Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy

1. Policy Statement
All people, whatever their age, culture, disability, language, racial heritage, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, identity, background, abilities or circumstances, have the right to protection from all types of harm and abuse.

We at Inclusive Bytes recognise our responsibility to safeguard and protect the wellbeing of all people but especially children, young people and vulnerable adults.

This policy applies to all staff, including the board of directors, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff, students or anyone working on behalf of Inclusive Bytes.

The purpose of this policy is:

To provide protection and promote welfare for any children, young people and vulnerable adults that we work with.
To provide our staff and volunteers with guidance on what to do if they have any concerns.
2. Designated Safeguarding Person
The Designated Safeguarding Person at Inclusive Bytes is Andy Powell, who is one of our Directors. You can contact him by email on [email protected] or by phone on 07904 765331 (see also section 8, Contact Details).

The role of the Designated Safeguarding Person is to:

ensure that all staff and volunteers adhere to this policy.
provide advice on matters regarding safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults.
liaise with the appropriate local agencies and services about suspected or actual cases of abuse (for a list of appropriate local agencies and services see section 7, Useful Contacts).
3. Safe Working Practices
All our staff and volunteers are responsible for following the guidance outlined in this policy:

Promote safe practices by being a good role model.
Treat all people equally with respect and dignity.
Share information appropriately with others and recognise that there are times when confidentiality is essential.
When planning any public event, ensure that risk assessments take into account the safety of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Always work in an open environment, avoid private or unobserved situations and maintain a safe and appropriate distance from service users.
Recognise what abuse is and when it is taking place.
Know how to report any concerns about abuse or poor practice.
Keep up to date with your training, qualifications and insurance.
4. Procedures — What to Do
4.1 What to do if you suspect a child, young person or vulnerable adult is being abused
If you suspect that a child, young person or vulnerable adult is being abused, you should seek advice from the Designated Safeguarding Person who will help you decide what further action should be taken.

All staff and volunteers of Inclusive Bytes need to be aware of, and have contact details for, the Designated Safeguarding Person (see section 8).

4.2 What to do if someone discloses abuse to you
Stay calm and reassure the person that they were right to tell you.
Listen carefully but do not press for information.
Don’t ask about explicit details.
Reassure but do not promise confidentiality, explain that you will have to share this information with other professionals who will help.
Let the person know what will happen next.
Make a full and written record of what was said as soon as possible, using their own words (see Safeguarding Incidents / Observation Log).
Inform the Designated Safeguarding Person straight away.
4.3 What to do if you have witnessed a child, young person or vulnerable adult being abused
Seek medical advice if required.
Make a full and written record of what you have seen as soon as possible (see Safeguarding Incidents / Observation Log).
Inform the Designated Safeguarding Person straight away.
4.4 What to do if you receive information about alleged or potential abuse
It is not the responsibility of Inclusive Bytes staff or volunteers to investigate allegations of abuse or to decide whether abuse has taken place.

All suspicions, allegations and disclosures of abuse must be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Person, or in their absence, to one of the other Directors (see section 8, Contact Details).

If you have any concerns that this guidance is not being followed you must contact the Designated Safeguarding Person or one of the other Directors.

5. Safe Recruitment
5.1 When recruiting staff and volunteers, it is the responsibility of Inclusive Bytes to:

Assess what level of contact the job role requires with children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Ensure that staff have the competencies required for the role.
Check identification as necessary – e.g. address, qualifications, criminal convictions.
Make sure that appropriate safeguarding checks, including DBS checks, are done as required.
Ensure that staff and volunteers understand their responsibilities with regards to safe working practices.
Make sure that staff and volunteers undertake appropriate safeguarding training.
Ensure that all staff and volunteers adopt and abide by the appropriate safeguarding practices and procedures outlined in this document.
Make sure that all staff and volunteers have access to safeguarding policies and procedures.
Ensure that staff and volunteers have access to other related policies and procedures, such as grievance and disciplinary procedures.
5.2 Standard DBS checks are appropriate for staff and volunteers who occasionally work with groups of children, young people or vulnerable adults. Enhanced DBS checks should be done where there is regular or lone contact with children, young people or vulnerable adults.

5.3 A person who is barred from working with children, young people or vulnerable adults will be breaking the law if they work or volunteer, or try to work or volunteer, with those groups.

6. Raising Concerns about Poor Practice
6.1 Raising concerns about poor practice within a group or organisation you work with
All concerns about poor practice relating to safeguarding should be discussed with the Designated Safeguarding Person. Where necessary, the Designated Safeguarding Person will seek advice from an appropriate organisation (see section 7, Useful Contacts).

6.2 Raising concerns about poor practice within Inclusive Bytes
All concerns about poor practice relating to safeguarding within Inclusive Bytes should be discussed with the Designated Safeguarding Person. If you are not comfortable doing this, you can discuss your concerns with any of the other Directors (see section 8, Contact Details). For further information please have a look at our Whistleblowing Policy.

7. Useful Contacts
Greater Manchester Police
www.gmp.police.uk
Emergency – call 999
Non emergency enquiries – call 101

NSPCC Child Protection Helpline
www.nspcc.org.uk
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0808 800 5000 (24 hours)

Domestic Abuse Helpline
Tel: 0800 328 0967

Oldham
Oldham Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
Tel: 0161 770 7777 (during office hours) or 0161 770 6936 (outside office hours)

Oldham Safeguarding Children Partnership
www.olscb.org

Oldham Safeguarding Adults Board
www.osab.org.uk

Tameside
Tameside Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
Tel: 0161 342 4101 (during office hours) or 0161 342 2222 (outside office hours)

Tameside Safeguarding Children’s Board
www.tameside.gov.uk/tscp

Tameside Adults Safeguarding Partnership Board
www.tameside.gov.uk/socialcare/adultabuse

Rochdale
Rochdale Children’s Social Care
Tel: 0300 303 0440 (during office hours) or 0300 303 8875 (outside office hours)

Rochdale Adult Care
Tel: 0300 303 8886 (during office hours) or 0300 303 8875 (outside office hours)

Rochdale Borough Safeguarding
www.rochdalesafeguarding.com

8. Contact Details
The Designated Safeguarding Person for Inclusive Bytes is Andy Powell.