The JGA Group | Keeping Learners Safe | Employers' Guide

JGA Keeping Learners Safe Employers Guide

#CommittedToCareers Since 1991

The JGA Group | Employer’s Guide to Keeping Learners SafeVisit www.jga-group.co.uk or call 020 8426 2666 to find out about our apprenticeship and vocational courses.

About Us The JGA Group is a well-established and fast growing career management, apprenticeship and training organisation.

Our mission is to provide safe and high quality learning and career management.

We work with industry experts to create a portfolio of skills development programmes for growing professional sectors. For over 30 years The JGA Group has provided high quality government-funded training and career services for employers and learners. We have excellent success and satisfaction rates, Ofsted “Good” rating and ESFA approval.

“JGA has grown over 30 years from a back bedroom to a thriving family business, regularly winning awards through our focus on doing the right thing for learners and ensuring a return on investment for employers.”

Richard Goodwin Managing Director

our Journey

Award Winning High Quality Training Provision

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Apprenticeships, Training & Partnerships

Evolution, Innovation & Growth

The JGA Group in Numbers •

West London Business Awards Best Education & Training Provider 2019

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West London Business Awards Apprentice of the Year 2019 and 2018

92% Official Learner & Employer Satisfaction 82% Overall Success rate 99.3% SFA data quality score

We pride ourselves on our award winning corporate social responsibility initiatives.

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Corporate Social Responsibility We have a clear commitment to safety and wellbeing. This is overseen by our Safeguarding Officers who promote and implement the Safeguarding Policy, ensuring that it is reviewed regularly and acted upon. Additionally, all members of our staff are trained in safeguarding and are able to access additional information, advice and training when appropriate.

Principles of safeguarding firmly support your business objective to have a dynamic and productive team. This publication focuses on how we can support your organisation, highlighting: • • • • • •

Staying safe Distractions and dangers online Spotting potential radicalisation Embracing British values Mental health Moving forward

We are committed to working together to create a fantastic learning and work experience, and to ensure the highest levels of safety and wellbeing. For further information on our Safeguarding Policy and nominated Safeguarding Officers, please visit our Website at http:// bit.ly/2MBR1qr

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Safeguarding ‘Safeguarding’ describes the protection of people’s health, wellbeing and human rights. All parties involved in learning are obligated by law to take reasonable action to minimise risks to learners. This includes all aspects of the learning journey within and outside the workplace and workshop environments.

Aspects which fall within the definition of safeguarding include: • • • • • • • •

Abuse (emotional, physical, financial, social and discriminatory) Bullying (including online) Forced marriage FGM Neglect and self-harm Radicalisation and extremism Domestic violence Modern slavery

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Safeguarding Our Role • Through guidance and training, ensure you are aware of your safeguarding obligations • Ensure learners are aware of safeguarding and how to access support services • Train our staff in principles and practicalities of safeguarding • Ensure that staff have undergone an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check • Maintain an open channel of communication with employers.

Learners may feel more comfortable discussing sensitive issues inside or outside the work environment Your Role • To familiarise yourself with relevant law • To understand what safeguarding means in the context of your responsibilities as an employer • To ensure that only appropriate and trustworthy staff are in positions of power • Ideally to identify a person to coordinate safeguarding across your organisation

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Distractions and dangers online People engage in many different ways with the worldwide web. Many of these add to professional efficiency and effectiveness, others detract from the quality of professional and personal lives. Getting the most from the internet and using it safely and productively requires very specific skills and behaviours. Dangers include the security of personal data, bullying and abuse, revenge porn, grooming, identity theft and viruses.

Employers benefit the most when learners become critical thinkers. It is this mindset which helps them to examine and appraise the validity and authenticity of information online.

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Distractions and dangers online Our Role • Assess how learners may be at risk of harm using the internet or technology • Provide training for learners so that they are able to work safely and effectively online • Help learners to develop an objective attitude to online information and evaluate its authenticity • Ensure our staff are trained to identify and deal with concerns about online safety • Provide clear guidance on the limits of acceptable internet use in a work or study environment Your Role • Ensure learners understand your policies on workplace use of internet and technology • Understand the dangers of workplace technology and act to minimise risks • Communicate to us any concerns you may have about a learner’s safety online

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Spotting potential radicalisation The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (CTSA) mandates us to pay “due regard to the need to prevent individuals from being drawn into terrorism.” The ‘Prevent’ programme uses early engagement to encourage individuals and communities which have not been criminal but have been identified as being ‘at risk’ of adopting extremist ideologies and behaviours.

All learners on our programmes will be expected to undertake training covering these issues.

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Spotting potential radicalisation The Metropolitan Police inform us that a significant proportion of young people aged 16-19 working and studying in London carry a weapon/knife. Approximately 25% of all knife related crimes in London involve this age group.

Section 26 (1) Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 states that as of the 1st September 2015 all Further Education Institutions (including Sub-Contracted Partners) have a legal duty to: “Prevent people being drawn into terrorism, which includes not just violent extremism but also non-violent extremism, which can create an atmosphere conducive to terrorism and can popularise views that terrorists exploit” Our Role • Provide training for our staff so that they understand the obligations under the Prevent Agenda and how to manage risks and concerns • Have clear procedures in place to bring concerns to specialist attention • Provide a forum for learners to explore these issues • Provide a contact for any further information regarding the Prevent Duty • Ensure learners are able to express views in non-extremist ways and create and environment for respectful free speech Your Role • Demonstrate commitment to the principles of Prevent • Seek specialist support for any concerns you or your colleagues may have

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West London Business Awards Best Education & Training Provider 2019

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West London Business Awards Apprentice of the Year 2019 and 2018

Embracing British Values An important part of Prevent is the promotion of British values.

These are the norms that shape our society and are enshrined in legislation such as the Equality Act 2010.

The core values of Britain are: • Democracy • Rule of Law • Individual liberty and mutual respect • Tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs Throughout their programmes learners are encouraged to understand how these values relate to them, their workplace and their communities.

Our Role • Promote British values throughout learners’ programmes • Create opportunities for learners to apply their learning to relevant situations and contexts • Understand those characteristics protected in law and respect these and other differences Your Role • Demonstrate commitment to British values • Adhere to the requirements of the Equality Act 2010

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Equality, Diversity & Inclusion The Equality Act (2010) covers everyone in Britain. By law it protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation according to nine characteristics: • age

• race

• disability

• religion or belief

• gender reassignment

• pregnancy and maternity

• marriage and civil partnership

• sex or • sexual orientation

The main types of discrimination the law protects against are: • Direct Discrimination: This means treating one person less favourably than another person because of a protected characteristic.

• Indirect Discrimination: This can happen when an organisation puts a rule or a policy or a way of doing things in place which has a more negative impact on someone with a protected characteristic than someone without one.

• Associative Discrimination: Discriminating against someone who is associated with a protected group.

• Perception Discrimination: Discrimination against someone because he or she is wrongly perceived to have a certain protected characteristic (in other words, making assumptions).

• Harassment: This means people cannot treat you in a way that violates your dignity, or creates a hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.

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Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Under the Equality Act, everyone in Britain is protected from discrimination when they are in the workplace AND when they use or interact with businesses and other organisations that provide services and goods.

Although it’s not a legal requirement for companies to have an Equality & Diversity policy, it is good practice to have a statement of commitment to promote equality and diversity within the workplace and protect your workforce from discrimination.

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Disability and Mental Health Mental health challenges are incredibly common in Britain. One in six of us has a common mental health issue. Our experience is that learners rarely declare that they have mental health issues or learning difficulties, sometimes because they fear discrimination, often because they haven’t been officially diagnosed or they simply don’t realise the issue is present – because it has always been.

We can provide additional support for learners with physical and mental health challenges. This can range from minor adjustments for colour blindness through to an expert psychologist from our partner Genius Within, a community interest company focused on supporting neurodiverse workplaces. The support is funded by the government (at no cost to you) and is conducted in a flexible manner designed to create a more productive workplace team.

Common Health issues include: • Depression and anxiety • ADHD • Autism spectrum • Dyslexia (reading) • Dyspraxia (physical coordination) • Colour blindness

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Moving Forward We are here to help. We have the resources, expertise and networks to support learners, so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns about your Apprentice(s). Learners may feel comfortable talking to some people and not others about issues in their professional and personal lives, so we will strive to be as transparent as possible with you, while respecting learners’ trust and our mission and policies.

Please reach out to us and our representatives as regularly as you can to discuss any issues which may arise. Often learners will not seek help for a safeguarding issue and may not even understand that there is an issue. Here are common warning signs of underlying difficulties: • Frequent absences • Changes in appearance, behaviour, character, friends or activities • Showing extreme emotion • Indications of poor living conditions • Physical injuries • Evidence of self-harm • Drug or alcohol misuse • Withdrawing from online or other activities and warning signs of possible radicalisation

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Moving Forward • Tattoos symbolic of far-right sympathies (eg AH, HH, 18, 88) • A friend or family member has extremist views or shows sympathy for extremist causes or organisations • Accessing extremist websites, literature • Using politics to justify violence • Intolerance of faiths, cultures, sexual orientation • A pattern of travel to international locations associated with extremism or within the UK to potential training locations Who to contact Your learner’s Tutor, Assessor or Coach Safeguarding Officers: Susan Prestridge or Martin Croucher jgasafeguarding@yahoo.com Head of Skills: Biddy.Lall@jga-group.ac.uk Managing Director: Richard.Goodwin@jga-group.co.uk Or by phone on 020 8426 2666 If you are concerned about a threat of imminent harm call police on 999 or the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.

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Getting Help If you have a concern that an Apprentice may be being drawn into extremism, contact us. We will raise the concern with the Safeguarding Team: 020 8426 2666 If there is an imminent threat of harm to others: • Call the Police on 999 or 101 for non-urgent concerns • Call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321 • Useful websites Report terrorism online via www.gov.uk/reportterrorism • www.educateagainsthate.com provides further information on understanding radicalisation and extremism.

• www.preventforfeandtraining.org.uk provides information and online training with regard to the Prevent Duty which is specific to Further Education and Training Providers.

• www.internetmatters.org has lots of information, advice and resources which can be used to help people stay safe online.

• www.ceop.gov.uk CEOP works with child protection partners across the UK and overseas to identify the main threats to children and coordinates activity against these threats to bring offenders to account, protecting children from harm online and offline.

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Our Venues The JGA Group is expanding! Over the past 18 months we have grown the scope and scale of the business.

Much of our work is in London and the South East but we are geared up for national delivery of specialist Apprenticeships and qualifications.

Hillingon | London Innov8 Vocational Training Centre, Clifton Gardens Middlesex, Uxbridge UB10 0EZ Whitechapel | London Nile Business Centre, 2nd floor (Room 227), 56-60 Nelson Street, London E1 2DE We also deliver on employer premises and at other venues nationwide.

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In the Words of our Stakeholders I want to say that it has been a great experience working with The JGA Group ... I was able to learn so much. I would like to thank you guys for getting me to where I am today.” - Apprentice “Learners on all programmes receive good information to place them on the programme that best matches their career aims and are well-informed about their future career options. On apprenticeships, teachers and assessors have high expectations of their apprentices and plan training that is interesting and motivates apprentices to succeed.” - Ofsted “The JGA Group have always focused on providing us with a quality service and meeting our business needs. The skills coaches are always on hand to support our Apprentices; resulting in their new-found skills and knowledge impacting our organisation in a positive way.” Employer

Excellent Organisations The JGA Group has pioneered the ‘Excellent Organisations’ initiative which is comprised of field trips where Apprentices explore how top businesses operate.

Our collaborations include Brompton Bikes, Global Academy, We Work and many more #ExcellentOrganisations.

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JGA The JGA Group Tel: 02084262666 Sales@jga-group.com | www.jga-group.com

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