SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IS EVERYONE'S BUSINESS!!

All voluntary, community and faith organisations need to understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities (alongside those of other organisations and services) to help keep children and young people safe from abuse and neglect, and promote their wellbeing.

There is a range of help and support for voluntary, community and faith organisations working in Wolverhampton from Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council. This includes safeguarding support which you can access as follows:

1. Specific support for faith groups

• There are over 250 faith groups in Wolverhampton which you can find details for all of these on the Wolverhampton Faith Map
• Wolverhampton Safeguarding Boards have funded a faith engagement worker to support faith groups to meet their safeguarding responsibilities: providing information and advice; helping with writing suitable policy and procedures; accessing safeguarding training; and facilitating networking opportunities at which faith  groups can learn from each other and experts on relevant safeguarding topics
• To access this support, please contact Pavitter Kaur Mainn - (Faith Engagement Worker) by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone: 07538 105780
• 'NSPCC Safeguarding in Faith Communities' resources - created by the NSPCC these provide a range of practical information, advice and useful videos and policy templates.

2. Individual and group support for any voluntary or community organisation

• contact Stephen Dodd (Youth Organisations Wolverhampton Co-ordinator) by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone: 01902 328985 / 07981 931849
• or Sharon Nanan-Sen (Voluntary and Community Sector Support Worker) - by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or phone: 01902 328982

Please ask for any help you need - there is no such thing as a silly question and we are used to working with organisations at all levels of awareness in relation to safeguarding.

The NSPCC have developed a fantastic range of resources and tools to support voluntary, community and faith organisations with their roles and responsibilities relating to safeguarding children in the NSPCC SAFEGUARDING TOOL These easy to use and relevant resources cover  key areas to support you with your safeguarding roles and responsibilities:

1. Child Protection
2. Safer staff and volunteers
3. Avoiding accidents and running safe activities
4. Preventing, and responding to, bullying
5. Recording

You will find the following resources really helpful: Safeguarding Self Assessment

All organisations need to have the following elements to fulfill their basic Safeguarding Children responsibilities:

 1. Write and agree a Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures that works for your organisation and the children, young people and families you support. Discuss this at a meeting of your management committee or board of directors – Make sure that all management committee members / directors / trustees are aware of the policy, have discussed it, had time to comment on it and understand their responsibilities.

WVSC has a policy template for both safeguarding children and safeguarding adults. This can be shared with any organisation that wants to review its safeguarding arrangements. Just get in touch with any of the contacts above.

The safeguarding procedures need to make it clear to everyone in the organisation / group:

• how they can recognise abuse
• how they should respond to allegations or concerns about abuse
• how they should record concerns and make appropriate referrals
• how they can help to create a safe environment in their work with children
• what behaviour towards children is acceptable and unacceptable in their role as volunteer or employee
• how they should behave in a range of everyday situations

2. Appoint a Named Safeguarding Lead and a deputy in case the Named Safeguarding Lead cannot be contacted (e.g. on holiday) or is alleged to have been involved in any abuse.

3. Publicise the name and role of the Named Safeguarding Lead

4. Put Safer Recruitment procedures in place for recruiting volunteers and employees

5. Raise awareness of the policy and procedures with volunteers and employees, management committee members & trustees

6. Create a code of conduct for volunteers and employees

7. Provide safeguarding training to help employees and volunteers understand what it means for them and their work with children

8. Make sure all volunteers and employees are aware of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) where all concerns are assigned appropriate support

9. Understand and publicise the role of the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). Click here to view managing allegations against employees and volunteers page.

10. Make sure you have safe and secure ways of storing and sharing personal information – data protection

11. Make sure that a risk assessment is carried out on all activities

12. Create or review other policies that you will need to make your Safeguarding Children Policy work:

• Need to make sure you have an equality and diversity policy in place
• Create a Whistle Blowing Policy
• Create a Confidentiality Policy

13. Set a review date

 Click here to view GOV UK - Guidance - Charities how to protect children and adults at risk