Safeguarding Policy

1          PURPOSE

This policy is intended to protect children who receive any service from us, including those who are the children of adults who may receive services from us. Under this policy, the term children shall mean any person who is under eighteen years of age.

The company believes that no child or young person should experience abuse or harm and is committed to the protection of children and young people. This policy is intended to provide guidance and overarching principles to those who represent us as volunteers or staff, to guide our approach to child protection and safeguarding.

2          RISKS TO CHILDREN

Children can be vulnerable to different forms of abuse and harm. It is important to recognise that abuse and harm of children can cover a wide range of circumstances and behaviours. For example, children can be at risk of:

-       physical or emotional abuse

-       neglect

-       sexual abuse

-       female genital mutilation (FGM)

-       grooming and exploitation

-       trafficking and modern slavery

-       exposure to or infliction of domestic abuse

-       bullying or cyber bullying

-       exposure to other inappropriate content or behaviour, such as violence or criminal behaviour and including but not limited to inappropriate images

-       self-harm

-       physical harm when engaging with activities without adequate supervision

The causal factors of any such harm and/or abuse can also be wide-ranging. For example, children can be placed at risk by family members or by members of the community.

3          SAFEGUARDING PRINCIPLES

Safeguarding children from harm and abuse is an essential responsibility for our company. We are committed to ensuring that any child who encounters our services is properly safeguarded. Every person under this policy must ensure that they play an active role in ensuring that children are properly safeguarded.

Every person under this policy holds responsibility for:

-       remaining alert and aware of possible safeguarding risks to children

-       guarding children against harmful environments with appropriate actions (for example, adequate supervision or ensuring safe environments)

-       taking positive steps to maintain the safety and well-being of children engaging with us as a company

-       reporting concerns expeditiously and appropriately, in line with the company’s stated child protection procedures

-       understanding the duty to report specific concerns (and understanding how these inter-play with confidentiality)

-       challenging any inappropriate or harmful behaviour of any other adult and reporting this accordingly

-       acting appropriately in the presence of children

-       not taking any inappropriate risks

-       not smoking, drinking alcohol or taking any form of illicit substances in the presence of children nor being intoxicated by any substance while in the presence of children.

4          REPORTING

Where a child is at immediate risk of serious harm, any adult present should call 999. Thereafter, the company’s manager should be contacted as soon as is reasonably practicable.

Where there is a safeguarding concern but no immediate risk of serious harm, the adult who has heard or witnessed this concern should consult with an available manager as soon as practicable and by no later than the end of that same day.

Where any child makes a disclosure relating to harm or abuse to an adult, it is important for that adult to:

-       listen calmly and carefully, showing that their views are taken seriously

-       provide an appropriate and honest level of reassurance

-       avoid interrogating children or asking probing, intrusive and/or leading questions

-       Do not make promises regarding secrets and confidentiality with the child. Explain that what they tell you may have to be shared to help keep them safe. Any concern of abuse/harm must be shared with a manager and may lead to a safeguarding referral.

-       make a confidential written record of the discussion either during the discussion or immediately afterwards. The record should include the key details of the disclosure together with any relevant times, dates, places and names of people concerned. The in-formation recorded should reflect the child’s own words where possible. Sign and date the document. Audio and video recordings of children making disclosures should not be made.

-       refer all relevant information to an available manager as soon as practicable afterwards, and by no later than the end of the same day.

If a child or young person makes a disclosure concerning harm happening to another child, whether that child is part of the school groups or not, follow the same confidentiality and recording procedure above. Offer reassurance to the child that they have done the right thing in telling you their concern. Obtain as much information as possible about the child who is named as potentially at risk, for example their full name, school and year group, or another community group attendance e.g. Scouts or a faith group.

The manager and any other relevant persons will make any appropriate referrals to the relevant authorities, such as the applicable Local Authority Safeguarding Team. A written record of discussions held, and the decision made about how best to act shall be kept in a secure and confidential document.

5          REPORTING CONCERNS ABOUT OTHER ADULTS

Where any person has a concern regarding the conduct of an adult connected to the company, which poses or may pose a safeguarding risk to children such as:

-       harming a child either physically or emotionally

-       exposing a child to behaviour which may cause physical or emotional harm

-       engaging in criminal activity concerning a child

This must be raised in the first instance with an available teacher so that the next ap-propriate steps may be taken and actioned.

We recognise that there could be circumstances where a person may need to report a matter that has taken place in a setting outside of the person's engagement with the company.

Usually, any appropriate steps following a safeguarding referral in respect of an individual connected to the company will include either:

-       further initial enquiries

-       escalation to the applicable Local Authority Children's Services department for assessment and/or the police for investigation

-       instigation of any appropriate disciplinary, formal investigation processes and suspension of any person concerned within the company

-       a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service, Disclosure Scotland or Access Northern Ireland, or any other relevant regulatory bodies

Any person within the company who has allegations made against them shall be informed properly in a formal meeting of the particulars of the allegations and the relevant next steps which shall be taken. Such a meeting should ordinarily be held by a manager. On certain occasions, such a meeting may not be convened until this has been ap-proved by any authorities involved (such as the police or the relevant Local Authority).

Any person from within the company who has allegations made against them shall be treated fairly.

All enquires, investigations and decisions taken shall be just and fair, and communicated clearly, with the safety of any child concerned at the heart of the process.

Any person from within the company who makes an allegation against another person from within the company shall be listened to, taken seriously and shall be treated fairly and justly throughout the process of enquiries, investigations and decision making.

6          SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AT EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Typically, we may arrange the following types of events and/or activities which could involve children:

-       Sewing classes

The manager shall hold ultimate responsibility for the safety and appropriateness of the event. They may however appoint an appropriate delegate for some responsibilities for the purpose of a specific event.

Although the manager and any appointed delegates will hold ultimate responsibility for overseeing the safety for events and activities, all individuals under this policy must also play an active role in ensuring the safety of children at all times.

For certain types of events or activities, we may issue an additional code of conduct, policy, or some specific other requirements which are specific to that occasion. Any such additional documentation will be made available to all those concerned (staff members, parents, guardians etc.) in advance. They should be read carefully and adhered to.

Any events or activities held by us will typically take place at:

Golden Rose Sewing School, The Old Goods Yard, Off Midland Rd, Chapel-en-le-Frith, High Peak, SK23 9RE.

We have carried out a health and safety risk assessment of this location in reference to its safety and suitability for children. Where any events or activities are held at any other location we shall also carry out a risk assessment. The fire safety procedure at this location can be found in the classroom.

Any accident or injury concerning a child should be brought to the attention of the nearest first aider and should thereafter be formally reported to an available manager.

7          CONSENT FORMS

We shall always obtain written consent from a parent or guardian for any event which takes place with children in attendance without their responsible parent or guardian present. Consent will be obtained as follows:

We have a parental consent form for all age groups that covers photo consent, Doctors information for emergency, parents and guardians’ telephone and address information. The file is kept securely with the main weekly register while activities are underway and locked away overnight.

Consent forms will include emergency contact details and will set out any specific safety needs/requirements for children (eg. Allergies and known health conditions).

All consent forms will be kept secure and shall be stored in accordance with our data protection privacy policy.

8          SUPERVISION

For most activities and events, our procedure for supervision of children is as follows:

-       groups of up to 8 aged 7 to 11 have one adult tutor and one support worker

-       groups of 8 up to aged 12 to 15 have one adult tutor and one support worker

-       Groups of 10 plus ages 15 to 18 have one adult tutor and two support workers

Where we hold any events or activities whereby a child attends alongside their parent or guardian, the parent or guardian will be responsible for properly supervising their child.

9          MANAGING GENERAL BEHAVOIR OF CHILDREN

Whenever any adult engaged by us is faced with challenging or inappropriate behaviour from a child or with conflict between children, they must:

-       treat each child fairly and equally

-       approach the situation in a calm and neutral manner

-       only ever use physical restraint/intervention in order to protect the immediate safety of a person, for example to prevent an injury or harm either to the child or others

-       wherever it is justified to physically restrain a child or to physically intervene, the amount of force used should be kept to the absolute minimum taking into account the risk posed

-       make a written record of the incident and ensure this is reported appropriately to an available manager

10         MANAGING RISKS POSED BY OTHER CHILDREN

It is important for all adults engaged by us to recognise that children can face harm from their peers. This can commonly take the form of bullying. Bullying can be defined as any be-haviour which is:

-       repeated; and

-       has the intention of hurting somebody either physically or emotionally.

Bulling can sometimes be motivated by prejudices based on certain groups, for example gender, ethnicity, religion, disability or sexual orientation. Bullying can often include:

-       physical harm perpetrated against another child

-       name calling and threats

-       cyberbullying (threats and abusive comments made via technology)

Any instance of bullying or concern relating to possible bullying between children at any event or activities arranged by us will usually be dealt with by us in the first instance as follows:

-       All Children will be spoken direct to regarding the problem, and the matter will be dealt with according to our bullying policy. Parents/guardians will be informed.

Where any behaviour amounting to bullying continues following this, and positive supervision has not proved effective, the following steps will be taken:

-       Persistent bad behaviour after a reasonable warning and parental/guardian notification will result in the child concerned being excluded permanently from company activities.

All steps in relation to the prevention or management of bullying should be taken in consultation with a manager. The company recognises that perpetrators of bullying behaviours may themselves be in need of support and that this should also be a Safe-guarding consideration.

10         PHOTOGRAPHY

Our Photographs

On some occasions, we may take photographs featuring children. We recognise that photography of children carries risks, such as:

-       the potential for images to be re-used, shared or adapted in a damaging or inappropriate manner

-       the general risk of sharing images and the impact this could have on child's public im-age as they grow older

In view of these risks, we will:

-       always ask for written permission from a child and their parent/guardian before taking and sharing any image of them

-       always ensure that a child and their parent/guardian are properly informed how an image will be used and shared

-       always ensure that a child's identity is protected as far as is possible within any published material

-       ask that parents, guardians, children and any other person connected to them who may wish to share any of our published images which features other children to refrain from doing so unless they have the permission of the other children and their parent/guardian

-       always store photos in accordance with our data protection policy.

Members of the Public

We ask that any members of the public attending our premises, events or activities do not take photographs.

The Managing Director, who has overall responsibility for this policy, will ensure the provision of adequate resources for its implementation and will regularly assess the continuing improvement of our company’s capabilities and reduction of work related risk.

This policy will be brought to the attention of all employees and subcontractors working on behalf of the Company and reviewed at least annually.