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Social Media Staff Policy

1. Purpose

This policy provides clear guidance to all Regenerate Mentoring staff on the responsible and professional use of social media and online communication, particularly in relation to contact with children, young people, parents, carers, and external partners.
It supports our safeguarding duties and promotes a culture of professionalism, trust, and safety.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all employees, mentors, volunteers, contractors, and anyone representing Regenerate Mentoring in any capacity.
It covers all forms of online activity, including but not limited to:

  • Social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X/Twitter, LinkedIn)
  • Messaging platforms (e.g. WhatsApp, iMessage, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat)
  • Video platforms (e.g. YouTube, Zoom, Teams)
  • Email, text, and any other digital communication.

3. Principles

  • Staff are expected to always maintain professional boundaries when using social media.
  • Personal and professional online identities must be kept strictly separate.
  • All online communication with students must be transparent, appropriate, and recorded where necessary.
  • Staff must never engage in private, informal, or secretive communication with a student via social media.
  • The welfare of the child is always the paramount concern.

4. Professional Conduct Online

  1. No Personal Connections:
    • Staff must not “friend”, “follow”, or connect with students or their family members on any personal social media account.
    • Professional communication should only occur through authorised Regenerate Mentoring channels (e.g. work email, official systems).
  2. Privacy Settings:
    • Staff must ensure that their personal accounts are private and cannot be accessed by students or families.
    • Photos, posts, or comments that could compromise professional reputation or organisational integrity should never be shared.
  3. Representation of the Organisation:
    • Staff should be mindful that they are representing Regenerate Mentoring both in and outside of work.
    • Any reference to work on social media must be accurate, respectful, and should not include identifiable information about students, families, or partner organisations.
  4. Use of Images and Media:
    • Staff must not post, share, or store images or videos of students on personal devices or social media.
    • Any authorised photography or digital media must follow the organisation’s Data Protection and Safeguarding policies, with proper consent obtained.
  5. Reporting Concerns:
    • If a member of staff receives a friend request, message, or inappropriate contact from a student via social media, this must be reported immediately to the DSL.
    • Any incident or concern about a colleague’s online conduct must also be reported in line with the Whistleblowing and Safeguarding policies.

5. Digital Communication with Students

  • Communication with students should only occur through agreed organisational channels (e.g. work phone, official email, or designated communication apps where approved).
  • Messages should be professional, necessary, and transparent, ideally visible to line managers if required.
  • All digital communication should be logged or summarised where relevant (e.g. session updates, wellbeing check-ins).
  • Mentors must avoid:
    • Using personal devices for unsupervised messaging.
    • Communicating outside of agreed session hours unless pre-approved for safeguarding reasons.
    • Sharing personal contact details or social media handles.

6. Breaches of Policy

Any breach of this policy will be treated as a disciplinary matter and may result in formal action up to and including termination of employment.
Serious breaches may also lead to referral to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), safeguarding partners, or relevant professional bodies.

7. Monitoring and Review

This policy will be reviewed annually or sooner if required by changes to statutory guidance or organisational practice.
It should be read in conjunction with:

  • Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
  • Data Protection Policy
  • Behaviour and Conduct Policy (Adults Working with Children)
  • Whistleblowing Policy
  • Staff Code of Conduct

Approved by:

Jonny Doidge – Designated Safeguarding Lead
Amy Doidge – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Date: November 2025

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