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Policy Level |
Operational Mandatory Policy read for all colleagues |
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Version Control V1.1 – Feb 2024 |
Effective from: 1st January 2024 Effective till: 1st January 2027 |
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Approved by |
E. Kelly Managing Director |
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Next review date |
Oct 2024 (with annual interim reviews by operational policy group) |
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Safeguarding Lead |
E. Kelly |
1. Policy Statement
Bridging The Gap Together! acknowledges that:
· all children and vulnerable adults have the right to protection from abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
· safeguarding children and vulnerable adults is everybody’s responsibility.
· doing nothing is not acceptable.
· working in partnership with relevant agencies, in conjunction with local safeguarding procedures, has demonstrable results.
2. Scope, roles, and responsibilities
Scope
This policy applies to all children and vulnerable adults using our services, applicants, and visitors to our venues.
It supports the safeguarding processes of local authorities in whose areas we work.
The policy and its accompanying procedure and guidelines outline the responsibilities of Bridging The Gap Together! board, colleagues, and volunteers concerning the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults using our services.
Roles and Responsibilities
It is the responsibility of all colleagues to support the organisation’s commitment to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults and attend training as required. It is the responsibility of the Bridging The Gap Together Strategic Leadership Team and all managers to ensure compliance and the effectiveness of the procedure accompanying this policy.
It is the responsibility of managers and all front-line colleagues to ensure that they understand the importance of this policy and related procedures and receive training at induction and in their ongoing personal training plan.
Failure to report suspected harm or abuse may be regarded as colluding with the harm or abuse and be in breach of the code of conduct.
All colleagues working with children or vulnerable adults are responsible for familiarising themselves with this policy and its associated procedures.
Definitions
Safeguarding is the right of every child and vulnerable individual accessing our services to be protected from any form of abuse. Abuse occurs when the child’s or vulnerable adult’s rights are not respected.
Abuse is any behaviour towards a person that deliberately or unknowingly causes them harm, endangers life, or violates their rights. It includes not only physical, emotional, and psychological ill-treatment but also neglect (including self-neglect), financial or sexual abuse, and the impairment of physical, intellectual, emotional, social, or behavioural development. It concerns the misuse of power, control and /or authority and can be perpetrated by an individual, a group, or an organisation.
For this policy, a child is anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday. An adult is anyone aged 18 or above.
A vulnerable adult is someone of 18 years or over ‘who is or may need community care services because of mental or other disability, age, or illness’ and ‘who is or may be unable to take care of themself or unable to protect themself against significant harm or exploitation’ No Secrets’ Guidance 2000.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 provides a statutory framework to empower and protect vulnerable people who are not able to make their own decisions. It makes it clear who can make decisions, in which situations, and how they should go about this.
The definition of abuse includes Domestic Abuse and forced marriage. Domestic Violence is ‘any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between adults who are or have been intimate partners or between family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. Some incidents of abuse could also be relevant to our domestic violence policy and procedures, and we will be clear on how we propose to manage any such incidents. Forced marriage is one in which one or both spouses do not consent to the marriage and an element of duress is involved, including the use of physical and emotional pressure. Forced marriage is not sanctioned within any culture or religion.
3. Principles
· The welfare of the child or vulnerable adult is the paramount consideration.
· We will not tolerate abuse in any circumstances. Doing nothing is not an option.
· All children and vulnerable adults, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or identity have a right to protection from abuse.
· Adults have the right to be in control of their lives, make decisions, be treated with respect and consideration, and have their confidentiality respected.
· All children and vulnerable adults have a right to intervention, support and/or information which could make life better and/or safer for them and be involved in decisions that are made about them.
· We will promote the empowerment, well-being, security and safety of children and adults at risk of abuse consistent with their rights, mental capacity, and personal choices.
· We aim to minimise the risk of abuse by being sensitive to cultural, gender and individual needs in our service delivery.
· Bridging The Gap Together! recognises that inter-agency cooperation is essential if children and vulnerable adults are to be protected effectively from abuse. We will work closely in partnership with key agencies and professionals, sharing information and developing appropriate strategies to respond to the needs of our clients.
· All colleagues will be aware of, and comply with, local guidelines with reporting concerns about children or vulnerable adults at risk. Where no such local procedures exist externally, we will provide our own.
· We will report every instance of disclosed or suspected abuse to the appropriate social services contact in line with each Local Authority safeguarding procedures alerting the police or other emergency services as required.
· Bridging The Gap Together! actively encourages and supports reporting of concerns and will protect colleagues disclosing malpractice from the risk of victimisation provided the disclosure is made in good faith.
We comply with relevant legislation and regulations, including:
· Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) regulations.
· Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
· Mental Capacity Act 2005
· Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
· Guidelines in “No Secrets” publication
· We will review new legislation as it arises and continually review our procedures in line with good practice.
4. Application
We deliver the principles of this policy through the application of processes which clearly distinguish between the requirements to safeguard vulnerable adults and the safeguarding of children. Each has a specific, named, lead officer within Bridging The Gap Together! Both recognise that we have responsibilities as an employer of colleagues who work with children and with vulnerable adults. Both also recognise that any colleague may identify potential abuse in their daily work.
Safeguarding vulnerable adults
Bridging The Gap Together!’s recruitment and selection procedure requires references, proof of identity, proof of the right to work, and an enhanced Disclosure and Baring Services (DBS) check with 3 yearly re-checks for every colleague who works with vulnerable adults.
Our employment policies prevent barred persons from being employed in any position that involves working with vulnerable adults.
All colleagues will work within the procedures that accompany this policy and all front-line colleagues will receive training on this policy at induction and in their on-going personal development training.
The procedures that deliver this policy complement local authority safeguarding procedures and will ensure that all colleagues engaged in delivering our services:
· Are alert to the possibility of abuse of a vulnerable adult using our services.
· Are alert to abuse of a client or applicant to any Bridging The Gap Together! Service.
· Know how to recognise abuse.
· Understand the need to share information about concerns with agencies that need to know.
· Understand professional boundaries.
· Identify risks associated with lone working by staff they manage.
· Know and use local authority guidelines (or Bridging The Gap Together! guidelines in their absence)
· Know how and where to report concerns.
· Are aware of good practice.
The types of abuse in adults could include:
· Physical abuse
· Sexual abuse
· Domestic Violence or abuse
· Psychological or emotional abuse
· Financial or material abuse
· Discriminatory abuse
· Modern slavery
· Organisational or institutional
Serious incident reporting procedures ensure that the Board is made aware of serious allegations involving members of Bridging The Gap Together!’s staff.
The application of this policy recognises the key principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 which sets out the right for everyone covered by the Act to make decisions and for any decision made on their behalf to be in their best interests. Colleagues will always act in accordance with the principles of that Act when they believe that someone is being abused and in determining how to report that abuse.
Bridging The Gap Together! will provide customers of services for vulnerable adults with information about how and with whom they can share any concerns, complaints, and anxieties.
Safeguarding is a standard agenda item for service delivery team meetings and operational management team meetings.
Our procedures ensure that colleagues know the arrangements and contact details for reporting concerns to local authority safeguarding teams.
We will work with relevant agencies, on individual cases and reviewing best practice and new legislation so that we develop appropriate strategies for responding to the needs of our clients.
Safeguarding children
Bridging The Gap Together!’s recruitment and selection procedure requires references, proof of identity, proof of the right to work, and an enhanced Disclosure and Baring Services (DBS) check with 3 yearly re-checks for every colleague who works with vulnerable children.
Our employment policies prevent barred persons from being employed in any position that involves working with children.
All colleagues will work within the procedures that accompany this policy and all front-line colleagues will receive training on this policy at induction and in their ongoing personal development training.
Training includes the recognition of potential child sexual exploitation, online grooming, and missing persons protocols. It is provided in a way that is appropriate for each colleague’s level of engagement with children in their day-to-day work.
The procedures that deliver this policy complement local authority safeguarding procedures and will ensure that all colleagues engaged in delivering our services:
· Are alert to the possibility of abuse of a child in our services or of a child of an applicant or visitor.
· Know how to recognise abuse.
· Understand the need to share information about concerns with agencies that need to know.
· Understand professional boundaries.
· Identify risks associated with lone working by staff they manage.
· Know and use local authority guidelines (or Bridging The Gap Together! guidelines in their absence)
· Know how and where to report concerns.
· Are aware of good practice.
Types of child abuse could include:
· Emotional abuse
· Physical abuse
· Sexual abuse
· Neglect
Serious incident reporting procedures ensure that the Board is made aware of serious allegations involving members of Bridging The Gap Together! staff.
Bridging The Gap Together! will provide customers of services for children with information about how and with whom they can share any concerns, complaints, and anxieties.
Safeguarding is a standard agenda item for service delivery team meetings and operational management team meetings.
Our procedures ensure that colleagues know the arrangements and contact details for reporting concerns to local authority safeguarding teams.
All leaders of operational teams are aware of and read local child safeguarding board websites.
We will work with relevant agencies, on individual cases and review best practices and new legislation so that we develop appropriate strategies for responding to the needs of our tenants and clients.
5. Reporting
The 5 Rs of Safeguarding
When caring for and protecting others, it is crucial to understand the processes to follow should you be concerned about an individual and their well-being. ‘The Five R’s’ of safeguarding are a useful and structured way to remember what to do should a safeguarding concern occur.
1. Recognise
Communities surrounding children and vulnerable adults should have a clear and definite understanding of the signs of potential abuse, harm and neglect. Symptoms of abuse are not always visible, and suspicious injuries or behaviours should not be dismissed. These surrounding individuals must adopt an understanding of suspicious and non-suspicious behaviour and injury when considering their safeguarding duty. Trusting your instinct and treating every concern as an issue is always best.
2. Respond
If a safeguarding issue has been detected, responding to it appropriately is extremely vital. Some children and vulnerable adults who have fallen victim to abuse and neglect will most likely need to be handled with great care and caution. You should calmly approach these individuals and foresee that they may not be willing to talk about their situation. If they wish to discuss matters, ask open questions, which will encourage them to give just enough information to validate the claim. Once you have enough information to solidify it beyond suspicion, you should begin reporting.
3. Report
Bridging The Gap Together! has a designated person for safeguarding issues. Another important factor in ensuring the safety and security of others is knowing who your closest safeguarding lead is. To this individual, you should report any concerns that may have arisen, and they will then take responsibility for dealing with the matter professionally.
4. Record
Recording the incident in the best detail is extremely important for the investigation. You should take precise and comprehensive notes of the situation to assist in your report and relay these where necessary. Included in the notes should be the Who, What, Why, When and Where of safeguarding. Details of who was involved are especially important, as well as dates and times. The recording of the events should take place as soon as possible.
5. Refer
After the previous steps, the report should be referred to the appropriate authorities to continue the investigation. If you believe the safeguarding risk to be more urgent, such as a suspicion that somebody is under immediate or severe threat, you should contact the relevant authority immediately, whether this is the police, fire service or ambulance crew.
Associated documents
Legal and Regulatory Framework
Relevant Legislation and References
Care Act 2014
Children Act 1989/2004
Children and Families Act 2014
Mental Capacity Act 2005
Local Safeguarding procedures
Health and Social Care Act 2008
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006