Safeguarding Policy

If any person is in immediate danger, you should dial 999.

Any concerns of a safeguarding nature should be immediately reported to the Designated Safeguarding Officer, Natalie Everard at safeguarding@equalpotential.co.uk

Introduction

This policy aims to provide all staff and volunteers, children and young people and our clients with a clear and secure framework for ensuring all people receiving or providing support services from Equal Potential CIC are protected from harm.

Staff and volunteers in this organisation fully recognise that their main responsibility is the welfare of any person within our care and to maintain an attitude of ‘it could happen here’ where safeguarding is concerned.

To safeguard children and young people, all staff and volunteers will comply with the safeguarding procedures outlined in this policy and ensure that all adults working with children and young people are able to put these procedures into practice. All employees and volunteers of Equal Potential CIC believe that the service provided should give a caring, positive, safe and stimulating environment that promotes the academic, social, physical and moral development of the individual child or young person.

This policy has been developed in accordance with the principles established by the Children Acts 1989 and 2004; the Education Act 2002, and in line with government publications: KCSIE September 2018, ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ 2015, Revised Safeguarding Statutory Guidance 2 ‘Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families’ 2000, ‘’ What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused: advice for practitioners’ 2015.

Aims

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our service users is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children or vulnerable adults has a role to play.

At Equal Potential CIC we will endeavour to safeguard children and vulnerable people by:

Adopting protection guidelines through a code of behaviour for staff and volunteers.
Sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know, involving parents/carers appropriately
Following carefully the procedures for safer recruitment and selection of staff and volunteers;
Providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support and training
Providing an environment in which our service users feel safe, secure, valued and respected
Providing an environment in which our service users know how to approach adults if they are in difficulties
Providing an environment in which our service users know their concerns will be listened to
Ensure there are good levels of communication between staff, volunteers, DSO, clients and external agencies
Review the policy and procedures against government guidance annually

The Role of Staff and Volunteers

Staff and volunteers play a crucial role in helping identify welfare concerns, indicators of possible abuse or neglect and vulnerabilities to being drawn into unsafe behaviours including radicalisation and extremism.

Referral to Appropriate Authorities

Equal Potential CIC is committed to referring those concerns via the Designated Safeguarding Officer to the appropriate organisation, contributing to the assessment of a person’s needs and, where appropriate, to on-going action to meet those needs.

Our Commitment

To ensure children and vulnerable people are adequately protected, we will ensure that:

We have a Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) who is appropriately trained
All staff and volunteers are compliant with our Safeguarding Policy & Procedure
All staff and volunteers are aware of the indicators of child abuse
All staff and volunteers are aware of how to respond to concerns or disclosures of abuse or other concern
A copy of our Safeguarding policy is available to clients upon request
The safeguarding policy is reviewed on an annual basis by the DSO
Recruitment procedures follow best practice and safer recruitment principles
All checks in place prior to staff or volunteers working with a service user

Confidentiality

We recognise that all matters relating to safeguarding are confidential.
The DSO will disclose any information about a child to other members of staff on a need to know basis only.
All staff and volunteers must be aware that they have a professional responsibility to share information.
All staff and volunteers must be aware that they cannot promise a child to keep secrets

Supporting Staff and Volunteers

We recognise that a member of staff or a volunteer who may have become involved with a child who has suffered harm, or appears to be likely to suffer harm, may find the situation stressful and upsetting. We will support the member of staff or volunteer by providing an opportunity to talk through their anxieties with the DSO and to seek further support as appropriate.

Safer Practice

Safer practice is essential for all staff and volunteers working with young people. Safer practice affects all aspects of working with young people and is the responsibility of everyone. By adopting these methods we can prevent unsuitable people from working with young people, investigate complaints against staff and volunteers appropriately and ensure all staff and volunteers conduct themselves in an appropriate manner. Safer practice should be exercised to minimise the risk to young people and to protect our staff and volunteers when they come into contact with young people.

Allegations Against Staff or Volunteers

Allegations of abuse can be made by children and vulnerable people, and they can be made by other concerned adults. All allegations against staff and volunteers must immediately be brought to the attention of the DSO.

In all cases, the LADO should be notified by the DSO confirming with the Children’s Services department at the relevant local authority that they have made a referral to the LADO.

The volunteer or member of staff may be suspended or have his or her working arrangements reviewed, pending the investigation, following advice from the LADO. Support and advice will be made available by another senior member of governing body to individuals against whom allegations have been made.

DBS Referral

If Equal Potential CIC removes an individual (paid worker or unpaid volunteer) from any DBS regulated activity (or would have, had the person not left first) because the person poses a risk of harm to children, Equal Potential CIC will make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service. It is an offence to fail to make a referral without good reason.

Suspension should be considered when there is cause to suspect someone is at risk of significant harm or the allegation warrants investigation by the police or the allegation is so serious that it might be grounds for dismissal. Any disciplinary investigation should be carried out once the safeguarding investigation has been completed.

Staff and Volunteer Conduct

In order to protect children, vulnerable people, staff and volunteers, we encourage staff and volunteers to conduct themselves professionally at all times. This covers appropriate dress, the understanding and adherence to relevant boundaries, social contact outside setting (including on social networking sites), the receiving and giving of gifts and favouritism and the safe use of technology. You should seek to keep your personal contact with our service users under review and seek to minimise the risk of any situation arising in which misunderstandings can occur.

All staff and volunteers are required to have an enhanced DBS certificate, with renewal undertaken every 1-3 years. For staff and volunteers registered with the DBS Update Service, an update check will be performed at minimum every year. Where an update check reveals a change of information, a new enhanced DBS check will be required.

Staff to Young Person Relationship

Never ask a child or young person personal questions about their background
Be open to questions or concerns a young person may have about behaviours they aren’t comfortable with
Act as a positive role model for every child and young person you work with.
Remember that others may misinterpret your actions, no matter how well intentioned
Refrain from any physical contact with young people
Ensure that inappropriate subjects are not discussed or inappropriate banter exchanged
Never promise to keep any disclosure secret – you have a duty to report disclosures or any concerns
Never arrange to meet a young person outside of agreed sessions or to give them lifts in your car
Refrain from giving out your personal numbers or private email addresses to children and vulnerable people
Never arrange to meet the service user person outside of the formal session arrangements.
Never use social networking sites – or similar technological platforms – to communicate with young people

Use of Force and Restraint

We acknowledge that staff and volunteers must only ever use physical intervention as a last resort, when a service user is endangering him/herself or others and that at all times it must be the minimal force necessary to prevent injury to another person.

If it is necessary to use physical action to prevent a person from injury to themselves or others, you should immediately inform the DSO. The DSO will share this information with the relevant local authority Children’s Services department and/or the parents/carers of the child or young person. Any concerns or allegations that a member of staff or volunteer may have acted inappropriately should be immediately referred to the DSO. The DSO, in turn, will contact the LADO.

We understand that physical intervention of a nature which causes injury or distress to a child may be considered under child protection or disciplinary procedures.

Whistle Blowing

All staff and volunteers should be aware of their duty to raise concerns, where they exist, about the management of child protection, which may include the attitude or actions of colleagues. If an issue arises that they feel needs reporting, this should usually be to the board of directors.

Safer Recruitment

As part of recruitment procedures, all staff and volunteers will need to provide:

A face to face interview (via Zoom or Teams if appropriate such as during lockdowns)
A recent DBS check (or one that can be checked regularly via the update service)
Two references, with at least one being from their most recent employer
A completed self-disclosure form
Photo ID and proof of address
An overseas check (for candidates who have been abroad for 3 months or more in the last 5 years)
Photo ID (such as a driving licence or passport)
Proof of address

Policy Review

This policy was reviewed in September 2024 and shall be reviewed annually.