POINT - Safeguarding Policy - V2 - Feb 2022

Safeguarding Policy

VERSION CONTROL 2
February 2022
Version No February 2023
Version Date
Next Scheduled Review

This policy combines our previous Child Protection and Safeguarding policy and our
Vulnerable Adults Policy to create one organisational Safeguarding Policy

POINT is a Registered Charity: 1161596

This policy outlines POINT’s approach to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of
children and vulnerable adults. It applies to all aspects of our work and to everyone
working for POINT, including permanent and temporary employees, volunteers, trustees,
contractors and self-employed contracted workers.

This policy applies to anyone with whom we are in contact in the course of our work, who
is a child, a young person, or Adult at Risk. Where the policy or procedure refers to a
‘child’ or ‘young person’ we mean anyone who has not yet reached the age of 18 years.
An adult at risk is someone aged 18 years or over ‘who is or may be in need of
community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is
or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself
against significant harm or exploitation’

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/no-secrets-guidance-on-protecting-
vulnerable-adults-in-care

This policy is reviewed, endorsed and approved by the board of trustees annually, or
when legislation changes.

This policy outlines safeguarding procedures. It is not a comprehensive ‘how to’ guide in
child protection or adult at risk practice but relates specifically to the role of all those
involved in working directly or indirectly with vulnerable people, i.e. activity undertaken
to protect specific children or vulnerable adults who are suffering or are at risk of
suffering significant harm.

POINT has a responsibility to work with others to safeguard and promote the welfare of
children and vulnerable adults. Team members may have varying degrees of contact with
vulnerable people, so It is essential that team members in contact with children, young
people, adults and their families have the requisite knowledge and skills to carry out their
jobs safely and effectively. All staff have a responsibility to ensure the safety of vulnerable
children and adults with whom they work.

POINT ensures all team members actively access guidance and information via the
Greater Manchester Safeguarding Procedures Manual.

https://greatermanchesterscb.proceduresonline.com/

POINT ensures that all team members are trained to a minimum of Level 2 Advanced
Safeguarding and Senior Management are trained to a minimum of Level 3 Designated
Safeguarding Lead. All safeguarding training is completed by e-learning and reviewed
annually by line management, updated and evidenced within POINT’s online HR portal.

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This document outlines our commitment to the protection of children, young people and
adults and aims to:

• Raise awareness of the need to protect vulnerable people and reduce risks to them;

• Ensure that when abuse is suspected or disclosed, it is clear what action must
be taken.

We ensure that all team members, including freelance, contracted staff and/or associates
are aware of the requirements within this policy. It is the responsibility of these groups to
ensure that the personnel they are responsible for are aware of and understand the
procedures and have levels of knowledge and skills commensurate to the level and
nature of their direct involvement with vulnerable people.

We work within the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and believe that:

• All children have the right to be protected.

• All children should be listened to and their views taken seriously.

• Children’s needs should be looked at holistically and should not be defined solely in
terms of their abuse.

Section 11 of The Children Act 2004 places a duty on POINT to ensure their functions,
and any services that they contract out to others, are discharged having regard to the
need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

A child is defined by The Children Act 1989 and 2004 as anyone who had not yet reached
their 18th birthday. The term ‘child’ applies to children and young people throughout this
policy. This is significant as young people aged 16 and 17 years with safeguarding needs
may be accessing ‘adult’ services.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/thechildrensact1989
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/thechildrensact2004

If team members, providing support to young people aged 16 and 17 years with
safeguarding needs, are concerned the young person may lack capacity to make specific
decisions or any decisions for themselves, guidance should be sort from POINT’s
Designated Safeguarding Officer. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 protects the rights of
vulnerable people and provides the legal framework for those working with vulnerable
people.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/thementalcapacityact2005

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Safeguarding children and promoting the welfare of children is defined in Working
Together to Safeguard Children and Young People (HM Government 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.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workingtogethertosafeguardchildren

Child protection is a part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. This refers to the
activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or at risk of
suffering significant harm.

POINT is fully committed to this policy for safeguarding the welfare of all children and
young people, by taking all reasonable steps to protect them from physical, sexual, or
emotional abuse or neglect.
• All interventions must be child-centred.

• To effectively protect children, professionals must identify and work with safe and
protective adults within children’s families and communities.

• Professionals need to be aware of how issues of race, gender, disability, culture,
sexuality and age, impact on an individual’s life experiences.

• Professionals need to be aware of how issues of race, gender, disability, culture,
sexuality and age impact on their understanding of and response to keeping children
safe.

• Joint working between agencies and disciplines is essential for the protection of
children.

• The following individuals will be required to read and sign this policy and complete
relevant training prior to undertaking any work or role relating to POINT:

i. Any team members employed by POINT.

ii. Any agent acting on behalf of POINT in a capacity that may bring them into
contact with children and young people.

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Safeguarding vulnerable adults is defined in the Care and support statutory
guidance issued under the Care Act 2014 as:

• protecting the rights of adults to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect

• people and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and
experience of abuse or neglect

• people and organisations making sure that the adult’s wellbeing is promoted
including, where appropriate, taking fully into account their views, wishes, feelings
and beliefs in deciding on any action

• recognising that adults sometimes have complex interpersonal relationships and may
be ambivalent, unclear or unrealistic about their personal circumstances and
therefore potential risks to their safety or well-being.

In all instances, our approach to safeguarding Adults at Risk we are in contact with
follows the same principles, and safeguarding processes as we do for safeguarding
children.

Recruitment

POINT carries out safe recruitment checks on everyone who works for us. All roles
require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and references before the individual
joins us. Many individuals will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and a check of social
media because their role may bring them into regular contact with children and
vulnerable adults.

Anyone interviewed for employment or recruited as a volunteer or trustee, either
internally or from outside the organisation, will need to show an understanding of
safeguarding that is relevant to the role that they are applying for.

Objectives

i. To ensure that all team members working with vulnerable people are carefully
selected, understand and accept responsibility for the safety of those individuals in
their care.

ii. To ensure that the welfare of the vulnerable person is of paramount importance
when undertaking any activities.

iii. To respond swiftly and appropriately to all suspicions or allegations of abuse.

iv. To ensure confidential information is restricted to the appropriate individuals
within POINT and appropriate external agencies.
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Creating a Safe and Caring Environment

• Risk Assessments should be undertaken prior to any offsite visits or new types of
activities.

• Team members working with vulnerable people should be appropriately trained and
qualified to ensure the safe provision of services, use of equipment, activities
undertaken, etc.

• Team members working with vulnerable people should carefully plan activity sessions
with the care and safety of individuals as their main concern including the use of
activities at an appropriate age/ability level.

• Wherever possible we will encourage an ‘open environment’ e.g. avoiding private or
unobserved situations and discouraging the keeping of secrets. This especially
includes team members being alone with vulnerable people at any time. When this is
unavoidable, it should be done with the full knowledge and consent of someone in
charge of the organisation.

• Team members must treat all with respect.

• Team members must not make racist, sexist or any other remarks which upset or
humiliate.

• Team members must take care to avoid showing any favouritism.

Definitions of abuse

Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment of a child. An individual may abuse or
neglect a child by inflicting harm or failing to act to prevent harm. Neglect or abuse,
physically, emotionally or sexually, can have major long-term effects on all aspects of a
child’s health, development and wellbeing. Sustained abuse is likely to have a deep
impact on the child’s self-image and self-esteem, and on his or her future life.

Harm may occur intentionally or unintentionally. The definitions of harm outlined in
Working Together 2010 are used to determine whether a child needs a child protection
plan.

Working Together to Safeguard Children

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Physical abuse

A form of abuse which 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.

Emotional abuse

The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent
adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child
that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar 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 a 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.

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.

Child Sexual Exploitation

Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or
group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child
or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity:

(a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or

(b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator.

The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears
consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also
occur through the use of technology.

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Neglect

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).

• Ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include
neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

Abuse and Children with a Disability

Evidence available in the UK on the extent of abuse among children with a disability
suggests that they are at increased risk of abuse, and that the presence of multiple
disabilities appears to increase the risk of both abuse and neglect.

Children with a disability may be especially vulnerable to abuse for a number of reasons.

Where there are concerns about the welfare of a disabled child, they should be acted
upon in accordance with these procedures in the same way as with any other child. The
same thresholds for action and the same timescales apply. It would be unacceptable if
poor standards of care were tolerated for disabled children that would not be tolerated
for nondisabled children.

Confidentiality

In any work with children and young people it is important to be clear about
confidentiality. While personal information held by professionals and agencies is subject
to a legal duty of confidence, and should not normally be disclosed without the subject’s
consent, when there are concerns that a child is or may be at risk of significant harm,
then the over-riding objective must be to safeguard that child and disclosure of
information is imperative.

Confidentiality and child protection should be discussed with children and young people
at the beginning of any piece of work, and reminders and information given from time to
time, to ensure that they understand the processes and what responsibilities the staff
members have. It is absolutely essential to be clear about the limits of confidentiality well
before any such matter arises.

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What to do if you are worried a vulnerable person is being abused

POINT team members have no powers to investigate abuse. Nonetheless, POINT team
members have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults at risk
and have a responsibility to work closely and co-operatively with other agencies in order
to achieve this.
If, in the process of your work, a vulnerable person discloses to you that they are being
abused you will need to tell them that you must report it.
It is important to remember that an allegation of abuse or neglect may lead to a criminal
investigation, so any concerns must be properly recorded and shared with a line
manager.
In the event of a situation in which you consider a vulnerable person is at risk, you should
contact POINT’s designated safeguarding officer for advice.

POINT’s Designated Safeguarding Officer is:

Elaine Robinson
Tel: 0161 503 1547 or 07703 468283
If you think a vulnerable person is in immediate danger, call the police
on 999.

If you witness something that is of severe concern, inform your manager at the time and
tell the manager that you intend to pass on your concerns. You will need to inform the
relevant agency on the same day that you have referred this concern to your manager.
Referrals must be made using the Local Authority Safeguarding Procedures relevant to
your area of work.
Every individual has a duty of care to safeguard all vulnerable people and if you have any
concerns seek advice from POINT’s Designated Safeguarding Officer or contact the Multi
Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 0161 770 7777.

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SAFEGUARDING CONCERNS – DECISION MAKING Seek Line Manager
advice if required
Consider all factors to determine
if concerns are safeguarding or

welfare

Safeguarding If immediate danger, Welfare
call the Police on 999
Raise with POINT’s Raise with Line
designated Safeguarding Manager

Officer Are concerns
ongoing
Determine if Multi Agency
Safeguarding Hub (MASH) Yes No

referral is required

If so, complete If not, update
professionals referral form organisational database

Does risk assessment
need to be completed
for staff / volunteers /

trustees?

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