Reporting concerns about an adult

Code Hamsters (Simple Platform Work Limited)
Version 1.0, approved 13 October 2026 by Mathew Long, Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). Next review: October 2027, or sooner after any incident or change in the law or guidance.

A printed copy of this procedure is given to every tutor. It is also for parents, carers, children, venue staff and anyone else who is worried about an adult.

1. Who this is about

Any adult who may pose a risk to children: a Code Hamsters tutor, volunteer or contractor, our founder, a member of staff at a venue, a visitor, or a parent or other adult in a child’s life. It applies to behaviour at our sessions and anywhere else, including online and in the adult’s private life.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

2. What to report

Report it if an adult has, or may have:

• behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child
• possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child
• behaved towards a child in a way that suggests they may pose a risk of harm to children
• behaved in a way that suggests they may not be suitable to work with children

Also report anything smaller that does not feel right, even if you think there is an innocent explanation. These are called low-level concerns. Examples are being over-familiar with a child, having favourites, taking a photograph on a personal phone, contacting a child or family outside our official channels, using inappropriate language, or being alone with a child behind a closed door. Small things reported early are how patterns are spotted.

You do not need proof, and you do not need to be sure. Report what you saw or heard and let the right people decide. Nobody who reports a genuine concern will be treated badly for doing so, even if it turns out to be mistaken.

3. How to report

1. Tell the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mathew Long, straight away and always on the same day: +44 7877 742502.
2. If your concern is about Mathew Long, or you think a concern is not being dealt with, contact the LADO yourself on 0161 234 1214 or at quality.assurance@manchester.gov.uk. You do not need anyone’s permission.
3. Write down what you saw or heard as soon as you can: what happened, when, where, who was there, and the exact words used. Sign and date it and give it to the person you report to.
4. Do not investigate, question the child or other children, or tell the adult concerned. Do not discuss it with anyone else.
5. If the concern is about a parent or another adult in a child’s life, rather than someone who works with children, the DSL treats it as a concern about the child and follows our safeguarding and child protection policy.

4. What happens next

1. The DSL makes sure any child involved is safe.
2. Where the concern may meet any of the four points in section 2, the DSL contacts the LADO within one working day, and before starting any investigation. If a crime may have been committed, the DSL also contacts the police.
3. The adult is told about the concern as soon as the LADO or police agree it is safe to do so, and is told what support is available to them.
4. While the matter is looked into, the adult may be moved away from work with children or suspended. Suspension is not automatic and is not a judgement about what happened.
5. The DSL follows the LADO’s advice, cooperates with any investigation by children’s social care or the police, and tells the parents or carers of any child involved what they need to know.
6. Low-level concerns that do not meet the points in section 2 are recorded and dealt with by the DSL, who talks to the adult, agrees what will change and checks that it has. The DSL reviews low-level concerns together to look for patterns and takes advice from the LADO if unsure.

5. Outcomes

• If we stop using someone because they have harmed a child or pose a risk of harm, or would have done so had they not left, we are required by law to refer them to the Disclosure and Barring Service, and we do.
• We never agree to keep a concern quiet in exchange for someone resigning.
• After every case, the DSL and the LADO look at what we could change to stop the same thing happening again.
• Records are kept as set out in our child protection records policy.

6. Whistleblowing

If you believe Code Hamsters is failing to protect children and you cannot raise it with us, or you have raised it and nothing has changed, contact the LADO, children’s social care, or the NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line on 0800 028 0285 (help@nspcc.org.uk).

7. Contacts