Guidance to Help Parents and Carers Choose Safe Out of School Settings

What is an out of school setting?

An out of school setting can mean many things, from places like community and youth centres, sports clubs, and places of worship to individuals offering tuition in their home or providing coaching at a playing field or local park.
Out of school settings that are not Ofsted registered are not inspected or assessed – so there is no one checking the quality and safety of their provision.
As a parent or carer, you will want to know that your child is safe when they are in the care of someone else.

What to do if you are concerned about your child or another child in an out of school setting?

If you have an urgent concern about a child call Humberside Police on 999, or 101 in a non-emergency.
If not an emergency but you are concerned, you can contact: North Lincolnshire Council Single Point of Contact Team on 01724 296500 and speak to someone who can offer you advice and guidance.
If you have a concern that someone who works or volunteers with children has harmed a child or may harm a child, you can contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) at lado@northlincs.gov.uk

Out of school activities – what to look and ask for:

Have all staff / volunteers been DBS checked?
Is the setting registered with Ofsted?
Do they have safeguarding and health and safety policies that you can see?
Is there a named safeguarding lead person and do you know how to contact them if you have a concern?
Are there enough staff / volunteers for the number of children in the activity?
Do staff / volunteers have training and qualifications to look after your child?
Are staff / volunteers trained in safeguarding and first aid?
Have you been asked for medical information and emergency contact details before your child starts?
Have you given permission for photographs to be taken of your child and shared on their website / social media sites?
Does the venue look and feel safe and are the premises secure?
Who can enter the building during an activity?
Can you stay to watch the session?
Do children in the activities seem happy and do you think your child would be happy in this setting?
What does the setting offer in respect of snacks and drinks and how does the setting manage any allergies?
How does the setting manage safe collection of children?
High quality clubs and organisations will always welcome questions about their activities, the safety of their environment and the care of your child.

Private Tuition – what to look and ask for:

Can you see a copy of their DBS certificate? However, don’t let a DBS certificate give you a false sense of security. Private tutors are only entitled to a basic check.
Can they show you any professional references and qualification certificates?
Do you know anyone who this person has previously worked with that you can contact?
Where will the tutoring take place and who will be present?
Can you go into the teaching area to watch and listen?
If online, the tutor should arrange sessions with you and not directly with your child.
Sessions should not be recorded without your approval.
Any tutor who is aware of current professional standards in tutoring should have no objection to these arrangements and is likely to offer them without your suggestion.

Useful Information

The Department for Education (DFE) has guidance for parents and carers about using out of school settings:
Using after-school clubs, tuition and community activities
Here is the link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-parents-and-carers-on-safeguarding-children-in-out-of-school-settings/using-after-school-clubs-tuition-and-community-activities
Out of School Settings are advised to refer to the DFE guidance:
Keeping Children Safe during Community Activities, After-School Clubs and Tuition: Non-statutory guidance for providers running out-of-school settings
Here is the link:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-out-of-school-settings-code-of-practice

The North Lincolnshire Children’s Multi-Agency and Resilience Safeguarding Board (CMARS) website has information for parents/carers, children and young people who may have any concerns that a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm.
Here is the link: CMARS | Children’s resilience and safeguarding board (northlincscmars.co.uk)