Abbey Access Training will:

1.      Arrange to take all reasonable measures to ensure the risks of harm to children, young people and adults are minimised. 

2.      Take their Duty of Care seriously and put the interests and safety of children, young people and adults first.

3.    Arrange to take all appropriate actions to address concerns about the welfare of the child, or children, young people and adults, working to agreed local policies and procedures in full partnership with other local services.

4.    Ensure Safe Recruitment and Employment practices are observed as we recognise this is an important part in safeguarding children, young people and adults. 

5.    Have a senior member of the organisation to take lead responsibility for dealing with safeguarding / child protection issues, providing advice and support to other staff, liaising with other staff, and working with other agencies, who will be known as the ‘Named Senior Person’.  All staff will be made aware of this role:

6.    Ensure that safety measures are taken when children and adults are in mixed aged groups. This includes the monitoring of vulnerable children and adults in the form of declaration forms that are followed by risk assessment production and related actions.

The Named Senior Person for this Organisation is:
Gail Dunn Centre Manager (01522 801556)
 
In his / her absence the designated person/s will be:
Carole Campling
Sharron Hall
Denise Scarborough
Simon Dodge

7.    Listen to children, young people and adults, encourage them to respect and care for others and act to stop any inappropriate verbal or physical abuse taking place. 

8.    Endeavour to create an open and accountable environment, permitting children, young people and adults to voice their concerns about inappropriate behaviour and misconduct while providing strong sanctions to deter abuse, victimisation and cover up of serious malpractice

9.    Ensure our policies and procedures apply to all staff (paid or unpaid), children, young people and adults, parents and carers regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality or religion.

Our organisation is aware of the responsibilities it has with regard to the protection of children, young people and adults from abuse and from inappropriate and inadequate care, and is committed to responding to all cases where there is concern.

This document will be shared with all staff and volunteers within their induction process to ensure they are familiar with the organisation’s beliefs, guidelines and understand their responsibilities. 

The documents below provide the framework for the organisations responsibilities as part of a co-ordinated shared response to the health and well being of children, young people or adults.  All staff will be made aware of these documents and how they can access them.

• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023

• Working together to safeguard children 2018

• Framework for The Assessment of Children in Need and their families 2000

• What to do if you’re worried A child is Being Abused (2006)

• Mental Capacity Act 2005

• Vulnerable Groups Act 2006

• Safeguarding Adults: A national Framework of Standards for good practice and outcomes in adult protection work
   

STEPS TO BE TAKEN

Identify problem through discussion
  ↓
Discuss with Safeguarding Manager or representative and/or person/child as appropriate
↓ 
Agree action to be taken (one or more of the following as appropriate)
↓

                                          Monitor situation            Ring 999             Report to Lincolnshire County Council                                                                                                              Safeguarding team Children or Adult
                                                                                                                         and report regularly                             

↓
Maintain Confidentiality
↓
Report as appropriate
↓

    Risk Assessment      Lincolnshire County Council Review           Police Report

                                                                              

                                                                                                   

↓
Save documentation in safety folder held in the safe (retained for 10 years)
↓
Monitor situation
↓
Continue reporting

Contact the police on 999 in an emergency and 101 non-emergency.

Safeguarding children: 
Lincolnshire County Councils Customer Service Centre 

• 01522 782111     

Monday - Friday 8am-6pm.
https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/safeguarding/lscp 

Safeguarding adults
Lincolnshire County Councils Customer Service Centre 

• 01522 782155

Monday - Friday 8am-6pm.
https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/adult-care/safeguarding-adults/ 
 

Previous versions of the Safeguarding policy and procedures will be retained for a period of 10 years.

 

Introduction

​

Abbey Access Training is committed to working in partnership with other agencies to protect children (including unborn babies) and adults from abuse and neglect, including radicalisation. This includes those experiencing domestic abuse, stalking, female genital mutilation and modern slavery. Protecting adults and children may require the sharing of information with statutory agencies where there is a suspicion of risk to the public. 

Abbey Access Training recognises its priority should always be to ensure the safety, well-being and protection of unborn babies, children, and adults within the project and to the wider public. That it is the role of all staff and volunteers to act on any allegation, suspicion or evidence of abuse, neglect or radicalisation, and report their concerns to a responsible person, manager and/or agency as determined within this policy and related procedures. 

​

Purpose & Principles

​

The purpose of this policy is to outline the duty and responsibility of staff, volunteers and trustees working on behalf of Abbey Access Training in relation to safeguarding beneficiaries, their families and members of the public. 

The procedure sets out what action staff, volunteers and trustees must take where abuse, neglect and radicalisation is suspected or known about.

Safeguarding is the responsibility of everyone. Abbey Access Training has suitable arrangements to ensure that beneficiaries are safeguarded against the risk of abuse by means of a) taking reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse, neglect or radicalisation b) prevent it before it occurs and c) respond appropriately to any allegation, suspicion or evidence of abuse, neglect or radicalisation. 

Making Safeguarding Personal is about engaging with people about the outcomes they want and then ascertaining the extent to which those outcomes are realised. It seeks to achieve:
•    A personalised approach that enables safeguarding to be done with, not to, people
•    Practice that focuses on achieving meaningful improvement to people's circumstances rather than just on ‘investigation' and ‘conclusion'
•    An approach that enables people to know what difference has been made.

Everyone has the right to life free from abuse and neglect and to be treated as an individual and with respect and dignity. We recognise our duty to safeguard the people we work with from abuse. We will ensure all our staff, trustees, volunteers and sub-contractors are safely recruited and suitably trained. They will know how to recognise abuse, prevent it from happening and act appropriately on any allegation or information received.

3)    Roles and Responsibilities in relation to Safeguarding 

a)    Trustees
Trustees must ensure that they designate a Safeguarding Lead and ensure that this role receives appropriate supervision and oversight. Trustees should ensure that they approve the safeguarding policy and its procedures on an annual basis, and that it is updated in accordance with legislation and commissioning arrangements. The Trustees must ensure that Abbey Access Training has a clear process for staff/volunteer safeguarding induction, mandatory training, reporting, recording, escalation of safeguarding and any concerns and allegations against staff / volunteers. 

​

Designated Safeguarding Lead

​

Name of Safeguarding Lead and Deputies:    

Gail Dunn    
Carole Campling 
Sharron Hall
Denise Scarborough 
Simon Dodge
    
Contact details    01522 801556 – all the names above
Gail Dunn - 07934 381764

​

Staff (paid or unpaid) and volunteers working in the voluntary and community sector have a vital role to play in delivering services and activities to a range of people in varied settings, therefore it is essential that Abbey Access Training designate a safeguarding lead.   

The safeguarding lead is responsible for developing a policy and procedures which is accessible to staff and volunteers, that the policy is reviewed and updated on an at least an annual basis. They are responsible for ensuring that staff, volunteers and trustees have access to safeguarding procedures at induction and suitable mandatory training and supervision (where appropriate) for their role and that this is recorded with a refresher at least every three years. The safeguarding lead will have a sound knowledge of safeguarding issues and will be the person that staff, volunteers and trustees discuss concerns with and agree a process for recording, reporting and escalating these concerns within the responsible agencies or to Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as the commissioner, 

The safeguarding lead must ensure that all safeguarding activity is recorded and reported to the appropriate agency responsible for safeguarding and/or tis contractors for the learner concerned.

The Centre must demonstrate compliance with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024,
Working together to safeguard children 2023, Care Act (2014), Counter-Terrorism and Security Act (2015), Serious Crime Act (2015), Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004) and Regulation 13 of the Health and Social Care Act (2008) (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014; safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment.

Staff & Volunteers

​

It is all staff and volunteer’s duty to attend safeguarding induction and training as set out by the Abbey Access Training and to ensure they have evidence that they completed the training. It is the role and responsibility of all staff and volunteers to be aware of the safeguarding policy and procedures and to act on any allegation, suspicion or evidence of abuse, neglect or radicalisation, and to report these concerns to the designated safeguarding lead, manager and/or statutory agency as described within the Abbey Access Training procedures. It is their duty to record the concern and action taken, reporting this to the designated safeguarding lead. Where a safeguarding concern is not acted upon or taken seriously by another agency or person then the staff / volunteer must escalate their concerns to the designated Safeguarding Lead. 

​

Definitions of Adult & Child Safeguarding

​

Adult safeguarding 
Means protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It is about people and organisation’s working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect, while at the same time making sure that the adult’s wellbeing is promoted including, where appropriate, having regard in their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding on any action. This must recognise that adults sometimes have complex interpersonal relationships and may be ambivalent, unclear or unrealistic about their personal circumstances Care Act Statutory Guidance 
 
Adult at risk (vulnerable adult) 
The safeguarding duties apply to an adult who:
•    has needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority are meeting any of those needs) and;
•    is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect and
•    as a result of those care and support needs is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse and neglect.

Child safeguarding
Is the action we take to promote the welfare of children aged under the age of 18 years and including unborn babies, protect them from harm and is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play. Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the purposes of this guidance as: 
•    protecting children from maltreatment; 
•    preventing impairment of children's health or development; 
•    ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and 
•    taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes (Working Together HMGov 2015).

 

Definitions of Abuse & Radicalisation

​

Abuse is a violation of an individual’s human and civil rights by any other person(s) or group of people. Abuse may be a single or repeated act. 

Types of Abuse as defined by Care Act Guidance (2014)
•    Physical abuse – including assault, hitting, slapping, pushing, misuse of medication, restraint or inappropriate physical sanctions.
•    Sexual abuse – including rape, indecent exposure, sexual harassment, inappropriate looking or touching, sexual teasing or innuendo, sexual photography, subjection to pornography or witnessing sexual acts, indecent exposure and sexual assault or sexual acts to which the adult has not consented or was pressured into consenting.
•    Psychological abuse – including emotional abuse, threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, cyber bullying, isolation or unreasonable and unjustified withdrawal of services or supportive networks.
•    Financial or material abuse – including theft, fraud, internet scamming, coercion in relation to an adult’s financial affairs or arrangements, including in connection with wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions, or the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits.
•    Modern slavery – encompasses slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude. Traffickers and slave masters use whatever means they have at their disposal to coerce, deceive and force individuals into a life of abuse, servitude and inhumane treatment.
•    Discriminatory abuse – including forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment; because of race, gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.
•    Organisational abuse – including neglect and poor care practice within an institution or specific care setting such as a hospital or care home, for example, or in relation to care provided in one’s own home. This may range from one off incidents to on-going ill-treatment. It can be through neglect or poor professional practice as a result of the structure, policies, processes and practices within an organisation.
•    Neglect and acts of omission – including ignoring medical, emotional or physical care needs, failure to provide access to appropriate health, care and support or educational services, the withholding of the necessities of life, such as medication, adequate nutrition and heating.
•    Neglect (specific to a child) The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to:
• provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment);
• protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger;
• ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or
• ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.
It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs. (Working Together 2015)
Self-neglect – this covers a wide range of behaviour neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings and includes behaviour such as hoarding.

Further definitions of abuse and neglect can be found in the multi-agency procedures relating to the specific safeguarding domain.

Domestic Abuse is ‘Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. This can encompass but is not limited to the following types of abuse:
•    psychological
•    physical
•    sexual
•    financial
•    emotional

Controlling behaviour is: a range of acts designed to make a person subordinate and/or dependent by isolating them from sources of support, exploiting their resources and capacities for personal gain, depriving them of the means needed for independence, resistance and escape and regulating their everyday behaviour.

Coercive behaviour is: an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim.” *

*This definition includes so called ‘honour’ based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage, and is clear that victims are not confined to one gender or ethnic group.’ (Home Office 2013).

Honour Based Violence is a crime or incident, which has or may have been committed to protect or defend the honour of the family and/or community'. 

This definition is supported by further explanatory text: 
"Honour Based Violence" is a fundamental abuse of Human Rights. There is no honour in the commission of murder, rape, kidnap and the many other acts, behaviour and conduct which make up "violence in the name of so-called honour". 

It is a collection of practices, which are used to control behaviour within families or other social groups to protect perceived cultural and religious beliefs and/or honour. Such violence can occur when perpetrators perceive that a relative has shamed the family and / or community by breaking their honour code. 
Women are predominantly (but not exclusively) the victims of 'so called honour-based violence', which is used to assert male power in order to control female autonomy and sexuality. Honour Based Violence can be distinguished from other forms of violence, as it is often committed with some degree of approval and/or collusion from family and/or community members (ACPO & CPS, 2013).

Forced Marriage is a marriage conducted without the valid consent of one or both parties where duress is a factor. Forced marriage is a violation of human rights and is contrary to UK law (HM Gov, 2000).

A forced marriage is a marriage in which one or both spouses do not (or in the case of some adults with learning or physical disabilities, cannot) consent to the marriage and duress is involved. Duress can include physical, psychological, financial, sexual and emotional pressure. (HM Government 2008).

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It has no health benefits and harms girls and women in many ways. It involves removing and damaging healthy and normal female genital tissue, and hence interferes with the natural function of girls’ and women’s bodies. The practice causes severe pain and has several immediate and long-term health consequences, including difficulties in childbirth also causing dangers to the child (HMGov 2014).

Stalking a pattern of unwanted, fixated and obsessive behaviour which is intrusive and causes fear of violence or serious alarm or distress (Paladin 2018). 

Radicalisation refers to the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism leading to terrorism (HMGov, 2011).

Prevent the Government’s countering terrorism strategy is known as CONTEST (2018). Prevent is part of CONTEST. The purpose of Prevent is at its heart to safeguard and support vulnerable people to stop them from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Prevent work also extends to supporting the rehabilitation and disengagement of those already involved in terrorism. Prevent works in a similar way to programmes designed to safeguard people from gangs, drug abuse, and physical and sexual abuse. Success means an enhanced response to tackle the causes of radicalisation, in communities and online; continued effective support to those who are vulnerable to radicalisation; and disengagement from terrorist activities by those already engaged in or supporters of terrorism.
Prevent objectives 
•    Tackle the causes of radicalisation and respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism. 
•    Safeguard and support those most at risk of radicalisation through early intervention, identifying them and offering support.
•    Enable those who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate.

Peer on Peer Abuse

All staff should be aware that children can abuse other children (often referred to as peer on peer abuse). This is most likely to include, but may not be limited to:

•    abuse in intimate personal relationships between peers;
•    bullying (including cyberbullying);
•    physical abuse such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm (this may include an online element which facilitates, threatens and/or encourages physical abuse);
•    sexual violence, such as rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault; (this may include an online element which facilitates, threatens and/or encourages sexual violence);
•    sexual harassment, such as sexual comments, remarks, jokes and online sexual harassment, which may be stand-alone or part of a broader pattern of abuse;
•    sharing self-generated indecent images (also known as sexting);
•    initiation/hazing type violence and rituals (this could include activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group and may also include an online element); and
•    upskirting, which typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing without them knowing, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks to obtain sexual gratification, or cause the victim humiliation, distress or alarm.
We are committed to the prevention, early identification and appropriate management of peer on peer abuse.  We continue to ensure that any form of abuse or harmful behaviour is dealt with immediately and consistently to reduce the extent of harm to the individual or young person, with full consideration to impact on that individual’s emotional and mental health and well-being.

Online Safety

All staff should be aware of issues surrounding online safety. All staff are

•    committed to addressing online safety issues around content, contact, conduct and commerce. 
•    Committed to acknowledging that peer on peer abuse can happen via mobile and smart technology between individuals and groups
•    Filtering systems are used to block access to harmful sites and content. A watchguard filter system is used and is set at a medium level to filter out any high risk 
•    Monitoring systems are also in place to monitor the user accesses and searches for harmful content. The IT provider is alerted and this is reported back to the DSL

Safer Recruitment including disclosure and barring service

​

Safer recruitment is designed to protect individuals’ welfare where they come in to contact with professionals, including paid staff, students and volunteers. The overall purpose is to help identify and deter or reject individuals who are deemed to be at risk of abusing others. This includes the recruitment process using pre-employment checks to safeguard beneficiaries and Abbey Access Training. These checks are embedded at the stages of application, interview, references, identify and corroborate gaps in vocation or employment. Abbey Access Training comply with the Independent Safeguarding Authority vetting and barring regulations and ensure that all staff and volunteers engaged in regulated activity are appropriately Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checked on engagement and then every three years.  

Allegations process

​

Should an allegation be made about a member of staff or volunteer, the Safeguarding Lead will ensure that the alleged victim and other vulnerable people are immediately protected whilst an investigation takes place. The Safeguarding Lead will immediately inform the Trustees about any safeguarding allegation. The Safeguarding Lead will then inform the Safeguarding Team at Lincolnshire County Council where necessary. 

Information sharing, record keeping, confidentiality

​

Abbey Access Training will ensure that any records made in relation to a disclosure, suspicion or allegation and referral are kept confidentially and in a secure place. Electronic communications such as emails must be sent and stored securely.

The most important consideration is whether sharing information is likely to support the safeguarding and protection of individuals.

 

Necessary and proportionate

When taking decisions about what information to share, you should consider how much information you need to release. Not sharing more data than is necessary to be of use is a key element of the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018, and you should consider the impact of disclosing information on the information subject and any third parties. Information must be proportionate to the need and level of risk.

Relevant
Only information that is relevant to the purposes should be shared with those who need it. This allows others to do their job effectively and make informed decisions.

Adequate
Information should be adequate for its purpose. Information should be of the right quality to ensure that it can be understood and relied upon.

Accurate
Information should be accurate and up to date and should clearly distinguish between fact and opinion. If the information is historical then this should be explained.

Timely
Information should be shared in a timely fashion to reduce the risk of missed opportunities to offer support and protection to a child or adult. Timeliness is key in emergency situations and it may not be appropriate or practicable to seek consent for information sharing if it could cause delays and therefore place an individual at increased risk of harm. Practitioners should ensure that sufficient information is shared, as well as consider the urgency with which to share it.

Secure 
Wherever possible, information should be shared in an appropriate, secure way. Practitioners must always follow their organisation’s policy on security for handling personal information. 

Record 
“Information sharing decisions should be recorded, whether or not the decision is taken to share. If the decision is to share, reasons should be cited including what information has been shared and with whom, in line with organisational procedures. If the decision is not to share, it is good practice to record the reasons for this decision and discuss them with the requester. In line with each organisation’s own retention policy, the information should not be kept any longer than is necessary. In some rare circumstances, this may be indefinitely, but if this is the case, there should be a review process scheduled at regular intervals to ensure data is not retained where it is unnecessary to do so.” Information Sharing HMGovernment 2018. 

Safeguarding contacts

Contact the police on 999 in an emergency and 101 non-emergency.

Safeguarding children: 
Lincolnshire County Councils Customer Service Centre 

• 01522 782111     

Monday - Friday 8am-6pm.
https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/safeguarding/lscp 

Safeguarding adults
Lincolnshire County Councils Customer Service Centre 

• 01522 782155

Monday - Friday 8am-6pm.
https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/adult-care/safeguarding-adults/ 

Non-emergency help and advice for victims of domestic abuse: 

EDAN Ending Domestic Abuse Now Lincs (countywide) 

• 01522 510041 

Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm
https://edanlincs.org.uk/ 

LPFT Safeguarding and Public Protection Website
Safeguarding and public protection :: Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust (lpft.nhs.uk)

PREVENT 
From 1st July 2015 Abbey Access Training is subject to a duty under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, in the exercise of their functions, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. This duty is known as the Prevent duty.   Here at Abbey Access Training we take Safeguarding very seriously, therefore to ensure that we adhere to and achieve the Prevent duty we will; 
•    Provide appropriate training for staff as soon as possible. Part of this training will enable staff to identify children who may be at risk of radicalisation 
•    We will build the children’s/young person’s resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British values and enabling them to challenge extremist views. 
•    We will assess the risk, by means of a formal risk assessment, of children/young person being drawn into terrorism, including support for extremist ideas that are part of terrorist ideology. 
•    We will ensure that our staff understands the risks so that they can respond in an appropriate and proportionate way. 
•    We will be aware of the online risk of radicalisation through the use of social media and the internet 
•    As with managing other safeguarding risks, our staff will be alert to changes in a child’s/young person’s behaviour which could indicate that they may be in need of help or protection (children at risk of radicalisation may display different signs or seek to hide their views). 
•    We will not carry out unnecessary intrusion into family life but we will take action when we observe behaviour of concern. The key person approach means that we already have a rapport with our families so we will notice any changes in behaviour, demeanour or personality quickly. 
•    We will work in partnership with our LSCB for guidance and support.
•    We will build up an effective engagement with parents/carers and families. (This is important as they are in a key position to spot signs of radicalisation) 
•    We will assist and advise families who raise concerns with us. It is important to assist and advise families who raise concerns and be able to point them to the right support mechanisms. 
•    We will ensure that our Trustee’s s will undertake Prevent awareness training (as a minimum) so that they can offer advice and support to other members of staff. 
•    We will ensure that any resources used are age appropriate for the children/young people in our care and that our staff have the knowledge and confidence to use the resources effectively.

 

 

What is PREVENT?
It relates to the three “I’s”
•    Respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat we face from those who promote it
•    Prevent individuals from being drawn into terrorism
•    Work with sectors and institutions where there are risk to radicalisations
Those with a legal / statutory obligation to have PREVENT training are:
•    Police
•    Prisons / Probation
•    Health service
•    Local authority
•    Education (early years, right through to FE and HE)
PREVENT is NOT
•    Aimed at one particular ideology
•    Tarnishing or labelling any religious or faith groups
•    Policing people’s views
•    Against radical thinking
•    Spying on the community
•    Criminalising vulnerable people
What to look out for:
•    Disclosures by individuals of exposure to extremist actions, materials or views
•    Graffitti symbols, writing, art promoting extremist measure or images
•    Accessing extremist material online, or through social media
•    Voicing opinions drawn from extremist ideology
•    Use of extremist or hate terms to exclude others
•    Intolerance of difference to others
The CHANNEL Process in Lincolnshire includes:
•    Police
•    Local Authority
•    Health (e.g. LPFT)
•    Probation
•    Youth Offending Service
•    Adult Social Care
•    Children’s Safeguarding
•    Prisons
•    East Midlands Community Contact Unit
All the above meet to see if referrals meet the criteria for going through the system (although there is no “set” criteria. If they do, the person will be worked with on a one to one basis. The process is entirely consensual, and not mandatory. They use a vulnerability assessment framework on a regular basis to assess each person going through the process.

 
Useful Information:

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS): 

The DBS exists to help organisations identify people who are unsuitable for certain types of work, especially work involving access to or contact with children and other vulnerable members of society, by making "disclosures" of any criminal, police or similar records.  

The DBS provides a disclosure service, which offers access to records held by the police, together with information from the following lists: Protection of Children Act 1999 (POCA), Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) and List 99. A charge is made for obtaining a disclosure for paid positions, although disclosures for volunteers, which will include the majority of trustees, are free but will incur an administration charge from the umbrella group they choose to use. A list of umbrella bodies is available online.

Tel: 0870 90 90 811   
Website:  www.DBS.gov.uk

Every Child Matters (ECM): 

The ECM website holds a series of published documents that provide guidance on safeguarding, legislation, resources and the Children Act 2004.

Website: www.everychildmatters.gov.uk

Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA):

A new system came into operation October 2009 with the launch of the Independent Safeguarding Authority, which will be responsible for the ‘vetting and barring’ processes. Further information is available at www.isa-gov.org.uk 

NSPCC:

Offers online child protection resources and a Child Protection 24 hour Help line that provides counselling, information and advice to anyone concerned about a child at risk.

Tel: 080 8800 500   
Website: www.nspcc.org.uk  
Email: help@nspcc.org.uk

Skills Funding Agency

www.safelearner.info is designed to give advice on al aspects of health and safety, and particularly in the area of safeguarding.

IN AN EMERGENCY, CONTACT THE POLICE.