At York Learning we are committed to keeping you safe while you’re on one of our programmes or courses. The information below will help you to stay safe, and get help and advice if you need it.
You can always contact our Safeguarding Team by emailing SafeAtYorkLearning@york.gov.uk.
“Prevent” is one strand of the UK Government’s anti-terrorism strategy, designed to raise awareness of and report any behaviours which might be a sign that an individual is being radicalised or might adopt extremist ideas. We incorporate “Prevent” into our safeguarding arrangements designed to keep all of our learners safe.
People might become radicalised when they are vulnerable, through circumstances such as economic pressures, relationship breakdown or changes in family or personal situations. Of course, these are not in themselves signs that somebody will become radicalised, more that individuals in such situations are more vulnerable.
If you have a concern about an individual, then you should alert your tutor or another member of our staff who will know what to do next and be able to inform you of our procedure. Remember you are simply reporting a concern and it will be up to others, who have a wider understanding, to judge whether the information you provide is significant enough to act upon.
One of the best ways to avoid radicalisation is to build communities. We very much value the contribution that all of our learners and tutors make to this by working with and supporting each other, celebrating differences and respecting each others’ views.
Have you noticed a change in behaviour, such as someone becoming withdrawn or acting differently?
Make a note, including dates, so you can give the Safeguarding team as much detail as you can.
Contact the York Learning Safeguarding team as soon as possible.
Fortunately incidents of terrorist attacks are rare, but that is not to say that the threat of an attack should not be taken seriously. Therefore we are highlighting the advice of the UK Counter-Terrorism Police in the event of an incident:
Run to a place of safety. This is a better option than to surrender or negotiate. If there’s nowhere to run, then hide.
It’s better to hide than confront. Remember to turn your phone to silent and turn off vibrate. Barricade yourself in if you can.
Tell the police by calling 999, when it is safe to do so.
These three simple actions are designed to get you away from the incident and keep you safe until the police or appropriate authorities arrive to deal with the threat.
If you have a concern about any of this advice, including our Prevent strategy or how to keep safe in the event of an incident, please contact our Safeguarding and Prevent team on:
SafeAtYorkLearning@york.gov.uk
07798 660109
County lines is a form of criminal exploitation. It is the term used to describe urban gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into suburban, market towns and coastal towns, using dedicated phone lines or ‘deal’ lines. It is illegal and a form of child abuse.
County Lines gangs are highly organised criminal gangs who use sophisticated techniques to groom children, young people and vulnerable adults. They exploit them to move and store the drugs and money and will often use coercion, intimidation, violence (including sexual violence) and weapons.
County Lines gangs use dedication mobile phone lines or ‘deal’ lines to facilitate county lines drug deals. Phones are usually cheap, old and easily disposable as they are changed so often to evade Police detection.
County Lines are almost always linked to Child Sexual Exploitation, Child Trafficking, Knife Crime and Firearms.
There are many risks associated with County Lines. Ultimately it can lead to serious physical and emotional harm for children and young people.
The following signs may indicate that a child or young person is being exploited by a county lines gang:
This list is not exhaustive and other signs of exploitation may be present.
If you have concerns about a child, young person or vulnerable adult and believe them to be in immediate danger call 999
If you have a concern about a child, young person or vulnerable adult but believe them not to be in immediate danger please contact the Safeguarding Team at SafeAtYorkLearning@york.gov.uk
For the most part, the activities that you take part in during your time with York Learning will be safe and should not involve any risk to yourself. However, you should always be aware of any potential health and safety issues and risks. Where you think an activity is unsafe or where you think that someone’s actions could cause a health and safety incident, please let us know.
Health and safety is a shared responsibility. Outlined below is what we expect of you, and also what we will do to ensure that you are kept safe.
We ask you:
We will:
British values are simply the important human values which we want to follow here in the UK and here at York Learning. These include:
We are committed to ensuring that all our learners are treated fairly and with respect. We hope to achieve this by:
Our priority is to ensure that all of our learners are safe. We have a particular responsibility to keep vulnerable people safe, and this is called our “safeguarding duty”. This is our policy and practice for ensuring that vulnerable people are not exploited or taken advantage of. All of our staff are appropriately checked, including using police checks where necessary, and we ensure that all of our learners know who to speak to if they are worried about themselves or another learner.
If you do not feel safe or wish to make a report about another learner who you feel is in danger of being exploited, please contact our Safeguarding team. If you feel that an individual is in immediate danger, always phone the police.
Contact the Safeguarding team at SafeAtYorkLearning@york.gov.uk or 07887 545795.
For information about other courses available across the city, including English, maths, IT or apprenticeships, or if you need advice and guidance about your long-term learning or employment prospects, please contact us on 01904 554277 or visit us at West Offices.
If you think you can only fully participate in your course with some extra support, please let us know. We might be able to help with:
Funding is available for learners on all of our accredited courses whose level of income might prevent them from completing a course. We will consider applications to fund:
For more information please contact our Learner Support Manager Lauren Woolnough on lauren.woolnough@york.gov.uk or 01904 554277.