PGL Beyond

PGL is leading safeguarding standards in the outdoor education sector

Organisation

PGL Beyond — residential outdoor activity centres for children and young people

Scale

16 UK centres, 3 in France, ~3,000 staff at peak season

ISS support

In-person DSL training across all sites, people team allegations training, operating board governance training, ongoing case advice and organisational support

Relationship

7 years across two organisations

Model

All support delivered through a single membership fee

PGL Beyond operates 16 residential outdoor activity centres across the UK and three in France, employing approximately 3,000 people at peak season. Safeguarding that workforce — and the hundreds of thousands of children who pass through its centres every year — is a significant undertaking. For Gemma Robertson, Head of Safeguarding and SEND, the standard she is aiming for is unambiguous.

"We are very passionate about being outstanding with our safeguarding and being market leading. Independent Safeguarding Service ensures that we are."

Gemma Robertson - Head of Safeguarding & SEND

A sector without a roadmap

The outdoor education sector operates with far less regulatory guidance than mainstream education. There is no equivalent of Keeping Children Safe in Education. Children may be on site for just five days and staff need to act decisively on partial information, in a framework that offers limited signposting. That demands training built specifically for the context they are working in

"Independent Safeguarding Service has been brilliant at designing what works for us and our business — understanding our business needs and how we operate."

Gemma Robertson - Head of Safeguarding & SEND

A relationship built over seven years

Gemma first connected with Nick Pratt — a qualified social worker and strategic lead of Independent Safeguarding Service, with over 20 years in statutory child protection — around seven years ago, through a LinkedIn post she had made at a previous organisation asking for support with managing allegations. The relationship she built then followed her to PGL. When she joined four years ago, bringing in Independent Safeguarding Service was an early priority.

Since then, Independent Safeguarding Service (ISS) has delivered in-person Designate Safeguarding Lead training across all 16 UK centres, specialist allegations training for the people team, and — this July — safeguarding governance training for PGL's operating board. ISS's support is embedded at every level of the organisation, ensuring the same standard of expert guidance is available consistently, regardless of who is in post.

"Nick brings his experience in — so it's not stale. He builds it with case studies from the sector. And he doesn't just deliver the training and disappear. If he's given you advice on something, he'll follow up. He checks in. It's brilliant, really."

Gemma Robertson - Head of Safeguarding & SEND

A trusted voice for complex decisions

Safeguarding decisions carry real weight — and even the most experienced practitioners benefit from having a specialist, independent voice to think alongside. For Gemma, that is one of the most valuable things the membership provides: access to deep expertise that complements her own, available whenever a case requires it.

All of that — the training, the case advice and the governance support — comes through a single membership fee.

"An outstanding service that you can trust — and that gives you the confidence to make those decisions, knowing you've got external support to bounce those ideas off."

Gemma Robertson - Head of Safeguarding & SEND

The Independent Safeguarding Service CIC is a social enterprise with a very singular vision: to enable a transformation in the quality of safeguarding in the UK. Our belief is that organisations which come into contact with children and adults should have access to everything they need in one central resource. This keeps staff, and those using their services, both safe and compliant with safeguarding responsibilities.