Safeguarding Policy. Updated 29/10/2024
At Maths Week England (MWE) we are committed to safeguarding children and adults at risk and promoting their wellbeing. All individuals associated with MWE, such as Committee and Advisory Council members and volunteers, as well as those undertaking MWE activities, are required to share this commitment, to work together to help achieve the best possible outcomes for children and adults at risk and to protect them from harm. We want everyone taking part in Maths Week England activities to be included, valued and to enjoy their experience.
This policy should be read alongside the Maths Week England Code of Conduct and, for activities run by external organisations under the Maths Week England banner, the Safeguarding Policies and Procedures for that organisation, as well as any other relevant policies listed therein.
Activities run in partnership with MWE or under MWE branding:
We expect all organisations running activities for Maths Week England to:
1. Have appropriate and robust child and/or adult safeguarding policies and procedures (where relevant) in place for all partnership activities, to protect children and adults at risk in line with safeguarding good practice and adhering to all current safeguarding legislation;
2. Use staff and volunteers for partnership activities who have been appropriately trained and vetted according to their roles;
3. Ensure appropriate parent/carer consent is in place for all activities undertaken by children (i.e. anyone under the age of 18);
4. Ensure their policies and/or guidance covers any direct communication between children and adults involved in the event, including on platforms outside of the main event such as social media and email;
5. Ensure appropriate consent arrangements are in place for any recordings or photography, including parent/carer consent for under 18s, and that participants are able to opt-out where needed;
6. Ensure appropriate consent is in place for anything shared with Maths Week England, for example puzzle or competition submissions.
Activities run by Maths Week England
All those taking part in activities run by the Maths Week England Committee must be appropriately supervised by an adult and have parent/carer consent to take part if they are under 18. This includes parent/carer consent for featuring in any recordings (audio and video) and/or photographs shared with Maths Week England by any means, for example as a competition submission or on social media.
The Maths Week England committee and other representatives of MWE will not engage in direct 1-1 communication with under 18s, including on social media or other platforms; any communication should be via a teacher or parent/carer, or should include an appropriate responsible adult.
Sharing Maths Week England activities
Any activities or content for Maths Week England (including but not limited to activity ideas, puzzle or competition submissions, videos, pictures and other recordings) shared publicly or with the MWE committee directly should have appropriate parent/carer permission in place for any identifiable children included, and should have the permission of the content creator(s).
Maths Week England may re-share publicly posted content, but will only directly post content where we have either written parent/carer permission or which does not feature any identifiable children.
Safeguarding Concerns
Any safeguarding concerns, disclosures or accusations reported to the Maths Week England committee or raised by MWE volunteers and/or other associated individuals will be taken seriously and referred as appropriate to the relevant organisations who are able to provide support.
Any concerns, disclosures or accusations can be reported to the MWE Safeguarding Leads via safeguarding@mathsweekengland.co.uk.
MWE Safeguarding Leads
The Maths Week England Safeguarding Leads:
1. Are the first point of contact for any safeguarding questions or concerns relating to MWE activities or individuals;
2. Are responsible for referring any concerns to the relevant external organisations as appropriate;
3. Write and review this policy on an annual basis, or when legislation changes.
Policy review and context
This policy was written and approved by the Maths Week England Committee on 29th October 2024.
The next review date is: October 2025.
This policy and the associated Child Safeguarding Procedures are underpinned by the following legislation and guidance:
• Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023)
• Safeguarding and child protection standards for the voluntary and community sector: children, young people and young adults aged 0-18 (UK) (2019)