Children’s Safeguarding Policy for Yanafella
Yanafella abides by the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people and is committed to a safeguarding practice that reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice requirements.
The Children Act 1989 definition of a child is: anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday, even if they are living independently, is a member of the armed forces or is in hospital.
Children may be vulnerable to neglect and abuse or exploitation from within their family and from individuals they come across in their daily lives. There are four main categories of abuse, which are: sexual, physical, emotional abuse, and neglect. It is essential to be aware of more specific types of abuse that fall within these categories; they are:
- Bullying and cyberbullying
- Child sexual exploitation
- Child Criminal exploitation
- Child trafficking
- Domestic abuse
- Female genital mutilation
- Grooming
- Historical abuse
- Online abuse
Safeguarding children is defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 as:
- Protecting children from maltreatment.
- Preventing impairment of children’s health or development.
- Ensuring that children are growing up in the circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.
- Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England. A summary of the key legislation can be found in (nspcc.org.uk/learning).
The purpose of this policy statement is to:
- Take the practical steps to ensure the protection of children from all harm, discrimination and inappropriate treatment whilst respecting their rights, wishes and feelings; this includes the children of adults who use our services.
- Provide staff and volunteers, as well as children and young people and their families, with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.
- Ensure that the appropriate action is enforced in the event of an incident or concern relating to the abuse or neglect of a young person, and that appropriate support is provided for the individual reporting the matter. All concerns or allegations of poor practise or abuse shall be kept confidential and dealt with immediately. It is the responsibility of child protection experts to determine whether or not abuse has taken place, but it is everyone’s responsibility to report it.
We recognise that:
- The welfare of children is vital in all the work which we do and in all the decisions we take.
- 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.
- Working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers, and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.
This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of Yanafella, including all paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff and students. Failure to comply with the policy and related procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the organisation.
Training and awareness
Yanafella will ensure an appropriate level of safeguarding training is available to its Trustees, Employees, Volunteers and any relevant persons linked to the organisation which requires it (e.g. contractors).
For all employees who are working or volunteering with children, this requires them as a minimum to have awareness training that enables them to:
- Understand what safeguarding is and their role in safeguarding children.
- Recognise a child who is potentially in need of safeguarding and take action.
- Understand how to report a safeguarding Alert.
- Understand dignity and respect when working with children.
- Know about the Safeguarding Children Policy.
Confidentiality and Information Sharing
Yanafella expects all employees, volunteers and trustees to maintain confidentiality. Information will only be shared in line with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection.
However, the information will be shared with the Local Authority if a child is deemed to be at risk of harm. The police must be contacted if a child is in immediate danger, or a crime has been committed.
Safe Recruitment & Selection
Yanafella is committed to safe employment and safe recruitment practices, that reduce the risk of harm to children from people unsuitable to work with them or have contact with them. All staff and volunteers who are employed to work with children at Yanafella shall be required to undergo a thorough Disclosure and Barring Service.
Code of conduct
All employees and volunteers should be aware of the code of conduct for behaviour towards the children we support.
Use of Mobile Phones and other Digital Technology
All employees, trustees and volunteers should be aware of Yanafella policy and procedures regarding the use of mobile phones and any digital technology and understand that it is unlawful to photograph children and young people without the explicit consent of the person with parental responsibilities
Whistleblowing
People within Yanafella must have the confidence to come forward to speak or act if they are unhappy with anything. Whistleblowing occurs when a person raises a concern about dangerous or illegal activity or any wrongdoing within their organisation towards staff or service users. This includes concerns about another employee or volunteer.
Yanafella officer contact details:
Bonani Mapundu
07895128741
bonani@yanafella.com (Confidential email)