The Toolkit Is Divided up Into 4 Sections As Follows

(Name of faith setting)
Policy and Practice Guidance on Safeguarding Children in Bradford faith settings:
A Self-Assessment Toolkit

INTRODUCTION

The following toolkit provides guidance on how to set up a safeguarding system for your organisation which will help to ensure that children and young people are kept safe and protected when in your care.

The toolkit is divided up into 4 sections as follows:-

·  SECTION 1 – Introduction to Safeguarding

·  SECTION 2 – Developing Your Child Protection Policies and Procedures

·  SECTION 3 – Safeguarding Policies and Procedures to Ensure Safe Practices at Work

·  SECTION 4 – Reviewing and Monitoring Your Policies and Procedures

Examples of policy templates and documents have been provided throughout the toolkit and are printed on yellow paper.

The toolkit has been designed as an easy guide to read, follow and understand. However, as users of the toolkit, we would welcome any suggestions and comments you may have on how the toolkit could be made better.

A form has been provided at the end of the toolkit to add any feedback. Thank you.

CONTENTS

SECTION 1 – Introduction to Safeguarding

SECTION 2 – Developing your Child Protection Policies and

Procedures: A 5-part Format

SECTION 3 – Safeguarding Policies and Procedures to
Ensure Safe Practices at Work

SECTION 4 – Reviewing and Monitoring Your Policies and
Procedures

SECTION 1

Introduction to Safeguarding

In this section:

1.  What is Child Protection/What is Safeguarding?

2.  Child Protection is Everyone’s Business

3.  Key Practice Standards for faith settings

4.  Safeguarding System Diagram

5.  Writing a Safeguarding Statement of Intent

6.  Safeguarding Statement of Intent Template

7.  Writing a Child Protection Policy

8.  Child Protection Policy Template

1

Safeguarding

Child Protection is EVERYONE'S business

·  All children have the right to feel safe and secure in any environment - at home, in the community or in a faith setting.

·  People who work with children on a regular basis in faith setting and other community organisations can play an important role in identifying children at risk of neglect or abuse.

·  Good practice reduces the potential for abuse and increases safety for children.

·  Faith settings must therefore develop policies, procedures and practices to safeguard children in their care.

Key Practice Standards for Faith Settings

All faith settings should:-

·  Have a written Child Protection Policy Statement demonstrating the faith setting responsibilities and commitments to children.

·  Identify a designated child protection lead (known also as the Nominated or Named Person (NP), who is trained and supported.

·  Have a Code of Conduct for all staff.

The Named Person (NP) has an important role promoting, and raising awareness of the importance of child protection issues.

What Does a Safeguarding System Look Like?

A diagram of what a safeguarding system looks like is provided overleaf.

Safeguarding Statement of Intent

(Name of faith setting) have developed a Safeguarding Management Framework that ensures all staff and volunteers take the necessary steps to safeguard young people in all the work they do. (Name of faith setting) are committed to taking all reasonable measures to ensure that risks of harm to young people’s welfare are minimised through the provision of clear guidance for staff and volunteers in the following areas:

·  Child Protection

·  Risk Assessment and Management

·  Safe Recruitment

·  Codes of Conduct

·  Complaints

·  Whistle Blowing - (reporting bad practice)

·  Grievance & Disciplinary Procedures

All Staff and Volunteers will:

·  Ensure they have read, signed up to and are using (Your faith setting name) Safeguarding Procedures into the work they do with young people/children.

·  Work in a positive way to protect children/young people from potential harm or damage.

·  Take all appropriate actions to address concerns about the welfare and/or safety of a young person.

·  Work to agreed local policies and procedures in full partnership with other local agencies.

·  Collate, Record and Share information in line with (Your faith setting name) Confidentiality/Data Protection Procedures.

(Your faith setting name) will remain committed to ensuring that the organisation promotes an open work culture where staff/volunteers/young people and their carers feel confident that any concerns they have will be addressed.

Signed on behalf of the Board and Trustees Date:

Education Lead for faith setting:

Chair of Management Committee:

Vice Chair of Management Committee:

Sample Child Protection Policy

(Name of faith setting) is fully committed to safeguarding the welfare of all children and young people. It recognises its responsibility to take all reasonable steps to promote safe practice and to protect children from harm, abuse and exploitation.

(Name of faith setting) acknowledges its duty to act appropriately to any allegations, reports or suspicions of abuse.

Paid staff and volunteers will do their best to work together to encourage the development of an ethos which embraces difference and diversity and respects the rights of children, young people and adults.

In implementing this child protection policy (Name of faith setting) will:

·  Ensure that all workers understand their legal and moral responsibility to protect children and young people from harm, abuse and exploitation;

·  Ensure that all workers understand their responsibility to work to the standards that are detailed in the organisation’s Child Protection procedures and work at all times towards maintaining high standards of practice;

·  Ensure that all workers understand their duty to report concerns that arise about a child or young person, or a worker’s conduct towards a child/young person, to the faith setting’s named person for child protection;

·  Ensure that the named person understands his/her responsibility to refer any child protection concerns to the statutory child protection agencies (i.e. Police and/or Social Work);

·  Ensure that any procedures relating to the conduct of workers are implemented in a consistent and fair manner;

·  Provide opportunities for all workers to develop their skills and knowledge particularly in relation to the welfare and protection of children and young people;

·  Ensure that children and young people are enabled to express their ideas and views on a wide range of issues and will have access to the organisation’s Complaints Procedure;

·  Ensure that parents/carers are encouraged to be involved in the work of the organisation and, when requested, have access to all guidelines and procedures;

·  Do their best to keep up-to-date with national developments relating to the welfare and protection of children and young people

SECTION 2

Developing your Child Protection Policies and

Procedures:

A 5-part Format

In this section:

1.  What your procedures should include

2.  Part 1: Introduction – The work you do with children/young people

i.  Introduction Template

ii.  Basic Information Form Template

3.  Part 2: Child Abuse

i.  What is Child Abuse

ii.  Recognising the Signs and Symptoms of Child Abuse

iii.  Your faith setting’s commitment to raising staff awareness around Child Abuse

iv.  Disclosures and How concerns about children come to light

4.  Part 3: The Named Person

i.  The Named Person for Child Protection

ii.  Template for displaying the ‘Named Person’ details

iii.  The Roles and Responsibilities of the Named Person

5.  Part 4: Process for Responding to and Recording Incidents, Concerns and Referrals

i.  Stages to Follow if you are Worried about a Child

ii.  Stages to Follow Diagram

iii.  Recording Child Protection Concerns

iv.  Template for Recording Child Protection Concerns

6.  Part 5: Confidentiality and Information Sharing

Your procedures should include:

• Part 1. Introduction which provides a brief outline of the work that you do with

children and young people.

• Part 2. A description of what child abuse is, and the procedures for how to

respond to it where there are concerns about a child’s safety or welfare or concerns

about the actions of an Imam, teacher, volunteer or worker. Relevant contact details

for the Local Authority Referral and Assessment Team, police, health and NSPCC

help lines should be available.

• Part 3. A named person (and deputy) with clearly defined roles and responsibilities in

relation to safeguarding children, appropriate to the level at which he operates. It is

essential in the faith setting environment that a deputy is identified in the event of any

direct conflict. This will help to staff to remain neutral and fair (retain objectivity).

• Part 4. A process for recording incidents, concerns and referrals and storing

these securely in compliance with relevant legislation and kept for a time specified by

your insurance company.

• Part 5. Guidance on confidentiality and information sharing, legislation compliant,

and which clearly states that the protection of the child is the most important

consideration.

PART 1

Introduction

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR FAITH SETTING

Name of
faith setting:
Address:
Name of Lead Person/Organiser and Job Title:
Name of Person completing this Self Audit/Job Title
Tel No:
E-Mail:

How many people work for your organisation?

Trustees / Governors / Directors / Part Time Staff / Full Time Staff / Volunteers

Briefly describe the nature of the work that your organisation does with Children/Young People:

Sample Introduction

These procedures have been designed to ensure the welfare and protection of any child and/or young person who accesses the services provided by (Name of faith setting.) The procedures recognise that child protection can be a very difficult subject for workers to deal with to the extent that it is sometimes easier to close your eyes to what is happening or believe that it is somebody else’s problem to deal with.

(Name of faith setting) is committed to the belief that protecting children and young people is everybody’s responsibility and therefore the aim here is to provide guidelines that will enable all workers and volunteers to act appropriately to any concerns that arise in respect of a child/young person.

There should be a clear reference to your faith setting’s commitment to equal opportunities. And it should include a reference to the recruitment of ex-offenders.

PART 2

What is Child Abuse?

Recognising the Signs and Symptoms of Abuse
Disclosures

What needs to be covered:-

What is Child Abuse?

Physical Abuse / Physical abuse includes such things as hitting with the hand, fist, or implement, shading, slapping, squeezing, burning, biting, giving children alcohol, inappropriate drugs or poison, attempting to suffocate or drown.
Emotional Abuse / Emotional abuse occurs when a child is subjected to a persistent lack of affection, warmth or praise, where children are taunted, threatened or scapegoated.
Neglect / Neglect means that there is continuous failure to meet a child’s basic needs for example, for food, warm clothing, leaving children alone or unsupervised, and failing to give love and affection.
Sexual Abuse / Sexual abuse can be defined as the use of children by adults to meet their own sexual needs and where children do not have the power or understanding to agree/consent to what happens to them. It may include sexual intercourse, masturbation, oral sex, anal intercourse, touching inappropriately, as well showing children pornographic and inappropriate videos and magazines.

Types of Abuse

Official Categories of Abuse:

Physical Abuse / Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child (Working Together, 2010).
Emotional Abuse /
Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent negative effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve telling children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only in so far as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing
them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond the child’s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone
Neglect / Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment), protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger, ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers) or ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs
Sexual Abuse
/ Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet). Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

Signs of Possible Abuse