ASEND - Code of Conduct - PAYE Candidates
Policy owner |
SEND Director |
|---|---|
Last updated |
21 April 2026 |
Next update due |
20 April 2027 |
Purpose
This Code of Conduct for ASEND professionals on PAYE should be read in conjunction with ASEND policies and handbooks. It outlines some of the issues and conflicts which may arise in the course of your work, what you must do in each situation and how you can avoid potentially damaging situations for ASEND as a company and for yourself.
Our contracts are between ASEND and our clients. ASEND Professionals are engaged as representatives of ASEND and as such must comply with the company’s Handbook and this Code of Conduct. We expect ASEND professionals to foster a well-organised, respectful and collaborative approach to all they do, always seeking the best possible outcomes for our clients whilst maintaining clear professional boundaries.
Professionalism
Do not make any social arrangements with clients, share intimate personal information or enter into personal correspondence with them. We are professionals, not personal friends. Please inform us immediately if a client or family are making unmanageable demands of you or your time.
Inform ASEND if parents seek your help with such things as babysitting, cleaning, completing forms or working additional hours. If you think a family is in need, refer to ASEND; we may be able to signpost to services that can help. Explain that you are employed to work with your pupil and assist their learning and development.
Always submit reports, assessments and requests for written information in a timely manner and let a manager know if there is a problem meeting a deadline.
Do not use your mobile phone to make or answer telephone calls, use the internet or respond to or send emails or any messages whilst you are working in any setting, except in exceptional or emergency circumstances.
Never enter into any dispute with a client. If you feel that you have been treated unfairly or that there are problems with an assignment, you must inform ASEND immediately.
Respect your colleagues and clients and be polite and professional at all times. We won't allow any kind of discriminatory behaviour, harassment or victimisation, whether in the real world or online.
Conform with our Equality and Diversity policy in all aspects of your work and tell ASEND immediately if you feel you have been the victims of discrimination or harassment.
Complete necessary online and other training sessions - these support professional development over the course of the year.
Do seek advice if you are having any difficulties with your assignment, the pupil, or the curriculum you are delivering.
Always fulfil your job duties to the best of your ability and with integrity and respect toward customers, stakeholders and the community.
Professionals must take your DBS and a form of photo ID to your first session and have your ASEND welcome email accessible to show evidence that you work for ASEND. If anyone asks for further evidence that you are working for ASEND when with your young person, please ask them to call 020 3668 1529, and we will be able to confirm.
Follow your timetables as agreed with ASEND and our clients. We expect employees to be punctual when coming to and leaving from work wherever that takes place, including prearranged online meetings.
If you’re going to be unavoidably absent or late, you must inform your ASEND manager and the client (e.g. family/school) at the earliest possible opportunity.
We understand some assignments may require resources beyond your usual toolkit. Use the candidate portal to request financial support if exceptional resources are needed. While we cannot guarantee approval, funds may be available from the LA or ASEND in certain cases. Do not purchase costly resources without prior approval, as refunds are not guaranteed.
Protecting ASEND’s Reputation and Legality
You will not write any additional ASEND reports for a family, school or Local Authority (LA) unless it is a prerequisite part of the role, (e.g. SENDCO for a school) or you have been requested specifically to do so by ASEND.
Do not accept valuable gifts from clients or families (nothing worth more than about £15). If an employee is offered anything of value, you should politely thank the giver but explain that the receiving of gifts is not allowed by ASEND workers.
ASEND is a kind and supportive organisation - we understand that behaviour is communication and will never use judgement laden language such as ‘lazy’, ‘aggressive’ or ‘rude’ and we will never make any critical comments about a family, verbally or in writing.
Diligently follow the arranged hours on your ASEND contract. Do not exceed the weekly hours even if you are asked by families, schools etc. Any changes to hours on the assignment need to be sent to you directly by ASEND. Unapproved additional hours submitted via the portal will not be paid.
Tutors are respectfully asked not to book holidays in term times if they are working with a client - it is often not possible to put cover in for children who have built a strong relationship with their tutor. By booking a holiday during term time, there is a risk that you may no longer be able to work with this young person.
Never offer advice outside of your role. Avoid all speculation around such things as medical diagnosis or future education. Pass on any concerns to ASEND and we can contact the Local Authority, where appropriate.
Don’t agree to involvement in any legal proceeding, participate in a tribunal or offer an opinion (verbally or in writing) about the educational placement of a child you support. Inform ASEND immediately if you are asked to provide a statement or appear as a witness in a tribunal. Inform families that this is outside the scope of your work.
Do not disclose your salary verbally or in writing or send or cc your invoices to schools or other clients – this information is your confidential business and it is between yourselves and the ASEND finance team only.
Safeguarding and Confidentiality
Tutors and professionals are to be aware of the expectations around safeguarding, including the need to immediately report to the Safeguarding team if they believe a child is at risk of harm. An alert can be raised using the red button system on the portal. This will send an instant message to the DSL's direct telephone.
In an emergency situation, where the risk to a child is imminent and severe, tutors and other professionals can reach out directly to the emergency services (police et cetera), the social care team, MASH, or the local area designated officer (LADO). If a tutor has needed to take this direct action, they must also alert the ASEND DSL at the earliest opportunity.
Under normal circumstances ASEND tutors and professionals will never administer medication. Please immediately inform your manager if a family requests support in this area.
Under normal circumstances an ASEND tutor does not provide intimate care, families are expected to manage this process within their homes.
Carefully read the ASEND Safeguarding Policy and the latest version of Keeping Children Safe in Education. These are provided to you before you start work.
Inform us immediately of any circumstances or incident that may impact upon your DBS, for example if you have been charged with a crime, if you are involved in criminal proceedings, if you have been cautioned or charged, or if you are awaiting the outcome of a trial.
Never arrange or promise to introduce your pupils to one another in person, or to allow them to engage in shared activities without first consulting with ASEND.
Do not share hardware that ASEND has provided for one pupil with another – all apps and pre-loaded materials are individualised.
Do not engage in any activity outside of the agreed tuition programme without consulting ASEND first. If you wish to change the programme, e.g. take a young person into the community or engage in any novel activity you must consult ASEND first. A risk assessment and parental consent form must be in place and agreed upon before any activity can take place.
Professionals must not send any information on children (name, date of birth, address) or anything that can identify the child, school and school staff without prior authorisation from the ASEND DSL. If it is essential that such information is sent, an encryption system will be used or all identifying features removed from the document.
You will not take identifiable photographs of children at work on personal phones. Images taken for progress monitoring can show the child’s work, hands or be taken from behind so that they cannot be identified. Please ensure that there is parental consent, even for progress monitoring photographs.
All members of our team will complete Level 2 safeguarding training courses prior to beginning work with a pupil, and annually thereafter.
Do not use the daily progress report as the platform to raise concerns - reports are for educational progress and activities only. The portal is the first port of call for safeguarding concerns or incidents.
Once you have finished working with a child or young person, please delete any electronic information you hold, or that has been downloaded, about the assignment or the young person from your computer or personal devices. This includes any contact numbers for the family.
If you are working in a school or college and you have a safeguarding concern, contact their DSL first. The establishment’s Safeguarding Policies must be followed and staff working on our behalf in a school setting are expected to be conversant with the school’s policies.
This is not an exhaustive list; always contact the team if you are concerned about anything at all. Safeguarding our team, our company, and our clients is always our first priority.
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