Safeguarding

[SonnyCrockett]

In terms of the safeguarding policy, can a member of admin staff be allowed to make friends with students ?

[boxtops]

No, it's not desirable at all, in fact it's discouraged. In some organisations I'm involved with, adults are not allowed to be friends with the youngsters on Facebook.

[sherrardk]

Your question is a bit vague really. But I would say no.

[woofgang]

depends what you mean by friendship and what the policy says, also what kind of establishment are you talking about?

[boxtops]

I'm interpreting it as a school or college, woofgang, since sonny says "students"

[SonnyCrockett]

A friend of mine has gone into a bit of a panic with a student. He works at a local college and has became friends with an international student. He said that the female student was very open and friendly to him insisting to meet him on weekends for coffee and general hangout, they exchanged numbers. She is living with a lecturer at the college. However he has only spoken to her twice at the college library. Then one day she text him saying her "guest" (referring to the lecturer) doesn't want the fact that she becomes friends with her. He accepted that. From time to time he would always greet her in the corridor as he sees her almost everyday and texts to know how she is etc, just being friendly.

The problem is, one day she sent a blunt text to him saying not to text her anymore, he got angry as the text was so blunt so he replied that if she is not going to make friends with people "then why give number ?" She replied saying that - if he wants to make friends then don't make friends with students and he is now allowed to.

So today I was with him and he had a phone call from the college saying that a member of staff wants to meet to him to discuss a "safeguarding incident" first thing on Monday morning. Now he is in a panic thinking that he may lose his job !!

Any comments on this as he really is panicking ! He had no evil intentions with this girl !

[boxtops]

I would advise him to be honest and just explain there is nothing in it, he was only being friendly but realises that he was misguided and that meeting outside college was always her insistence.

What do you mean, the student is living with a lecturer? As a lodger, I hope?

[sherrardk]

He should have kept his distance. If I was in his situation I would be panicking too. Sorry to sound so negative.

[Peter Pedant]

depends on the age I think

[woofgang]

silly boy, he should have stopped texting when she said that her landlord (I hope) didn' want them to be socially involved. I hope that he is young enough to plead youth, but what do the rules say?

[boxtops]

Agree with woof - the lecturer would have known the risks developing and was trying to stop it before it came to public view.

[pixie373]

I think giving his number out wasn't helpful. Even if the students are older, there could be complaints of favouritism from the others. He needs to keep a professional distance.