Introduction:

Genesis Sun abides by the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people and is committed to safeguarding practice that reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice requirements.

• We recognise the welfare of children is paramount in all the work 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.

Statement of intent:

Genesis Sun commits to:

• Safeguarding the welfare of all service users by ensuring child protection guidelines are adhered to at all times
• Ensure all staff and volunteers (as well as children and their families/care givers), are made aware of our safeguarding policy and receive adequate training and support on a regular basis
• Follow the required process to share information about concerns with the relevant agencies and will involve parents and children appropriately
• Apply a robust and thorough recruitment process to select staff and volunteers, and ensure appropriate security checks are carried out
• Provide a safe environment for the individuals who receive Genesis Sun’s services, ensuring they are protected from harm.

This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of Genesis Sun, including senior managers and the board, 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.

How the intent will be actioned:

We will endeavour to safeguard children and young people by:

• Adopting child protection guidelines through a code of behaviour for staff and volunteers (see Training and Awareness section)
• Sharing information about child protection and good practice with children, parents, staff and volunteers.
• Sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know, and involving parents and children appropriately.
• Carefully following the procedures for recruitment and selection of staff and volunteers
• Providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support and training

Definitions:

The Children Act 1989 definition of a child is: anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday, even if they are living independently, are a member of the armed forces or are in hospital.

Adult at Risk:

• An adult who has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs),
• is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, and
• as a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.

Child and Adult Abuse: Children and adults 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 4 main categories of abuse, which are: sexual, physical, emotional abuse, and neglect. It is important 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: 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 circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Legal Framework:

This policy has been drawn up based on legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England. A summary of the key legislation is available from nspcc.org.uk/learning.

Genesis Sun have arrangements in place that reflect the importance of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people as well as vulnerable adults.

The Prevent duty

Some organisations in England, Scotland and Wales have a duty, as a specified authority under section 26 of the Counterterrorism and Security Act 2015, to identify vulnerable children and young people and prevent them from being drawn into terrorism. This is known as the Prevent duty. These organisations include:

• Schools
• Registered childcare providers
• Local authorities
• Police
• Prisons and probation services
• NHS trusts and foundations.
• Other organisations may also have Prevent duties if they perform delegated local authority functions.

Children can be exposed to different views and receive information from various sources. Some of these views may be considered radical or extreme.

Radicalisation is the process through which a person comes to support or be involved in extremist ideologies. It can result in a person becoming drawn into terrorism and is, in itself a form of harm.

Extremism is vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

Training and Awareness:

Genesis Sun will ensure an appropriate level of safeguarding training is available to its Board members, Employees, Volunteers and any relevant persons linked to the organisation who 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 potentially in need of safeguarding and take action
• Understand how to report a safeguarding Alert
• Understand dignity and respect when working with children
• Have knowledge of the Safeguarding Children Policy.

Similarly, employees and volunteers may encounter concerns about the safety and wellbeing of an adult at risk of abuse.

Confidentiality and Information Sharing:

Genesis Sun expects all employees, volunteers and board members to maintain confidentiality.  Information will only be shared in line with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection.

However, information should be shared with the Local Authority if a child is deemed to be at risk of harm or contact the police if they are in immediate danger, or a crime has been committed.

Recording and Record Keeping:

A written record must be kept about any concern regarding any child, young person or adult with safeguarding needs. This must include details of the person involved, the nature of the concern and the actions taken, decision made and why they were made.

All records must be signed and dated. All records must be securely and confidentially stored in line with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

Safe Recruitment & Selection:

Genesis Sun 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.

Social Media:

Employees and volunteers should be aware of Genesis Sun social media policy and procedures and the code of conduct for behaviour towards the children we support.

Use of Mobile Phones and other Digital Technology:

All employees, board members and volunteers should be aware of Genesis Sun 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.

Important Contacts:

 

Senior Lead for Safeguarding
Name: Diane Spence
Email address: hello@genesissun.co.uk

 

Police
Emergency – 999
Non-emergency – 101

 

NSPCC Helpline
0808 800 5000