SAFEGUARDING POLICY
1.0 PURPOSE
All children and young people have the right to be protected. At Salford Youth Zone – we need to ensure that all members are safeguarded and protected from harm, whatever their specific needs and circumstances. Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the purposes of this policy as:
- Protecting children from maltreatment
- Preventing impairment of children’s health or development
- Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
- Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes
2.0 OUR LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Salford Youth Zone recognises that we all have a legal responsibility to take all reasonable actions to ensure that the risk of harm to children’s welfare is minimised and a duty of care is always exercised towards them. The document ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (July 2018) sets out the arrangements for how all organisations must work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
“Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play in safeguarding children, child protection should take priority over all other work”
3.0 APPLICATION
This policy is;
- aimed (and applies to) at all Salford Youth Zone employees, trustees and volunteers including external agencies or partners delivering on behalf of the Youth Zone;
- provides an outline on how to recognise the signs and symptoms of possible abuse to ensure that they recognise the significance of what they are observing, and the procedures that they need to follow if they have a concern.
This policy concerns all children and young people under the age of 18 (as defined by the Children Act 1989) and adults at risk of harm aged 25 or under who are accessing SYZ or who SYZ staff and volunteers come into contact with as a result of their activity with young people. In the case of any concerns with members who are 19 and without a disability, they will be dealt with as adults at risk of harm.
All staff members and volunteers must read this document and sign to say they have done so. All staff and volunteers are required to complete the local “Level 2 Safeguarding Children” provided by the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board.
4.0 SAFEGUARDING HANDBOOK
This policy is supplemented by the “Safeguarding Tool Kit” which provides providing further detail, examples and training for employees, trustees and volunteers who work directly with children and young people. Staff and volunteers will be required to make themselves familiar with aspects of the toolkit as directed by the Safeguarding Leads and/or their line manager.
5.0 RECOGNISING ABUSE
Abuse is “a form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act 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 others. Abuse can take place wholly online, or technology may be used to facilitate offline abuse. Children may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.”
(Working Together to Safeguard Children, July 2018)
Questioning Behaviours
The signs of child abuse might not always be obvious, and a child might not tell anyone what is happening to them. You should therefore question behaviours if something seems unusual and try to speak to the child, alone, if appropriate, to seek further information.
BE ALERT, QUESTION BEHAVIOURS, ASK FOR HELP, REFER
Types of Abuse
In relation to child protection there are 4 kinds of abuse defined in “Working Together”. They are:
1. 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.
2. Emotional abuse
The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a 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 (including cyberbullying), causing children frequently to 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, although it may occur on its own.
3. Neglect
The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely 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 or not accessing appropriate antenatal care. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to: provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment); protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger; ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.
4. Sexual abuse
Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet).
As well as physical, emotional, neglect and sexual abuse safeguarding can involve a range of potential issues such as:
- Bullying, including cyberbullying (by text message, on social networking sites and so on) and prejudice- based bullying
- Hate crimes
- Radicalisation
- Crime exploitation
- Child sexual exploitation
- Female genital mutilation
- Domestic violence
- Sexting
- Substance misuse
- Self-Harm
- Fabricated illness
- Child Trafficking
- Grooming
Further detail and training resources can be found in the “Safeguarding ToolKit”
6.0 TAKING ACTION
What to do if you suspect abuse
A young person may choose to disclose concerning information to any employee, trustee or volunteer, or may be observed carrying out concerning behaviour that raises concerns around possible abuse. It is not the duty of employees, trustee or volunteers to investigate the issue themselves, however it is their responsibility to gather as much information as possible. Where you suspect a child or adult at risk of harm is being abused or there is potential for harm you should discuss your concerns with designated Safeguarding Lead or deputies who will help decide what action should be taken. If there is a real concern the Safeguarding Lead or deputies will contact Children’s Services and/or the Police. They will need your support in making the referral to ensure the details are recorded correctly.
If you are not sure or have any concerns, speak to the Safeguarding Lead or deputies. Remember that is what they are there for, to deal with any concerns and offer advice and support.
What to do if a young person tells you about abuse
If a young person/adult at risk of harm makes a disclosure about abuse or you suspect they may be about to do so, it is imperative they understand you cannot keep this ‘secret’ but that you have a duty to report it to other professionals who will help keep them safe. Be honest and open about who you will speak to and why.
You should find a quiet place to talk where they feel comfortable. Ensure you give them the time they need to talk but be aware they will need to give a full account to Children’s Services so avoid subjecting them to lengthy or multiple ‘interviews’ as it can confuse and jeopardise evidence. Try to keep eye level equal or lower than theirs.
GOLDEN RULES
Remember it is not the duty of staff and volunteers to investigate the issue but it is their responsibility to gather as much information as possible.
Talk to staff
Employees / volunteers must:
- Find a quiet place to talk
- Listen, but do not press for information
- Stay calm and be reassuring
- Believe what you are being told
- Listen to the young person; if you are shocked by what is being said, try not to show it
- It is acceptable to observe injuries such as bruises, but not to ask a child to remove or adjust their clothing to observe them (injuries must be recorded on a Cause for Concern online form found here https://www.tfaforms.com/4885779?tfa_63=tfa_72)
- Do not question the child in a way that will introduce new words, phrases or concepts into their minds (leading questions)
- Do not challenge, confront or criticise their information, even if it seems unlikely or if there are obvious errors; they may be unable to give accurate timescales or dates
- If a disclosure is made, the pace should be dictated by the child without their being pressed for detail by being asked such questions as ‘what did they do next?’ or ‘where were you when this happened?’; the employee’s/volunteer’s role is to listen, not to investigate
- Use open questions
- Acknowledge how hard it was for them to tell you this
- Do not criticise the perpetrator, this may be someone they love
- Do not promise confidentiality, reassure the young person that they have done the right thing, explain who you will have to tell and why; it is important that you do not make promises that you cannot keep
Remember is it a huge step for a young person to make a disclosure
Inform the relevant Safeguarding Lead and/or session lead immediately. If the situation is an emergency and neither Safeguarding Lead nor deputies are available, you should telephone Children’s Services directly or, if out of hours, the Emergency Duty Social Work team or Police Child Protection Team.
Recording Information
Make some notes immediately afterwards (being aware that note-taking during a disclosure may inhibit that disclosure, making it harder for the young person to be open and honest); record the date, time, place and context of the disclosure or concern, recording facts and not assumption or interpretation. Any notes must be recorded on the online ‘Cause for concern’ form (https://www.tfaforms.com/4885779?tfa_63=tfa_72) and handed to the safeguarding lead or deputies (not left on a desk marked for their attention). Do not be afraid to interrupt meetings if you need to speak to someone. Note any non‐verbal behaviour and ensure that that the language used by the young person (do not translate into correct terminology) is recorded.
What to do if an allegation of abuse against a Salford Youth Zone employee, volunteer or trustee is made to you or you witness abuse by an employee, trustee or volunteer
By abuse we mean that they have;
- behaved in such a way that may have harmed a child or may have intended to harm a child or adult at risk of harm;
- acted outside of the law, in relation to dealings with a child or adult at risk of harm.
- behaved in any way that suggests they may be unsuitable to work with children or adults at risk of harm.
If a young person makes an allegation of abuse against a Salford Youth Zone employee, volunteer or trustee you should report this immediately to their line manager (where applicable) and the relevant Safeguarding Lead. The Safeguarding Lead will refer immediately to the Manchester City Council Designated Officer (formerly known as LADO) following up a written referral within 24 hours if the criteria above is met.
You should assure the young person who made the allegation that this is a serious matter and you will follow it up with the Safeguarding Lead. You should update the young person as to what action has been taken.
7.0 DESIGNATED LEADS FOR SAFEGUARDING
The designated lead for safeguarding children is:
Name: Joseph Amos (Head of Youth Work)
Email: joseph.amos@salfordyouthzone.org
Telephone: 07513 136216
Any employee, trustee or volunteer who is concerned about a young person should tell the appropriate designated Safeguarding Lead immediately.
Key Children’s Services Contacts
Manchester City Council and its partners have a Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) that screens all contacts concerning the welfare or safety of a child or adult.
All concerns about the safety or welfare of a child, young person or adult must go through the Manchester Contact Centre.
Referrals
Instead of making a written request, practitioners should ring 0161 234 5001 and you will get through to specialist social care and early help staff.
You’ll be able to discuss your request promptly, efficiently and securely – and will be able to access social work advice and guidance about the next steps and the right option for the child and their family.
This cuts down on your time writing a referral letter;
- It gets the right help quickly for the right situation;
- It’s safe, reliable and gives you extra support with a decision through an informed conversation;
- It uses social workers’ time the best possible way.
No paper, no panic, just people – trained professionals on the end of a phone who, like you, all want the best for our children and families.
You can help to make the most of the conversation by having the following details ready:
- The child’s presenting needs;
- What you have already done or where you have accessed support;
- Ensuring that you have consent from the family to talk to us.
Any staff member must inform the DSL or deputy DSL if they speak to external agencies about a young person or adult at risk of harm.
Early Help Practitioner Zone
Guidance and resources for practitioners, including the Early Help Assessment Form and Levels of Need Framework and how to contact the Early Help Hubs can be found in the Early Help Practitioner Zone at hsm.manchester.gov.uk
In an emergency always call the police on 999. If you think there has been a crime, but it is not an emergency call 101
MCC Designated Officer
Allegations made against workers who are paid, unpaid, volunteer, agency, casual and self-employed as well as foster carers, and adoptive parents of children on Placement Orders should all be reported to the MCC Designated Officer. This should be done within 24 hours of the incident.
If you have concerns about an adult working with children or young people please report your concern using the MCC Designated Officer Referral Form
If you wish to have an informal conversation with the MCC Designated Officer before making a referral please call 0161 234 1214. This process is supported by the MCC Designated Officer referral guidance and it is essential that ALL sections of the referral form are completed.
SYZ’s Cause for Concern online form Can be found here https://www.tfaforms.com/4885779?tfa_63=tfa_72
Completed referrals forms should be emailed to the MCC Designated Officer at qualityassurance@manchester.gov.uk
8.0 MANCHESTER SAFEGUARDING STANDARD
Salford Youth Zone is committed to working towards Manchester Safeguarding Partnership’s Safeguarding Standard, details of the collective initiative here: https://www.manchestersafeguardingpartnership.co.uk/resource/manchester-safeguarding-standard-2/
APPENDICES
- Safeguarding Flow Charts
- Summary of “Safeguarding Tool Kit”
