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).