Safeguarding
If our worker at any point you have a safeguarding concerns they will contact their line manager. If they have a disclosure from a child whilst in school they must report to the school immediately and ensure the school informs their safeguarding officer. All communications regarding the concern need to be emailed to our office as soon as possible - info@fortify-services.com
Any concerns over any child can be discussed with one of the directors.
Child Protection POlicy
Policy Statement
We recognise our moral and statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children. We make every effort to provide a safe and welcoming environment, underpinned by a culture of openness, where both children and adults feel secure, able to talk and believe that they are being listened to. We maintain an attitude of “it could happen here” with safeguarding concerns. The purpose of this policy is to provide staff and volunteers with the framework they need in order to keep children safe and secure and to inform parents and guardians how we will safeguard the children whilst they are in our care. Specific guidance is available to staff within the procedures document.
Definitions
Within this document:
Child protection is an aspect of safeguarding but is focused on how we respond to children who have been significantly harmed or are at risk of significant harm.
The term staff applies to all those working for or on behalf of Fortify-Services cic, full time or part time, in either a paid or voluntary capacity.
Child refers to all young people who have not yet reached their 18th birthday. On the whole, this will apply to pupils; however the policy will extend to visiting children and students from other establishments
Parent refers to birth parents and other adults in a parenting role for example adoptive parents, step-parents, guardians and foster carers.
Abuse could mean neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse or any combination of these. Parents, carers and other people can harm children either by direct acts and/or failure to provide proper care.
Dealing with disclosures
All staff should:
A member of staff who is approached by a child should maintain a positive attitude and try to reassure them. They should not promise complete confidentiality and should explain that they may need to pass information to other professionals to help keep the child or other children safe. The degree of confidentiality should always be governed by the need to protect the child.
Additional consideration needs to be given to children with communication difficulties and for those whose preferred language is not English. It is important to communicate with them in a way that is appropriate to their age, understanding and preferred communication method.
All staff should know to contact Mr S Glaister or Miss T Singh and who to approach if they are unavailable. Ultimately, all staff have the right to make a referral to the police or social care directly and should do this if, for whatever reason, there are difficulties following the agreed protocol, e.g. they are the only adult on the premises at the time and have concerns about sending a child home or leaving a child alone.
Guiding principles
the seven R’s
Receive
● Listen to what is being said, without displaying shock or disbelief
● Accept what is said and take it seriously
● Make a note of what has been said as soon as practicable
Reassure
● Reassure the child, but only so far as is honest and reliable
● Don’t make promises you may not be able to keep e.g. ‘I’ll stay with you’ or ‘everything will be alright now’ or ‘I’ll keep this confidential’
● Do reassure e.g. you could say: ‘I believe you’, ‘I am glad you came to me’, ‘I am sorry this has happened’, ‘We are going to do something together to get help’
Respond
● Respond to the child only as far as is necessary for you to establish whether or not you need to refer this matter, but do not interrogate for full details
● Do not ask ‘leading’ questions i.e. ‘did he touch your private parts?’ or ‘did she hurt you?’ Such questions may invalidate your evidence (and the child’s) in any later prosecution in court
● Do not ask the child why something has happened
● Do not criticise the alleged perpetrator; the child may care about him/her, and reconciliation may be possible
● Do not ask the child to repeat it all for another member of staff. Explain what you have to do next and to whom you need to talk. Reassure the child that it will be a senior member of staff in confidence.
Report
● Share concerns with Mr S Glaister or Miss T Singh as soon as possible by recording the safeguarding concern
● If you are not able to contact Mr S Glaister or Miss T Singh and the child is at risk of immediate harm, contact the children’s services social care department directly.
Record
● If possible, make some very brief notes at the time, and upload them up as soon as possible
● Upload original notes to your Drive
● Record the date, time, place, persons present and noticeable non-verbal behaviour, and the words used by the child. If the child uses sexual ‘pet’ words, record the actual words used, rather than translating them into ‘proper’ words
● Complete a body map to indicate the position of any noticeable bruising or marks
● Record facts and observable things, rather than your ‘interpretations’ or ‘assumptions’.
Remember
● Support the child: listen, reassure, and be available
● Complete confidentiality is essential. Share your knowledge only with appropriate professional colleagues
● Try to get some support for yourself if you need it.
Review (led by Mr S Glaister or Miss T Singh)
● Has the action taken provided good outcomes for the child?
● Did the procedure work?
● Were any deficiencies or weaknesses identified in the procedure? Have there been remedied?
● Is further training required?