Children’s Safeguarding Policy for Hopeful
Brain
Hopeful Brain abides by the duty of care to safeguard and promote the
welfare of children and young people and is committed to safeguarding practice that
reflects statutory responsibilities, and government guidance and complies with
best practice requirements.
·
We recognize the welfare of children is
paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take
·
All children, regardless of age, disability,
gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have
an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse
·
Some children are additionally vulnerable
because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication
needs or other issues
·
Working in partnership with children, young
people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting
young people’s welfare.
Purpose:
Hopeful
Brain will:
·
Protect children and young people who receive
[name of group/organization]’s services from harm. This includes the children
of adults who use our services
·
Provide staff and volunteers, as well as
children and young people and their families, with the overarching principles
that guide our approach to child protection.
This
policy applies to anyone working on behalf of Hopeful Brain, including senior managers
and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency
staff, and students. Failure to comply with the policy and related procedures
will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in
dismissal/exclusion from the organization.
Definitions:
The Children Act 1989 definition of a child is: anyone
who has not yet reached their 18th birthday, even if they are living
independently, are a member of the armed forces, or is in hospital.
Adult at Risk:
·
An adult who has
needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of
those needs),
·
is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or
neglect, and
·
as a result of those needs is unable to
protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.
Child and Adult
Abuse: Children and adults may be vulnerable to neglect and abuse or
exploitation from within their families and from individuals they come across
in their daily lives. There are 4 main categories of abuse, which are: sexual, physical,
emotional abuse, and neglect. It is important to be aware of more specific
types of abuse that fall within these categories, they are:
·
Bullying
and cyberbullying
·
Child
sexual exploitation
·
Child
Criminal exploitation
·
Child
trafficking
·
Domestic
abuse
·
Female
genital mutilation
·
Grooming
·
Historical
abuse
·
Online
abuse
Safeguarding children: Safeguarding children is defined in Working Together to
Safeguard Children 2018 as:
·
protecting children from maltreatment.
·
preventing impairment of children’s health or development.
·
ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent
with the provision of safe and effective care.
·
taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
Legal Framework:
This policy has been
drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect
children in England. A summary of the key legislation is available from nspcc.org.uk/learning.
Training and Awareness:
Hopeful Brain will ensure an appropriate level of safeguarding
training is available to its Trustees, Employees, Volunteers, and any relevant
persons linked to the organization who requires it (e.g. contractors).
For all employees who are working or volunteering
with children, this requires them as a minimum to have awareness training that
enables them to:
·
Understand what
safeguarding is and their role in safeguarding children.
·
Recognise an child
potentially in need of safeguarding and take action.
·
Understand how to
report a safeguarding Alert.
·
Understand dignity and
respect when working with children.
·
Have knowledge of the
Safeguarding Children Policy.
Confidentiality
and Information Sharing:
Hopeful Brain expects all employees,
volunteers and trustees to maintain confidentiality. Information will only be shared in line with
the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection.
However,
information should be shared with the Local Authority if a child is deemed to
be at risk of harm or contact the police if they are in immediate danger, or
a crime has been committed.
Recording and Record Keeping:
A written record must be
kept about any concern regarding an adult with safeguarding needs. This must include details of the person
involved, the nature of the concern and the actions taken, the decision made
and why they were made.
All records must be signed and dated. All records
must be securely and confidentially stored in line with General Data Protection
Regulations (GDPR).