Evolve Children’s Therapy Services Ltd abides by the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and adults, and is committed to safeguarding practice that reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice requirements.
We recognise the welfare of children and adults is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take
All people, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation has an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse
Some people 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.
Purpose:
Evolve Children’s Therapy Services Ltd will:
Protect children and young people who receive Evolve Children’s Therapy Services Ltd’ services from harm. This includes the children of adults who use our services
Provide staff and volunteers, as well as children and young people and their families, with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.
This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of Evolve Children’s Therapy Services Ltd. Failure to comply with the policy and related procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the organisation.
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 is 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 on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England. A summary of the key legislation is available from nspcc.org.uk/learning.
Evolve Children’s Therapy Services Ltd should have in place arrangements 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:
Evolve Children’s Therapy Services Ltd request that therapists have an appropriate level of safeguarding training 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.
Evolve Therapists are self employed but required to read yearly updates for Keeping Children Safe in education.
Confidentiality and Information Sharing:
Evolve Children’s Therapy Services Ltd expects all employees, contracted therapists and volunteers 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 an 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:
Evolve Children’s Therapy Services Ltd 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. All therapists working within Evolve Children’s Therapy Services Ltd will have an up to date Enhanced DBS Clearance Certificate
Social Media:
All therapists working with Evolve Children’s Therapy Services Ltd should not reference any children, young adults or adults we support, in any social media posts.
Use of Mobile Phones and other Digital Technology:
All therapists working with Evolve Children’s Therapy Services Ltd should be aware that it is forbidden to photograph children and young people without the explicit consent of the person with parental responsibilities.
Whistleblowing:
It is important that people within Evolve Children’s Therapy Services Ltd have the confidence to come forward to speak or act if they are unhappy with anything. Whistle blowing occurs when a person raises a concern about dangerous or illegal activity, or any wrong- doing within their organisation. This includes concerns about another employee or volunteer.
Important Contacts:
Designated Safeguarding Officer for Evolve Children’s Therapy Services Ltd
Corinna Laurie
info@evolve-cts.com
Police
Emergency – 999
Non-emergency – 101
NSPCC Helpline
0808 800 5000
Last Reviewed – 06/06/2024