The Valley Project is fully committed to the welfare of all children and young people (CYP). It recognises its responsibility to take all reasonable steps to promote safe practice and to protect children from harm, abuse and exploitation.

The Valley Project acknowledges its duty to act appropriately to any allegations, reports or suspicions of abuse.

Paid staff and volunteers will endeavour to work together to encourage the development of an ethos which embraces difference and diversity and respects the rights of CYP and adults.

In implementing this child protection policy The Valley Project will:

• Ensure all staff and volunteers have been through The Valley Project safe recruitment procedures found in their employment handbooks, and have a current enhanced DBS check.

• Ensure all workers understand their legal and moral responsibility to protect CYP from harm, abuse and exploitation.

• Ensure all workers understand their responsibility to work to the standards detailed in these Child Protection Procedures and work at all times towards maintaining high standards of practice, through staff induction, effective management, supervision and training provided by this organisation. All workers will undertake a Basic Safeguarding Awareness training which should be reviewed every 3 years.

• Provide opportunities for all workers to develop skills and knowledge particularly in relation to the welfare and protection of CYP

• Ensure all workers understand their duty to report concerns that arise about a child or young person, or workers conduct towards a child/young person, to the organisation’s named person for child protection: Steven McHugh.

• Ensure the named person understands his/her responsibility to refer any child protection concerns to the statutory child protection agencies

• Ensure any procedures relating to the conduct of workers are implemented in a consistent and equitable manner

• Ensure CYP are enabled to express their ideas and views on a wide range of issues and will have access to the organisations Complaints Procedure.

• Ensure parents/carers are encouraged to be involved in the work of the organisation and when requested, have access to all guidelines and procedures.

• Endeavour to keep up-to-date with national developments relating to the welfare and protection of CYP.

 

The Valley Project works with CYP providing a range of after school and holiday play activities, these procedures have been designed to ensure the welfare and protection of any child and/or young person who accesses the services provided by The Valley Project.

The Valley Project is committed to the belief that protecting CYP is everybody’s responsibility and therefore the aim here is to provide guidelines that will enable all workers and volunteers to act appropriately to any concerns that arise in respect of a child/young person.

 

Recognising the signs and symptoms of abuse

Risks you must be alert to include:

• Emotional or psychological abuse

• Neglect

• Physical abuse

• Sexual harassment and abuse

• Domestic Abuse

• Online Harms,

• Bullying or Harassment

• Economic Abuse

• Commercial Exploitation

• Exploitation (Criminal and Sexual)

• Radicalisation and Extremism

• Controlling or Coercive behaviour

• Forced Marriage

• Female Genital Mutilation

• Honor based violence

• Child Trafficking and Modern Slavery

• Self-Neglect

• Child on child abuse

• Grooming

• Health and Safety

• discrimination on any of the grounds in the Equality Act 2010

The Valley Project will ensure the named person undertakes training to gain a basic awareness of the signs and symptoms of child abuse.

How concerns about a child or young person’s safety can come to light

• A child or young person alleges abuse has taken place or they feel unsafe

• A third party or anonymous allegation is received

• A child or young person’s appearance, behaviour, play, drawing or statements cause suspicion of abuse and/or neglect

• A child or young person reposts and incident(s) of alleged abuse which occurred some time ago

• A report is made regarding the serious misconduct of a worker towards a child or young person

 

 

What to do:

The Valley Project recognises it has a duty to act on reports or suspicions of abuse. It also acknowledges taking action in cases of child abuse is never easy. However, The Valley Project believes the safety of the child should override any doubts or hesitations. When worrying changes are observed in a child’s or young persons’ behaviour, physical condition or appearance staff will talk to a child about what they are observing.

Stage 1

Receive: suggest you go to a quiet place to talk. Listen to the child/young person and accept what they are telling you. Encourage the child/young person to allow another person to be present. It is okay to ask questions e.g. ‘I notice you don’t appear to be yourself today’ is everything ok? And you can ask them to clarify what they have said. You can ask questions such as ‘Tell me a bit more…’ ‘can you explain that…’ or ‘can you describe….’

But NEVER ask leading questions (investigative) e.g. ‘was his hair brown, ‘what was her name?’ (or this conversation could be deemed as ‘the interview’ and a child can only be ‘interviewed’ once with regards to a disclosure and this should be left to a professionally qualified person at Bradford Social Care.

REASSURE: stay calm and reassure them they have done the right thing. Do not
promise confidentiality. Explain you may need to share what they are telling so you can help them. Reassure them they are not to blame for what they have told you.

REACT: Explain what you have to do next. Do not pass judgement or show shock or disquiet.

RECORD: record what was said as soon as possible after any disclosure (it is important to record the same language/words used by the child). Note any signs or injuries and any behaviour. The person who receives the allegation or has the concern should complete the organisations pro-forma and ensure it is signed and dated on each page.

Respect confidentiality and file documents securely.

SUPPORT: offer support to the child/young person throughout this process. Make sure the child or young person will be safe. Get support for yourself through your organisation.

Notify the nominated Named Person or their Deputy of the disclosure immediately or contact the police if no-one from your organisation is available and you believe a child/young person to be in immediate danger.

Named Person for child protection concerns:

The Valley Project has appointed Steven McHugh as the individual responsible for dealing with any child protection concerns. In their absence, a deputy (Laura Bowen) will be available for workers to consult with. These individuals will be trained in child protection procedures.

 

Steven McHugh Contact Details: 07873630950 or steve@thevalleyproject.co.uk

 

The Valley Project have also appointed a Designated Safeguarding Trustee, Liz Robinson who can be contacted if all other lines of communication have been exhausted.

 

Liz Robinson Contact Details: liz@step2.org.uk

The roles and responsibilities of named person:

• To ensure all staff and volunteers are aware of what they should do and who they should go to if they are concerned that a child/young person may be subject to abuse or neglect.

• To ensure any concerns about a child/young person are acted on, clearly recorded, referred on where necessary and, followed up to ensure the issues are addressed.

• To record any reported incidents in relation to a child/young person or breach of Child Protection policies and procedures. This will be kept in a secure place and its content will be confidential.

 

Stage 2

The named person(s) will take immediate action if there is a suspicion that a child has been abused or likely to be abused and will contact:

• Bradford Children’s Social Care Initial Contact Point: 01274 435600 Monday – Thursday 8.30 am – 5pm and up to 4.30pm on Friday’s N.B if a referral is made by telephone it must be followed up in writing immediately

• The named person(s) can also seek advice and clarity about a child protection concern if they are unsure if a referral should be made from the Bradford Area Safeguarding Unit: 01274 434343

• At all other times contact the EMERGENCY DUTY TEAM: 01274 431010

• IF YOU BELIEVE A CHILD IS AT IMMEDIATE RISK OF HARM CONTACT THE POLICE 999

Bradford safeguarding Children’s Board (BSCB) is responsible for safeguarding children and young people in the District. See their website for more information on inter-agency procedures and FREE safeguarding training and advice. N.B Protecting CYP is everone’s responsibility to do nothing is dangerous and can result in serious harm to CYP and in breach The Valley Project of policy and procedures.

 

Staff Recruitment

 

All staff and volunteers working at The Valley Project have completed an enhanced DBS check.  This check is renewed at least every 3 years.

 

The Valley Project’s recruitment procedures include application and interview, rigorous reference checks, checking of ID, DBS checks and induction before employment.

 

 

Managing Allegations Made Against a Member of Staff or Volunteers

The Valley Project will ensure that any allegation made against members of staff will be dealt with swiftly and in accordance with the following procedures.

• The co-worker must ensure the child is safe and away from the person against whom the allegation is made.

• The Designated Named Person at The Valley Project should be informed immediately.  In the event of the allegation being made against the named person the report should be made directly to a senior member of staff.

• The Designated Named Person should contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) who is based at the Child Protection Unit for advice on how to proceed with the immediate situation. 01274 434343

• The individual who first received / witnessed the concern should make a full written record of what was seen, heard and/or told as soon as possible after observing the incident/receiving the report. It is important that the report is an accurate description and is signed and dated.

• The named person can support the worker through this process but must not complete the report for the worker. This report must be made available on request from either the police and/or social services.

• Regardless of whether a police/social services investigation takes place and consideration is given to the operation of disciplinary procedures. This may involve an immediate suspension and/or ultimate dismissal, dependent on the nature of the incident.

• Duty of care to child/young person: the co-worker or named person should follow up what happened to the referral they made if they do not hear back from Bradford Social Care.

 

 

Recording and Managing Confidential information

Suspected abuse/harm/neglect pro forma; forms available in the office please see Designated Named Person.

The Valley Project in line with our data protection policy has a commitment to managing confidential information safely, and any personal information regarding child protection will be stored in locked cabinet and accessed only by authorised individuals.

 

 

When a Safeguarding Concern Needs to be referred to the Trustees

 

Instances when a safeguarding concern needs to be referred to and/or discussed with our charity Trustees:

• When the safeguarding concern occurs within The Valley Project site/sessions

• When any staff member is involved (within The Valley Project or outside)

• When the police need to be involved

 

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT

 

What is abuse and neglect: Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting, by those known to them or, more rarely by a stranger for example, via the internet. They may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.

Physical abuse: physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent/carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

Emotional Abuse: emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued on insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or making fun of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond the
child’s developmental capability, as well as over protection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyber-bullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.

Sexual abuse: sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching, outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving CYP in looking at, or the production of sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet) Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse as can other children.

Neglect: neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s healthy development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to:

• Provide adequate food and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment)

• Protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger

• Ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers)

• Ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.

It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs