The following are key excerpts from Derbyshire Friend’s Safeguarding Policy 2010

Purpose of this Policy and Procedure

This policy and procedure sets out how Derbyshire Friend implements safeguarding for children, young people, and vulnerable adults with whom they come into contact in the course of their work.

Safeguarding is at the heart of all our work with children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Derbyshire Friend is committed to devising and implementing policies so that everyone within the organisation accepts their responsibilities for safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults from abuse and neglect. This means following procedures to protect them and reporting any concerns about their welfare to the appropriate authorities.

This policy and procedure helps us to achieve this by

• Supporting us to safeguard children, young people and vulnerable adults in practice, by defining abuse and informing us what to do
• Ensuring we all work to the same policy and procedure,
• Making sure we are accountable for what we do
• Being clear what roles and responsibilities we all have in safeguarding
• Saying what staff can expect from the organisation to help them work effectively

This policy is informed by and supports our organisational purpose, and is how we comply with the Derby City and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children procedures, and the Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults procedure.

2.5. Who the Policy is about

The policy applies to anyone with whom we are in contact in the course of our work, who is a child, a young person, or a vulnerable adult. Where the policy or procedure refers to a ‘child’ or ‘young person’ we mean anyone who has not yet reached the age of 18 years. Where the policy refers to a ‘vulnerable adult’, we mean anyone who is 18 years or older and who is vulnerable according to the definition in the Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedure

2.6 Outcome of Policy

We want safe children and young people and vulnerable adults, who are protected from further harm or neglect.

2.7 Objectives of Policy

We will achieve the outcome by having these things in place:-

• Safe organisational ethos
• Safe environment
• Safe processes for working with service users
• Safe collection and use of information, and ways of communicating
• Safe staff

To achieve a safe environment, we will

• ensure the welfare and safety of children is paramount in all our activities
• listen to our service users and take account of what they tell us in making decisions about them
• take all reasonable steps to protect young people and vulnerable adults (or)all service users and wider community from harm, discrimination, and degrading treatment
• practice with respect for human and children’s rights, wishes and feelings
• regularly assess and review safety risks which arise from premises, activities, equipment and travel arrangements

To achieve safe processes, we will

• take all suspicions and allegations of abuse, from inside or outside the organisation, seriously, and respond to them promptly and appropriately
• be clear about everyone’s roles and responsibilities
• implement safeguarding procedures that are compliant with the expectations of the Derby City and County safeguarding arrangements
• have in place clear arrangements for how we would respond to concerns about how we implement safeguarding in practice within the organisation

To achieve safe information, we will

• Be clear with service users about how the information they tell us will be used
• Communicate promptly and clearly within Derbyshire Friend and with external agencies, and follow the requirements of information sharing protocols in Derby and Derbyshire
• Keep good records of our work with service users and also of our management of staff’s work
• Hold service users information with care, and use it for agreed purposes only

To achieve safe staff, we will

• Recruit trustees, staff and volunteers with regard to their suitability for work with children and vulnerable adults, including use of enhanced Criminal Record Bureau checks
• Provide trustees, staff and volunteers with guidance and training in their safeguarding role, and ensure they have access to our policies and procedures
• Make sure everyone has access to advice on safeguarding at all times in the course of their work
• Be clear with everyone what their individual role and responsibility is in safeguarding
• Support staff and volunteers to carry out their job with appropriate supervision

1. Roles and Responsibilities

This section describes the general roles and responsibilities held by different positions in the organisation with regard specifically to safeguarding. It does not describe ‘what to do’ in a particular situation, which will be found in the ‘Procedures’ section. Nor does it describe all their roles and responsibilities, which are in their job descriptions.

Trustees

• Uphold the safeguarding ethos and purpose of the organisation
• Agree safeguarding policies and procedures and review these annually
• Satisfy themselves that policies and procedures are carried out
• Actively involve the designated manager to set the safeguarding procedure in place when becoming personally aware of a safeguarding issue in the course of their work for Derbyshire Friend.
• The Chair of Trustees acts as the safeguarding champion for the group, and liaises with the Chief Executive to support and agree key operational safeguarding decisions requiring Trustee involvement.
• Ensures this policy and procedure is in place, is communicated to staff and volunteers, reviewed and practiced
• Puts in place arrangements to recruit, train and manage staff and volunteers to practice safely
• Receives and responds to requests for procedural advice or guidance from staff and volunteers in the absence of the designated manager
• Agrees when any formal action is needed to ensure that another agency is carrying out its safeguarding procedure with respect to a child, young person, and vulnerable adult known to Derbyshire Friend.
• Acts upon any concern raised about staff practices in relation to safeguarding
• Carries out an annual risk assessment and review of the safety of premises, activities, equipment and travel
• Appoints a first aider, and ensures she/he is trained and up to date
• Act as the designated manager for all safeguarding actions and decisions, which come from
  • Making referrals
  • Supporting a safeguarding investigation or plan
  • Reviewing the assessed level of risk which informs the way staff and volunteers work with children, young people, vulnerable adults
• supervise staff and volunteers and agree and implement individual training plans
• Supervise and review contact work carried out by her/his staff, and agree and review the assessments of level of risk allocated to children, young people and vulnerable adults; follow procedures if any concern or allegation arises as a result, and support good practice
• Report any allegation or concern about the safeguarding practice of any Trustee, staff or volunteer to their line manager, or in that person’s absence, or where that person is the subject of the concern, to the Chair of Trustees.
• Supervises staff and volunteers allocated to them and agree and implements individual training plans
• Supervises and reviews contact work carried out by her/his staff, and risk assesses the locations where work is to be carried out
• Follows procedures if any concern or allegation arises as a result, and supports good practice.
• Reports any allegation or concern about the safeguarding practice of any Trustee, staff or volunteer to the Derbyshire Friend Manager, or in his/her absence, or where he/she is the subject of the concern, to the Chair of Trustees
• Act upon concerns and allegations involving service users and safeguarding
• report concerns and allegations according to these procedures to the designated manager and agree what Derbyshire Friend will do
• Act in a timely manner, taking account of the perceived level of risk, when the Manager is not available
• Record concerns, analysis of concerns, information, decisions, actions, clearly and promptly and keep a log on the file of work in progress
• Support safeguarding investigations or plans by sharing information appropriately and working to the plan with the child, young person, vulnerable adult
• Report safeguarding concerns to another agency’s safeguarding co-ordinator/s or manager/s, when these arise in the course of participating in events and activities where other agency professionals are the supervising workers (for example activities in settings such as schools, play facilities, youth clubs, residential units, etc)
• Ensure a manager is aware of changes that might affect the assessment of the level of risk carried by a child, young person, vulnerable adult, they are working with, and generally work with the guidance and within the decisions of their line manager
• Report any concerns about safeguarding practice of a colleague or manager or Trustee to the person’s line manager in the first instance, or to a Trustee or to the chair(s).
• Report concerns and allegations, to the manager/co-ordinator and act upon the advice of the designated Derbyshire Friend manager for safeguarding
• Report concerns and allegations according to these procedures to a designated manager and agree what Derbyshire Friend will do
• Act in a timely manner, taking account of the perceived level of risk, when the volunteer’s co-ordinator, or the manager is not available
• Record concerns, analysis of concerns, information, decisions, actions, clearly and promptly and keep a log on the file of work in progress
• Support safeguarding investigations or plans by sharing information appropriately and working to the plan with the child, young person, vulnerable adult
• Ensure the worker or manager responsible for the volunteers work is aware of changes that might affect the perceived level of risk, and generally work with the guidance and within the decisions of the volunteer co-ordinator/line manager
• Report any concerns about safeguarding practice of a colleague or manager or Trustee to the person’s line manager in the first instance

Manager

Public Sex Environment Outreach Co-ordinator

Workers

Volunteers

• 8.1 Definition of a vulnerable adult

Under Derbyshire and Derby city safeguarding procedure a vulnerable adult is anyone aged 18 or over who is or may be in need of community care(local authority/mental health) services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness.

And

Who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation.

8.2 Recognising the needs of vulnerable adults

Guidance on the full range and nature of abuse of vulnerable adults, covering neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, discriminatory abuse, financial abuse, abuse in institutions, can be found at this link www.saferderbyshire.gov.uk

All relatives, carers and professionals involved in Safeguarding Adults should be alert to recognising behaviours that indicate vulnerability.

• Physical symptoms such as sexually transmitted infections.
• Physical injuries consistent with physical or sexual assault.
• Presence in an area where community concerns may be raised.
• Development of a relationship with someone who encourages emotional dependence and control based on threats or violence.
• Indicators of harassment/bullying due to sexuality in the community or work place
• Self harming behaviour
• Substance, drug or alcohol abuse

The Sexual Offences Act 2003 introduced specific offences relating to persons who suffer a mental disorder including learning disabilities

8.3 Definitions of Abuse and Neglect

The Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Procedures for Children and for Vulnerable Adults, provide clear definitions of what is meant by all the different forms of abuse. For ease of access, definitions relating to children and young people are attached in Appendix D. Definitions relating to vulnerable adults will be found in the relevant procedures at www.safederbyshire.gov.uk

9.4 Relevant Legislation

Children Act 1989: sets out how and when children are to be treated as ‘in need’ or need to be ‘looked after’ and includes the legal framework for protecting children from harm,

Children Act 2004: sets out the roles and responsibilities of agencies to cooperate in safeguarding, including arrangements for information sharing, developing and using the children’s database, safeguarding board.

Education Act 2002: sets out responsibilities of schools etc to safeguard children

Adoption and Children Act, 2002 adds a further definition of ‘harm’ to children to illustrate that it can include” impairment suffered from seeing or hearing the ill treatment of another” for example, witnessing Domestic Violence.

Details of how the legislation works are set out in the Derby/Derbyshire Safeguarding Policy and Procedures.

Data Protection Act 1998: regulates when and how confidential service user information must be kept, shared, and protected. There are specific requirements for information held on a PC.

Sexual Offences Act 2003: introduced the specific offence of abuse of vulnerable adults, and extended the protection of children from sexual exploitation

Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Mental Health Act 2007: sets out requirements to support the involvement of vulnerable adults in decisions about them.

9.5 Sources of Further Guidance

• Working Together to Safeguard Children. Published by HM Government 2006, (updates Working Together 1999). Available at www.everychildmatters.gov.uk
• Home Office and Department of Health joint guidance May 2000 on Safeguarding Children Involved in Prostitution
• Home Office. Female Circumcision Act (1985). Female Genital Mutilation Act (2003).Home Office Circular 10/2004
• “No Secrets: Home Office and Department of Health guidance on developing and implementing multi-agency policies and procedures to protect vulnerable adults from abuse”.
• Association of Directors of Adult Social Services: “Safeguarding Adults: A National Framework of Standards for good practice and outcomes in adult protection work”
• Home Office 2004 Guidance on Domestic Abuse