Safeguarding Policy for Children & Vulnerable Adults
Introduction
Seva Community CIC believes that everyone has a right to contribute to and receive support from society free from the fear of abuse or harm, and to able to work or volunteer with children, young people or adults without the risk of good intentions being misconstrued.
This policy sets out the approach we take to safeguard the welfare of those who use or deliver our services. This policy applies to anyone working for or in the name of Seva Community CIC in whatever capacity that may be; including but not limited to volunteers, paid members of staff, students, teachers, trainees, or teaching assistants.
Responsibilities
Seva Community CIC will:
Accept that all young people regardless of age, gender, ability, race, creed, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation and/or social/economic status have a right to be protected from abuse.
Accept the moral and legal responsibility to provide a duty of care for young people and implement procedures to safeguard their well-being and protect them from abuse.
Respect and promote the rights, wishes and feelings of young people.
Recruit, train and supervise its employees, volunteers, and teachers to adopt the best practice to safeguard and protect young people from abuse, and themselves against allegations.
Require employees, volunteers, and teachers to adopt and abide by the Seva Community’s Code of Ethics and Conduct and the Child Protection Policy and Procedures.
Respond to any concerns and/or allegations appropriately and swiftly and implement the appropriate disciplinary and appeals procedures.
Seva Community CIC has a responsibility to implement a Child Protection Policy that protects and upholds the safe practice of teaching yoga to children as part of its overall aim to provide good, safe, qualified teachers. A qualified Seva Community teacher will be expected to uphold these values and respect the Child Protection Policy and processes.
As part of our Safeguarding Policy, Seva Community CIC will:
Promote and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children, young people and vulnerable adults
Ensure all staff and partners of Seva Community understand their roles and responsibilities in respect of safeguarding and is provided with appropriate learning opportunities to recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children, young people and vulnerable adults
Ensure appropriate action is taken in the event of incidents/concerns of abuse and support provided to the individual/s who raise or disclose the concern
Ensure that confidential, detailed, and accurate records of all safeguarding concerns are maintained and securely stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018
Definitions
Safeguarding is about embedding practices throughout the business to ensure the protection of children, young people, and vulnerable adults wherever possible.
In contrast, child and adult protection is about responding to circumstances that arise.
Abuse is a selfish act of oppression and injustice, exploitation, and manipulation of power by those in a position of authority. This can be caused by those inflicting harm or those who fail to act to prevent harm.
Abuse is not restricted to any socio-economic group, gender or culture. It can take a number of forms, including the following: Physical, Sexual, Emotional/Psychological, Bullying, Neglect, Financial (or material)
Definition of a child:
A child is under the age of 18 (as defined in the United Nations convention on the Rights of a Child).
Definition of Vulnerable Adults:
A vulnerable adult is a person aged 18 years or over who may be unable to take care of themselves or protect themselves from harm or from being exploited. This may include, but is not limited to a person who is:
Elderly and frail
Has a mental illness including dementia
Has a physical or sensory disability
Has a learning disability
Has a severe physical illness
Is a substance user
Is homeless
Professional Boundaries
Professional boundaries are what define the limits of a relationship between teacher and student. They are a set of standards we agree to uphold that allows this necessary and often close relationship to exist while ensuring the correct detachment is kept in place. Seva Community CIC expects all staff and partners to protect the professional integrity of themselves and the business. The following professional boundaries must be adhered to (the list is not exhaustive):
Be considerate of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs of students
Be considerate of the preferences and limitations of students
Recognise the power-imbalance between teacher and student and not harass or exploit students physically, psychologically, emotionally, sexually or financially
Take appropriate steps to address any conflict of interest that may arise in dealings with students
Avoid relationships that could compromise the integrity of the teacher-student relationship
Managing Information
All staff and partners must be aware that they have a professional duty to share information with other agencies to safeguard children and vulnerable adults. The public interest in safeguarding children and vulnerable adults may override confidentiality interests. However, information will be shared on a need-to-know basis only. All staff and partners must be aware that they cannot promise students that they will keep secrets.
If you have Safeguarding concerns:
If any teacher, volunteer, or member of staff has reason to believe that abuse is or may be taking place, they have a responsibility to act on this information. If a child, young person or vulnerable adult discloses abuse to you directly, use the following principles to respond to them:
Assure them that you are taking the concerns seriously
Do not be judgemental or jump to conclusions
Listen carefully to what they are telling you, stay calm, get as clear a picture as you can.
Use open ended questions
Do not start to investigate or ask detailed or probing questions
Explain that you have a duty to inform the local authority Safeguarding Team
Reassure the child/vulnerable adult, but do not make promises of confidentiality, the child, young person or vulnerable adult needs to know you may need to share this information.
Your responsibilities are:
To take action to keep the child, young person or vulnerable adult safe if possible. If an urgent police presence is required to keep someone safe-call 999.
If the person needs urgent medical assistance such as an ambulance- call 999
If a crime has occurred, be aware of the need to preserve evidence
Clearly record what you have witnessed or been told, record your responses and any actions taken.
Sharing Concerns with Parents/Carers/Guardians
There is always a commitment to work in partnership with parents or carers where there are concerns about their children. Therefore, in most situations, it would be important to talk to parents, carers, or guardians to help clarify any initial concerns. For example, if a child seems withdrawn, there may be a reasonable explanation. He/she/they may have experienced an upset in the family such as a parental separation, divorce, or bereavement.
When it is not appropriate to share concerns with Parents/Carers/Guardians
There are circumstances in which a child, young person or vulnerable adult might be placed at even greater risk if concerns are shared (e.g., where a parent, carer or guardian may be responsible for the suspected abuse or not able to respond to the situation appropriately). In these situations, or where concerns still exist, any suspicion, allegation or incident of abuse must be reported to the Local Authority Safeguarding Board or the Police, who will advise on contacting parents.
Document the concern and any actions or decisions taken
Ensure all actions and decisions are fully recorded. It is possible that your records may be required as part of an enquiry, be as clear and accurate as you can.
Record the reasons for your decisions and any advice given to you in making these decisions.
Ensure that appropriate records are maintained, including details of: The nature of the safeguarding concern/allegation, the decision of the organisation to raise a concern or not
How to Raise a Safeguarding Concern
To raise a safeguarding concern contact 0208 300 0944 or if the person is not at immediate risk of harm, email [email protected]
Alternatively, reach out to our local council Safeguarding team and call Children’s Services at the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 020 3045 5440 and speak to a social worker. If you’re worried you’ll be put in a difficult position, you can speak to them anonymously. The opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm if it’s out of hours, call 020 8303 7777 or 020 8303 7171
This policy was written on 21/4/18 by Lua Burrows, owner at Seva Community CIC and will be reviewed no later than 3 years from this date or before if new legislation comes into force.