Safeguarding policy
Most PolyGrants applicants are young, some are 16 or 17, and all of them trust our people with their plans, their documents and their families' money. This policy says how that trust is protected: who may work with applicants, how they must behave, and what happens the moment anyone falls short.
Our commitment
PolyGrants wants every applicant to be safe in every dealing with us: safe from harm, from exploitation, from pressure and from dishonesty. Safeguarding at PolyGrants is not a department; it is a duty carried by every director, employee, adviser, partner office and representative, in every country where we work.
The directors of PolyGrants Ltd own this policy, and one director holds named responsibility for safeguarding: every concern raised under this policy reaches that director.
Who this policy protects, and who it binds
It protects every applicant and every member of an applicant's family who deals with PolyGrants, with particular care for applicants aged 16 or 17, and for young adults far from home in the middle of a decision that changes their life.
It binds everyone who acts for PolyGrants, employed or contracted, in our own office or in a partner office, exactly as the Anti-bribery policy does. It completes the general PolyGrants documents, which continue to apply; if it ever conflicts with one of them on a point, the general document prevails on that point.
Safe people: how we choose who works with you
Nobody works with applicants before PolyGrants has looked at who they are. Our Recruitment policy explains the checks openly: identity is verified, diplomas and certificates may be verified, referees may be contacted, and every candidate is asked about unspent criminal convictions precisely because our people work with students, families and their money.
Everyone who joins agrees in writing to this policy, to the Anti-bribery policy and to the conduct rules of their agreement, before their first conversation with an applicant.
Professional boundaries
Advisers and staff communicate through the channels PolyGrants provides and publishes: your account, and the email, phone and WhatsApp channels on the Contact page. They do not move conversations to private or personal accounts, and they never ask for secrecy: any instruction to keep a conversation secret from your family or from PolyGrants is a warning sign, and you should report it.
Our people follow rules that do not bend:
- no romantic or sexual contact with applicants, ever; a breach ends the engagement immediately;
- no requests for money, gifts or favours, as the Anti-bribery policy states;
- no private contact with an applicant's social accounts;
- no meetings outside official settings: in-person steps happen at partner offices, which are professional premises;
- no requests for information, documents or images that the application does not require.
Applicants aged 16 and 17
The Service is not available under 16. An applicant aged 16 or 17 needs the consent of a parent or legal guardian to use the Service, and the guardian must personally confirm any acceptance of an offer, with the joint fee responsibility the Terms of Service describe. We encourage guardians to stay involved at every step, and our staff never encourage the opposite.
Their data is handled with the extra care described in the Privacy Notice, and the sensitive parts of any applicant's file are visible only to the few roles whose work requires them.
Protection from financial harm
Money is where young applicants are most often hurt, so the money rules are absolute and published: applying is free, the only fee exists after an offer you decide to accept, payment happens only through the official channels shown in your account, and nobody may ever ask an applicant for money outside them. The Payment information page and the Anti-bribery policy carry the detail, including how to recognise and report impostors.
Online safety
PolyGrants never asks for your password, your verification codes or control of your device, and no real message from us ever will. Sign-in help ends where your credentials begin: if anyone claiming to be PolyGrants asks for them, stop and report it.
Only the channels listed on the Disclaimer are PolyGrants. Anything else that borrows the name is not us, however convincing it looks.
Raising a concern
If you are worried about the behaviour of anyone acting for PolyGrants, or about the safety of an applicant, tell us: through the Contact page, to , or, for matters you would rather keep away from day-to-day support, to . A guardian, a teacher or any other person may raise a concern for an applicant; you do not need proof, only honest grounds.
Every concern reaches the director responsible for safeguarding, is taken seriously, and is handled with as much confidentiality as protecting people allows. Where someone may be in danger, or where the law requires it, PolyGrants informs the competent authorities and cooperates fully.
Raising a concern in good faith never harms your application, your employment or your engagement, even if it turns out to be mistaken. Retaliation is itself a breach of this policy, treated as seriously as the conduct reported.
When this policy is broken
A safeguarding breach by anyone acting for PolyGrants means immediate suspension of their contact with applicants while it is investigated and, where the breach is confirmed, the end of their employment or engagement. Criminal conduct is reported to the authorities. The Anti-bribery policy and the Terms of Service govern the money-related consequences.
Ownership and review
This policy is owned by the directors of PolyGrants Ltd. It is reviewed at least once a year, and sooner whenever the law, the Service or an incident shows it needs to change. The date at the top of this page states when it was last updated; earlier versions are available on request.
Contact
Concerns and questions: , or the Contact page. Formal notices: PolyGrants Ltd, 128 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX, United Kingdom.