Safeguarding Policy
What is safeguarding
Safeguarding refers to the action that is taken to protect from harm and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.
What we will do
We recognise that as part of the OU Student Association (Open SU) and the Open University, we have a duty of care to children and young people under the age of 18, vulnerable and protected adults, and adults at risk.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and we are committed to creating and sustaining a culture of vigilance among our members and students to recognise, respond, record and report safeguarding concerns across the life course and provide a proportionate response.
Should we become aware of a potential safeguarding concern we will
- In an emergency – where we are concerned that a child, young person, or vulnerable adult is in possible IMMEDIATE danger – including risk of suicide, contact the Emergency Services by telephoning 999 or 112 from outside the UK.
- If the individual is under 18 – we will email details about the incident to Safeguarding-Referrals@open.ac.uk or telephone the Safeguarding Referrals Team on +44(0) 1908 858284.
- Should we have any other safeguarding concern – we will either complete the Open University safeguarding reporting webform or email safeguarding-referrals@open.ac.uk.
- If possible and/or appropriate, we will aim to seek the consent of the student to share their information such as names, contact details and the nature of the concern. This information will be shared with the OU Safeguarding team who then may share this with an external agency, for example, a social services department.
We recognise that it is not our responsibility to make judgements about safeguarding concerns reported to us, or those we become aware of, but to ensure they are referred on, as appropriate.
Please note that students experiencing mental health difficulties who may pose a risk to themselves or others but are not vulnerable adults or under 18 years old and do not pose a safeguarding risk are not covered by this policy. They should contact the ents: Your Student Support Team, StudentHome or the HelpCentre.
Training
Our officers and members will participate in safeguarding training either online or face-to face if their volunteering role regularly involves any members of a protected group.
More information
Open University Safeguarding Policy – includes a useful glossary of terms and definitions of vulnerable and protected adults and adults at risk.
Effective date: 9 November 2025
Last updated: 9 November 2025