Staff behaviour policy
DATE CREATED: September 2016
DATE REVIEWED: September 2020
DATE OF NEXT REVIEW: September 2021
GENERAL STATEMENT:
This policy sets out clear guidance on the standards of behaviour expected from all staff at Alert Training UK Ltd (hereafter referred to as “the company”). The principles underlying the guidance aim to encourage staff to achieve the highest possible standards of conduct and minimise the risk of inappropriate conduct occurring.
Company staff are in a unique position of trust and influence as role models for students. Therefore, staff must adhere to behaviour that sets a good example to all students within the company.
Staff also have an individual responsibility to maintain their reputation and the reputation of the company, both inside and outside working hours and work setting.
This policy applies to all staff in the company regardless of their position, role or responsibility. References to ‘staff’ throughout the policy relate to all members of staff including teaching and support staff and peripatetic staff.
The company requires that all staff have read and agree to comply with this policy.
Breach or failure to observe this policy will result in action being taken under the company disciplinary procedures including, but not limited to, dismissal.
This code of conduct is not an exhaustive list of acceptable and unacceptable standards of behaviour. In situations where guidance does not exist in this policy staff are expected to exercise their professional judgement and act in the best interests of the students and the company.
1.Professional Behaviour and Conduct
Staff are expected to demonstrate the highest possible standards of personal and professional conduct and behaviour and consistently act with honesty and integrity. The company expects staff to treat each other, students, parents and the wider community with dignity and respect at all times.
Staff must act in accordance with their duty of care to students and ensure that the safety and welfare of students are accorded the highest priority.
Staff should show fairness in their treatment of all students and avoid behaviours such as embarrassing or humiliating students, making jokes at the expense of students, discriminating against or favouring students and sarcasm.
Staff must have regard for the ethos and values of the company and must not do or say anything which may bring the company into disrepute. Care should be taken by staff to avoid any conflict of interest between activities undertaken outside the company and responsibilities within the company. Staff should act in accordance with the company’s policies and procedures at all times.
2. Dress and Appearance
The company recognise that dress and appearance are matters of personal choice and self-expression. However, all staff must dress in a manner that is appropriate to a professional role and that promotes a professional image.
Staff should dress in a manner that is not offensive, revealing or sexually provocative and in a manner that is absent from political or contentious slogans.
Staff should dress safely and appropriately for the tasks they undertake.
3. Smoking, alcohol and other substances
The company is a non-smoking site. Staff must not smoke on the company’s premises.
Staff must not smoke whilst working with or supervising learners offsite.
Staff must not consume or be under the influence of alcohol, illicit drugs or other illegal substances on or near the company premises.
4. Relationships with Students
Staff must maintain professional boundaries with students appropriate to their position and must always consider whether their actions are warranted, proportionate, safe and applied equitably. Staff should act in an open and transparent way that would not lead any reasonable person to question their actions or intent. Staff should think carefully about their conduct so that misinterpretations are minimised.
Staff must not establish or seek to establish social contact with learners for the purpose of securing a friendship or to pursue or strengthen a relationship. If a young person seeks to establish social contact you should exercise your professional judgement in making a response and be aware that such social contact could be misconstrued.
Staff must not develop personal or sexual relationships with students and should not engage in any sexual activity with a student. Sexual activity does not just involve physical contact including penetrative and non-penetrative acts.
Staff must not make sexual remarks to a student, discuss their own sexual relationships with, or in the presence of, students or discuss a learner’s sexual relationships in an inappropriate setting or context.
5. Physical Contact with Pupils
There are occasions when it is entirely appropriate and proper for staff to have physical contact with students, but it is crucial that they only do so in ways appropriate to their professional role. A ‘no touch’ approach is impractical for most staff and may in some circumstances be inappropriate. When physical contact is made with students it should be in response to their needs at that time, of limited duration and appropriate to their age, stage of development, gender, ethnicity and background.
If a member of staff believes that an action could be misinterpreted, the incident and circumstances should be reported to your line manager, recorded and, if appropriate, a copy placed on the student’s file.
Staff within the company will only utilise Restrictive Physical Intervention techniques with students in order to prevent a student from harming themselves, another student, a member of staff or property. Restrictive Physical Intervention can be seen as ‘reasonable force’ to control a student from causing harm.
6. Online Safety
Staff should follow the company’s Online Safety policy
Staff must not engage in inappropriate use of social network sites which may bring themselves, the company or the community into disrepute. Staff should adopt the highest security settings on any personal profiles they have.
Staff should remain mindful of their digital footprint and exercise caution in all their use of social media or any other web based presence they have. This includes written content, videos or photographs and views expressed either directly or by ‘liking’ certain pages or posts or following certain individuals or groups. Staff should exercise care when using dating websites where staff could encounter students.
7. Confidentiality
Members of staff may have access to confidential information about students. Staff must not reveal such information except to those colleagues who have a professional role in relation to the student on a need to know basis.
Staff should never use confidential or personal information about a student for their own, or others’ advantage. Information must never be used to intimidate, humiliate, or embarrass the student.
All staff may at some point to witness actions which need to be confidential. For example, where a student is bullied by another student, this needs to be reported and dealt with in accordance with the appropriate company procedure. It must not be discussed outside the company, including with the student’s parent or carer, nor with colleagues in the company except by a senior member of staff with the appropriate authority to deal with the matter.
Staff have a statutory obligation to share with the company’s Designated Safeguarding Lead or Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead any information which gives rise to concern about the welfare or safety of a student or that might suggest a student is in need or at risk of significant harm. Staff should pass on information without delay in accordance with the company’s safeguarding policy and procedures and this should be recorded. Staff must never promise a student that they will not act on or pass on any information that they are told by the student.
8. Compliance
All staff must complete the form in appendix 1 to confirm they have read, understood and agree to comply with this policy. This form should be signed and dated and a copy retained on the member of staff’s file.