Safeguarding Children and Young People

Safeguarding Children and Young People Procedures

This procedures document provides staff and volunteers with the steps they should take if they have concerns regarding the safety of children and young people engaged in activities provided by Moder Dy CIC.

1.0 Responding to concerns about a child or young person’s welfare

If a child is suffering or at risk of suffering significant harm, you can share information with appropriate agencies or professionals without the child’s or their parent’s consent.

If a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 999.

If a child is not in immediate danger report your concerns to Esther Renwick, Child Protection Lead.

Mobile: 07399 405519

Email: esther@moderdy.org

If Esther is not available please report your concerns to Marc Chivers, Child Protection Deputy Lead.

Mobile: 07824 996506

Email: marc@moderdy.org

If the Safeguarding Lead or Deputy Lead cannot be contacted and a vulnerable person is not in immediate danger contact the Duty Social Worker 9am-5pm: 01595 744468 Out of hours: 01595 695611

What to say to a child and how to respond

1.1 Listen carefully to what they're saying
Be patient and focus on what you’re being told. Try not to express your own views and feelings. If you appear shocked or as if you don’t believe them it could make them stop talking and take back what they’ve said.

1.2 Give them the tools to talk
If they're struggling to talk to you, show them Childline's letter builder tool. It uses simple prompts to help them share what's happening and how they're feeling.

1.3 Let them know they've done the right thing by telling you
Reassurance can make a big impact. If they’ve kept the abuse a secret it can have a big impact knowing they’ve shared what’s happened.

1.4 Tell them it's not their fault
Abuse is never a child’s fault. It’s important they hear, and know, this.

1.5 Say you'll take them seriously
They may have kept the abuse secret because they were scared they wouldn’t be believed. Make sure they know they can trust you and you’ll listen and support them.

1.6 Don't confront the alleged abuser
Confronting the alleged abuser could make the situation worse for the child.

1.7 Explain what you'll do next
For younger children, explain you’re going to speak to someone who will able to help. For older children, explain you’ll need to report the abuse to someone who can help.

1.8 Report what the child has told you as soon as possible
Report as soon after you’ve been told about the abuse so the details are fresh in your mind and action can be taken quickly. It can be helpful to take notes as soon after you’ve spoken to the child. Try to keep these as accurate as possible.

If a child reveals abuse to you, it's important to take it seriously, listen and report. And it's vital you take the next steps to help keep them safe.

You can contact the NSPCC online 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Their telephone lines are open Monday to Friday 8am – 10pm and 9am – 6pm at the weekends. Tel: 0808 800 5000

2.0 Managing allegations against staff and volunteers

Where it is alleged that any person working for or volunteering with Moder Dy CIC has:

• Behaved in a way that has harmed a child, may have harmed a child, or might lead to a child being harmed

• Possibly committed or is planning to commit a criminal offence against a child or related to a child

• Behaved towards a child, children or adult at risk in a way that indicates they are unsuitable to work with children

• Behaved in a way that has harmed, or may have harmed, an adult at risk

• This applies if the allegation is about a current incident or has occurred historically

A child is a person up to the age of 16 years in Scotland (18 in the rest of the UK).

The allegation may concern one or more children. The allegation can be about any child/adult at risk, for example a child/adult at risk: involved in a fundraising or participation activity, that a member of staff or volunteer has contact within their community/home life, is the son or daughter or family member of the employee or volunteer.

Allegations of abuse must be reported immediately to the Child Protection Lead or in their absence the Child Protection Deputy Lead. An allegation made against a member of staff or volunteer will necessitate their immediate suspension pending investigation. The parents or guardian of the child must be notified and the incident reported to the police for their investigation.

3.0 Recording concerns and information sharing

If you have concerns about a child or young person’s welfare or safety, it’s vital all relevant details are recorded. This must be done regardless of whether the concerns are shared with the police or children’s social care. Keep an accurate record of:

the date and time of the incident/disclosure
the date and time of the report
the name and role of the person to whom the concern was originally reported and their contact details
the name and role of the person making the report (if this is different to the above) and their contact details
the names of all parties who were involved in the incident, including any witnesses
the name, age and any other relevant information about the child who is the subject of the
concern (including information about their parents or carers and any siblings)
what was said or done and by whom

Make sure the report is factual. Any interpretation or inference drawn from what was observed, said or alleged should be clearly reported as such. The record should always be signed and dated by the person making the report.

4.0 Code of conduct for staff and volunteers

4.1 The role of staff and volunteers

In your role at Moder Dy CIC you are acting in a position of trust and authority and have a duty of care towards the children and young people we work with. You are likely to be seen as a role model by young people and are expected to act appropriately. We expect people who take part in our services to display appropriate behaviour at all times. This includes behaviour that takes place outside our organisation and behaviour that takes place online.

4.2 Role and responsibility of staff and volunteers

You are responsible for:

• prioritising the welfare of children and young people

• providing a safe environment for children and young people - ensuring equipment is used safely and for its intended purpose - having good awareness of issues to do with safeguarding and child protection and taking action when appropriate.

• following our principles, policies and procedures - including our policies and procedures for safeguarding and child protection, whistleblowing and online safety

• staying within the law at all times

• modelling good behaviour for children and young people to follow

• challenging all inappropriate behaviour and reporting any breaches of the behaviour code to [insert name/role of person to report to]

• reporting all concerns about abusive behaviour, following our safeguarding and child protection procedures - this includes inappropriate behaviour displayed by an adult or child and directed at anybody of any age.

4.3 Respecting children and young people

You should:

• listen to and respect children at all times

value and take children’s contributions seriously, actively involving them in planning activities wherever possible

• respect a young person’s right to personal privacy as far as possible - if you need to break confidentiality in order to follow child protection procedures, it is important to explain this to the child or young person at the earliest opportunity.

4.4 Diversity and inclusion

You should:

• treat children and young people fairly and without prejudice or discrimination

• understand that children and young people are individuals with individual needs

• respect differences in gender, sexual orientation, culture, race, ethnicity, disability

and religious belief systems, and appreciate that all participants bring something valuable and different to the group/organisation

• challenge discrimination and prejudice

• encourage young people and adults to speak out about attitudes or behaviour that makes them uncomfortable.

4.5 Appropriate relationships

You should:

• promote relationships that are based on openness, honesty, trust and respect

• avoid showing favouritism

• be patient with others

• exercise caution when you are discussing sensitive issues with children or young people

• ensure your contact with children and young people is appropriate and relevant to the nature of the activity you are involved in

• ensure that whenever possible, there is more than one adult present during activities with children and young people - if a situation arises where you are alone with a child or young person, ensure that you are within sight or can be heard by other adults - if a child specifically asks for or needs some individual time with you, ensure other staff or volunteers know where you and the child are

• only provide personal care in an emergency and make sure there is more than one adult present if possible - unless it has been agreed that the provision of personal care is part of your role and you have been trained to do this safely.

4.6 Inappropriate behaviour

When working with children and young people, you must not:

• allow concerns or allegations to go unreported

• take unnecessary risks

• smoke, consume alcohol or use illegal substances

• develop inappropriate relationships with children and young people

• make inappropriate promises to children and young people

• engage in behaviour that is in any way abusive - including having any form of

sexual contact with a child or young person

• let children and young people have your personal contact details (mobile number, email or postal address) or have contact with them via a personal social media account

• act in a way that can be perceived as threatening or intrusive

• patronise or belittle children and young people

• make sarcastic, insensitive, derogatory or sexually suggestive comments or gestures to or in front of children and young people.

4.7 Upholding this code of behaviour

You should always follow this code of behaviour and never rely on your reputation or that of our organisation to protect you. If you have behaved inappropriately, you will be subject to our disciplinary procedures. Depending on the seriousness of the situation, you might be asked to Moder Dy CIC. We might also make a report to statutory agencies such as the police and/or the local authority child protection services.

If you become aware of any breaches of this code, you must report them to Esther Renwick or Marc Chivers. If necessary, you should follow our whistleblowing procedure and safeguarding and child protection procedures.

4.8 Photography and sharing images guidance

It’s important that children and young people feel happy with their achievements and have photographs and films of their special moments. Family and friends also want to be able to share the successes of their children when they have been part of a special event or activity.

However, some children, parents or carers may not be comfortable with images of themselves or their children being shared.

For example:

if a child and/or their family have experienced abuse they may worry about the perpetrator tracing them online
children who choose not to have contact with some members of their family may decide to minimise their online presence
families may have religious or cultural reasons for choosing not to be photographed.

It’s important to be aware of child protection and safeguarding issues when taking photos of or filming children and young people. The potential for misuse of images can be reduced if organisations are aware of the potential dangers and put appropriate measures in place.

You should also consider the data protection implications of making, using and storing images of children and young people for your organisation’s use.

We’ve put together guidance to help you think about and mitigate the risks involved with making and sharing images of children.

4.9 Risks of sharing images online

Sharing photographs and images of children on social media or other online platforms carries potential risks. For example:

children may become vulnerable to grooming if a photograph is shared alongside information that makes them identifiable. This includes: personal details; a tag with location information; visual details such as a school uniform
inappropriate images of children may be shared online
images may be copied, downloaded, screenshotted or shared by anyone
images of children may be adapted and used inappropriately
photos or videos may appear in internet search results
depending on the terms and conditions of using an online platform, the image may be owned by the platform once it’s been posted. Platforms may then license images for use by third parties – such as for commercial purposes
each photo or video, and any comments on them, become a part of a child’s public image. This may affect them later in life – for example, it may affect how they see themselves, or how they are viewed when applying for a job

(Thinkuknow, 2021).

Before sharing images of children on social media, adults should consider how widely images may be shared, how long they may remain available and how this may affect the children’s long-term wellbeing.

5.0 Consent to share images of children and young people

Children should always be consulted about the use of their image and give consent to it being used and shared.

For young people under 16, you should also get parental consent to use an image.

In situations where under 16s are separated from their parents (for example if they are in care) you should seek consent from someone who holds parental responsibility (for example the child’s carer or the local authority).

For 16- to 17-year-olds, you should decide if it's appropriate to obtain parental consent, depending on the activity and the young person’s circumstances. If you decide you do not need parental consent, then consider whether you should still inform parents that the child’s photograph is being shared. In most circumstances, parents have a legal parental responsibility for their children up to the age of 18.

5.1 How to obtain consent

Make sure children, young people, their parents and carers understand what they are agreeing to.

Make them aware that a photo or video is being taken.
Explain what the image is going to be used for.
Ask for their consent to share their image and record this on a written consent form.
Tell them how long their consent is valid for and how long you will keep the image for.
Explain what you will do if a child or their parents change their mind and withdraw consent at a later stage.
Make it clear that if a child’s image has been used online or in printed publications it will be very difficult to recall it if consent is withdrawn.

Keep a record of the written consent that parents, carers and children have given for images being used.

It’s good practice to share your photography policy with children and parents and seek their consent at the beginning of the year. You may also need to get additional consent in specific circumstances (if for instance, you are bringing in a professional photographer or the photos might appear in the local or national media).

5.2 What to do if consent is not given

If children and/or their parents and carers don’t want to have their photo taken or shared, you should respect their wishes. Children should never be excluded from an activity because you don’t have consent to take their photograph.

In advance of a photography session you should agree with parents, carers and the child the best way for them to be identified so the photographer knows not to take photos of them. This might involve giving them a badge, sticker or wristband. Whichever method you choose, you should make sure children don’t feel singled out or isolated.

5.3 Advising parents or carers about sharing images of children on social media

Advise parents or carers who want to share pictures or videos of their own children on social media to make sure they understand who else will be able to view images of their child.

Suggest that parents or carers use their privacy settings to make sure only their friends can see their profile and photos, and that geo-location settings are not shared. Before posting a picture, parents or carers can also make sure there isn’t anything that would allow a location or identity to be recognised, such as school logos or signs, road names, or names of clubs that their child attends.

Encourage parents to ask for children’s permission before posting a picture or video of them online. With very young children and babies, this will not be possible but parents and carers should consider the long-term implications of sharing an image before making it public.

5.4 Adult to child supervision ratios

There is no specific guidance about supervision ratios for organisations that are not in the education or early years sectors. The NSPCC recommend having at least two adults present when working with or supervising children and young people. The NSPCC recommend the following adult to child ratios as the minimum number to keep children safe:

4-8 - one adult to six children
9-12 one adult to eight children
13-18one adult to ten children

These adult to child ratios should be risk assessed against the type of activity, and it is better to have more adults than the minimum suggested. When children and young people who have special educational needs or disabilities this minimum ratio will have to be risk assessed. Only young people over the age of 18 should be included as adults when calculating adult to child ratios.