Safeguarding Audit - Overview

Introduction

This module enables schools to keep track of key safeguarding checks and actions.

  • Checks are organised as separate items within common areas that can be updated individually.
  • Updates can be to either confirm the checks are complete, to update the due date of the check or to record information relevant to the check.
  • Review dates are colour coded according to whether they are overdue, due within four weeks, or further ahead. image

Areas are updated by Safeguarding Owners who by default are also assigned to each of the Safeguarding Items in the Safeguarding Area.

  • The owner of an area can, however, assign individual Safeguarding Items to someone else provided they are a user of the system and that they have also been assigned the role of Safeguarding Owner (or Safeguarding Manager).

Users who have the role of Safeguarding Manager can assign the role of Safeguarding Owner to any other user of the system and can also assign ownership of all Safeguarding Areas and Safeguarding Items.

  • Safeguarding Managers must be assigned by an Administrator.

There is also a role of Safeguarding Viewer that can be assigned to any user of the system. These users can see the status of any Safeguarding Area or Safeguarding Item but cannot update them.

  • Any user who can view the Safeguarding Audit can also print out individual or multiple areas.
Safeguarding Manager Owner Viewer School Staff
Appoints owners Yes No No No
Appoints viewers Yes No No No
Assigns owners Yes No No No
Updates own items Yes Yes No No
Updates other items Yes No No No
Views own items Yes Yes Yes No
Views other items Yes Yes Yes No
Dashboard summary Yes Yes Yes No
Print reports Yes Yes Yes No
  • Users with access to the Safeguarding Audit will have a panel visible on their Dashboard that summarises the status of all the safeguarding items in the Audit.
  • For Safeguarding Owners and Safeguarding Managers this panel also indicates the status of the Safeguarding Items that they "own".

image

Operation

All Safeguarding Areas and Safeguarding Items are initially marked as incomplete.

  • The Safeguarding Owner assigned to each will receive an email once a week to remind them of Safeguarding Areas and Safeguarding Items that are Unapproved, Not OK or Overdue.
  • They will also be reminded if these are Due for review within the next four weeks.

The main Safeguarding Audit page, accessed from the Dashboard lists all the Safeguarding Areas with their Owners and a progress indicator showing the status of the Safeguarding Items in that Safeguarding Area. At the top of the page there is a button to access a list of all Safeguarding Items, another one to Print a report of the status of all Areas and Items and, for managers, access to the Admin/Setup pages. image

Safeguarding Items can be reviewed and updated either from here or from their parent Safeguarding Area page. image When marking a Safeguarding Item as OK the Review Date will be updated to be one year on from the date of confirmation.

  • If, however, the Safeguarding Item is Due for review within the next 4 weeks the date is updated to be one year from the current review date. The intention of this is that reviews can take place in a timely way before they are due but the review date does not creep earlier and earlier each year.
  • The review date can also be updated independently if it is necessary to change the annual review cycle or to check a Safeguarding Item more often.

The name of the Safeguarding Owner of each Safeguarding Area and Safeguarding Item is displayed next to it as a "mailto" hyperlink to facilitate quick communication if any queries arise.

In a coordinated group of schools (e.g. a MAT), some Safeguarding Items can only be updated by the central Safeguarding Owner. They still have locally set Safeguarding Owners who will receive reminders about them so that they can be involved in the coordinated update of them.