Visit New Mills – safeguarding policy
Reviewed march 2023 – this policy should be reviewed at each AGM
Visit New Mills 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, government guidance and complies with best practice requirements.
- We recognise the welfare of children is paramount in all the projects and initiatives 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 has 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:
Visit New Mills will:
- Protect children and young people who take part in or receive Visit New Mills services – this includes the children of adults who use our services
- Provide 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 volunteering or working on behalf of Visit New Mills, including paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, entertainers and students. Failure to comply with the policy and related procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in exclusion from the organisation and its events.
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 family 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.
Visit New Mills should have in place arrangements that reflect the importance of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people as well as vulnerable adults.
Radicalisation is the process through which a person comes to support or be involved in extremist ideologies. It can result in a person becoming drawn into terrorism and is in itself a form of harm.
Extremism is vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.
Training and Awareness:
Visit New Mills will ensure an appropriate level of safeguarding training is available to its Trustees, Employees, Volunteers and any relevant persons linked to the organisation 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 a 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:
Visit New Mills 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 or child with safeguarding needs. This must include details of the person involved, the nature of the concern and the actions taken, 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).
Safe Recruitment & Selection:
Visit New Mills is committed to safe employment and safe recruitment practices, that reduce the risk of harm to children from people unsuitable to work with them or have contact with them. All officers will have undertaken DBS checks as will children’s entertainers – this will be documented in a regular Visit New Mills meeting minutes.
Social Media:
All employees and volunteers should be aware of Visit New Mills social media policy and procedures and behaviour towards the children we provide events or volunteers for
Use of Mobile Phones and other Digital Technology:
All employees, trustees and volunteers should be aware of Visit New Mills policy and procedures regarding the use of mobile phones and any digital technology and understand that it is unlawful to photograph children and young people without the explicit consent of the person with parental responsibilities.
Whistleblowing:
It is important that people within Visit New Mills have the confidence to come forward to speak or act if they are unhappy with anything. Whistle blowing occurs when a person raises a concern about dangerous or illegal activity, or any wrong- doing within their organisation. This includes concerns about another employee or volunteer.
Police – Emergency – 999 & Non-emergency – 101
NSPCC Helpline 0808 800 5000