Colleague Safeguarding Support Services

Ofcom has a requirement for a package of support for colleagues working with Distressing Content and

Material. The current key principles of this approach are:

5. Risk Assess the Role - Directors will assess the relevant role to understand the risk presented by

the work and assign a role risk tier (high or low).

6. Understand the Individual - We recognise that what could cause distress or negatively affect

people varies from person to person and that individuals have different needs when it comes to

managing working with DCM safely.

o Where colleagues are in High Tier roles, their individual needs are assessed through an

annual psychological screening and assessment with an external provider, along with

any specific needs they self-identify.

o For Low Tier roles, individual needs are only self-identified.

7. Provide tailored support - Support will include in-role support, expert assessment and clinical

support provided by our external provider as appropriate.

8. Monitor and review - Relevant roles will be monitored to understand changes in the nature of

the risk that might require roles to be reassessed. We also recognise that the needs of

colleagues may change over time, and the support available will be adjusted accordingly.

Enhanced support:

Colleagues may be identified as requiring enhanced support for them to conduct their roles safely and

will be offered biannual psychological screening. Examples of when a colleague may access enhanced

support include:

• Our external provider (as identified through this tender process) recommends enhanced

support after a psychological screening and assessment.

• The colleague identifies that they require more support to complete the work safely.
• The need for more support is identified by a line manager during a safeguarding conversation or

wellbeing conversation during a 1:1

• Managers may pre-emptively request Enhanced Support an individual colleague or whole team

to if a role or piece of work is felt to be very high risk This should be done with the approval of a

Director.

•

If a colleague notifies their managers that they are pregnant, that they have given birth, or their

partner has given birth in the last 6 months.

Ofcom requires a package of external specialist support to accompany this strategy and policy by

providing psychological screening and assessment for colleagues, to identify the tailored support that

they need to do their role safely, trauma therapy for those identified as requiring clinical support and

training to support Line Managers to successfully deliver this policy.

This process has been in effect for one year and is still being reviewed and enhanced. Over the course of

the tender this pathway may evolve and develop so it is important that a service is able to support and

adapt, mirroring Ofcom’s approach to agility. We currently have approximately 300 colleagues in high tier

roles review of how roles are risk assessed is underway and it is anticipated that enhancements will be

made that may impact upon this figure.

As a minimum, the service must deliver the following:

Commercial Document CD098 (Version 1.1) Page 11 of 47 ITT – Open Procedure

Last Updated: 19 April 2024

Next Review Date: 19 April 2025

Classification: CONFIDENTIAL

1. A validated online psychological surveillance questionnaire to identify where Colleagues

reacquire additional to work with DCM safely.

o Offered to all “high tier” colleagues annually and colleagues who are identified as

reacquiring “enhanced support” support bi-annually.

o This process should then determine whether that person either needs no further

intervention or if they would benefit from an assessment.

o Manage the issuing of invitations, reminders, and survey results to Ofcom colleagues.

o Maintain and provide records including colleagues who have completed the

questionnaire and dates, high level overviews of trends and themes, individual repots

identifying needs and support for colleagues.