Child Protection Policy

CONTENTS

1. Policy Statement

2. Procedures

3. Recognising the Signs and Symptoms of Abuse

4. Responsible Persons

5. Stages to Follow if you are Worried about a Child

6. Managing Allegations against a Member of Staff or Volunteer

7.Keeping Records

8.Useful contact details

APPENDIX

1.Appendix 1 - Definitions of Abuse

2.Appendix 2 – Flow Chart

3.Appendix 3 – Report Form

Child Protection Policy

1.Policy Statement

Wood Street Walls CIC is fully committed to safeguarding the welfare of all children
and young people. It recognises its responsibility to take all reasonable steps to
promote safe practice and to protect children and young people from harm, abuse
and exploitation.

Wood Street Walls CIC acknowledges its duty to act appropriately to any
allegations, reports or suspicions of abuse. Paid staff and volunteers will
endeavour to work together to encourage the development of an ethos which
embraces difference and diversity and respects the rights of Children and Young
People. Implementing this child protection policy;

2 Wood Street Walls CIC will:

Communicate to all workers their legal and moral responsibility to work to the
standards that are detailed in Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and the
need to work at all times towards maintaining high standards of practice in
protection of children and young people. Ensure that all workers undertaken basic
child protection training provided.

The Archway Project believes that a child or young person should never
experience abuse of any kind. We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of
all children and young people and to keep them safe. We are committed to
practice in a way that protects them.

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

●valuing them, listening to and respecting them.

●adopting child protection practices through procedures and a code of
conduct for staff and volunteers

●providing effective management for staff and volunteers through
supervision, support and training

●recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all staff and volunteers have
enhanced DBS, Criminal Record checks updated every 3 years. This is carried out by Onfido.

●sharing information about child protection and good practice with children,
parents, staff and volunteers

●sharing concerns with agencies who need to know, and involving parents
and children appropriately.

3.Procedures

These procedures have been designed to ensure that the welfare and protection
of any child and young person who accesses the services provided by Wood Street Walls CIC.

This procedure provides clear direction to staff and volunteers at the Archway
Project if they have concerns that a child is in need of protection.

4.Recognising the signs and symptoms of abuse

Wood Street Walls CIC will ensure that all staff members whether paid or unpaid,
undertake training to gain a basic awareness of the signs and symptoms of child
abuse (see Appendix 1).

For example:

●a child or young person alleges that abuse has taken place and that they
feel unsafe

●a third party or anonymous allegation is received

●a member of staff might be concerned about a child’s appearance or
behaviour or about the behaviour of a parent or carer towards a child

●a parent or carer might make a disclosure about abuse that a child is
suffering or at risk of suffering

●a child or young person reports an incident(s) of alleged abuse which
occurred some time ago;

●a report is made regarding the serious misconduct of a worker towards a
child or young person.

5.Named responsible persons

Wood Street Walls CIC has an appointed individual who is responsible for dealing
with any child protection concerns. In their absence, a deputy will always be
available for workers to consult with. The named persons for Child Protection
within Wood Street Walls CIC are:

Name Person: Mark Clack
Work telephone number: 07867 786688
Email: mark@woodstreetwalls.co.uk

Deputy Name Person: Melissa Richards
Work telephone number: 07801 657644
Email: milli@woodstreetwalls.co.uk

5. Stages to follow if you are worried about a child

Wood Street Walls CIC recognises that it has a duty to act on reports or suspicions
of abuse. It also acknowledges that taking action in cases of child abuse is never
easy. However Wood Street Walls CIC believes that the safety of the child should
override any doubts or hesitations. When worrying changes are observed in a
child’s or young person’s behaviour, physical condition or appearance staff will:

Stage 1

●Listen carefully to what the child/young person has to say and take it
seriously.

●Let the child/young person tell his or her whole story. Don’t try to
investigate or take sole responsibility for a situation. Don’t quiz the child,
but make sure that you are clear as to what he/she is saying.

●Reassure the child/young person that telling someone about it was the
right thing to do. Always explain to child/young people that any information
they have given will have to be shared with others.

●Notify the organisation’s Named Person for Child Protection. (See Appendix
2 Flow chart).

●Record the concern and how it is dealt with as soon as possible using report
form (Appendix 3 report form) and ensure it is signed and dated.

If a child in immediate danger or in need of emergency medical attention

●If the child is in immediate danger and is with you, remain with him/her
and call the police on 999
.
●If the child is elsewhere, contact the police and explain the situation to
them.

●If he/she needs emergency medical attention, call an ambulance and, while
you are waiting for it to arrive, get help from your first aider.

●If the first aider is not available, use any first aid knowledge that you may
have yourself to help the child.

●You also need to contact your manager or named person for child
protection to let them know what is happening. A decision will need to be
made about who should inform the child’s family and the local authority
children’s social care department, and when they should be informed. If
you have involved the police and/or the health services, they should be
part of this decision. Consider the welfare of the child in your decision
making as the highest priority.

Stage 2

●The Named person(s) will take immediate action if there is a suspicion that
a child has been abused or likely to be abused. In this situation the Named
Person will contact the police and/or the relevant Social Services office.

●The named person can also seek advice and clarity about a situation that is
beginning to raise concern via the relevant duty team from the local Social
Services or via the NSPCC National Child Protection Helpline on 0808 800
5000.

6.Managing allegations made against a member of staff or volunteer

Wood Street Walls CIC will ensure that any allegations made against members or a
member of staff will be dealt with swiftly and in accordance with these
procedures:

●The worker must ensure that that the child is safe and away from the
person against whom the allegation is made.

●The named person for child protection should be informed immediately. In
the case of an allegation involving the named person, alternative
arrangements should be sought to ensure that the matter is dealt with by
an independent person. (Note: this could be a Trustee, director or anyone
within the organisation that is in a senior position within the organisation
and believed to be independent of the allegations being made).

●The named person should contact Social Services for advice on how to
proceed with the immediate situation. In the event of an emergency
situation arising, the police should be contacted for discussion.

●The individual who first received/witnessed the concern should make a full
written record of what was seen, heard and/or told as soon as possible
after observing the incident/receiving the report. It is important that the
report is an accurate description. The named person (if appropriate) can
support the worker during this process but must not complete the report
for the worker. This report must be made available on request from either
the police and/or social services.

●Regardless of whether a police and/or social services investigation follows,
Wood Street Walls CIC will ensure that an internal investigation takes place
and consideration is given to the operation of disciplinary procedures. This
may involve an immediate suspension and/or ultimate dismissal dependant
on the nature of the incident.

7.Keeping a record of your concerns

Use reporting form (Appendix 3) to record the concern and how it is dealt with.
The relevant sections of the form should be completed and signed at each stage
of the procedure. It can be used to forward information to the statutory child
protection authorities if a referral to them is needed.

The form should be signed and dated by all those involved in its completion and
kept confidentially on the child’s file. The name of the person making the notes
should be written alongside each entry.

8.Useful contact details:

Local police:
The new number to contact your local police: Dial 101
ask for Walthamstow or Leytonstone Police Station

Local authorities:

Waltham Forest

Help & Advice:

NSPCC Helpline
0808 800 5000
textphone 0800 400 222
help@nspcc.org.uk
Help for adults concerned
about a child
ChildLine
Help for children & young
people
0800 1111
Website: www.childline.org.uk

If a child is in immediate danger, you should always call the Police on 999

We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually.

Appendix 1 - Definitions of Abuse

Physical abuse - is violence causing injury or occurring regularly during
childhood. It happens when:

●a child is hurt or injured by being hit, shaken, squeezed, thrown, burned,
scalded, bitten or cut
●someone tries to drown or suffocate a child
●someone gives a child poison, alcohol or inappropriate drugs
●someone fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a
child.

In some cases the injuries will be caused deliberately. In others they may be
accidental but caused by the child being knowingly put at risk.

Sexual abuse - occurs when someone uses power or control to involve a child in
sexual activity in order to gratify the abuser’s own sexual, emotional or financial
needs or desires. It may include:

●forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether or not
the child is aware of what is happening
●encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways
●showing children pornographic material or involving them in the production
of such material
●involving children in watching other people’s sexual activity or in
inappropriate discussions about sexual matters.

Emotional abuse - is persistent or severe emotional ill-treatment of a child that
is likely to cause serious harm to his/her development. It may include:

●persistently denying the child love and affection
●regularly making the child feel frightened by shouts, threats or any other
means
●hurting another person or a pet in order to distress a child
●being so over-protective towards the child that he/she is unable to develop
or lead a normal life
●exploiting or corrupting a child, e.g. by involving him/her in illegal
behaviour
●conveying to a child the message that he/she is worthless, unlovable,
inadequate, or his/her only value is to meet the needs of another person.
This may or may not include racist, homophobic or other forms of abuse.

Neglect - involves persistently failing to meet a child’s physical, psychological or
emotional needs. It may include:

●failing to ensure that a child’s basic needs for food, shelter, clothing, health
care, hygiene and education are met
●failing to provide appropriate supervision to keep a child out of danger. This
includes lack of supervision of particular activities or leaving a child alone in
the house.

Appendix 2 - Flow Chart

Wood Street Walls CIC - Urgent Action

Appendix 3 - Report Form