The British Council is committed to child protection. Centres that teach under 18s must meet the section standard for Safeguarding under 18s to gain or retain accreditation.
We have a collection of guidelines and supporting material relating to child protection, for centres that teach students under 18 years old. You can download these from the bottom of the page.
Guidance
For guidance on the inspection criteria for safeguarding under 18s, please refer to the Criteria, requirements and guidance document.
Guide to writing a safeguarding policy
This document is a comprehensive guide on writing a safeguarding policy. It serves as a good starting point for centres when drafting their own policy.
Safeguarding training
A free online training resource is available to help language centres raise awareness of safeguarding for any adults who have contact with children on English language courses and in associated services. It is an introduction to the topic of safeguarding in language centres.
Guidance on handling disclosure from a child
Dealing with a child who reports abuse can be a difficult and stressful experience. This document contains some practical advice for how to deal with this situation.
International criminal records check directory
This directory provides guidance on how to obtain criminal records checks from countries outside the UK.
Police check letter
Some countries require an official document or letter from the authorities to support an application for a police certificate of good conduct, criminal record certificate or local equivalent.
The Police check letter explains the requirement for such checks. Centres can forward this letter to their agents to help with the process.
There is no need to have the documents translated; if you have an appropriate agreement in place with your agents to verify the checks they can do this without having the documents translated.
Accreditation UK inspectors will not expect to see copies of the group leaders' police checks. They will need to see documentation between the ELT provider and the agency, which confirms that the checks have been done.
Parental consent template
A template (optional) is available as a resource to assist accredited centres to construct their own version to meet the requirements of criterion S3.