Date policy issued: 01.10.2026
Date policy last reviewed: 01.10.2026
This policy will be reviewed every 12 months (as a minimum).
Review due date: 01.10.2027
Designated Safeguarding Lead Contact Details
Designated Safeguarding Lead: Billie-Jo Jarrett, Compliance Manager
Email: [email protected]
Contact number: 07495 068440
1. Purpose and Status
1.1 This Code promotes safe, lawful and ethical recruitment and practice. It covers internal staff and consultants under Part A, and professionals registered with, introduced or supplied by Social Work Partners under Part B. Parts 1 and C apply to both.
1.2 This Code is non-contractual, unless expressly incorporated by written agreement. It does not change employment status or contractual terms. For permanent placements, the client’s employment policies apply after appointment, while our continuing legal recruitment duties remain.
1.3 “Must” identifies applicable legal or regulatory requirements. “Should” identifies company expectations; serious or repeated failure to meet them may lead to action under clause 8.
1.4 Everyone should act with honesty, respect, fairness and accountability, protect people’s dignity, work within their competence and put safety before commercial interests.
Internal Staff and Consultants
2. Ethical Recruitment
2.1 Staff must complete applicable statutory recruitment checks and suitability notifications. Before introduction or supply, staff should verify identity, qualifications, professional registration, references and role-specific authorisations; confirm that required right-to-work and criminal-record or barring checks have been completed; and retain evidence securely.
2.2 Staff should not approve work where a legal requirement is unmet or an unresolved concern makes the placement unsafe. Concerns should be escalated immediately to Billie-Jo Jarrett.
2.3 Candidate information, vacancies, pay, compliance status, invoices and expenses should be accurate. Staff should not misrepresent candidates, conceal relevant restrictions or accept discriminatory client instructions.
3. Professional Behaviour
3.1 Staff must comply with applicable equality and anti-bribery law. Bullying, harassment, discrimination, retaliation and bribery are unacceptable.
3.2 Staff should disclose conflicts of interest to Billie-Jo Jarrett. Gifts and hospitality should follow the gifts procedure policy, be recorded and never influence decisions. Cash gifts are unacceptable.
3.3 Staff should maintain professional boundaries, use approved communication systems and avoid social-media activity that breaches confidentiality, harasses others or misrepresents the company.
3.4 Staff should work safely and without impairment from alcohol, drugs, medication or fatigue. Relevant fitness concerns should be reported promptly to Billie-Jo Jarrett. The company must meet applicable reasonable-adjustment duties.
Placed Social Workers and Social Care Professionals
4. Registration and Honesty
4.1 Professionals must hold registration required for their role and nation, and comply with applicable standards of Social Work England, Social Care Wales, SSSC or NISCC, including renewal and practice restrictions.
4.2 Professionals should promptly disclose to Billie-Jo Jarrett, before further affected work, any registration lapse or change, conditions, suspension, investigation, sanction, barring decision or other material fitness-to-practise concern. They must separately notify their regulator where required. Criminal disclosures must respect applicable filtering and rehabilitation rules.
4.3 CVs, qualifications, references, timesheets and expenses should be accurate. Professionals should report errors and incidents honestly and must meet applicable professional candour duties.
5. Safe Professional Practice
5.1 Professionals should follow lawful client policies, induction, supervision and assignment requirements; maintain accurate records; work within competence and authorisation; and raise unsafe instructions or workloads promptly.
5.2 Professionals must comply with applicable equality law and professional standards. They should respect dignity and individual needs and avoid bullying, harassment or discrimination.
5.3 Professionals should maintain professional boundaries, avoid exploitative or sexual relationships with service users, and use authorised communication channels. Service-user information should never be posted on personal social media.
5.4 Professionals should disclose conflicts and proposed gifts to the client and Billie-Jo Jarrett, follow the stricter applicable gifts rule, and avoid private financial arrangements with service users. They must not engage in bribery.
5.5 Professionals should not undertake duties while impaired. Relevant health or safety concerns should be reported promptly to the client and Billie-Jo Jarrett, with a safe handover where needed. A health diagnosis alone does not establish unfitness.
Requirements for Both Audiences
6. Safeguarding and Confidentiality
6.1 Everyone should act promptly on suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation or unsafe practice and must meet applicable statutory and professional reporting duties.
For immediate danger, call 999.
6.2 Report without avoidable delay to Billie-Jo Jarrett, Compliance Manager. Placed professionals should also use the client’s safeguarding route. If that contact is unavailable, implicated or fails to act, contact The Director, Stephen Lock. Refer directly to the appropriate safeguarding authority or police where necessary; internal reporting should not delay protection.
6.3 Record facts, dates, relevant words, risks, action taken and people notified. Keep records and evidence securely, with access limited to authorised people. Distinguish allegations from findings, and do not promise secrecy or conduct an unauthorised investigation.
6.4 Everyone must handle personal information lawfully. They should follow the company’s separate Data Protection Policy and applicable client requirements, use approved systems, share only necessary information and report suspected data incidents immediately to a company director and, where relevant, the client. Confidentiality does not prevent lawful safeguarding reports or protected disclosures.
7. Raising Concerns and Whistleblowing
7.1 Concerns about wrongdoing should be raised with BILLIE-JO JARRETT, following the whistleblowing policy. Nothing prevents lawful external reporting or independent advice.
7.2 The company should protect anyone raising an honestly held concern or assisting an investigation from retaliation, even if the concern is unsubstantiated. Statutory protections must be respected where applicable. Confidentiality should be maintained as far as possible; anonymity cannot be guaranteed.
8. Breaches and Referrals
8.1 Concerns should be investigated promptly and fairly. The person concerned should have sufficient information and a reasonable opportunity to respond, subject to safeguarding and external-investigation constraints.
8.2 Protective measures may include pausing placements or removing someone from an assignment. Outcomes may include support, training, warnings, restrictions, termination under applicable terms, removal from our books or external referral. Decisions must respect applicable law and contracts. Review requests should follow the review procedure.
8.3 The company must make DBS or Disclosure Scotland referrals where the applicable legal conditions are met. Required regulator or other authority referrals must also be made. Resignation, settlement or another organisation’s referral does not remove our own duties.
9. Safer Working Practice
10.1 Agency professionals working with children and young people should follow the relevant principles of the Safer Recruitment Consortium’s Guidance for safer working practice, alongside applicable professional standards and client policies. This includes maintaining professional boundaries, using appropriate communications, avoiding favouritism and reporting inappropriate behaviour or relationships promptly.
10.2 The guidance is written for education settings. Its relevant safeguarding principles should be applied appropriately to the assignment; it does not replace statutory duties or regulator requirements.