Our company’s unique selling point is one I wish wasn’t unique at all: our commitment to child safety.
Many of us are where we are today because someone took the time to guide us on our journey. This could have been a teacher, mentor or coach who inspired us and helped shape who we have become. Teaching is a privilege, and to be trusted with a child’s development is an extraordinary responsibility.
About five years ago, I joined Merlin Tuition, a British tutoring agency. Our aim has always been to reflect the very best of British education, not only by recruiting excellent tutors, but by building a culture rooted in respect, tolerance, and professionalism.
At the heart of this is safeguarding.
What Is Safeguarding?
Safeguarding refers to the policies and practices designed to keep children safe from harm, and a safeguarding concern is anything that could pose a risk to a child’s safety or welfare. (Readers should note that whilst my experience and knowledge is based on UK guidance, the understanding of how to create a safe environment where children can flourish extends beyond international borders).
In UK schools and educational institutions, safeguarding training is mandatory. Staff are expected to understand national guidance, recognise concerns, maintain professional boundaries and know how to respond appropriately if something doesn’t feel right. In school settings, safeguarding is widely recognised as a core professional responsibility.
However, for providers outside schools, including private tutors, coaches, clubs, and other enrichment settings, regulation is difficult because there is no single legal framework governing how clubs and activities for children can operate. This means that whilst these settings provide for children, their staff and volunteers are not typically inspected or overseen by a regulatory organisation. Many practitioners are also self-employed and may not have received safeguarding training. This can mean some providers may:
- Be unclear about their safeguarding responsibilities
- Lack confidence in responding to safeguarding concerns
- Have never received formal training in professional boundaries
- Be unfamiliar with reporting procedures if they see or hear something
- Most people working with children do so with the very best intentions. However, strong safeguarding practices protect children, families and professionals alike.
In rare but serious cases, individuals who wish to cause harm may seek roles that place them in respected positions of authority, influence, and trust, with access to children. Clear recruitment procedures, vetting, ongoing training and well-defined behavioural expectations significantly reduce these risks and act as a deterrent.
Why Parents Should Feel Confident Asking Questions
Every parent wants the very best for their child. Families work hard to provide opportunities, support and much more for their children. However, we often find that parents don’t ask detailed questions about the safeguarding practices of out-of-school providers. This is because many parents do not know what to ask, or assume that checks are automatically in place. As a society, trust allows communities to function, but informed trust, which is trust supported by transparency and clear standards, enables us to make better decisions on who we give our confidence to. The aim of this article is not to alarm or even to chastise. It is to empower parents and carers to understand what good practice looks like, so they can feel confident that their child is safe.
This month, the UK government issued guidance to help parents and carers understand what they should consider when choosing providers for their children.
Parents may wish to ask:
- Does the provider carry out appropriate background checks on staff and volunteers?
- Is there a written safeguarding or child protection policy available to view?
- Has the individual or organisation completed formal safeguarding training?
- Is there a clear process for reporting concerns or complaints?
- Are sessions conducted in appropriate, transparent environments, for example, visible spaces where parents or other adults are present?
- Is there a behavioural code of conduct outlining professional and appropriate behaviour for staff and volunteers?
- Will you need to complete a parental consent and emergency details form?
- How will the provider securely store any information held on your child, who will have access to it, and whether they will share it with anyone?
Reputable providers should welcome these questions, and the answers may vary according to the size, and type of provision.
Safeguarding as a Mark of Professionalism
In etiquette, we often speak of the importance of respect, integrity and appropriate conduct. I believe safeguarding is simply these principles put into practice. It is about creating environments where children can thrive without risk, and where practitioners take responsibility for keeping the children they support safe.
Child safety should never be optional. It should be standard practice, and until it is, we will continue to make it ours.
About Claire Murphy
Claire is a graduate of The British School of Excellence Train the Trainer Signature Programme, and a Founder Member of The Changemakers Collective, an exclusive group of Alumni.
She is Director and Nominated Safeguarding Lead at Merlin Tuition, a private tutoring agency specialising in GCSE, A Level, IB and entrance examination preparation. Merlin Tuition places student wellbeing at the centre of its work and operates a rigorous safer recruitment and safeguarding framework.
Claire works closely with coaches and tutors across the UK, helping them understand not only what safeguarding requires, but how to implement it with clarity and integrity.
She began her professional journey as an ecologist, studying animal behaviour and the forces that shape it. Over time, that curiosity evolved into a focus on human behaviour, communication and professional relationships.