SAFEGUARDING POLICY - CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE &

VULNERABLE ADULTS

Introduction and policy statement

Ryde Town Council fully accepts its role and responsibility in safeguarding children

and vulnerable people. This policy is for all staff, elected members, volunteers and

contractors. This Policy is vital to the Council’s role as owner, provider and operator

of children’s play areas, open spaces, sporting facilities and youth services and any

other facility that the Council provides. However, any outside agency working with

children and vulnerable people on Ryde Town Council provided facilities has full

responsibility to ensure that the users are safeguarded.

Ryde Town Council aims to work in a way that helps, as far as possible, to safeguard

the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Ryde Town Council will ensure that:

• All employees involved in working in close proximity to children, young people and

vulnerable adults implement good working practices to ensure a safe and healthy

environment;

• All employees are aware of welfare protection issues both in the context of

organised activities and within the home and community;

• All staff, elected members, volunteers and contracture are aware of child

protection and shall know the procedure to follow if there is a protection issue.

• All staff, elected members volunteers and contractors are in receipt of this policy.

• All staff, elected members, volunteers and contractors are aware of and alert to

the main types of abuse and the procedure in reporting any concerns. (See

Appendix A: Categories and Signs of Abuse).

Ryde Town Council recognises that in providing facilities for children, young people

and vulnerable adults there is a need to provide and maintain a high degree of physical

and emotional wellbeing. Therefore the following procedures will be implemented:

• Ensure employees are aware of the safeguarding children, young people and

vulnerable adults policy and procedures;

• Ensure employees and members of the public can effectively report concerns

about children, young people and vulnerable adults at risk;

• Operate sound recruitment and selection procedures for employees to ensure

suitability for working with children, young people and vulnerable adults;

• Identify and enable appropriate welfare protection training to take place for

employees who work with children, young people and vulnerable adults;

• Maintain appropriate records of training, risk assessments, referrals and

escalation of concerns

• Demonstrate best practice in ensuring the safety of children, young people and

vulnerable adults. For all levels of training the implementation of a ‘refresher’

Ryde Town Council - Standing Orders - Appendix 6 - Safeguarding Policy - Children, Young People and

Vulnerable Adults - May 2019

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programme will ensure the maintenance of levels of awareness and provide

details of any change.

In addition, safer recruitment training will be provided for staff involved with recruitment

of these groups. (See Appendix B: Promoting Good Practice when working with

children, young people and vulnerable adults)

Responding to Disclosure, Suspicions and Allegations of Abuse.

It is not the responsibility of Ryde Town Council employees to decide whether or not

abuse is taking place. False allegations of abuse do occur, although they are

extremely rare. If a person says or indicates that they are being abused or information

is obtained which gives concern that a person may be being abused, immediate action

should be taken.

Ryde Town Council will inform the appropriate authority of any suspected cases of

abuse reported to them.

Confidentiality

Confidentially is a key issue in safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable

adults. Whilst information generally should not be shared, it must be shared with

appropriate agencies to ensure that a person is not left unprotected.

Data Protection

Occasionally there will be a need or requirement to collect and use certain types of

information on children, young people and vulnerable adults. This personal information

must be dealt with properly however it is collected, recorded and used - whether on

paper, in a computer, or recorded on other material - and there are safeguards to

ensure this in the Data Protection Act 1998. (Personal information is data that relates

to a living individual who can be identified from the data).

The lawful and correct treatment of personal information is very important and

wherever such information is kept there is a need to comply and adhere to the

principles of data protection, as enumerated in the Data Protection Act 1998.

Reporting Concerns

If you have any concerns you should write down what you have seen or heard that

gives you concern, keep that document safe and confidential. Complete a reporting

form and contact Ryde Town Council Clerk as soon as possible. (See Appendix C)

If there is an imminent risk of harm then you should phone 999; otherwise you may

phone 101. A form will also need to be completed and submitted to the Clerk as soon

as possible.

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Vulnerable Adults - May 2019

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Nominated Officer (Clerk)

This person is available to advise employees and elected members and is required to:

• Be familiar with protection procedures;

• Ensure there are effective internal procedures to handle concerns;

• Be the link person with relevant agencies;

• Attend appropriate training.

Suspected Abuse or Bullying by Council Employees

If an allegation of abuse is made against a Council employee, the Council’s Grievance

and/or Disciplinary Procedures will be followed and appropriate action taken.

All allegations of abuse against an employee must be reported to the Clerk. In cases

involving employees in an allegation of sexual abuse, including the observing,

handling or distributing of materials in any media that involve the sexual abuse of

children, young people and vulnerable adults, the matter will be immediately referred

to the police by the Clerk.

Ryde Town Council assures all employees that it will fully support and protect anyone

who, in good faith (without malicious intent), reports his or her concerns about a

colleague’s practise or the possibility that a person may be being abused or bullied.

Acceptable and Unacceptable Behaviour

Ryde Town Council has a duty to have a designated officer to be involved in the

management and oversight of individual cases. This person has responsibility for:

• Ensuring that Ryde Town Council operates procedures for dealing with allegations

in accordance to Isle of Wight Council’s Safeguarding Boards’ guidance resolving

interagency issues;

• Liaison with the Isle of Wight Council Safeguarding Boards on any issues.

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Vulnerable Adults - May 2019

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APPENDIX A

Categories and signs of abuse

Physical abuse

May involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning,

suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm. Physical harm may also be caused

when a parent or carer feigns the symptoms of, or deliberately causes, ill health to a

person for whom they are caring.

Emotional abuse

The persistent emotional ill-treatment such as to cause severe adverse effects. For

example, it may involve conveying to children, young people and vulnerable adults

that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only in so far as they meet

the needs of another person. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate

expectations being imposed. It may involve causing children, young people and

vulnerable adults to frequently feel frightened or in danger, or their exploitation or

corruption. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill-treatment,

though it may occur alone.

Sexual abuse

Involves forcing or enticing a person to become involved in any way in sexual activities,

whether or not they are aware of what is happening.

Sexual Exploitation

Sexual exploitation of children and young people under 18 involves exploitative

situations, contexts and relationships where young people (or a third person or

persons) receive ‘something’ (e.g. food, accommodation, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes,

affection, gifts, money) as a result of them performing, and/or another or others

performing on them, sexual activities. Child sexual exploitation can occur through the

use of technology without the child’s or young person’s immediate recognition; for

example being persuaded to post sexual images on the Internet/mobile phones

without immediate payment or gain. In all cases, those exploiting the child/young

person have power over them by virtue of their age, gender, intellect, physical strength

and/or economic or other resources. Violence, coercion and intimidation are common,

involvement in exploitative relationships being characterised in the main by the child

or young person’s limited availability of choice resulting from their social/economic

and/or emotional vulnerability.

Neglect

Is the persistent failure to meet basic physical and/or psychological needs, and is likely

to result in the serious impairment of health or development.

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Vulnerable Adults - May 2019

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Financial or material abuse

Including theft, fraud, exploitation, pressure in connection with wills, property or

inheritance or financial transactions or the misuse or misappropriation of property,

possessions or benefits of vulnerable adults.

The Signs of Abuse

The following factors should act as indicators in situations of potential or actual abuse:

• Unexplained or suspicious marks, bruises, fractures, burns/scalds or injuries to

the mouth and eyes;

• Poor physical condition or delayed speech and language development in children

• A change in behaviour or appearance;

• Inappropriate sexual awareness in children

• A statement by a child or person that he or she has been victimised;

• Distrust of others, particularly those with whom a close relationship would normally

be expected;

• Difficulty making friends or socialising;

• Prevention from socialising with other children, young people or adults.

It should be recognised that this list is not exhaustive and the presence of one or more

of these indicators is not proof that abuse is actually taking place.

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Vulnerable Adults - May 2019

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APPENDIX B

Promoting Good Practice when working with children, young people and

vulnerable adults

It is possible to reduce situations in which abuse can occur and help protect employees

by promoting good practice. The following guidelines should be used to ensure this

can be achieved:

•

Always ensure that you follow safer recruitment practices always work in an open

environment, avoiding private or unobserved situations;

•

Treat all children, young people and vulnerable adults with equal dignity and

respect

•

Always put the welfare of the person first;

•

Maintain a safe, appropriate and professional distance with children, young people

and vulnerable adults

•

Build balanced relationships based on mutual trust which empowers children,

young people and vulnerable adults to share in the decision making process;

•

Make activities fun, enjoyable and promote fair play;

•

Ensure that if any form of manual / physical support is required, it should be

provided openly and with due care;

•

Keep up to date with the appropriate technical skills and qualifications; ensure that

if children are supervised that they are accompanied by at least two employees;

•

Be an excellent role model - this includes not smoking or drinking alcohol in the

company of children, young people and vulnerable adults give enthusiastic and

constructive feedback rather than negative criticism;

•

Recognise the developmental needs and capacity of children, young people and

vulnerable adults;

•

Ensure that equipment and facilities are safe and appropriate to the age and ability

of the person

•

Ensure that high standards are maintained at all times.

Practice to be avoided

The following should be avoided except in emergencies. If cases arise where these

situations are unavoidable they should only occur with the full knowledge and consent

of a senior officer, guardian or carer or the child’s parent, for example:

• Spending excessive amounts of time alone with children, young people and

vulnerable adults away from others oversight;

• Taking unaccompanied children, young people or vulnerable adults on car

journeys, however short, on your own

• Taking children, young people and vulnerable adults to your home.

Employees should never:

• Engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay;

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Vulnerable Adults - May 2019

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• Allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching;

• Allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged;

• Make sexually suggestive comments to a person, even in fun;

• Allow allegations made by a person to go unrecorded or not acted upon;

• Do things of a personal nature for children, young people and vulnerable adults

that they can do for themselves;

• Invite or allow children, young people and vulnerable adults to stay at their home;

• Constantly shout at and/or taunt a person.

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Vulnerable Adults - May 2019

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APPENDIX C

Safeguarding Reporting Form

Safeguarding Incident Reporting Form

Guidance Notes: in all cases of a safeguarding incident or concern, this

form should be completed and submitted as soon as possible after the

incident. At the time of the incident, a handwritten note may be made by the

employee to include date, time, signature and printed name. But this

information must be transferred onto this form and submitted, ideally within

24 hours of the incident.

Is this report for information only, or does it require action? Please tick

Information only

Requires action

Person reporting the incident or concern

Name

Job Title (if internal)

Address (if external)

Contact number

Relationship

Method of referral (Phone/in person)

Time and date of record

Time

Date

being made

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Vulnerable Adults - May 2019

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Describe the incident or reason for the concern. Please give a factual

account and specify the location where the incident took place. Include the

person’s own words where possible. Please add any other useful

information.

Please specify the action taken by you and others so far (as applicable)

Please specify any other agencies informed, including names, dates and

times of anyone spoken to.

Declaration and Signature

I confirm that I have completed this

form giving factual information and it

is a record of what I saw and /or

heard.

Signature

Print name

Date

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Vulnerable Adults - May 2019

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