Safeguarding Policy

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At VH InvestScope, the safety and well-being of all our students, especially those under the age of 18, are of utmost importance. We are committed to maintaining a safe, professional, and supportive environment throughout our mentorship programs and online interactions. This Safeguarding Policy outlines the measures we take to protect our participants and ensure a positive experience.

- Minimum Age: To register for our mentorship program, you must be at least 15 years old.

- Parental Consent for Minors: If you are aged 15-17, you must obtain parental or guardian consent to participate. We will need to contact your parent or guardian to confirm their permission before you can proceed with the program.

1. Professional Conduct

• Strictly Professional Interactions: All online interactions between our mentors and participants will be conducted in a strictly professional manner. Mentors are trained to maintain appropriate boundaries and to engage with participants solely for educational and developmental purposes.
• Respect and Inclusivity: We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all participants are treated with respect, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, or background.

2. Parental Consent and Involvement

• Parental Permission for Minors: For students aged 15-17, we require explicit parental or guardian consent before they can enrol in our mentorship program. This ensures that parents are fully informed and supportive of their child’s participation.
• Parental Communication: Before the program begins, we will contact the parent or guardian to confirm their permission and answer any questions they may have. We believe in maintaining open communication with parents to ensure their child’s safety and well-being.

3. Online Safety Measures

• Secure Platforms: All mentoring sessions will take place on Google Meet & Zoom meetings. Communications between the mentor and student take place on whichever platform suits the student. 
• Monitoring and Recording: For safeguarding purposes, online sessions may be monitored or recorded to ensure that all interactions adhere to our strict professional standards. These recordings will be stored securely and only accessible to authorised personnel. (You may choose to not have sessions recorded)
• Appropriate Content: The content shared during mentoring sessions is carefully curated to be age-appropriate and relevant to the educational goals of the program.

4. Safeguarding Training

• Mentor Training: All mentors undergo comprehensive safeguarding training, which includes guidelines on professional conduct, recognising signs of distress, and appropriate ways to interact and handle younger students.
• Continuous Oversight: Our safeguarding team will be regularly reviewing mentoring practices and provide ongoing support to mentors to ensure that they are up-to-date with the latest safeguarding best practices.

5. Reporting Concerns

• Reporting Mechanisms: We encourage participants, parents, or guardians to report any concerns they may have about the mentoring process. Concerns can be reported directly to our safeguarding team at safeguarding@vnhinvestscope.net
• Confidentiality: Any concerns raised will be handled with the utmost importance confidentiality and will be investigated thoroughly. We are committed to taking swift and appropriate action to address any issues.

Commitment to Improvement

Our Safeguarding Policy is regularly reviewed and updated to reflect the latest best practices in child protection and online safety. We are dedicated to continuously improving our safeguarding measures.

Contact Information

If you have any questions about our Safeguarding Policy or need to report a concern, please contact us at safeguarding@vnhinvestscope.net