SAFEGUARDING POLICY

This Safeguarding Policy is to reiterate our commitment to Children and Adults right to a safe and protected life and in their best interest. All the staff, assistants and consultants are bound by this policy.

Definitions
Abuse: A form of maltreatment. Somebody may abuse or neglect a Child or Adults by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children and Adults may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others . They may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children and abuse can take varying forms, examples of which are as follows:
Physical – physical contact resulting in pain, hurt or injury including by use of an instrument, or failure to prevent such abuse.
Emotional – the cause of distress, trauma or psychological damage by severe or persistent emotional illtreatment; disparagement, bullying, verbal abuse, harassment, grooming or controlling behaviour.
Sexual – forcing or encouraging the participation in sexual activities (whether involving physical contact or not) either which the individual does not, or is unable to, give consent to, or may not understand or fully comprehend.
Neglect – the persistent failure to meet or provide basic physical or psychological needs, such as food, shelter, clothing, supervision or protection from physical and emotional harm.

Child: A child is any person under the age of 18.

Adults (also referred to as Vulnerable Adults): An adult who may be vulnerable to abuse or maltreatment is deemed to be someone aged 18 or over, who:
i) Has needs for care and support
ii) Is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect; and
iii) As a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.

Inappropriate Behaviour means any behaviour constituting a criminal offence, or which intentionally adversely affects the health, safety or welfare of any other individual.

Regulated Activity means:
In relation to Children: activities that involve certain close interaction with Children which is unsupervised, such as teaching, training, instructing, caring or supervising if such work carried out once a week or more, or on 4 or more days in a 30 day period).

In relation to Adults: the provision of healthcare, personal care or other social care or assistance with the conduct of their affairs. Assistance need only be carried out once to be considered Regulated Activity, but does not include (e.g) assistance with finishing a meal on a one-off basis.

Our Values and Principles

a) Every Child and Adult is loved and respected regardless of race, religion, caste, language or ethnicity.

b) The principles of participation, ownership, confidentiality, transparency, sensitivity are non-negotiable.

Our Commitments

This Policy is a statement of intent that outlines the organization’s commitment to safeguard our clients from harm and take action in the event of any harm caused to them. Through the implementation of this, we are committed to safeguard our clients through the following means:

Awareness: Ensuring that all staff, children, parents, adults and others is aware of what constitutes violence against children or adults.

Prevention: Ensuring, through awareness and good practice that staff, children, parents, adults and others are able to minimize the risks.

Reporting: Ensuring that staff, children, parents, adults and others is clear what steps to take where concerns arise regarding the safety of clients.

Responding: Ensuring that action is taken promptly to support and protect clients where concerns arise regarding possible abuse.

Procedures for keeping Children and Adults safe
Jimmaculate recognises that providing a safe environment for Children and Adults, involves creating a culture in which safeguarding is second nature. As part of this, the provision of practical guidance and procedures is necessary to support staff in meeting their safeguarding responsibilities. The following section outlines the key areas of activity to support development of this culture.

Safer Recruitment Policy
Jimmaculate already has excellent recruitment processes in place but will review and, where necessary, adapt and provide processes to ensure that managers are able to assess roles, in order to identify and communicate requirements in adverts, undertake appropriate enquiries during interviews and implement any required checks, in order to minimise risks, such as gaps in employment history and to deter and detect those that may be a risk to Children and Adults.

Education and Training of Employees
• Jimmaculate understands that, in order for this Safeguarding Policy to be well understood and effectively implemented, it is essential that there are high levels of awareness regarding the policy and that staff are clear, confident and competent in putting the policy into practice.

• All staff, volunteers and students shall be made fully aware of their duties to report actual or suspected Abuse, Inappropriate Behaviour or any possible breaches of the policy including the Code of Good Practice by undertaking the following various levels of training. Jimmaculate will also adequately brief consultants and contractors on the policy, as appropriate.

Management Responsibilities
• All managers shall be responsible for ensuring staff, volunteers, students, consultants and contractors are aware of the Safeguarding Policy and are supported to implement and work in accordance with it, as well as creating a management culture that recognizes the importance of safeguarding.

• The Trustees and Executive Board are ultimately responsible for ensuring the effective implementation of the policy and that everyone associated with Jimmaculate is equipped and supported to meet their safeguarding responsibilities. The Executive Board are responsible for establishing a safeguarding committee which shall meet twice a year to monitor progress on implementation of the policy and identify any additional action required to support and improve the safeguarding environment within Jimmaculate.

Personal Data Usage
Jimmaculate recognises its obligations to process personal data in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and to safeguard information concerning members of the public, including the use of images and stories of Children and Adults. Choices of such images and messages must be made based on values of respect, equality, dignity and fairness and in line with existing processes, obtaining consent where appropriate or necessary.

Responding to Complaints
Jimmaculate is committed to responding effectively and sensitively to all allegations, suspicions or disclosures of Abuse, both current and historical and whether involving Jimmaculate staff, volunteers, contractors or not, and undertakes to develop simple, clear and accessible mechanisms for reporting safeguarding concerns. Jimmaculate places a mandatory obligation on all staff to report concerns, suspicions, allegations, disclosures and incidents that indicate actual or potential Abuse of Children and/or Adults, Inappropriate Behaviour, or that suggest this policy may have been breached in any way.

Ensuring Contractor Compliance
• Jimmaculate requires all external contractors that are working/in contact with children and/or Adults to work in ways that are consistent with the principles and policies statements expressed herein.

• Relevant agreements/contracts must include reference to the safeguarding policy, and managers overseeing contractors shall work with contractors to secure their commitment to meeting the policy requirements, as is appropriate to the activity.

Risk Management
Jimmaculate already operates extensive risk management processes to ensure that a wide range of risks across the organisation are effectively identified and addressed. The risk of Children and Adults being exposed to Abuse or Inappropriate Behaviour as a result of any Jimmaculate activity (through staff or volunteer misconduct or poor activity design or delivery, for example) shall be further mitigated by the addition of a specific safeguarding risk assessment that can be used where required.

Implementation, Monitoring and Review
• Jimmaculate shall set up a safeguarding oversight committee. The committee shall meet twice a year to review safeguarding generally (including progress in respect of implementation of this policy) along with those issues that have been reported, in order to identify and recommend areas for improvement.

• Jimmaculate shall review this policy after 1 year from its initial publication, and thereafter every two years (unless changes to law or guidance require earlier review).

Code of Good Practice
When working or liaising with Children and Adults, all staff, volunteers, students, consultants or contractors should be made aware and comply with the following Code of Good Practice:

a) All individuals shall be treated with respect regardless of race, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status.

b) Threatening, abusive or sexually provocative language or Inappropriate Behaviour towards anyone is prohibited.

c) Unless it is part of your designated role, minimise situations where you may be alone with Children or Adults, but if unavoidable, inform another member of staff of the situation as soon as you can.

d) Remember that interactions via email and social media can be open to misinterpretation, and refrain from exchanging personal details including personal contact details with Children and Adults. Ensure that photographs, video or other images of Children and Adults are only taken with the permission of their parents or carer, and under Jimmaculate’s standard written terms.

e) Remember that this policy and the principles within it apply at all times, whether on Jimmaculate Premises, or acting on behalf of Jimmaculate outside its Premises, both within the community and when overseas.

f) Immediately disclose all charges, convictions and other outcomes of an offence, which occurred before or occur during association with Jimmaculate that relate to exploitation and Abuse of a Child or Adult.

Legal Background
There are many statutes that include provisions relating to the welfare and protection of Children and Adults. These include but are not limited to:

• Children Act 1989
• General Data Protection Regulation 2018
• Sexual Offences Act 2003
• Children Act 2004
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012)
• The Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014
• Relevant government guidance on safeguarding children – HM Government Guidance on working together to safeguard children