ECG Policies

Health and Safety Policies 

HS2: Safeguarding Vulnerable Children

Adopted on:  01.09.14

Reviewed Date: 06.04.22

1.

ECG believes that it is always unacceptable for a child or young person to experience abuse of any kind and recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children and young people, by a commitment to practice which protects them.

2 We recognise that:

• the welfare of the child/young person is paramount
• all children, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief,
• sexual orientation or identity, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse
• working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.

3 The purpose of the policy:

• To provide protection for the children and young people who receive ECG services, including the children of adult members or users.
• To provide staff and volunteers with guidance on procedures they should adopt in the event that they suspect a child or young person may be experiencing, or be at risk of, harm.

4.

This policy applies to all staff, including senior managers and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers and sessional workers, agency staff, students or anyone working on behalf of ECG.

5 We will seek to safeguard children and young people by:

• valuing them, listening to and respecting them
• adopting child protection guidelines through procedures and a code of conduct for staff and volunteers
• recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made
• sharing information about child protection and good practice with children, parents, staff and volunteers
• sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know, and involving parents and children appropriately
• providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support and training.

6 Who Do I Go to If I am Concerned?

• The named responsible person for safeguarding duties for ECG is Charley(Charlotte) Hobson-Merrett (charley@freeyourinstinct.org). 

• All staff and volunteers should contact either Charlotte Boenigk or Charley Hobson-Merrett for any concerns/queries they have in regards to safeguarding children. A log of the concern must be kept using the “incident report form” provided in the instructor pack.
• Charley Hobson-Merrett will be responsible to make decisions about notifying child services if required and consider alternative actions, where necessary. 
• Charley Hobson-Merrett will also ensure that the safeguarding policies and procedures are in place and up to date. They will ensure a safe environment is promoted for staff and volunteers and participants accessing the service.
• Charley Hobson-Merrett will ensure they are up to date with their safeguarding training.

7 What should I do if I am concerned?

7.1 Coaches and volunteers at ECG who have any safeguarding concerns should:

Respond

• • • Take emergency action if someone is at immediate risk of harm/in need of urgent medical attention.  Dial 999 for emergency services
    • Get brief details about what has happened, but do not probe or conduct a mini-investigation  
    • Seek consent from the child to take action and to report the concern, or inform the child that you are required to take action on the information they have provided. 

Report

• • • If the child is under the NHS services ECG is working with, report the issue to the child’s named worker
    • If this is not possible due to the nature of the report, report the issue to the Named Safeguarding Lead above.

Record

• • • Record details of the child’s report using the incident report form found in the instructor pack

• • • As far as possible, records should be written contemporaneously, dated and signed.
    • Keep records about safeguarding concerns confidential and in a location where the alleged abuser will not have access to the record. Access should not be given to any unauthorised personal for accessing confidential information including the sharing of passwords.

Refer

• • • If the decision is taken to refer, the appropriate services should be contacted following this link: https://www.gov.uk/report-child-abuse-to-local-council
    • The designated safeguarding lead should keep a record of the reasons for referring the concern or reasons for not referring.  
    • Incidents of abuse may be one-off or multiple and may affect one person or more. Staff and volunteers should look beyond single incidents to identify patterns of harm. Accurate recording of information will also assist in recognising any patterns.

8 What are your roles and responsibilities?

8.1

All staff, trustees and volunteers at ECG are expected to report any concerns to the named person for safeguarding. If the allegation is against one of ECGs members, volunteers, trustees or directors, seek advice from ECG safeguarding lead Charley Hobson-Merrett.  If the allegation is against the safeguarding lead, seek advice from either Charlotte Boenigk, or Childline (0800 1111).

8.2

The designated safeguarding lead should be responsible for providing acknowledgement of the referral and brief feedback to the person raising the original concern. Feedback should be given in a way that will not make the situation worse or breach the Data Protection Act.  If the police are involved, they should be consulted prior to giving feedback to the referrer to ensure any criminal investigation is not affected.

8.3

The local authority will decide on who will lead on a safeguarding enquiry should it progress to that stage. The named organisation should not conduct its own safeguarding enquiry unless instructed to do so by the local authority.