1.Introduction
RENEW Malmesbury is very clear that safeguarding children,young
people and vulnerable adults is everyone’s responsibility.
Staff and adult volunteers will come into contact with children, young
people and vulnerable adults using our different services but particularly
children and young people attending our workshop course programme,
working as volunteers on our project or using our hot desking and
printing services.
A child or young person is anyone under the age of 18 years. The fact
that a child has reached the age of 16 years of age, is living
independently or is in further education, is a member of the armed
forces, is in hospital or in custody in the secure estate, does not change
his/her status or entitlements to services or protection.
We take very seriously our responsibility to protect and this policy sets
out the principles we expect from our staff and volunteers.
2. To whom this Policy Applies
This Policy applies
● to all paid and volunteer staff and course providers who perform
any duties for Renew Malmesbury both in our premises and during
our outreach sessions.
● To all hirers and users of our premises.
3. Promoting a safe environment
We will endeavour to create a safe environment on our project for
everyone but particularly for children, young people and vulnerable
adults. We will do this by:
- Following safer recruitment practices requiring two references,
an interview and where appropriate a DBS check - Providing effective management for staff and volunteers through
supervision, support, training and quality assurance. - Creating a mutually supportive and open culture in our work teams
- Listening to each other and respecting our differences.
- Creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment
- Providing safe facilities and undertaking regular health and safety
checks and risk assessments - Holding appropriate first aid provision and records
- Having public liability insurance in place
- Ensuring all employees,volunteers and course/activity leaders are
aware of the safeguarding culture and make and report appropriate
interventions. - Requiring all hirers to follow good practice procedures in relation
to children and vulnerable adult safeguarding - Ensuring appropriate and the right number of staff/volunteers are
on duty to cover sessions where children, young people or
vulnerable adults are present – based on a risk assessment
process. - We recommend the following child to adult ratios as the
minimum numbers to help keep children and staff protected
0-2 years – 1 adult to 3 children
2-3 years – 1 adult to 4 children
4-8 years – 1 adult to 6 children
9-12 years – 1 adult to 8 children
13-17 years – 1 adult to 10 children
Where the activity has a governing body the rules of that body
should be followed.
Also when activities encompass mixed age ranges, and people
with additional or special needs, then staff ratios need to be
reconsidered and amended appropriately to the combined need. - Ensuring appropriate support is in place where vulnerable adults
may struggle with mobility and are dependent on mobility
equipment or are living with dementia and may become confused
or lost. - Keeping appropriate records of children, young people and
vulnerable adults participating in the project ie. where appropriate
parental consent, name, address, telephone number for emergency
contact, any medical concerns or other relevant information.
These records will be kept by the lead staff member or volunteer at
the time and kept in a secure locked cabinet.
These standard requirements will also apply to all hirers and course
leaders who use our premises or offer off site activities in the name of
Renew Malmesbury.
4 Awareness of safeguarding issues
All staff and adult volunteers should
● Be alert to potential indicators of abuse or neglect
● Be alert to the risk which individual abusers, or potential abusers,
may pose to children
● Share any concerns immediately with Renew’s safeguarding
officer and discuss appropriate action.
5 DEFINITIONS OF ABUSE and NEGLECT
Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may
abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failure to prevent harm.
Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community
setting; by those known to them or, more rarely, by a stranger. They may
be abused by an adult or adults or another child or children.
Physical abuse
Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning,
burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing
physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a
parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces
illness in a child
Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child
such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on a child’s
emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they
are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only in so far as they
meet the needs of another person. It may feature age or developmentally
inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may
include interactions that are beyond the child’s developmental
capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and
learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying causing children to frequently feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take
part in sexual activities, including prostitution, whether or not the child
is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical
contact, including penetrative (e.g rape, buggery or oral sex) or
non-penetrative acts. They may include non-contact activities, such as
involving children in looking at, or in the production of, pornographic
material or watching sexual activities, or encouraging children to behave
in sexually inappropriate ways.
Neglect
Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or
psychological needs, ikey to result in the serious impairment of the
child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as
a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may
involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food or clothing,
shelter including exclusion from home or abandonment, failure to
protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger, failure to
ensure adequate supervision including the use of adequate care-takers,
or the failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.
It may also include neglect of or unresponsiveness to a child’s basic
emotional needs.
6. PROCEDURES
What to do if you have concerns about a child. You may have concerns
about a child because of something you have seen or heard, or a child
may choose to disclose something to you. If possible move to a
confidential area where you cannot be overhead. If a child discloses
information to you, you should:
- Do not promise confidentiality, you have a duty to share this
Information with the safeguarding officer for RENEW Malmesbury - Listen to what is being said, without displaying shock or disbelief
Accept what is said - Reassure the child, but only as far as is honest, don’t make promises you may not be able to keep e.g. “Everything will be alright now”, “You’ll never have to see that person again “.
- Do reassure and alleviate guilt, if the child refers to it. For example you could say, “You’re not to blame”
- Do not interrogate the child, it is not your responsibility to investigate.
- Do not ask leading questions (eg: Did he touch your private parts?), ask open questions such as “Anything else to tell me?”
- Do not ask the child to repeat the information to another member of staff.
- Explain what you have to do next and who you have to talk to – i.e.the safeguarding officer
- Take notes and if possible write up your conversation as soon as possible afterwards.
- Record the date,time,place any non-verbal behaviour and the words used by the child ( do not paraphrase)
- Record statements and observable things rather than interpretations or assumptions.
- Do NOT share any information with other staff or service users.
Whatever the nature of your concerns, discuss them with Renew’s safeguarding officer or if unavailable the designated person in charge.
If there are still significant concerns about a child or young person your manager or safeguarding officer should assess the next steps. These may involve:
a) speaking to the parent/guardian
b) contacting the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 0300 456
0108 Monday to Thursday 8:45am to 5pm and Friday 8.45 am to 4pm.
Out of Hours service on 0300 456 0100 Monday – Thursday 5pm to
midnight and Friday 4pm to midnight, weekends and bank holidays 9am
to midnight
Phones are diverted to the Social Work standby Service from midnight
to 9am 7 days a week.
IF THERE IS AN IMMEDIATE DANGER phone the police or emergency
services on 999
What do do if you have significant concerns about someone who is
working or volunteering with children and young people:
Contact the Designated Officer for Allegations (DOFA) on 0300456 0108
What to do if you are concerned about a vulnerable adult
Contact adult MASH Telephone 0300 456 0111 Monday to Thursday 8.30
am -17.20pm Friday 8:30am -16.20pm. For urgent help outside these
times you can call 0300 456 0100.
WHISTLEBLOWERS are given protection under the Public Interest
Disclosure Act 1998.
7. Training
Renew Malmesbury recognises the need for constant training in the area
of safeguarding. This policy will be covered as part of induction and
further needs led training will take place to support the effective
implementation of this policy.
RENEW SAFEGUARDING OFFICER is Margaret Lamb Director of Renew
On 078903563476
Policy Prepared September 2021
To be reviewed Annually.