AI Generated Safeguarding Policy for use in the United Kingdom
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This Safeguarding Policy is adopted by Bright Futures Youth Charity which is a registered charity providing youth services.

The purpose of this Safeguarding Policy is to outline the organisation's commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all individuals we work with preventing abuse and neglect.

This Safeguarding Policy applies to all staff volunteers trustees and activities conducted by the organisation across its programs and events.

Bright Futures Youth Charity commits to protecting children under 18 young people aged 18 to 25 and vulnerable adults from harm.

The designated safeguarding lead shall be the Operations Manager.

This Safeguarding Policy shall become effective on 2024-01-01.

This Safeguarding Policy shall apply throughout the United Kingdom.

In this Safeguarding Policy the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them.

This Safeguarding Policy is governed by and shall be construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales.

Bright Futures Youth Charity complies with the Children Act 1989 by prioritizing the welfare of the child ensuring that all decisions and actions are guided by the paramountcy principle and maintaining detailed records of child protection cases to support legal proceedings if necessary.

Bright Futures Youth Charity has adopted the statutory guidance from Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018.

Bright Futures Youth Charity implements Keeping Children Safe in Education through mandatory staff training on recognizing signs of abuse establishing clear reporting procedures for child protection concerns and conducting regular safeguarding audits to ensure ongoing compliance.

Bright Futures Youth Charity shall comply with the Children Act 2004 the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 the Care Act 2014 the Mental Capacity Act 2005 the Safeguarding Adults Boards Regulations 2015 the Data Protection Act 2018 the UK GDPR and the Prevent duty under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015.

Bright Futures Youth Charity has a formal agreement with the local authority for safeguarding arrangements as required under relevant legislation.

This policy also has regard to Charity Commission guidance on safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees.

Bright Futures Youth Charity is committed to creating a safe environment for children young people and adults at risk and to promoting their welfare. We will act quickly and decisively to protect them from harm including abuse neglect exploitation radicalisation FGM CSE county lines domestic abuse and online harm.

We recognise our responsibilities under the Prevent duty and will work to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism including making Channel referrals where appropriate.

We are committed to the principles of child-centred practice prevention early intervention multi-agency working and equality of opportunity.

This policy applies to all staff volunteers trustees and anyone working on behalf of the charity.

Our child-centered approach prioritizes the voice needs and best interests of the child in all safeguarding decisions.

Bright Futures Youth Charity shall ensure that children are actively involved where appropriate and all actions are tailored to support their individual circumstances promoting their safety welfare and development.

Prevention shall be a core principle of this Safeguarding Policy.

Early intervention shall be a guiding principle of this Safeguarding Policy.

Early intervention procedures shall include regular risk assessments staff training on recognizing signs of potential harm immediate referral to support services upon identification of concerns and follow-up monitoring to ensure timely and effective support is provided to at-risk children and families.

Multi-agency collaboration shall be a core principle of this Safeguarding Policy.

These core principles of child-centered approaches prevention early intervention and multi-agency collaboration will underpin all our safeguarding practices ensuring a proactive collaborative and supportive environment that protects children and promotes their well-being in line with statutory requirements.

The Board of Trustees shall be the governing body of Bright Futures Youth Charity.

The Board of Trustees shall have the duty to oversee safeguarding arrangements.

The Board of Trustees shall approve the safeguarding policy annually ensure resources are allocated for training and review safeguarding reports quarterly.

The Senior Management Team shall be responsible for implementing the safeguarding policy.

The Senior Management Team shall organise training sessions monitor training completion and evaluate training effectiveness.

The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) is Jane Smith (also known as the Operations Manager).

The designated safeguarding lead shall manage referrals to children's social care provide advice and support to staff on safeguarding issues and liaise with external agencies.

The designated safeguarding lead shall be available during term time and holidays. Contact details: jane.smith@brightfutures.org.uk 020 1234 5678.

All staff shall identify signs of abuse report concerns immediately and maintain confidentiality.

Volunteers shall assist with after-school activities and event supervision.

All volunteers shall undergo DBS checks.

Volunteers shall observe and report any concerns about child safety to the designated safeguarding lead and complete mandatory safeguarding training.

The main external partners involved in the activities of Bright Futures Youth Charity are local social services youth charities and educational consultants.

External partners shall provide DBS clearance follow the safeguarding policy of Bright Futures Youth Charity and report concerns to the designated safeguarding lead.

Bright Futures Youth Charity is committed to safer recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults from harm ensuring that all appointments are made with the utmost regard for safeguarding.

All staff and volunteers in regulated activity will undergo an enhanced DBS check including barred list information where appropriate.

At least two references shall be obtained and verified for every candidate one of which must be from the most recent employer.

All interviews shall be conducted as a panel interview and shall include questions specifically about safeguarding and protecting vulnerable individuals.

Identity checks proof of right to work in the UK and verification of qualifications will be carried out.

All new staff will receive a safeguarding induction.

A single central record of recruitment and vetting checks will be maintained in line with statutory requirements.

All staff and volunteers must adhere to the organisation's code of conduct which sets out expectations for professional behaviour including maintaining appropriate boundaries respecting privacy avoiding favouritism and promoting an inclusive environment.

The code forms part of the safer working practices section of this policy and is provided to all staff and volunteers on induction.

The organisation has a low-level concerns policy and procedure. A low-level concern is any concern that an adult working with children may have acted in a way that is inconsistent with the staff code of conduct but does not meet the harms threshold for referral to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).

Low-level concerns should be reported to the DSL and will be recorded and reviewed as part of the organisation's safeguarding quality assurance processes.

All staff volunteers and trustees shall undergo safeguarding induction training upon joining Bright Futures Youth Charity.

Ongoing safeguarding training shall be mandated for all staff volunteers and trustees at regular intervals and shall be updated in line with statutory guidance.

The DSL and deputies will receive advanced training every two years.

Training will cover all relevant topics including radicalisation FGM CSE county lines domestic abuse online safety mental health awareness and Prevent.

A training matrix will be maintained recording who has been trained when and at what level.

This policy provides specific guidance on recognising signs of physical emotional sexual abuse neglect radicalisation FGM CSE county lines domestic abuse peer-on-peer abuse online harm and mental health concerns.

Mandatory staff training on recognising concerns shall be referenced in this Safeguarding Policy.

When responding to concerns staff shall first ensure the immediate safety of the child or vulnerable adult and then notify the designated safeguarding lead without delay.

Concerns shall be reported immediately to the DSL Jane Smith.

Concerns shall be reported to external bodies immediately if there is imminent risk of harm by contacting the local authority children's services or police via their designated channels.

The designated contact person for internal reporting of safeguarding concerns shall be Jane Smith.

The email address for the designated internal reporting contact shall be jane.smith@brightfutures.org.uk.

The phone number for the designated internal reporting contact shall be 020 1234 5678.

When a safeguarding concern is identified staff shall ensure safety of the individual notify the designated safeguarding lead and document initial observations.

All concerns must be documented factually including dates times observations and any statements made without speculation.

A standard reporting form shall be used for documenting safeguarding concerns.

A safeguarding concern shall be escalated to external authorities if the concern involves serious harm repeated incidents or if internal resolution is not possible within twenty four hours.

The external authorities for escalation shall include local authority children's services the police and the NSPCC helpline.

Staff shall be required to report a safeguarding concern internally within twenty four hours after identifying the concern.

Anonymous reporting of safeguarding concerns shall be allowed.

See Appendix for flowchart on reporting concerns and handling disclosures.

All safeguarding concerns shall be reported internally in the first instance to the designated safeguarding lead Jane Smith.

The designated safeguarding lead shall determine whether the concern requires referral to external authorities including local authority children's services or the police.

Immediate actions shall be taken to ensure the safety of the individual concerned.

All reports shall be documented in accordance with the procedures set out in section 11 of this Safeguarding Policy.

Escalation to authorities shall occur without delay where there is risk of significant harm.

Information sharing protocols follow the guidance in Working Together to Safeguard Children and the Data Protection Act 2018/UK GDPR. Confidentiality may be overridden where there is risk of significant harm to a child or vulnerable adult or where there is a legal obligation to share.

All allegations against staff or volunteers shall be referred to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) within one working day.

The DSL Jane Smith is responsible for managing these allegations and may be contacted at jane.smith@brightfutures.org.uk or 020 1234 5678.

Staff or volunteers shall not be automatically suspended but a risk assessment will be carried out.

This Safeguarding Policy shall cover allegations of physical abuse emotional abuse sexual abuse neglect and low-level concerns against staff or volunteers.

Immediate police contact shall be required for criminal allegations against staff.

All allegation records shall be kept in line with the organisation's retention policy and statutory guidance.

Anonymous whistleblowing reports shall be allowed.

The recipients for whistleblowing concerns shall be the Safeguarding Lead Jane Smith and Senior Management.

Whistleblowers will be protected from any form of victimisation discrimination or unfair treatment.

The identity of whistleblowers will be kept confidential where possible and they will not face adverse employment consequences for raising genuine concerns in good faith.

A strict no-retaliation clause shall apply to whistleblowers.

Training shall be required for staff on whistleblowing.

Concerns raised via whistleblowing shall be acknowledged within five days.

The code of conduct for staff and volunteers shall outline expectations for professional behavior including maintaining confidentiality respecting privacy avoiding favoritism and promoting an inclusive environment for all participants.

Boundaries with children and vulnerable adults shall be set through clear communication of professional limits prohibition on personal social media contact rules against giving or accepting gifts and guidelines on one-to-one meetings.

Guidelines for the use of technology by staff and volunteers shall require that all communications must use official organization channels no personal devices for work-related contact devices must be password-protected internet use must be monitored to prevent access to inappropriate content and regular training on online safety must be provided.

Permitted physical contact shall include comforting hugs with consent assistance with mobility for vulnerable adults and sports-related contact with supervision.

Prohibited physical contact shall include any physical contact that is not essential for safety or program activities touching of private areas roughhousing or play-fighting and all contact must be appropriate to the context and never secretive.

The supervision ratio for children shall be one adult per eight children.

The supervision ratio for vulnerable adults shall be one adult per five vulnerable adults.

Safeguarding training shall be mandatory for all staff.

Risk minimization strategies shall include regular risk assessments background checks for all personnel incident reporting protocols and peer support and oversight.

This section includes a lone working policy site security measures missing child procedures and procedures in the event of the death of a child.

A policy on safe internet use for staff volunteers and young people shall be included.

Content filtering systems shall be implemented to block inappropriate websites and monitoring software used.

Digital literacy education shall include annual workshops for staff curriculum integration for young people and parental awareness sessions.

Procedures for addressing cyberbullying incidents sexting (youth produced sexual imagery) and online grooming shall be followed in line with KCSIE guidance.

Specific measures to prevent online grooming such as staff training on recognising signs shall be included.

Exposure to inappropriate content shall be reported to the designated safeguarding lead.

Guidelines for safe use of social media platforms by young people and staff shall be included.