpot provides an audit trail of information sent and attendance; sending an email alone does not establish understanding.

7. Recognising, responding to and reporting concerns

7.1 If a child makes a disclosure

Listen calmly, take the disclosure seriously, do not promise secrecy, do not ask leading questions or investigate, explain that information must be shared with safeguarding professionals, and report immediately. Record the date, time, facts and the child’s own words where possible. Do not use general event WhatsApp groups or unsecured messages to share identifying safeguarding details.

7.2 Onsite reporting

Report immediately to the host education provider’s DSL or deputy and inform the Digdata Lead as appropriate. If the concern involves a member of host staff, follow the host’s allegation procedure and refer to an appropriate senior person who is not implicated. If the concern involves Digdata staff or a volunteer, notify the Digdata Lead and host senior safeguarding contact; consult the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) where the allegation threshold may be met. If the normal reporting contact is implicated, use an independent alternative and statutory route. Never delay necessary referral because an internal contact is unavailable.

7.3 Virtual reporting and emergency escalation

Virtual concerns must be passed promptly to the Digdata Safeguarding Lead, with relevant details and platform records preserved securely. Where a child’s school is known and appropriate, liaise with its DSL; where necessary contact local authority children’s social care or the police. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999. For non-emergency police advice use 101 where appropriate.

8. Allegations, whistleblowing and escalation

Concerns about adults working with children, including Digdata staff, partner speakers or volunteers, must be escalated promptly to the designated safeguarding contact who is not the subject of the allegation. Do not promise confidentiality or conduct an informal investigation. Seek advice from the relevant LADO and make statutory referrals where required. Personnel may raise concerns through the alternative reporting route if they believe a concern has not been acted upon.

8.1 Independent reporting route

Where Rachel Keane is implicated, report to Sam Bottomley if not implicated; where Sam is implicated, report to Rachel – rachel@digdata.online if not implicated. If both are implicated, unavailable or unable to act, report directly to the host education provider’s DSL (onsite), local authority children’s social care, the relevant LADO for allegations meeting or potentially meeting the threshold, or the police, as appropriate. For virtual events, use the relevant statutory safeguarding service where no host DSL is available. No internal approval is needed to contact statutory agencies. Call 999 if a child is in immediate danger. Staff and volunteers may seek advice from the NSPCC whistleblowing advice line (0800 028 0285; help@nspcc.org.uk).

8.2 Referrals and allegations

The Digdata Safeguarding Lead is responsible for making or coordinating LADO referrals promptly when indicated, with the host provider where appropriate, unless implicated. Record decisions and actions. Consider separately whether the legal criteria for a DBS referral are met if a person engaged in regulated activity is removed or would have been removed because of relevant harm or risk of harm; a LADO referral does not replace a required DBS referral.

9. Privacy, data protection and recordings

The existing registration process collects student initial and surname, year group, school name and town, and email address; parental/guardian permission has been requested for under-13s. Student records are held in HubSpot, with two-factor authentication. Digdata uses data for event communications and certificates and does not routinely request student telephone numbers, images or videos in challenge submissions.

Personal information, including safeguarding records, must be processed on an appropriate lawful basis, restricted to authorised persons, stored securely and retained only as necessary under documented schedules. Safeguarding records must be kept separate from general event communications where practicable. Marketing messages, consent requirements and unsubscribe rights must be explained accurately in the privacy notice.

Digdata is Cyber Essentials certified.

9.1 Safeguarding case records and retention

Confidential safeguarding case files are kept separate from routine HubSpot event communications, stored securely, and accessible in normal circumstances only to the appointed Safeguarding Lead, subject to lawful disclosures and a documented emergency-access route. Records include factual concerns, decisions, actions, referrals and outcomes. Digdata will adopt a documented retention schedule, review records at least annually and securely dispose of records when justified; no record subject to a safeguarding investigation, complaint, claim, inquiry or legal hold will be destroyed. The draft retention schedule in Appendix A requires approval and data-protection/legal review before implementation.

10. Review, training and implementation

Digdata will review this policy at least annually and following a significant incident, legal change or change in delivery. Staff receive regular safeguarding reminders. Before event allocation volunteers acknowledge Digdata Volunteer Terms incorporating this policy; each event has a safeguarding briefing and volunteer pack. HubSpot retains the communication and attendance audit trail. The Safeguarding Lead maintains a confidential concern log and documents referrals, outcomes and actions. The approved policy and event procedures are shared with relevant staff, partners and education providers.