.png)
OXBRIDGE SUMMER SCHOLARS:
SAFEGUARDING AND CHILD PROTECTION
Your child's safety is the foundation of everything we do.
Oxbridge Summer Scholars brings young people into residential academic environments in Oxford and Cambridge. Parents trust us with their children, often across international borders, for programmes that combine teaching, accommodation, travel and supervised social time. That trust shapes how we recruit, train, supervise and respond.
This page sets out what families can expect. Our full policy & other documents are linked at the bottom of this page.
How we recruit
No one works with our participants until they have completed our screening process. For UK programmes, this includes enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks where the role qualifies, alongside identity verification, reference checks, employment history verification and confirmation of safeguarding training. Roles involving residential supervision, one-to-one contact or pastoral oversight attract enhanced screening. We apply the same rigour to third parties (guest lecturers, laboratory hosts, partner staff) or we add our own supervision on top.
How we train our staff
All OSS supervisory staff complete safeguarding training delivered by an Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership-approved provider before participants arrive. Training covers recognising harm, reporting obligations, professional boundaries, digital communication standards and emergency response. Staff in enhanced-responsibility roles receive additional briefing on residential supervision, travel leadership and welfare support.
How we supervise
Supervision ratios are set against participant age, group size and activity risk. Named staff carry clear responsibility at each stage. Two-adult presence applies wherever reasonably possible. Participant whereabouts are known through structured check-ins. Supervisory staff are accessible throughout the programme.
Where we use third-party accommodation, including university colleges, we assess the environment before use. Staff and participant accommodation are kept clearly separate. Travel itineraries are documented in advance, with supervisory responsibility allocated for every leg of transit and risk assessments for every excursion.
Every programme undergoes a safeguarding risk assessment before it begins, drafted by our Designated Safeguarding Lead, reviewed by programme leadership and approved by Legal and Compliance.
What we require of staff
All staff operate under a Staff Code of Conduct. The standards are unambiguous: clear professional boundaries, communication only through approved channels, no personal social media contact with participants, no alcohol or impairing substances on duty, no sexual or romantic conduct of any kind regardless of age or local consent law. Breaches result in immediate protective measures, removal from participant-facing duties and, where appropriate, referral to authorities.
How concerns are handled
We want concerns reported early. Participants, parents and staff do not need to be certain something is wrong in order to speak up.
When a concern is received, our Designated Safeguarding Lead assesses it, implements protective measures, decides whether to inform parents and determines whether to refer to external authorities. Where a participant is at immediate risk, emergency services are contacted without delay. We cooperate fully with lawful investigations by police, local authorities and other agencies.
Raising a concern
About a participant or a member of OSS staff: Sara Tennant, Designated Safeguarding Lead s.tennant@oxbridgesummerscholars.com
About OSS senior staff, or where the DSL is unavailable or involved: Harry Rillstone, Legal and Compliance Director h.rillstone@oxbridgesummerscholars.com
In an emergency, call 999 first, then notify us as soon as practicable.
We also have a Safeguarding and Child Protection Report Form, if you would prefer not to email.
In serious cases, our DSL is responsible for liaising with external authorities, including the Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs (MASH), Local Authority Designated Officers (LADO) and police. Contact details for direct referral are set out in our Safeguarding Reporting Pathways document linked below.
What parents can expect from us
Before programmes begin: a copy of our safeguarding policy, programme-specific contact information, accommodation and excursion details and clear guidance on raising concerns.
During programmes: notification of safeguarding concerns involving your child wherever it is appropriate and consistent with your child's safety to do so. In limited circumstances, where informing a parent may increase risk, notification may be managed in consultation with relevant authorities. These decisions sit with the DSL.
Governance and review
We operate with reference to UK safeguarding expectations, including the principles reflected in Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children. Our safeguarding policy is reviewed at least annually and after any serious incident.
Policy documents