Many people worry that they will be ‘interfering’ if they get involved. But it is equally worrying if someone is being abused and you say nothing. Your support can make a difference. But if you approach the person sensitively, without being critical, most people will appreciate an expression of concern for their well-being, even if they are not ready to talk about their situation. It is unlikely you will make things ‘worse’ by expressing concern.

Remember throughout the whole process, the views, wishes and wishes of the adult with care and support needs will always be listened to and respected and nothing will be done which will make matters worse for them.

Whistleblowing is an important facet of the ability of all organisations to safeguard children, young people and adults with care and support needs.

It provides protection for any member of staff (whether paid or voluntary) who raises a concern about policy, procedure or practice (of individuals or the organisation or service as a whole) which impacts on the safety and / or wellbeing of anyone using the service. The protection is from being treated unfairly or losing their job.

The 'whistleblower' must first have used the everyday channels within the organisation to raise their concerns. If their concerns have not been addressed through the normal safeguarding channels, they can then seek protection for raising their concerns in good faith (i.e. not maliciously to get at another member of staff) under the organisation's 'whistleblowing' policy.

Whistleblowing normally involves the 'whistleblower' by-passing the normal reporting routes and raising the issues with more senior managers, the organisation's governing structures, or even to an external body. Each organisation's whistleblowing policy will clarify the ways in which this should be done. 

You should be aware of your own organisation's whistleblowing policy, if not ask where it can be found.

What is the MASH?

The Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is the single point of contact for all early help and safeguarding concerns regarding children and young people in Wolverhampton. It brings together expert professionals, from a range of services that have contact with children, young people and families, making the best possible use of their combined knowledge and information to meet children’s needs and keep them safe from harm.

Click here to download a pdf guide to the MASH for professionals

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What does the MASH do?

The MASH:

•  Is a ‘front door’ to manage early help and safeguarding referrals
•  Provides a secure and confidential environment for professionals to share information.
•  Enables early identification of potential safeguarding concerns and facilitates access to timely and effective interventions.
•  Prioritises referrals using Red, Amber & Green (RAG) rating.
•  Makes sure that cases that don't meet the Threshold for Children's Social Care are picked up by other agencies as Early Help or other appropriate support.
•  Where necessary, activates ‘immediate response’ social work services to provide protection for a child or young person(s).

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To report any concerns about a child's safety or wellbeing telephone (01902) 555392. This is the number for the MASH. Early Help and Social Care staff in the MASH will carry out a range of information checks to see what if any additional information there is in partners' files to ensure the best possible picture of the family is used to inform decisions about keeping children safe and the sort of help and support the family might need.

Don't forget, if you aren't sure whether or not to call the MASH  - just do it: always do something rather than nothing! The experienced staff in the MASH wil be more than happy to talk through your concerns and help decide on the best way forward.

 Bullying is behaviour that hurts someone else – such as name calling, ignoring someone, pushing, hitting,  spreading rumours,  sexual comments,undermining someone or threatening them.

It can happen anywhere – at school, online or at home. It’s usually repeated over a long period of time and can hurt a child emotionally, psychologically or physically.

Bullying that happens online, using social networks, games and mobile phones, is often called cyberbullying. A child can feel like there’s no escape because it can happen wherever they are, at any time of day or night.

See the online safety page for more information on online safety-bullying

What Parents and Carers should do - Take action!

• If you are concerned about someone else's Child, talk to his/her parents/carers;
• Get Advice e.g. from The Anti Bullying Network or Bullying UK
• NSPCC Bullying and cyberbullying
• Childline Bullying, abuse, safety and the law
• Kidshealth - Helping kids deal with bullies
• NHS Choices - Bullying advice for parents
• YoungMinds - Bullying
• The Ultimate Parent Guide -vpnMentor

 

What is Domestic Abuse? The term Domestic Abuse is used to describe anything from emotional abuse and financial abuse to sexual abuse, intimidation, isolation and/or threats.

This can mean:

• Putting the person down or making the victim feel bad about themselves
• Playing mind-games and making the person feel they are stupid or going mad
• Enforced isolation from family or friends
• Trying to keep the person from getting a job
• Making the person ask for money or withholding money
• Actual or threatened physical harm
• Making another person do sexual things against their will
• Making someone afraid by smashing things and destroying things
• Making or carrying out threats to hurt someone emotionally - threatening to take the children away or commit suicide

If you are a parent experiencing Domestic Abuse you may have many concerns over your children, including being:

• Worried that you will be prevented from taking your children with you if you leave a violent relationship
• Worried over contact your children may have with the abuser
• Worried that you need financial or practical support to look after your children
• Worried that your children have been traumatised by Domestic Abuse and want extra support for them
• Worried that your children may be abducted.

If you are affected by Domestic Abuse, you are not alone. You can talk over these concerns, confidentially, with a number of specialist, sensitive services who won't judge you because of what you say or force you to make a decision you do not want to make.

It is important to remember that the abuse you have experienced, and your children have been exposed to, is not your fault.

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There are many clubs and organised activities for children, but as a parent you will want to know that any activity your child is involved with is well run and safe for your children to attend.

To find out what is available in your area t s a good idea to use activities run by organisations that have basic good practice in place known as Wolverhampton's Safe and Sound criteria as follows:

• a safeguarding children policy and a set of safegurding procedures which are reveiwed each year
• use 'safer recruitment' practices for employees and volunteers based on nationally approved guidance (safer recruitment guidance)
• have a health and safety policy and proedures which incude carrying out risk assessments on all activties
• have an equality and diversity policy which ensures fair treatmenmt of everyone connected with or using the organisation's services

Self assessment by organisations against the Safe and Sound criteria form part of the registration process for two new websites supported by the city's Children's Trust and Safeguarding partnerships called: Wolverhampton Information Network and About Youth. Click on the images below to discover a great way to search for safe activities and services for your child / childre n in Wolverhampton.

[/pb_text][/pb_column][/pb_row][pb_row ][pb_column span="span6"][pb_image el_title="Image 1" image_file="images/safeguarding-children/buttons2/WIN.png" image_size="fullsize" link_type="url" image_type_url="http://win.wolverhampton.gov.uk/kb5/wolverhampton/directory/home.page" open_in="new_browser" image_container_style="no-styling" image_alignment="inherit" appearing_animation="0" ][/pb_image][/pb_column][pb_column span="span6"][pb_image el_title="Image 2" image_file="images/safeguarding-children/buttons2/AboutYouth.png" image_size="fullsize" link_type="url" image_type_url="http://www.aboutyouth.org.uk" open_in="new_browser" image_container_style="no-styling" image_alignment="inherit" appearing_animation="0" ][/pb_image][/pb_column][/pb_row][pb_row ][pb_column span="span12"][pb_text el_title="Text 2" width_unit="%" enable_dropcap="no" appearing_animation="0" ]

Introduction:

On December 1st 2012 the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) merged to become the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) as set out under the timetable of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.

 

The Disclosure and Barring Service:

The Safeguarding and Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 set out the foundation for this scheme. The Disclosure and Barring Service has an Independent Barring Board (IBB) with responsibility for taking barring decisions on new referrals and the management of two barred lists which replaced List 99, PoCA and PoVA Lists.

The system aims to provide employers with a quicker and more effective vetting and barring service. All disclosures for work with children and vulnerable persons are to be at an enhanced level for Regulated Activity.

The new organisation, DBS, will provide a service combining criminal records checking and the barring functions:

• The barring part of the DBS will provide Caseworkers, who receive and process referrals about individuals, who have harmed, or who pose a risk of harm to, children, young people or vulnerable adults;
• The checking part of the DBS will allow employers to check and access the criminal record history of people working, or applying to work (whether paid or unpaid) in certain positions, especially those that involve working with children and vulnerable adults;
• The DBS website provides a range of advice, guidance and relevant forms.

Click here to find out if you can check someones criminal record

Wolverhampton's B-Safe Team has developed an Anti-Bullying Charter for schools. Click here, or on the image of the charter on the right hand side of the page to download your copy.

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There are also lots of great websites out there, that will provide up to date information for you - try some of the sites listed below.

Click here Childline - Report an image or video. If  under 18 and an explicit or nude image has been shared online, we can confidentially help you to get it removed.

There's also a site, which anyone can use to report online content that makes them feel uncomfortable or worried about someone they are chatting to online.

This is when people who you are in an intimate relationship with, or is a family member does things to hurt you.

Domestic violence happens when one adult uses their power and control over another adult.

This can include:

• Physical abuse

• Emotional abuse

This is when someone touches your body or private parts of your body inways that you do not like or want and have not agreed to.It also happens when someone else makes you do things that you have not agreed to and makes you feel frightened.This can include someone:

• Rape
• Touching private parts of your body i.e. your bottom, breasts or genitalia
• Making you touch other people in these places when you have not agreed to this
• Making you watch other peoples sexual acts
• Making you look at pornographic images or videos when you do not want to
• Putting you under pressure to agree to any sexual acts when you have said no
• Sexual teasing

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All Wolverhampton Hackney Carriage and Private Hire drivers are being offered training to act as 'eyes and ears' to help prevent Child Sexual Exploitation: a crime in which perpetrators groom youngsters and sexually and emotionally abuse them.

This safeguarding training has been compulsory for all new drivers registering with City of Wolverhampton Council since July 2015 but is now being rolled out all existing drivers as well.

Click here for more details about this announcement.

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Wolverhampton is joining in with national CSE Awareness Day on 18th March #HelpingHands. Click on title to read more.

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These pages are intended to help Headteachers, Designated Safeguarding Leads, teachers and other school staff to find information relating to their safeguarding responsibilities more easily.

All schools are aware that governing bodies, management committees or proprietors of schools have duties in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils. There is a range of statutory guidance available to help with these responsibilties.

 

Working Together To Safeguard Children 2018 

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Childline produced this short video about a young person from Eritrea who was trafficked.

 

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Why do people traffic children?

Children are trafficked for many reasons, including sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, labour, benefit fraud and involvement in criminal activity such as pick-pocketing, theft and working in cannabis farms. There are a number of cases of minors being exploited in the sex industry. 

How are children recruited and controlled?

• confiscating the child’s identity documents;
• threatening to report the child to the authorities; 
• violence, or threats of violence, towards the child; 
• threats of violence towards members of the child’s family; 
• keeping the child socially isolated; 
• keeping the child locked up; 
• telling children that they owe large sums of money and that they must work to pay this off; 

How to deal with disclosure

Click here for Information for Parents and Carers leaflet

A Child Protection Conference is a meeting that follows a Child Protection Enquiry if the social worker is still worried that your child/children is at risk of being harmed.

You will be invited to attend the meeting and will be asked to say what you think about the concerns and you will be able to ask questions of the professionals. You can bring someone with you to support you if you wish.

If they are old enough to understand, your children might be invited too.

The meeting is chaired by an independent person. It is their job to make sure the meeting is fair and that everyone can safely share their views. Sometimes parents may be asked to leave for a while, if there is information that cannot be shared for legal reasons. The chairperson will meet you before the meeting to explain how the meeting will work and to make sure you feel able to say what you think.

Click here for what is a child protection conference  leaflet

Click here for The Children's Society- Black Country Advocacy Service leaflet

A Child Protection Conference is where a group of people come together to talk. It happens when it is thought that something has gone wrong in your family and that you or other children in your family are not safe.

It might be because you or other children in your family have been hurt or not looked after properly by the person or people who should keep you safe.

A Social Worker will meet with you and your family to try to understand what is happening. If they are worried, they will arrange a Conference so that everyone who knows you and your family can talk about what has happened.

The latest annual report on the work of Wolverhampton Safeguarding Adults Board is now publicly available.

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Safeguarding is everyone's business!

Family members, relatives, friends and neighbours all have an important part to play in keeping adults with care and support needs safe from abuse and neglect.

If you are worried or concerned about someone, please don't keep it to yourself - report your concerns.

It doesn't matter if you're not sure whether an action / series of actions / a situation is abuse or neglect  all the local agencies and national helplines would much rather you phoned / got in touch so that they can help you know what if anything needs to be done to keep someone safe from harm.

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The Wolverhampton Safeguarding Adults Board is well established and provides strategic leadership for Adult Safeguarding work to ensure there is a consistently high standard of professional response to situations where there is actual or suspected harm.

There are currently fifteen partner agencies represented on the Safeguarding Adults Board, we also have several representatives from several other partner agencies who act as advisers / observers.

We meet four times per year and also have a development event which is usually in March, June, September and December.

[/pb_text][/pb_column][/pb_row][pb_row ][pb_column span="span6"][pb_image el_title="WSAB Annual Report" image_file="images/safeguarding-adults/buttons2/wsab/Annual_Report.jpg" image_alt="WSAB Annual Report" image_size="fullsize" link_type="url" image_type_url="http://www.wolverhamptonsafeguarding.org.uk/index.php/safeguarding-adults/safeguarding-adults-board/wsab-annual-report" open_in="current_browser" image_container_style="no-styling" image_alignment="inherit" appearing_animation="0" ][/pb_image][/pb_column][pb_column span="span6"][pb_image el_title="WSAB Board Members" image_file="images/safeguarding-adults/buttons2/wsab/WSAB_Board_Members.jpg" image_size="fullsize" link_type="url" image_type_url="http://www.wolverhamptonsafeguarding.org.uk/index.php/safeguarding-adults/safeguarding-adults-board/wsab-board-members" open_in="current_browser" image_container_style="no-styling" image_alignment="inherit" appearing_animation="0" ][/pb_image][/pb_column][/pb_row][pb_row ][pb_column span="span6"][pb_image el_title="WSAB Committees" image_file="images/safeguarding-adults/buttons2/wsab/Committees.jpg" image_alt="WSAB Committees" image_size="fullsize" link_type="url" image_type_url="http://www.wolverhamptonsafeguarding.org.uk/index.php/safeguarding-adults/safeguarding-adults-board/wsab-committees" open_in="current_browser" image_container_style="no-styling" image_alignment="inherit" appearing_animation="0" ][/pb_image][/pb_column][pb_column span="span6"][pb_image el_title="WSAB Priorities" image_file="images/safeguarding-adults/buttons2/wsab/Priorities.jpg" image_alt="WSAB Priorities" image_size="fullsize" link_type="url" image_type_url="http://www.wolverhamptonsafeguarding.org.uk/index.php/safeguarding-adults/safeguarding-adults-board/wsab-priorities" open_in="current_browser" image_container_style="no-styling" image_alignment="inherit" appearing_animation="0" ][/pb_image][/pb_column][/pb_row][pb_column span="span12"][/pb_column]