Safeguarding Policy.

Hindu Heritage Academy is committed to providing a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for all children, young people, volunteers and families who participate in our activities.

The welfare of children is our highest priority.

We recognise our responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in accordance with UK safeguarding legislation and guidance, including:

• Children Act 1989 and 2004
• Working Together to Safeguard Children
• Data Protection Act 2018
• UK GDPR

All staff and volunteers are expected to share this commitment.

This policy applies to:

• Trustees
• Staff
• Volunteers
• Guest speakers
• Contractors
• Anyone acting on behalf of Hindu Heritage Academy

It applies to all academy activities, including:

• Classes
• Educational programmes
• Cultural activities
• Religious and heritage education
• Community events
• Online sessions
• WhatsApp and digital communications

We aim to:

• Protect children from harm
• Promote children's wellbeing
• Create a safe learning environment
• Respond appropriately to concerns
• Support families where safeguarding concerns arise
• Maintain clear safeguarding procedures

We believe every child has the right to:

• Feel safe
• Be treated with dignity and respect
• Be listened to
• Learn in a positive environment
• Be protected from abuse, neglect and exploitation

Where individuals work directly with children, Hindu Heritage Academy will seek to ensure appropriate safeguarding checks are carried out.

This may include:

• Identity verification
• References
• DBS checks where appropriate
• Safeguarding awareness training

No individual should work unsupervised with children unless appropriate safeguarding requirements have been satisfied.

Staff and volunteers must:

• Treat all children fairly and respectfully
• Act as positive role models
• Maintain professional boundaries
• Use appropriate language and behaviour
• Follow safeguarding procedures
• Report concerns promptly

Staff and volunteers must not:

• Engage in inappropriate physical contact
• Use abusive, discriminatory or offensive language
• Communicate privately with children through personal social media accounts
• Share inappropriate content
• Place themselves in situations that could be misinterpreted

Any safeguarding concern, allegation or disclosure must be taken seriously.

Where a child is believed to be at risk of harm, concerns should be reported immediately to the designated safeguarding lead or appropriate safeguarding authorities.

Anyone who raises a safeguarding concern in good faith will be supported and treated seriously.

Where activities take place online:

• Sessions should be conducted using approved platforms.
• Parents should be informed about online participation.
• Appropriate supervision should be maintained.
• Recording of sessions should only occur where necessary and with appropriate consent.
• Participants must behave respectfully and appropriately.

Communication groups are intended for parents, guardians and authorised participants.

Users should:

• Communicate respectfully
• Avoid sharing confidential information
• Report concerns promptly
• Respect the privacy of others

The academy reserves the right to remove participants from communication groups where behaviour is inappropriate.

Photographs and videos may only be used where appropriate parental or guardian consent has been obtained.

Images will be used responsibly and only for legitimate educational, promotional or community purposes.

Parents may withdraw consent for future use at any time by contacting info@hinduheritageacademy.co.uk.

Safeguarding information will be handled sensitively and shared only with those who need to know.

However, confidentiality cannot be guaranteed where there is a concern that a child may be at risk of harm or where disclosure is required by law.

This policy will be reviewed regularly and updated as necessary to reflect legal, regulatory and operational requirements.

For safeguarding-related enquiries: