Safeguarding

  YouThrive Academy follows robust Safer Recruitment practices to ensure that all staff working with young people are suitably qualified, experienced, and safe to do so. This includes:

• Enhanced DBS and barred list checks for all      education-facing staff
• Verification of qualifications through original documentation
• Reference checks to confirm character and past conduct
• Full employment history review, including gaps and reasons for leaving roles with young people
• Fitness to work assessments
• An up-to-date DBS record log, available to commissioning bodies on request

We ensure that no individual who may pose a risk to young people is employed or retained within our provision.

All YouThrive staff complete mandatory safeguarding training, with enhanced modules for teaching and support staff covering:

• Child protection
• Risk assessment and escalation
• CSE, criminal exploitation, and county lines
• Online safety
• FGM and forced marriage
• Safeguarding young people from extremism and radicalisation
• Additional vulnerabilities experienced by children with SEND

Our entire team also undertakes trauma-informed care training, equipping them to recognise and respond to the complex needs of learners who may have experienced abuse, neglect, or instability. This underpins our ethos of safety, empowerment, and positive connection within education.

At YouThrive Academy, safeguarding is central to everything we do. We are committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and empowering learning environment where all young people—particularly those who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET)—can grow, learn, and thrive.

Many of our learners are referred from Progressive Independence, where they live in supported accommodation. We work closely with key professionals, Social Workers, and local safeguarding partners to ensure a joined-up approach to each young person’s safety, wellbeing, and development.

We fully embrace our duty to safeguard learners in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE 2023). This means protecting young people from harm in all areas of school life—including emotional, physical, and online safety—and promoting a culture where staff are confident to identify concerns early, respond appropriately, and build strong, trusting relationships with learners.

Our teaching staff work alongside Progressive Indepedence to deliver targeted learning sessions and informal mentoring to support personal development, including safety, self-regulation, and emotional resilience. Focus areas include:

• Understanding and avoiding exploitation and unsafe peer relationships
   
• Recognising healthy vs unhealthy relationships
   
• Managing online risks and maintaining digital boundaries
   
• Learning how to seek help and access support
   
• Exploring the consequences of risk-taking behaviours, such as offending or going missing