Is AI careers guidance safe for school students?
Yes. Here is exactly what we have built, and why.
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Safeguarding is the first question every school asks. It should be. Aspiro Careers is built specifically for under-18s in a school context, and safety is not a feature we added at the end. It is the design constraint we started from.
The short answer: the platform is ICO Children's Code aligned, UK GDPR compliant, and has automatic hard blocks on safeguarding-relevant content that trigger an immediate referral pathway. In-school delivery follows your school's own safeguarding policy throughout.
How we keep students safe
Hard safeguarding blocks
The AI career companion has automatic blocks on category one and two safeguarding topics. If a student's message triggers one, the conversation stops immediately. The student receives a warm response directing them to a trusted adult. The school's Designated Safeguarding Lead is flagged. No harmful content is ever generated.
ICO Children's Code aligned
The platform is built in compliance with the ICO Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code) and UK GDPR. We collect only what is necessary, store it securely, and never sell or share student data with third parties.
Student conversations are private
What a student discusses with the AI career companion is not shared with their school, parents, or anyone else. This is deliberate. Students are more honest when they know the conversation is theirs. Safeguarding overrides this in the specific cases it needs to.
In-school delivery follows your policy
All in-school sessions are delivered in accordance with your school's own safeguarding policy. Aspiro specialists are DBS checked. We work alongside your Designated Safeguarding Lead before and during the programme.
A note for Designated Safeguarding Leads
We are happy to speak directly with your DSL before any school commits to the programme. We can walk through the technical safeguarding architecture, the referral pathway, and how session data is stored and protected. This is a standard part of our school onboarding process, not an add-on.
Questions about safeguarding or data protection?
Talk to us directly. We will answer everything your DSL or data officer needs to know before you make any decision.