Child Protection & Safeguarding
Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy
Waymakers CIC is committed to creating and maintaining a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for all children and young people who engage in sessions we run.
We recognise our responsibility to safeguard their wellbeing and protect them from harm, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Waymakers is a community-based, out-of-school setting rather than a school or education provider. We follow relevant safeguarding legislation and guidance and seek to work in accordance with the safeguarding arrangements and referral pathways in our local area.
This policy sets out how we meet our responsibilities in relation to child protection and safeguarding, and how we respond to concerns in a clear, respectful and child-centred way. We all have a collective responsibility for creating a culture in which children and young people, families, staff and volunteers feel safe and able to speak up if they have any concerns.
Scope
This policy applies to all staff, facilitators, volunteers, trustees and anyone working on behalf of Waymakers CIC.
It applies to all activities and interactions involving children and young people under the age of 18, whether online or in person.
Our Commitment
Waymakers CIC will:
Promote the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people, including those who are neurodivergent, disabled or may otherwise be particularly vulnerable to harm.
Ensure staff and volunteers understand their safeguarding responsibilities and know how to raise concerns.
Maintain clear procedures for reporting, recording and responding to safeguarding concerns.
Recruit staff and volunteers safely, including appropriate checks and references for the role they are undertaking.
Provide appropriate safeguarding training to staff and volunteers.
Respect and uphold children's rights to dignity, voice, participation and, wherever possible, autonomy and choice.
Work in partnership with children, parents and carers and relevant safeguarding agencies where appropriate.
Take concerns seriously and respond proportionately, promptly and in the best interests of the child.
Designated Safeguarding Lead
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is:
Name: Helen
Role: DSL – Safeguarding Lead, Waymakers CIC
Contact: helen@waymakerscambridge.co.uk
Deputy DSL:
Kristy
The DSL is responsible for:
Acting as a first point of contact for safeguarding concerns.
Ensuring that this policy is followed and reviewed.
Providing advice and support to staff and volunteers where safeguarding concerns arise.
Liaising with relevant statutory agencies where needed.
Ensuring staff and volunteers receive appropriate safeguarding information and training.
Maintaining appropriate safeguarding records.
If the DSL is unavailable, concerns should be raised with the Deputy DSL. If neither is available and there is an immediate concern about a child's safety, staff should take appropriate action directly, including contacting the relevant safeguarding service or police where necessary.
Recognising Abuse and Safeguarding Concerns
Abuse can take many forms and children may not always show obvious signs that something is wrong.
Staff and volunteers should be alert to concerns including:
Physical abuse
Emotional or psychological abuse
Sexual abuse and exploitation
Neglect
Domestic abuse or exposure to domestic abuse
Child criminal or sexual exploitation
Grooming
Online abuse or exploitation
Bullying, including cyberbullying
Harmful or abusive behaviour between children
Radicalisation or other forms of exploitation
Concerns about a child's mental or emotional wellbeing where these may indicate a safeguarding risk
This list is not exhaustive.
A safeguarding concern may arise because of something a child tells us, something we observe, something another person tells us, or a change in a child's presentation or circumstances.
Concerns should be taken seriously even where the information is incomplete or the adult is unsure what may be happening.
Responding to a Disclosure or Concern
If a child tells an adult about something that may indicate a safeguarding concern, the adult should:
Listen calmly and take the child seriously.
Allow the child to speak in their own words.
Avoid leading questions or attempting to investigate what has happened.
Reassure the child that they have done the right thing by speaking up.
Explain, where appropriate, that the information may need to be shared with other people whose role is to help keep them safe.
Record the concern as soon as possible, using the child's own words where possible.
Pass the concern to the DSL as soon as possible.
Staff and volunteers should not promise to keep safeguarding information secret or confidential.
They should also avoid asking the child to repeat their account unnecessarily.
If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
If you are worried that a child may be at risk of harm, report the concern to the DSL as soon as possible. You do not need to decide whether the concern meets a particular safeguarding threshold before reporting it. If in doubt, pass it on.
The DSL will consider the information, seek advice where appropriate, and decide whether further action or a referral to Children's Social Care, the police or another safeguarding agency is needed.
Where the DSL considers that a referral is necessary, this should not be delayed simply because further information might be helpful.
Recording and Information Sharing
Safeguarding concerns, disclosures, decisions and actions taken will be recorded appropriately and stored securely.
Records should be factual and distinguish between what was observed, what was reported and any professional judgement or action taken.
Information will be shared only where there is a lawful and appropriate basis for doing so, with the aim of protecting children and promoting their welfare.
Safeguarding information may need to be shared without parental consent where this is necessary to protect a child or where the law permits or requires information to be shared.
Staff and volunteers should not assume that concerns must remain within Waymakers. Where a concern meets the threshold for external safeguarding involvement, the DSL will contact the appropriate agency.
Concerns About Adults Working With Children
Waymakers takes concerns about the behaviour or conduct of any adult working or volunteering with children seriously.
This includes staff, facilitators, volunteers, trustees, contractors and other adults involved in Waymakers activities.
If an allegation or concern arises that an adult working or volunteering with children may have:
harmed a child;
committed an offence against or related to a child;
behaved in a way that may have harmed a child;
behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm; or
otherwise acted in a way that raises a concern about their suitability to work with children,
this must be reported immediately to the DSL and must not be investigated internally by the person receiving the concern.
The DSL will seek appropriate advice and, where the criteria are met, ensure that the matter is referred to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) within the required timescale. Children's Social Care and/or the police will also be contacted where appropriate.
If the concern is about the DSL, it should be reported to the Deputy DSL or directly to the LADO as appropriate.
Waymakers will take appropriate steps to protect children while a concern is being considered and will follow relevant local procedures.
Code of Conduct for Staff and Volunteers
All adults working with children at Waymakers CIC must:
Prioritise safety and wellbeing in all activities.
Treat children and young people with respect, compassion and fairness.
Respect children's rights to privacy, choice and autonomy wherever possible.
Maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
Use communication and physical contact appropriately and proportionately.
Avoid behaviour that could reasonably be considered inappropriate or that could place a child or adult at unnecessary risk.
Never use physical punishment or degrading treatment.
Never ask a child to keep a secret about an interaction or concern.
Report safeguarding concerns promptly.
Follow Waymakers' safer working practices.
Follow relevant risk assessments and agreed supervision arrangements.
Staffing and supervision arrangements will be based on the number and ages of participants, the activity, the environment and individual needs or risks. Waymakers will ensure that appropriate safeguarding oversight and suitably trained adults are available for the activities being undertaken.
Where a situation requires an adult to provide individual support to a child, this should be done in a way that is appropriate to the child's needs and maintains appropriate safeguarding boundaries.
Online Safety
Waymakers CIC recognises the importance of safeguarding children in digital spaces and will apply the same safeguarding expectations to online activity as to in-person activity.
Where Waymakers uses online platforms or digital communication, we will:
Use secure and age-appropriate platforms for any online activities or sessions.
Maintain appropriate professional boundaries between adults and children.
Use agreed communication channels rather than private or secret communication with children.
Ensure that parents or carers are appropriately involved in online interactions between children and Waymakers facilitators where this is relevant to the activity.
Use secure and appropriate channels when communicating with parents and carers about sessions.
When sharing updates in communications that can be seen by other participants' parents, use only anonymised images and young people's initials where appropriate and in accordance with our privacy arrangements.
Consider privacy, consent and safeguarding when sharing photographs, videos or other information about children and young people.
Never use online communication to establish inappropriate or secret relationships with children or young people.
Respond to online safeguarding concerns in the same way as other safeguarding concerns.
Working in Partnership With Families
We value the role of families and carers and seek to build trusting, collaborative relationships.
We will:
Make our safeguarding arrangements available to families.
Encourage parents and carers to raise concerns with us.
Work with families when planning support for individual children where appropriate.
Share safeguarding information with parents or carers where it is safe and appropriate to do so.
Recognise that there may be circumstances where information cannot be shared with a parent or carer because doing so could increase the risk to a child.
We recognise that parents and carers may sometimes be present during Waymakers activities, including when helping a child to settle. Any parent or carer undertaking a more formal role working directly with children will be subject to appropriate arrangements for that role, including checks or training where required.
Safer Recruitment and Checks
Waymakers aims to recruit people who are suitable to work with children and young people.
Depending on the role, this may include:
appropriate references;
consideration of employment or volunteering history;
safeguarding discussions as part of recruitment;
appropriate DBS checks;
safeguarding training;
consideration of any relevant qualifications or experience.
The level and type of DBS check will be determined according to the eligibility requirements for the particular role. Waymakers will not request a level of DBS check for which a role is not legally eligible.
Where a role involves regulated activity with children, Waymakers will follow the relevant DBS and safeguarding requirements for that role.
All staff and volunteers working directly with children will be expected to understand and follow this policy and complete appropriate safeguarding training.
Safeguarding Training
Waymakers will ensure that staff and volunteers have safeguarding knowledge appropriate to their role.
Training and safeguarding information will cover, as appropriate:
recognising safeguarding concerns;
responding to disclosures;
reporting and recording concerns;
appropriate professional boundaries;
safer working practices;
online safeguarding;
information sharing;
responding to concerns about adults;
emergency and local safeguarding procedures.
The DSL and Deputy DSL will maintain a level of safeguarding knowledge appropriate to their responsibilities and will seek further advice or training where necessary.
Whistleblowing and Raising Concerns About Waymakers
We want staff and volunteers to feel able to raise concerns if they believe that safeguarding arrangements are not being followed or that a child may be at risk.
Concerns should normally be raised with the DSL.
If the concern is about the DSL, it should be raised with the Deputy DSL or, where appropriate, directly with the LADO or another relevant safeguarding agency.
No person should be disadvantaged for raising a genuine safeguarding concern in good faith.
Policy Review and Monitoring
This policy will be reviewed at least annually and sooner where there are significant changes in legislation, safeguarding guidance, local safeguarding arrangements or Waymakers' activities.
Feedback from staff, volunteers, families and young people will be considered when reviewing our safeguarding arrangements.
Key Contacts
Waymakers CIC DSL:
Helen – helen@waymakerscambridge.co.uk
Deputy DSL:
Kristy
Cambridgeshire Children's Social Care:
0345 045 5203
If a child is in immediate danger:
999
Police non-emergency:
101
Cambridgeshire Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO):
LADO@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
01223 727 967
Cambridgeshire Emergency Duty Team:
01733 234 724
NSPCC Helpline:
0808 800 5000