Children’s Safeguarding Policy and Procedures

Updated: 12/4/2022

Index:

1. Introduction

2. Principles

3. Guidance and Legislation

4. Definitions

5. Signs and indicators of abuse

6. What to do if you have a concern

7. How to respond to a concern

8. Safeguarding Children’s Flow Chart

9. Roles and responsibilities

10. Good practice, poor practice and abuse

11. Capacity - Guidance on Making Decisions

12. Further Information

13. Appendix 1 – Useful Contacts and making a report

1) Introduction

Connections Art Centre is committed to creating and maintaining a safe and positive environment and accepts our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all involved in our programs in accordance with National guidelines.

Connections Art Centre safeguarding children policy and procedures apply to all individuals involved in Connections Art Centre.

Connections Art Centre will encourage and support partner organisations to adopt and demonstrate their commitment to the principles and practice of equality as set out in this Child Safety policy and procedures.

2) We will adhere to the following guiding principles:

· The safety and welfare of children is everyone’s responsibilities The best interests of the child are paramount Confidentiality is acknowledged as a key principle within our work and is maintained as a primary principle within Connections Arts Centre's services.

· Children have the right to be heard, listened to and taken seriously. Taking into account their age and understanding they should be consulted and involved in all matters and decisions that may affect their lives.

· Parents/Carers have a right to respect, and should be consulted and involved in matters that concern their family – where their involvement will not put the child at further risk.

· Recognising that child protection is a multiagency, multidisciplinary activity, we commit to working in partnership with other agencies and organisations in the interest of protecting children.

· Connections Arts Centre has completed an assessment of risk for potential harm to children when they are participating in Connections Arts Centre activities. If there is any concern for the welfare of a child or young person participating in Connections Arts Centre , those concerns should be reported to one of Connections Arts Centre’s Designated Liaison Officers.

Connections Arts Centre’s Designated Liaison Officers contact details are:

Miriam Spollen

Email: support@connectionsartscentre.ie

Phone: 086 6478452

3) Legislation

Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons at Risk of Abuse National Policy& Procedures

· National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (Department of children an youth affairs 2017)

· The National Standards for Residential Services for Children and Adults with Disabilities (HIQA 2013 – Standard 1.4.2).

· The Health Act 2007.

· Safety Incident Management Policy 2014.

4) Glossary Of Terms and Definitions

To assist working through and understanding this policy a number of key definitions need to be explained. Abuse may be identified as any act, or failure to act, which results in a breach of child’s rights. Abuse can take a variety forms, physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect.

Designated Officer: The person to whom concerns of abuse should be raise, who will co-ordinate the appropriate response.

Child is anyone aged 18 or under

Children First: National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children, first published in 1999 and revised in 2011, has been the national guidance for social workers, professionals, organisations and individuals to help keep children safe and protected from harm. This edition of the Guidance is intended to assist you, whether you are a member of the public, a professional, employee or volunteer, in identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect, and to deal effectively with these concerns. It also sets out the statutory responsibilities for mandated persons and organisations under the Children First Act 2015 and provides information about how the statutory agencies respond to reports of concerns made about children. You can view the full document here, National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children

5) Signs and indicators of abuse and neglect

Abuse can take place in any context and by all manner of perpetrator. Abuse may be inflicted by anyone. Our staff may suspect that a client is being abused or neglected outside of the class setting. There are many signs and indicators that may suggest someone is being abused or neglected. These include but are not limited to:

· Unexplained bruises or injuries – or lack of medical attention when an injury is present.

· Person has belongings or money going missing.

· Person is not attending / no longer enjoying their sessions. You may notice that a participant in a team has been missing from sessions and is not responding to reminders from facilitators.

· A change in appearance, becomes unkempt, and a deterioration in hygiene, losing or gaining weight.

· A change in the behaviour or confidence of a person.

· They may self-harm.

· They may have a fear of a particular group or individual.

· They may tell you / another person they are being abused – i.e. a disclosure.

· This could be a fellow participants who sends unwanted sexually explicit text messages to an adult with learning disabilities they are training alongside.

· This could be a client threatening another client with physical harm.

6) What to do if you have a concern, or if someone raises concerns with you.

· It is not your responsibility to decide whether or not a child has been abused. It is, however, everyone's responsibility to respond to and report concerns.

· If you are concerned someone is in immediate danger, seek assistance, medical or Garda Siochana as appropriate.

· If you have concerns and or you are told about possible or alleged abuse, poor practice or wider welfare issues you must report this to the Connections Art Centre Lead Safeguarding Officer. Or, if the Lead Safeguarding or Welfare Officer is implicated, then report to the Connections Art Centre CEO.

· When raising your concern with the Lead Safeguarding Officer, remember Making Safeguarding Personal.

· It is important when considering your concern that where appropriate you keep the person informed about any decisions and action taken, and always consider their needs and wishes.

7) How to respond to a concern

· Make a note of your concerns.

· Make a note of what the person has said using his or her own words as soon as practicable. Complete an Incident Form and submit to the Connections Art Centre Lead Safeguarding Officer.

· Remember to make safeguarding personal. Where appropriate discuss your safeguarding concerns with the child, obtain their view of what they would like to happen, but inform them it’s your duty to pass on your concerns to your lead safeguarding.

· Describe the circumstances in which the disclosure came about.

· Take care to distinguish between fact, observation, allegation and opinion. It is important that the information you have is accurate.

· Be mindful of the need to be confidential at all times. This information must only be shared with your Lead Safeguarding and others on a need-to-know basis.

· If the matter is urgent and relates to the immediate safety of a child at risk then contact the emergency services immediately.

8) Safeguarding Flowchart

Dealing with Concerns, Suspicions or Disclosure

9) Roles and responsibilities of those within Connections Art Centre

Connections Art Centre is committed to having the following in place:

· A Lead Safeguarding officer to produce and disseminate guidance and resources to support the policy and procedures.

· A clear line of accountability within the organisation for work on promoting the welfare of all children.

· Procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse or poor practice against members of staff and volunteers.

· A Steering Group that effectively deals with issues, manages concerns and refers to a disciplinary panel where necessary (i.e. where concerns arise about the behaviour of someone within Connections Art Centre.

· A Disciplinary Panel will be formed as required for a given incident, if appropriate and should a threshold be met.

· Arrangements to work effectively with other organisations to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, including arrangements for sharing information.

· Appropriate whistle blowing procedures and an open and inclusive culture that enables safeguarding and equality and diversity issues to be addressed.

· Clear codes of conduct are in place for staff, participants, officials, spectators and other relevant individuals.

10) Good practice, poor practice and abuse

It can be difficult to distinguish poor practice from abuse, whether intentional or accidental. It is not the responsibility of any individual involved in Connections Art Centre to make judgements regarding whether or not abuse is taking place. However, all Connections Art Centre personnel have the responsibility to recognise and identify poor practice and potential abuse, and act on this if they have concerns.

Good practice

Connections Art Centre expects that:

· Adopt and endorse the Connections Art Centre Codes of Conduct.

· Have basic awareness in working with children at risk.

Everyone should:

· Aim to make the experience of Connections Art Centre fun and enjoyable.

· Promote inclusiveness and connection.

· Not tolerate the use of prohibited or illegal substances.

· Treat everyone equally and preserve their dignity. This includes giving more and less talented members of a group similar attention, time and respect.

11) Capacity – Guidance on Making Decisions

We make many decisions every day, often without realising. We make so many decisions that it’s easy to take this ability for granted.

But some people are only able to make some decisions, and a small number of people cannot make any decisions. Being unable to make a decision is called “lacking capacity”.

To make a decision we need to:

· Understand information.

· Remember it for long enough.

· Think about the information.

· Communicate our decision.

A person’s ability to do this may be affected by things like learning disability, mental health needs, acquired brain injury, and physical ill health. Every individual has the right to make their own decisions and provides the framework for this to happen.

This is about making sure that people have the support they need to make as many decisions as possible. It is also about protecting people who need family, friends, or paid support staff to make decisions for them because they lack capacity to make specific decisions.

Our ability to make decisions can change over the course of a day.

Here are some examples that demonstrate how the timing of a question can affect the response:

· A person with epilepsy may not be able to make a decision following a seizure.

· Someone who is anxious may not be able to make a decision at that point.

· A person may not be able to respond as quickly if they have just taken some medication that causes fatigue.

In each of these examples, it may appear as though the person cannot make a decision. But later in the day, presented with the same decision, they may be able to at least be involved.

Recognises that capacity is decision-specific, so no one will be labelled as entirely lacking capacity.

Always consider the following five points:

Assume that people are able to make decisions, unless it is shown that they are not. If you have concerns about a person’s level of understanding, you should check this with them, and if applicable, with the people supporting them.
Give people as much support as they need to make decisions. You may be involved in this – you might need to think about the way you communicate or provide information, and you may be asked your opinion.
People have the right to make unwise decisions. The important thing is that they understand the implications. If they understand the implications, consider how risks might be minimised.
If someone is not able to make a decision, then the person helping them must only make decisions in their “best interests”. This means that the decision must be what is best for the person, not for anyone else. If someone was making a decision on your behalf, you would want it to reflect the decision you would make if you were able to.
Find the least restrictive way of doing what needs to be done.

Remember:

· You should not discriminate or make assumptions about someone’s ability to make decisions, and you should not pre-empt a best-interests decision merely on the basis of a person’s age, appearance, condition, or behaviour.

· When it comes to decision-making, you could be involved in a minor way, or asked to provide more detail. The way you provide information might influence a person’s ultimate decision.

12) Further Information

Policies, procedures and supporting information are available from TULSA:

https://www.tusla.ie/uploads/content/Children_First_National_Guidance_2017.pdf

Lead Safeguarding or Welfare Officer: Miriam Spollen, PH: 086 647 8452

Review date

This policy will be reviewed every two years or sooner in the event of legislative changes or revised policies and best practic

Appendix 1

Useful contacts

Connections Art Centre: Safe guarding officer: Miriam Spollen

Who to contact

You should always inform Tusla if you have reasonable grounds for concern that a child may have been, is being, or is at risk of being abused or neglected. You can report your concern in person, by telephone or in writing — including by email — to the local social work duty service in the area where the child lives. You can find contact details for the Tusla social work teams on the Tusla website (www.tusla.ie)

You can find the full list of persons in Tusla and the HSE who are designated officers under the 1998 Act, on the website of each agency (www.tusla.ie and www.hse.ie).

What information to include

To help Tusla staff assess your reasonable concern, they need as much information as possible. You should provide as much relevant information as you can about the child, his/her home circumstances and the grounds for concern. These could include:

· The child’s name, address and age

· Names and addresses of parents or guardians

· Names, if known, of who is allegedly harming the child or not caring for them appropriately

· A detailed account of your grounds for concern (e.g. details of the allegation, dates of incidents, and description of injuries)

· Names of other children in the household

· Name of school the child attends

· Your name, contact details and relationship to the child

· Names of other children in the household

· Name of school the child attends

· Your name, contact details and relationship to the child.