Khalsa Mentoring Terms of Use

This Platform is operated by and on behalf of Khalsa Foundation (“Khalsa Mentoring”). Our mission is to provide support for every Sikh so that they can reach the best universities and the best careers.

These terms tell you the rules you agree to comply with when using or providing volunteer mentoring services on our platform.

By using our Platform, you confirm that you accept these terms of use and that you agree to comply with them. If you do not agree to these terms, you must not use our Platform.

Our Safeguarding document, sets out the policies and procedures for use of our Platform and digital mentoring services with regards to protecting the welfare of individuals. When using our Platform, you must comply with this.

Our Platform is made available free of charge. We do not guarantee that our Platform, or any content on it, will always be available or be uninterrupted. We may suspend or withdraw or restrict the availability of all or any part of our Platform at our sole and absolute discretion. We may do this without notice to you.

We reserve the right to suspend, restrict or terminate your access to all or any part of our Platform at any time at our sole and absolute discretion. We may also permanently ban or temporarily suspend you from using our Platform if you do not comply with these terms of use, at our sole and absolute discretion.

The content on our Platform is provided for general information only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely. Consequently, we do not accept any responsibility or liability for any actions or omissions that you may take in reliance on such content. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our Platform

We will not be liable to you for any loss or damage, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, even if foreseeable, arising under or in connection with:

• use of, or inability to use, our Platform; or
• use of or reliance on any content displayed on our Platform.
• In particular and without limitation, we will not be liable for:
  • loss of revenue, profits, sales or business;
  • business interruption;
  • loss of anticipated savings;
  • loss of business opportunity, goodwill or reputation; or
  • any direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage.

Prohibited uses
You may not use our Platform:

• in any way that breaches any law
• to engage in, incite or condone inappropriate behaviour or illegal activity;
• for the purpose of harming or attempting to harm minors in any way;
• to send, knowingly receive, upload, download, use or re-use any material which does not comply with these terms of use;
• to transmit, or procure the sending of, any unsolicited or unauthorised advertising or promotional material or any other form of similar solicitation (spam); or
• to exchange contact details (including but not limited to email addresses, phone numbers, social media usernames or direct messaging details) with another user of the Platform;
• to arrange to meet with another user of the Platform
• to discuss subject matter outside of the following areas: maximising academic attainment, advice on: applying to university/for a position of employment, university academic life and/or interviewing skills, career advice;

 

Safeguarding

Khalsa Foundation takes seriously its responsibilities to safeguard and promote the welfare of individuals by following best practice guidance on safeguarding to create this safeguarding policy (the “Policy”) and embedding safeguarding features into its mentoring platform (the ”Platform”).

For the purpose of this Policy the term “volunteers” will be used to describe anyone who is a volunteer mentor on the Khalsa Mentoring Platform and/or engages with, at the direction of Khalsa Mentoring, children as part of the Khalsa Mentoring programme.

The terms ‘child’ or ‘children’ include any person under the age of eighteen (as defined in The Children Act 1989).

This Policy aims to ensure that all persons, in particular children, using Khalsa Mentoring services can do so safely, free from abuse and discrimination on any grounds whether it be a protected characteristic or not. All volunteers will be required to confirm that they have read, understood and will abide by this Policy at all times.

Purpose
The purpose of this Policy is to ensure:

• compliance with the following legislation and statutory guidance:
  • DfE ‘Working together to safeguard Children’ Guidance 2010
  • The Children Act 1989
  • Children Act 2004
  • Children and Young Person’s Act 2008;
• awareness is raised among Khalsa Mentoring Volunteers of child protection and safeguarding issues; and
• procedures for identifying and reporting cases or suspected cases of abuse are in place and followed by the volunteers.

Key Responsibilities – Khalsa Mentoring

Khalsa Mentoring will ensure that:

• the delivery of Khalsa Mentoring services (including but not limited to mentoring services) do not require one to one physical meetings nor any communication between mentee and mentor outside of the Platform;
• mentors and mentees will not be made aware of the email addresses or social media contacts of any other mentees or mentors on the Platform;
• all mentoring sessions which take place on the Platform will be recorded for safeguarding purposes only. The recordings remain the property of Khalsa Mentoring and may be:
  • reviewed as part of an investigation into any safeguarding report
  • provided to the relevant authorities if legally obligated to do so.
• where Khalsa Mentoring Volunteers are required to hold a DBS enhanced certificate pursuant to this Policy, such certificates will be made available to parents/guardians of mentees if requested.

any mentee or mentor who does not comply with the Platform terms of use which shall incorporate this Policy will be suspended from using the Platform pending an investigation and relevant authorities will be contacted if required by law.

Key Responsibilities – Khalsa Mentoring Staff excluding mentors
Khalsa Mentoring Core Staff shall:

• have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children;
• sign a copy of this Policy confirming they have read, understood and will comply with its content;
• hold a current enhanced DBS certificate when his/her services necessitate such clearance;
• never agree to meet with a mentee who is a child on a ‘one to one’ basis in person
• only use mentee personal data for the explicit purpose consented to by the mentee and/or to safeguard and promote the welfare of mentees

 

Key Responsibilities – Khalsa Mentoring mentors only
All Khalsa Mentoring mentors:

• have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children;
• must on registration as mentor confirm through ticking the appropriate electronic box that they have read, understood and will comply with this Policy;
• must ensure all contact with mentees only occurs on the Platform;
• shall restrict their guidance to the following areas: maximising academic attainment, advice on: applying to university/for a position of employment, university academic life and/or interviewing skills, career guidance;
• should never agree to meet with a mentee who is a child
• consent to Khalsa Mentoring that sessions are recorded and stored for safeguarding purposes only; and
• shall ensure that all language used and comments made (verbally or in text format) when carrying out Khalsa Mentoring mentor duties will not offend, be in anyway discriminatory nor bring Khalsa Mentoring into disrepute.

 

Reporting Responsibilities – All Khalsa Mentoring Mentors and Volunteers
If a member of Khalsa Mentoring Staff has identified any signs or indicators that a mentee is being abused and/or engaged in or the subject of criminal activity then they must ensure:

• they record the known facts and any other information that might be relevant and pass this written information onto the Khalsa Foundation immediately using the contact details below
• if the mentee is in immediate danger or a crime has been committed, dial 999.

If a child discloses information to staff or others relating to welfare issues which do not constitute criminal activity or abuse but impact on a child mentee’s welfare or a Khalsa Mentoring member is made aware of a breach of this Policy, they must:

• advise the mentee that you will offer them support, but that you will have to pass the information onto the Safeguarding Lead; and
• record the facts in writing, using the words the mentee used as well as including any other information that might be relevant and including the date on which the mentee has disclosed the information and send this to the Safeguarding Lead.

All safeguarding reports must be sent from an email address associated with a user account on the Khalsa Mentoring platform..

Contact Details
Safeguarding Lead: Daljit Kaur
Email address: Daljitkaur@khalsafoundationuk.onmicrosoft.com