Safeguarding Children Policy & Procedures

This policy and procedures has been written using guidance from the NSPCC.

Contact details

Designated Safeguarding Lead
Helen McDonald
helen@helenore.co.uk
07772 968070

Helen McDonald’s Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) certificate is registered with the update service and can be viewed on request.

The purpose and scope of this policy statement

The Helenore mission is to support children and young people to build better connections with themselves, each other and the adults in their lives. This is achieved through services including one-to-one support, small group workshops, training and consultancy.

The purpose of this policy statement is:

  • to protect those who receive Helenore services from harm, including children, young people, parents/caregivers, professionals who work with children and young people
  • to provide overarching principles that guide the Helenore approach to child protection

Legal framework

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England. The key guidance for child protection is Working Together to Safeguard Children (Department for Education, 2018). This states:

  • everyone who works with children has a responsibility for keeping them safe
  • everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play in sharing information and identifying concerns.

Helenore believes that:

  • children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind
  • we have a responsibility to promote the welfare if all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practice in a way that protects them

Helenore recognises that:

  • the welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take
  • working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare
  • all children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types
    of harm or abuse
  • some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues
  • extra safeguards may be needed to keep children who are additionally vulnerable safe from abuse.

Helenore will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

  • valuing, listening to and respecting them
  • having a designated safeguarding lead who receives regular training
  • adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct
  • developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related procedures
  • recording and storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance
  • sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children and their families
  • making sure that children, young people and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern
  • using our safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately
  • using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff appropriately
  • ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, and staff, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance
  • building a safeguarding culture where staff, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.

Responding to a concern

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (details at the start of this document) is responsible for all safeguarding duties and will make all decisions about referring concerns to other individuals and statutory agencies.

  • In the case of an emergency where someone is at immediate risk of harm or in need of urgent medical attention, the emergency services will be contacted via 999.
  • A Record of Concern will be securely kept which details any concerns that do not meet the threshold to be passed on. The child or young person will be made aware of this and what is being recorded for what purposes.
  • Should a disclosure cause a significant concern, the child or young person will be informed of what information is being passed on, to whom and for what purpose.

If it is not possible to inform the child or young person, the information will be passed on to the relevant individuals or statutory organisation without their consent. A record will be securely kept of this process.