The University is committed to creating a safe and respectful environment enabling students, staff, and its community to learn, work, and live free from harm, abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
Canterbury Christ Church University has a commitment to ensuring the safety of everyone involved in its activities. Safeguarding is a process of protecting children and adults at risk of being abused, neglected, or exploited.
The University does not act in loco parentis (in place of a parent) for any student or staff member; but in general terms, the University has a duty of care to its staff and students, and to safeguard the welfare of young and vulnerable adults.
What is Safeguarding?
Safeguarding means protecting people’s health, safety, wellbeing, and human rights within the context of the University’s activities, enabling all of us to learn, work, and live free from harm.
Statutory Safeguarding: applies to children (those under 18) and adults with care and support needs. Where you are concerned about abuse or the wellbeing of such individuals, you MUST report any concerns.
What is Prevent?
To safeguard and support vulnerable people to stop them from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism as outlined in the Prevent Duty.
Prevent Duty: a key statutory aspect of the Prevent Duty affecting Higher Education is to ensure that members of the University community MUST raise concerns about anyone that may be vulnerable to radicalisation or being drawn into terrorism.
How to report a concern
Everybody has a safeguarding responsibility. A staff member, student, apprentice, or volunteer may become aware of safeguarding concerns about an individual.
All University staff members are responsible for reporting any concerns about a child, an adult at risk, or an individual at risk of radicalisation.
To do this please use the Raising a Concern Form.
- The form is a single point of access that aims to make reporting any concern quickly and easily.
- The University has trained staff to respond to concerns including safeguarding reports and will escalate matters as required, and ensure support is provided.
- A central record of concerns allows us to analyse trends, work proactively to support students, and identify training needs.
- The form can be used for analysis and reporting to identify causes for concern that may extend beyond an individual report.
If you wish to get advice or discuss your concern first, you can speak to your Faculty Safeguarding Lead or Designated Safeguarding Officer. For further information and guidance for staff, please login to StaffNet and search for "Safeguarding and Prevent Staff Information".
Students and apprentices can share any safeguarding concerns in several ways:
- Talking to a tutor who may refer you to a Designated Safeguarding Officer.
- Speaking to the Student Wellbeing Team.
- Emailing safeguarding@canterbury.ac.uk,
- Using the Report + Support tool – where it is possible to make reports anonymously.
Visitors and anyone outside of the University can raise concerns by:
- Emailing safeguarding@canterbury.ac.uk
- Using our online Report + Support tool.
Our Policies and Procedures
Our Safeguarding Statement of Policy outlines the approach we take to Safeguarding. We have associated procedures and guidance enabling us to implement our Policy.
The Prevent Duty Policy sets out how the University addresses its statutory responsibility to pay due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.