Visitor and External Speaker Safeguarding Information
A visitor or external speaker is used to describe any individual or organisation who is not a student or staff member for RNC or one of its contracted partners and who has been invited to speak to students and/or staff. This includes any individual who is a student or staff member from another institution. This also includes the main contact from any external venue hire client who is paying to use College facilities. It also includes events where external speakers are streamed live into an event or a pre-recorded film is shown. It also includes activity being held on College premises but organised by external venue hire clients.
At RNC Safeguarding has paramount importance. You may be asked to clarify who you are at any time when you are in the College, or on the campus. It is essential that all visitors are fully briefed on their responsibility while on campus to ensure that we continue to practice an ‘Outstanding’ level of Safeguarding. Feel safe at RNC Everyone has the right to lead their lives free from violence and abuse. Everyone has the right to protection from mistreatment and abuse.
Types of abuse vulnerable adults and young people can be susceptible to are:
• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Neglect
• Emotional abuse
• Domestic abuse
• Financial or material abuse
• Discrimination
• Bullying, including cyber bullying and text bullying
Disclosure by a student
What you should do if you suspect abuse, or you receive a disclosure from someone who has experienced abuse:
• Never promise to keep something secret or confidential. Tell them you need to share this.
• Inform a safeguarding officer immediately
• Do not investigate or ask leading questions. If someone else is making an allegation or raising a concern you will need to make a note of their contact details. No concern is too small all disclosures, issues or concerns that you may be made aware of must be acted upon immediately. Do not investigate yourself.
Please refer to the contact details of our Safeguarding team if you have a Safeguarding concern or, please contact Reception who can locate them for you. Our staff will then follow the procedures according to the College Safeguarding Policy.
If you are not satisfied with the response of the safeguarding team or wish to pass your concern to someone else you should contact the MASH Team 01432 260800, or the Emergency Duty Team 01905 768020.
Prevent Duty
All visitors or external speakers should comply with the PREVENT duty. Complying with the PREVENT duty includes promoting and exemplifying British values i.e. democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, tolerance and mutual respect and different faiths and beliefs. This includes complying with the Equality Act 2010 and preventing discrimination against those with protected characteristics:
• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
All visitors or external speakers have a responsibility to abide by the law and the College’s policies, you:
• Must not advocate or incite hatred, violence or call for the breaking of the law.
• Are not permitted to encourage, glorify or promote any acts of terrorism including individuals, groups or organizations that support such acts.
• Must not spread hatred and intolerance in the community and thus aid in disrupting social and community harmony.
• Must be mindful of the risk of causing offence to, or seek to avoid insulting other faiths or groups, within a framework of positive debate and challenge.
• Are not permitted to raise or gather funds for any external organization or cause without express permission of the College.
Visual Impairment Awareness
At the Royal National College for the Blind (RNC), we have students from the age of 16 years, who have different levels of vision and some have additional disabilities. Everyone’s vision is different. One person may have no useful vision at all, another may have low vision. Some people have good vision in the day but no vision at night. With certain eye conditions people lose their ability to see detail and colour but retain their ability to see objects, shapes and outlines. In other eye conditions a person may see detail and colour but have “tunnel vision” so that they cannot see the whole picture.
Mobility Aids
People who are visually impaired may use a mobility aid to ensure safe and independent travel in familiar areas. Mobility aids for people with a VI include:
• Guide dogs
• Long canes
• Long canes with red stripes (for those who also have a hearing impairment)
• Guide canes for detecting kerbs and stairs
• Symbol canes to alert other people to sight loss
Whilst on Campus
Ignore guide dogs: if they are distracted, they are not able to keep the owner safe.
Keep pathways clear: it is important that there are no obstacles in the form of bags, equipment or groups of people blocking pathways. It is helpful to move out of the way if someone who is VI is approaching. This also allows long cane users to follow the kerb or edge of a building when navigating. Guide dogs are trained to use the centre of a pavement and will be able to negotiate around people and objects providing there is space on the pavement.
Make yourself known: alerting people to your presence is useful, which can be achieved by simply saying “hello”. Introduce yourself by name so the person knows who they are speaking to and when you finish your conversation, announce that you are leaving. A simple “goodbye” will mean the person you are speaking to knows that you have moved away from them.
Offer help: If a person with a VI appears to be disorientated, they may welcome some help. This can be done by introducing yourself, asking if assistance is needed and offering your arm to the person who has accepted your help.
Use the pedestrian crossing: RNC students and staff are asked to use the Venns Lane pedestrian crossing and to only cross on the audible and visual signal. This is for their safety and to help educate drivers to take care in the area and to leave the crossing free when there is a traffic jam. It is helpful if all other people use the crossing in the same way.
First aid
The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) recognises its duties imposed by the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981. Within the College there are a number of qualified staff trained.
Fire and Emergency Evacuation
If the fire alarm sounds, please leave the building immediately via the nearest exit. Our staff will direct you to the nearest fire assembly point.
Sound of the alarm: the sound of the alarm will be a continuous warning siren.
Raising the Alarm: if the fire is discovered by a staff member or a visitor notifies a staff member of a fire, sound the alarm by the nearest break glass available; these are normally situated close to emergency exit doors. If fire is detected by automatic detectors, this will trigger the fire alarm.
Action on Hearing the Alarm: All should leave the building by way of the marked escape routes, closing doors behind them apart from those members of staff who have been trained in fire evacuation processes and are responsible for ensuring all floors are clear of personnel. Lifts are not to be used for evacuation. Those with additional mobility needs will have a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) which should be followed. This may mean that the person does not evacuate the building but will go to a fire refuge. On leaving the building, personnel should make their way to the appropriate assembly point. Under no circumstances must anyone be permitted to re-enter the building other than with the authority of the officer in charge of the Fire Service, whether or not the alarm is false.
Accidents and incidents
All accidents to employees, students, customers and visitors must be reported. Visitors should report to Reception where a form, documenting the accident or other incident should be completed. Under Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (R.I.D.D.O.R.) if certain conditions are met RNC is required to make a stator report to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). If you require any assistance or need to report an accident or incident, please report to Reception.
Parking and disabled access
We have parking available on campus. We also have a number of disabled parking spaces, and all areas of the campus are accessible for wheelchair users. Please ensure you have informed Reception of your car registration details to avoid a parking fine.
V1.0 – April 2023
