Safeguarding Policy

This is a summarized policy, to download our full Safeguarding Policy please follow this link.

Purpose and Scope

This policy applies to all staff, including senior managers and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers and sessional workers, agency staff, students or anyone working on behalf of IVE.

The purpose of this policy:

To protect children, young people and adults at risk who receive IVE’s services. This includes

the children of adults who use our services.

To provide staff and volunteers with the overarching principles that guide our approach to safeguarding and child protection.
IVE believes that a child, young person or adult at risk should never experience abuse of any kind.
A child or young person is anyone under the age of 18
An adult at risk (previously known in the past as ‘vulnerable adult’), is an adult who has care and support needs’, which may include people:
- who are older
- with a physical or learning disability or a sensory impairment,
- with mental health needs, including dementia or a personality disorder,
- with a long-term health condition, who misuses substances or alcohol to the extent that it affects their ability to manage day-to-day living,
- who are carers, providing unpaid care to a family member or friend.

The definition of adults which local Safeguarding Partnerships seeks to protect is from the Care Act 2014 which became law on the 1st April 2015.

The safeguarding adult duties apply to any person aged 18 years or over who:
- has needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those needs) and;
- is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect; and
- as a result of those care and support needs is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse or neglect.

IVE have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk and to keep them safe. We are committed to practice in a way that protects them. To that end we will;

Appoint Sarah Mumford as our Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) for children, young people and adults at risk with Chris Strong as Deputy.
Adopt child protection and safeguarding practices through procedures and a code of conduct for staff and volunteers
Develop, implement and regularly update an effective e-safety policy and related procedure
Provide effective management for staff and volunteers through induction, supervision, support, training (including annual refresher training in relation to this policy) and quality assurance measures
Recruit staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made. See our Safer Recruitment Policy
Record and store information professionally and securely, and share information about safeguarding and good practice with children, their families, adults at risk, staff and volunteers via leaflets, posters, one-to-one discussions as appropriate
Use our safeguarding procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, involving children, young people, adults at risk, parents, families and carers appropriately
Use our policies and procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately
Create and maintain an anti-bullying environment and ensure we have a policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying that does arise. See our Bullying and Harassment policy
Ensure that we have effective complaints and Whistleblowing measures in place
Ensure that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, adults at risk, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures (including Risk Assessments) in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance
Promote a commitment to safeguarding and a culture of vigilance to ensure all children, young people and adults at risk feel safe

Legal framework

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of law and guidance that seeks to protect children, young people and adults at risk namely:

Children Act 1989
United Convention of the Rights of the Child 1991
Data Protection Act 1998
Human Rights Act 1998
Sexual Offences Act 2003
Education Act 2002
The Mental Capacity Act 2005
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
The Equality Act 2010
Protection of Freedom Act 2012
Children and Families Act 2014
Special education needs and disability (SEND) code of practice: 0 to 25 years - Statutory guidance for organisations which work with and support children and young people who have special educational needs or disabilities; HM Government 2014
The Care Act 2014
Information sharing: Advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers; HM Government 2015
Working together to safeguarding children: a guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; HM Government 2015
Data Protection Act 2018
The Childcare (Disqualification) Regulation 2018
Guidance for Safer Working Practices 2019
Keeping Children Safe in Education DfE 2022
Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges DfE Sept 2021