Safeguarding Children & Adults at Risk
Key Contact Details
CEO / Designated Safeguarding Lead: Brenden Thompson, brenden.thompson@catholicvoices.org.uk
Designated Safeguarding Trustee: William Kent, william.kent@catholicvoices.org.uk
Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency 07855 123 398
NSPCC Child Protection Helpline: 0808 800 5000
Contents
Commitment to Safeguarding
The Law
Types of Abuse
Role & Responsibilities
Safer Recruitment Practises
Training
Creating Safe Environments
Responding to Allegations & Concerns
1. Commitment to Safeguarding
Catholic Voices is an independently run lay organisation within the Church that seeks to promote dialogue and exchange about the teachings of the Catholic Church and its relevance to society today. It has a cohort of trained, voluntary speakers who engage with the media, parishes, schools, universities and the public both through online events and in person meetings.
Catholic Voices, including all of its staff, trustees, and volunteers, is fully committed to protecting all those whom it engages with, especially children and adult at risks, and to promoting a positive and engaged approach to safeguarding within the Catholic Church.
Catholic Voices often runs events in schools & parishes, and, from the start of 2021 started to work directly with young people. This policy sets out everything that is being done to ensure that children and adult at risks are safe and protected from all forms of abuse or mistreatment.
Catholic Voices is fully committed to the “One Church” approach established by the Catholic Bishops Conference of England & Wales, and the Conference of Religious. These policies are outlined in full here: https://www.csas.uk.net/procedures-manual/
It is the policy of the Catholic Church in England & Wales to report all allegations of abuse to statutory authorities, regardless of whether the abuse occurred recently or in the past, or whether the accused person in living or deceased. Catholic Voices adheres to this policy.
2. The Law
A child is defined as anyone who has not yet reached their 18th Birthday. Their rights are protected by law internationally and within the UK.
The Children Act 1989 sets out the key legislative framework for protecting children. This has in turn been strengthened by the Children Act 2004 and the Children and Social Work Act 2017. Updated guidance for anyone working with children was published by the Department for Education in July 2018: Working Together to Safeguard Children
Key legislation relating to adult at risks in set out in the Care Act 2014. An adult at risk is someone who has care and support needs that is consequently unable to protect themselves from abuse or neglect. This may be because of a variety of reasons such as dementia, learning disabilities, or mental ill-health.
3. Types of Abuse
Children and Adult at risks can be abused by family members, friends, peers, employees or volunteers within organisational settings, people they know, strangers, and online.
All abuse can cause life-long, and devastating effects for its victims. That is why it is so important for organisations to be aware of what abuse is, and what can be done to prevent it.
There are many types of abuse, and it is important to know what these are and to be aware of the signs of such abuse. The following outlines some key information about signs of abuse- this is not exhaustive:
Physical Abuse: where a child or adult at risk is deliberately hurt. It can involve hitting, kicking, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, or suffocating. The signs of such abuse may include excessive bruising, marks in unexpected areas, and unexplained injuries.
Sexual Abuse: where a child or adult at risk is forced or enticed to take part in sexual activities. This can include contact and non-contact abuse. Abusers will often groom their victims, and the victim may not be aware of what is happening to them. The signs of such abuse may include physical signs, or changes in a person’s mood or behaviour. They may want to avoid spending time with specific people or may show sexual behaviour that is inappropriate for their age.
Emotional Abuse: where a child or adult at risk is humiliated, mocked, ignored, scapegoated, controlled, isolated, etc. There are not always obvious signs of this type of abuse, but changes in behaviour or emotion may be noticeable. Such abuse can take place in its own right or accompany other forms of abuse.
Neglect: where a child or adult at risk’s basic needs are not being met, resulting in serious damage to their health and development. This can include a lack of food, clothing, hygiene, or healthcare. Ongoing signs of hunger, lack of hygiene, or unattended injuries are signs of neglect. Neglect can include acts of omission and self-neglect.
Other types of abuse include Spiritual Abuse, Financial Abuse, Discrimination, Online Abuse, Child Sexual Exploitation, where young people are tricked or coerced into sexual activity; Harmful sexual behaviour, where inappropriate sexual behaviour takes places between children; Domestic abuse, where a domestic abuse situation effects a child or adult at risk; Bullying, Child Trafficking, and Female Genital Mutilation.
There are lots of sources of information online where you can learn more about the types of abuse and the signs to look out for. See for example:
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/
https://www.scie.org.uk/safeguarding/adults/introduction/types-and-indicators-of-abuse
4. Roles and Responsibilities
Every trustee, staff member, consultant and volunteer in Catholic Voices is responsible for safeguarding children & adult at risks who come into contact with the organisation, and everyone is asked to read and express their commitment to this policy (Appendix III).
Within the organisation there are a number of designated responsibilities:
The Chief Executive Officer: The CEO who is responsible for the day-to-day running of the organisation must ensure that this policy in being properly implemented, and that all staff and volunteers are properly aware of their responsibilities.
A Designated Safeguarding Lead: The DSL is currently also the CEO. The DSL should ensure that any safeguarding training needs are met and that appropriate safer recruitment measures are being followed. The DSL will also be the first point of contact in the event of any safeguarding incidents.
A Designated Safeguarding Trustee: A designated member of the trustee board will have oversight over safeguarding. They will advise the board and will ensure regular accountability of the overall safeguarding approach.
The Board of Trustees: The Board will regularly review the safeguarding policy and practises of Catholic Voices. In the event of any safeguarding incidents, the Board will be notified within 24 hours. Whenever a new activity or programme is launched, the Board should carry out a relevant risk assessment. All occurrences of serious incidents must be reported by the Board to the Charity Commission as promptly as possible.
All staff & volunteers: In the event of any immediate concerns about the welfare of a child or adult at risk, no one should delay in contacting the police. All incidents, allegations, or concerns should be reported promptly to the Designated Safeguarding Lead within 24 hours.
5. Safer Recruitment Practices
Relying on trust and goodwill are sadly not always enough to prevent abuse from occurring in organisations. As part of its commitment to ensuring children and adults are kept safe from harm, Catholic Voices has in place practises to ensure safer recruitment.
The following standards are in line with the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency, who are also the registered body for carrying out appropriate DBS checks on Catholic Voices staff and volunteers.
For Employees
All employees of Catholic Voices require a Basic DBS check. If their work involves direct contact with children or adult at risk, they will require a DBS check appropriate to their role.
All vacancies for positions at Catholic Voices must be properly advertised and make use of an application form. Where DBS checks are required this should be clearly stated during the application process. The recruitment process must include a formal interview and at least two references are required.
For Employees and Volunteers working directly with Children
Some Catholic Voices volunteers and staff work directly with children, for example in the Speak Up Programme. Volunteers and staff holding such positions must have a DBS check appropriate to their role prior to being appointed to such a position. All positions at Catholic Voices that involve direct work with children must include a recruitment process involving a formal interview and at least two references that indicate suitability for working with children.
For Volunteers not working directly with Children
The majority of Catholic Voices volunteers do not have direct contact with children or adult at risks. They are not eligible therefore to have a DBS check. Any speaking engagements within schools should not include direct contact with children, and there should always be a member of the teaching staff present. It is the duty of Catholic Voices staff to ensure proper liaison with the relevant schools to ensure appropriate safeguarding standards are met.
All volunteers must apply through a formal application process, be interviewed, and provide appropriate references prior to being appointed.
6. Training
All trustees, staff, and volunteers should be familiar with the contents of this policy and understand their duties. Everyone should read the policy and sign an acknowledgement form (Appendix. III) indicating their commitment to follow it.
A section on safeguarding will be included in all future training events for Catholic Voices volunteers.
Training workshops will be made available every two years as a minimum to ensure that everyone has the chance to improve their understanding of safeguarding.
7. Creating Safe Environments
Assessing Risk
All activities run by Catholic Voices should be risk assessed annually to ensure there are no unaddressed safeguarding concerns. When new projects are being planned, a risk assessment must be carried out prior to the commencement of any activities. The safety and wellbeing of children and adult at risks must always be of paramount concern.
Contact with Children and Adult at risks
In any event organised by Catholic Voices for children, there should be an appropriate ratio of children to adults, with never less than two adults, and with at least one adult per 10 children aged 13-18. If there are younger children, more adults are required.
One-to-one contact with children should be minimised, and only take place if essential and in an area which is either visually accessible or is frequented by other people.
For activities involving children, signed consent should be sought from parents/guardians and clear information should be made available for raising any concerns.
All children, young people, and adults should be encouraged to talk to parents, carers or leaders if there is anything worrying them and children, young people and adults should be reassured that whatever is said will be listened to and taken seriously. Leaders are responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient information available for children, young people and adults, encouraging them to share any concerns they may have.
Partnering with Other Organisations
Often Catholic Voices works in partnership with other organisations, be that schools, parishes, or other Catholic organisations. It is important when designing activities or programmes to confirm who will be responsible for safeguarding.
Catholic Voices staff should make sure to familiarise themselves with the safeguarding requirements of other organisations. For example, when delivering talks or workshops in schools, Catholic Voices should ensure they understand what reporting requirements are in place within the school and who the safeguarding lead is.
When collaborating on new projects, it is a priority that the partnering organisations identify who has overall responsibilities around safeguarding, and what reporting lines will be in the event of an incident. A written record of this should be made prior to work commencing.
Digital Safety
All activities carried out online should be risk assessed in the same way as in person activities.
One-to-one contact with children or adults at risk online must be avoided. Mentoring activity carried out online should be done with two adults present. Group activities with children online should have no fewer than two adult moderators.
When Catholic Voices is hosting online events, it must ensure that content is properly moderated and that events are password protected.
No Catholic Voices’ staff member or volunteer should share personal contact details with a child or accept/ make invitations on their personal social media.
Further details about creating a safe digital environment can be found in the following guidance: Guidance-on-safeguarding-whilst-using-videoconferencing-platforms-for-ministry.pdf (csas.uk.net)
8. Responding to Allegations & Concerns
Concerns, incidents, or disclosures of abuse may emerge in a range of different ways:
· A Catholic Voices volunteer or staff member may notice possible signs of abuse that concern them
· Any child or adult (at risk or not) may disclose a current or historic incident in which they or another person was abused
· A child or adult at risk may disclose that they have been abused by a staff member or volunteer of Catholic Voices
· A Catholic Voice volunteers or staff member may be concerned about the behaviour of one of their colleagues (a Whistleblowing policy is in place for such incidents).
In any of the above cases, it is important that a staff member or volunteer knows how to act in a timely and appropriate manner. Remember that it is always a priority to act on any concerns.
What to do if there is an allegation or concern:
If an employee or volunteer receives a disclosure or is concerned about the welfare of a child or adult at risk they must report this in the first instance to the Group Leader or to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) within 24 hours. If this person is not available the concern or allegation should be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Trustee.
If a child or adult is considered to be at immediate risk of harm, the matter should be referred directly to the Police and the Designated Safeguarding Lead must be notified at the earliest opportunity. The DSL should in turn notify the CEO and the Board of the incident within 24 hours.
If there is no immediate risk, the DSL should be informed within 24 hours and will then make a referral to the Police, Social Services, or the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).
The DSL will usually seek consent from parents/carers to make a referral to the relevant Statutory Authorities. However, no consent is required if to involve the parents would compromise the safety of the child. Information will be shared with families, unless to do so would compromise a child’s safety as directed by statutory agencies.
If a concern or allegation relates to a volunteer or employee of Catholic Voices, the person in question should not be told about this concern until such an approach is advised and agreed upon by the statutory authorities. In liaison with the statutory authorities, any volunteer or employee must be temporarily suspended from any further contact with children or adults at risk following a concern or allegation pending the outcome of any investigation. Such a suspension is a neutral act and does not in itself imply guilt.
A record of all concerns and actions must be made in writing and provided to the DSL within 24 hours (Reporting Template in Appendix I.) If a concern emerges within the context of a school or parish, the relevant Safeguarding Lead and/or Diocesan Safeguarding Coordinator must always be contacted.
Remember it is not the job of Catholic Voices’ employees or volunteers to investigate cases of abuse. The priority must always be to report incidents to the relevant statutory authorities. Allegations of past abuse must be reported, even if the alleged perpetrator is no longer alive or not perceived to be a current risk to children or adult at risks.