PAS 5222:2024 on safeguarding children impacts security personnel

There has been a lack of statutory guidance and process for organisations and individuals who are responsible for the care of children in settings outside of education. Out-of-school activities include tuition, training, instruction or other activities involving children that occur without their parents’ or carers’ supervision, but are not schools, colleges, education settings providing alternative provision, 16-to-19 academies, settings registered with Ofsted or a childminder agency. The scarcity of guidance has led to continued ambiguity regarding safe practice.

In order to help plug this gap, PAS 5222:2024 ‘Child Safeguarding – Provisions for Out-of-School Settings – Specification’ outlines requirements on the governance, policies, processes and procedures necessary for organisations to embed child safeguarding within their operations.

PAS 5222:2024 brings into scope any persons (including private security personnel) assuming responsibility for children or organisations (among them security guarding businesses) accountable for the safety of children in out-of-school settings in addition to any organisations directly responsible for auditing the services that are provided. Although intended for use in the UK, it may also be used in Europe.

Out-of-school activities can include sports, community service, arts, music, hobbies and employment. PAS 5222:2024 provides requirements for (and guidance on) governance, accountability and responsibility, complaints and whistleblowing, record-keeping, documenting safeguarding measures, employment checks, inducting new personnel, safeguarding training, recording safeguarding measures, assessing risks (including identifying, assessing relevance, determining risk appetite, monitoring, mitigation, recording and documenting), safeguarding and child protection policy, incident response plans, safeguarding incidents and review following a safeguarding-related incident.

Expertise in policing

Introduction of the new standard was led by Mark Bramah, a former senior detective, whose expertise within the police encompassed the investigation of child abuse. Following his 30-year career with the police service, Bramah took on the role of independent chair for Hampshire Children Services, ensuring the safety and well-being of children. Additionally, he’s responsible for managing individuals who pose a risk within a religious organisation and conducts independent reviews of child safeguarding practices.

“The issue of safeguarding children in adult environments has very much been at the core of my professional, academic and even personal life,” explained Bramah. “Being able to offer a clear framework for organisations that are not schools to safeguard children has to be the right thing to do. Allowing independent scrutiny of safeguarding measures demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to making sure everything’s right.”

Bramah approached the BSI to find out how a new standard that protects our children outside of the school environment might be realised and duly discovered funds would have to be raised.

“I was introduced to Lady Edwina Grosvenor who has already done so much for children through her charity, One Small Thing, itself an organisation that aims to redesign the justice system for women and their children. Lady Edwina very generously agreed to fund this new standard in a bid to protect children in out-of-school settings.”

Bramah continued: “Once we had found our sponsor, we needed to locate a technical author for the new standard. I was fortunate enough to have worked with Dr Simon Fox on a previous research project in a similar field and was delighted when he accepted our invitation to author PAS 5222:2024.”

Concerns raised

In addition to Bramah’s work, the report on the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse emerged in 2022. Concerns were raised within that pages of this document that some out-of-school settings were putting children at risk by failing to adhere to basic child protection standards.

The report recommended that those who come into contact with children – security personnel among them – should follow child protection standards and have suitable policies and procedures in place. Further, safeguarding policies should be clear and easy to follow as well as implement.

PAS 5222:2024 is sponsored by recruitment, safeguarding and Human Resources provider Bramah HR, the specialist agency founded in 2021 by Bramah’s daughter Gabriella. Bramah HR provides “efficient and effective” recruitment, safeguarding and HR solutions for its clients.

Once again for clarity, PAS 5222 is designed to close the gap where organisations or individuals hold a responsibility for children’s care outside of education, but are not covered by statutory guidance and where ambiguity regarding safe practice exists. This includes out-of-school activities such as hospitality, business, charities, uniform and non-uniformed cadet providers, the security industry, the leisure sector, festivals, religious organisations and more.

Anne Hayes, director of sectors at the BSI, commented: “Prioritising safeguards for children, who are among society's most vulnerable, can ensure a safe environment in which they are able to flourish and develop in their formative years. This new PAS is intended to address the lack of statutory guidance and processes for organisations and individuals responsible for the care of children in non-educational settings.”

Importantly, Hayes added: “The guidance is designed to empower organisations, parents and carers alike to have confidence about care being given to children, whether that’s at an after-school sports club or when pupils are taken on a foreign experience.”

*Further information is available online by visiting the BSI Group’s website