Awards
Aegis
Edinburgh Guardian Angels has been Gold Standard accredited by AEGIS
What is AEGIS?
AEGIS is the Association for the Education & Guardianship of International Students.
Their purpose is to safeguard the welfare of international students studying at schools, colleges and universities in the UK, making them feel safe, welcome and cared for.
Through their rigorous accreditation process, they provide peace of mind that those offering guardianship services to students meet the very highest standards of care.
As an AEGIS member Edinburgh Guardian Angels follow the AEGIS covid safe charter.
Quotes from Aegis Inspection Report (May 2019)
The organisation was described by schools as very child-centred.
Schools commented that the organisation is very thorough in its care for younger children when starting a new school and gave examples of high levels of supportive care for vulnerable pupils experiencing difficulties.
Schools have observed that great care is taken to match students with appropriate host families and that the consistency of these placements enables positive relationships to develop. Schools say student’s express satisfaction over homestay arrangements and look forward to spending time with the hosts.
Those students who stay with host families spoke warmly about the care and hospitality they receive. They said returning to familiar homestay placements enables them to build positive relationships over time.
Takes great care to get to know them well in order to cater for any particular needs appropriately. Regular visits are made to students both during term time and during short holidays to check on welfare. Their approach is described as “child-centred”
Edinburgh Guardian Angels are, as schools suggest, extremely child centred. They take time to meet their families, going to great lengths to ensure that they are well-supported in the process of attending a UK boarding school.
The owner, Agnes Masters, is knowledgeable about safeguarding and child protection due to her background in police and social care.
Edinburgh Guardian Angels may use any statements from this report in marketing or publicity materials following accreditation, but such statements must be placed in context, stated in full.
Students speak very positively about homestay arrangements made for them and there is a good level of satisfaction regarding these arrangements. Host families feel well-prepared and well supported by the organisation.
Care Inspectorate
The Guardians are also registered with the Care Inspectorate who regulate and inspect all care services in Scotland.
What is the Care Inspectorate?
The Care Inspectorate is a secure body which supports improvement. This means they look after the quality of care in Scotland to ensure it meets high standards. Their vision is that everyone experiences safe, high quality care that meets their needs, rights and choices.
Quotes from Care Inspectorate Report
One of the young people wrote the following in their questionnaire for us:
“Agnes Masters has experience in issues of children’s well-being as well as having a wide knowledge of different cultures. This is due to the fact that she lived abroad for a long time and is fluent in both German and French. Her strong desire to communicate helps her to easily build a connection with kids. All in all, I am very pleased with her service. She is clearly an ideal person to do such a job”
The Young persons confirmed that the communication between them and Agnes Masters was excellent. They shared relaxed communication very quickly and felt that they could talk to Agnes very easily. This allowed them to express their views and needs, which they both confirmed that Agnes went out of her way to meet. Equally, we saw from correspondence that Agnes had shared excellent communication by telephone and email with one parent. Her evaluation report showed how she had recognised the different communication needs and preferences of each parent.
The Boarding Schools' Association (BSA)
Edinburgh Guardian Angels are pleased to announce that they have now become accredited with The Boarding Schools' Association [BSA]
What is the BSA?
The Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) champions boarding and promotes boarding excellence. The BSA is the largest association of boarding schools in the world and represents more than 600 independent and state boarding schools, over 500 of which are based in the UK.
The BSA and their member schools seek to work with the best educational guardians and their vigorous Certified Guardian Scheme is an assurance of professional quality.
The BSA training and certification programme provides assurance to BSA boarding schools that they are dealing with educational guardians who have the highest standards in the safeguarding of children, safer recruitment and training of staff and host families, and careful liaison with parents and schools.
The scheme is a clear demonstration to BSA boarding schools of the quality and intention of the educational guardians who reach certified status and, I am very proud to say that, following vigorous interviews, Edinburgh Guardian Angels have been approved as a member of the BSA.
As a BSA member Edinburgh Guardian Angels follow the BSA covid-safe charter (pdf).
Safeguarding & Child Protection Association
The Safeguarding and Child Protection Association (SACPA) champions excellence in safeguarding and child protection. SACPA represents all companies, associations, agencies and individuals involved in the safeguarding and welfare of children and vulnerable adults in the UK and overseas. SACPA services include professional development, government relations, communications, media, publications, conferences and events.
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