Safeguarding Policy

Tutorio brings tutors and learners together, many of whom are children. Keeping them safe is a condition of using the Service. This Safeguarding Policy explains what we expect from tutors, organisations, parents and learners, how Tutorio is designed to reduce risk, and what happens when a concern is raised. It forms part of the Terms of Service, Tutoring & Live Lessons Terms and Schools & Organisations Agreement.

Principles

• The welfare of the child is paramount.
• Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.
• Concerns are acted on promptly, proportionately and in line with statutory guidance including Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children.
• We design the platform to minimise opportunities for harm rather than relying on rules alone.

How the platform is designed for safety

• No private chat. Tutorio does not offer one-to-one private messaging between tutors and learners. Communication happens through structured features - assignments, feedback on answers, class notices and live lesson prompts - that are visible to the tutor's organisation where one exists.
• Bounded visibility. Tutors see only learners who have joined their classes, and only the activity in those classes. Learners cannot see each other's answers unless a tutor reveals them.
• No location, no photos. We do not collect precise location or ask children for photographs.
• Organisation oversight. Organisation administrators can see their staff's classes and remove staff or learners at any time.
• Audit trail. Sign-ins, account changes and administrative actions are logged and can be extracted for an investigation.
• Content filtering. Uploads and AI output pass automated checks for inappropriate content, and Rio is configured for educational conversation with children.
• Reporting everywhere. Content and people can be reported from within the Service.

Expectations of tutors

Any adult who teaches on Tutorio agrees to:

1. Hold the vetting their setting and the law require before working with under-18s or adults at risk. In England and Wales this will normally be an Enhanced DBS check with a barred list check where the work is regulated activity, renewed or updated as required. Organisations are responsible for their staff's vetting; independent tutors for their own.
2. Keep all contact with learners on Tutorio or through the channels their school or organisation sanctions. Do not exchange personal phone numbers, social media handles or personal email addresses with learners, and do not arrange to meet learners other than through the arrangements their parents or school have made.
3. Maintain professional boundaries in language, feedback and any material shared. Never share personal, romantic or sexual content, and never ask learners for personal information beyond what teaching requires.
4. Use monitoring and "see every answer" tools only for teaching.
5. Complete safeguarding training appropriate to their role, and follow their organisation's safeguarding policy where they have one.
6. Report any concern about a child's welfare - whether arising from something the child says or writes in Tutorio, another adult's behaviour, or anything else - the same day, to the organisation's Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) where there is one and to Tutorio at [email protected].
7. Not use Tutorio if they are barred from working with children or are subject to an investigation that their setting would expect them to disclose.

Expectations of organisations

• Vet, train and supervise staff who use Tutorio in line with statutory guidance.
• Nominate a safeguarding contact and keep it current in the organisation settings.
• Revoke access promptly when staff leave or are suspended.
• Ensure learners and parents know how to raise concerns.
• Cooperate with Tutorio in any investigation.

Expectations of learners and parents

Learners should keep their password private, use their real name where their class requires it, keep other people's work private, and tell a trusted adult if anything on Tutorio makes them uncomfortable. Parents and guardians are encouraged to link to their child's account, review the classes they have joined and talk with them about staying safe online. Guidance for families is available from the UK Safer Internet Centre and CEOP.

Raising a concern

• Immediate danger: call 999 (UK) or your local emergency number.
• Concern about a child's welfare or an adult's conduct: email [email protected]. This mailbox is monitored by trained staff during working hours and checked outside them. Include what you saw, when, who was involved and how to reach you. Anonymous reports are accepted.
• Within a school or organisation: also tell their Designated Safeguarding Lead.
• Report a child at risk of online abuse: CEOP Safety Centre. NSPCC helpline: 0808 800 5000. Childline (for children): 0800 1111.

How Tutorio responds

1. We acknowledge concerns within one working day and immediately where there is an obvious risk.
2. A named safeguarding lead at Tutorio assesses the concern and decides on immediate protective steps, which may include suspending an account or removing a learner from a class while we investigate.
3. We inform the relevant organisation's DSL without delay, and the parent or guardian where appropriate and safe.
4. Where the threshold is met we refer to the local authority children's services, the police or the Disclosure and Barring Service, as statutory guidance requires, and cooperate fully with their enquiries.
5. We preserve relevant records, including audit logs and content, for the investigation and for as long as statutory guidance requires.
6. We tell the person who raised the concern what has happened, as far as confidentiality allows.

Allegations against Tutorio staff

Any allegation against a member of Tutorio's staff is escalated to a director who is not involved, handled under the same principles, and referred to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) where the threshold is met.

Records and confidentiality

Safeguarding records are kept securely, separately from general support records, with access limited to those who need it. Information is shared on a need-to-know basis and in line with the Data Protection Act 2018, which permits sharing to safeguard children.

Review

This policy is reviewed at least annually and whenever statutory guidance changes. The version history below records each update.

Contact

Safeguarding lead: [email protected] · Phone: 01908 904106 (working hours).