Safeguarding

Scope

This policy applies to all Esolperth Board members, employees, volunteers, other stakeholders.

Definitions

• A child is anyone who has not yet reached the age of 18 years.
• A vulnerable adult is someone aged 18 years or over who is, or may be for any reason, unable to take care of themself, or unable to protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation.

Policy Principles

Any Esolperth employee or volunteer who works directly with children in their role is required to undergo a check through the PVG (Protection of Vulnerable Groups) Scheme as part of their induction process. Employees and volunteers who do not work directly with children on a regular and/or unsupervised basis, but only with adults (including vulnerable adults), are not required for this check. Esolperth does require these volunteers/employees to adhere to our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policies and procedures and our Code of Conduct.

If someone’s role were to change, resulting in direct contact with children as part of their role, PVG checks would then be required.

Esolperth actively advises staff members to avoid any situation where they are alone with a child or adult who they have reasonable grounds for believing could be vulnerable.

Esolperth will provide information to staff on recognising the signs of abuse and the procedure to follow if, in good faith, they have reason to believe a child or vulnerable adult may be at risk of harm, or they receive an allegation about possible abuse. This policy highlights Esolperth’s duty to record and report the matter internally and notify the appropriate statutory authorities.

Recruitment

Esolperth is committed to a safe recruitment process which is managed by a member of the Esolperth administrative team. Esolperth requires 2 references from previous and/or current employers and will conduct appropriate background checks, as and when required by law.

How to respond to abuse

Policing of children and vulnerable adults or investigating allegations is not the role of Esolperth. However, Esolperth staff should ensure that any concerns raised or observed are dealt with in a timely manner. Esolperth understands abuse to be the term which describes all the ways in which a child or a vulnerable adult’s development and wellbeing are damaged by the actions or in-actions of others. Abuse can include physical, emotional, sexual, or financial abuse and neglect.

Esolperth employees/volunteers must understand how to recognise signs of abuse in children and vulnerable adults, and Appendix 1 is provided as a reference point explaining what the many different types of abuse can be and what these can include.

Esolperth staff will be guided by the following principles when communicating with children and vulnerable adults:

• Listening to what children and vulnerable adults might say and taking what they say seriously.
• If a child or vulnerable adult has disclosed information that indicates the child or vulnerable adult is suffering or has suffered abuse, this must be disclosed to someone that can help in accordance with this policy. *Promises to keep information secret can never be given.*
• Confidentiality is of utmost importance. Information relevant to the alleged abuse should only be disclosed to the necessary persons.
• Concerns and allegations of abuse that may arise during contact with children or vulnerable adults will be taken seriously by Esolperth and responded to appropriately.

The following steps shall be taken by Esolperth employees/volunteers when they are concerned about a potential instance of abuse:

• The individual will report the incident to the Centre Manager (Linda El-Miligy, on 07427689797) or the Designated Child Protection Officer (Jess Jack at esolperthca@gmail.com).
• The Centre Manager or DCPO will be responsible for informing any relevant persons and determining the appropriate course of action, including deciding whether to contact the parents or carers of the individual concerned, local social work services or the police.
• In an emergency and where neither the Centre Manager or the DCPO are available, and the individual considers that the child or vulnerable adult is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm as a result of the incident, the individual should contact one of the following services
• If immediate danger is suspected, then call 999
• If it is not an emergency call 101 or visit a police station
• Contact the local social work department: ChildProtection@pkc.gov.uk or by phone (24 hours) on 01738 476768

Records

Esolperth will record any incident, disclosure or observation relevant to the abuse or potential abuse of a child or vulnerable adult, including the date and time of any incident, the time of any disclosure and if a referral is made to an outside agency. A record of all such incidents will be kept in a locked filing cabinet in the Esolperth office.

Training

All employees and volunteers of Esolperth are required to take part in a basic Safeguarding course offered by Perth & Kinross Council (details to be provided at induction). This training should be reviewed annually. The training is designed so that staff members understand the minimum requirements, relating to safeguarding, for organisations working with children and vulnerable adults.

Esolperth will provide additional training to the roles where they believe it would be necessary in accordance with the principles set out in this policy or where it might be helpful for fulfilling additional projects within the centre, or if a staff member’s role changes in any way that would require further training.