Safeguarding

---

 Stay Connected Family Time is a limited company for the following purpose supporting families in Buckinghamshire to maintain their bonds, even when family relations may be strained.  

The company is based at  124 City Road, London EC1V 2NX

Company Number: 16349983.

At Stay Connected Family Time, our mission is to empower families to thrive by providing a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment for meaningful connections. We are dedicated to bridging gaps and strengthening bonds, ensuring every child and family member feels valued and supported. Through our professional, ethical, and compassionate services, we aim to be the cornerstone of family well-being in our community, fostering growth, resilience, and lasting relationships.

The Company has adopted this Safeguarding Children policy and expects every adult working, volunteering, or representing Stay Connected Family Time to support it and comply with it. 

Consequently, this policy shall apply to all staff, managers, trustees, directors, volunteers, students, or anyone working on behalf of Stay Connected Family Time.

This policy has been drawn up based on legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and any other area which might bring us into contact with children and young people. A summary of the key legislation and guidance is available from https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-protection-system.

We believe that:

• children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind

• we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them.

We recognise that:

• the welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take 

• working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers, and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.

• all children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse.

• some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs, or other issues extra safeguards may be needed to keep children who are additionally vulnerable safe from abuse.

Accountability

Two copies of this policy and its accompanying Statement of Commitment will be given to all Stay Connected Family Time existing and new employees, trustees, and non-paid staff.

They are required to retain the first copy, initial and return the second copy and sign and return the Statement of Commitment.

Purpose of the Policy

This policy is intended to protect children, this may include children that we come in to contact with through our work. Under this policy, the term children shall mean any person who is under eighteen years of age.

We believe that no child or young person should experience abuse or harm and is committed to the protection of children and young people. This policy is intended to provide guidance and overarching principles to those who represent us as volunteers or staff, to guide our approach to child protection and safeguarding.

The Risks to Children

Children can be vulnerable to different forms of abuse and harm. It is important to recognise that abuse and harm of children can cover a wide range of circumstances and behaviours. For example, children can be at risk of any type of abuse, including, but not limited to:

• Physical Abuse. 

• Emotional Abuse. 

• Neglect. 

• Sexual Abuse. 

The types of harm that children might be subjected to and should be protected from could also include, but is not limited to:

• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

• Grooming and exploitation

• Trafficking and modern slavery

• Exposure to or infliction of domestic abuse

• Bullying or cyber bullying

• Exposure to other inappropriate content or behaviour, such as violence or criminal behaviour

• Self-harm

• Physical harm when engaging with activities without adequate supervision.

This protection afforded to children by this policy is not influenced by where or when the abuse took place. All who come in to contact with children or information that may suggest children either have been or might be abused have a duty to take the appropriate action needed to protect those children. 

Safeguarding Principles

Safeguarding children from harm and abuse is an essential responsibility. We are committed to ensuring that any child who comes into contact with our services is properly safeguarded.

Stay Connected Family Time believes that children and young people need safe environments in which they can grow and develop in confidence.

Stay Connected Family Time recognises that organisations working with and supporting children and young people have a duty to keep them safe.

Stay Connected Family Time places safeguarding children and young people and child protection at the centre of its activities.

Stay Connected Family Time works in accordance with the guidance set out in “Working together to safeguard children” (DfE 2023). The Guidance makes clear that all those working to support children and their families should follow the guidance and states:

“It should be read and followed by LSCB Chairs and senior managers within organisations who commission and provide services for children and families, including social workers and professionals from health services, adult services, the police, Academy Trusts, education, and the voluntary and community sector who have contact with children and families. All relevant professionals should read and comply with this guidance unless exceptional circumstances arise” 

Stay Connected Family Time believes that children and young people should not be exposed to negligence or avoidable risks.

Stay Connected Family Time recognises that safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children are emotive issues that need managing both sensitively and carefully.

Stay Connected Family Time is committed to creating and implementing policies and procedures that will ensure where risks need to be taken regarding children and young people, they are both fully assessed and carefully managed.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility: for services to be effective each professional and organisation should play their full part; and a child-centred approach: for services to be effective they should be based on a clear understanding of the needs and views of children. 

Stay Connected Family Time also subscribes strongly to the view that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility   Everyone who works with children has a responsibility for keeping them safe. No single professional can have a full picture of a child’s needs and circumstances and, if children and families are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who meets them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information, and taking prompt action. 

Anyone working with children should see and speak to the child; listen to what they say, take their views seriously; and work with them collaboratively when deciding how to support their needs. A child-centred approach is supervised by:

a. the Children Act 1989 (as amended by section 53 of the Children Act 2004). This Act requires local authorities to give due regard to a child’s wishes when determining what services to provide under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, and before making decisions about action to be taken to protect individual children under section 47 of the Children Act 1989. These duties complement requirements relating to the wishes and feelings of children who are, or may be, looked after (section 22(4) Children Act 1989), including those who are provided with accommodation under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 and children taken into police protection (section 46(3)(d) of that Act). 

a. the Equality Act 2010 which puts a responsibility on public authorities to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and promote equality of opportunity. This applies to the process of identification of need and risk faced by the individual child and the process of assessment. No child or group of children must be treated any less favourably than others in being able to access effective services which meet their needs; and,

b. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This is an international agreement that protects the rights of children and provides a child-centred framework for the development of services to children. The UK Government ratified the UNCRC in 1991 and, by doing so, recognises children’s rights to expression and receiving information.” 

Stay Connected Family Time is committed to ensuring that all its staff, volunteers, and trustees are aware of, kept up to date with and operate in accordance with good practice in relation with Safeguarding and Child Protection. This will mean that they will have the ability to recognise, respond to, report, record and refer issues of Safeguarding and Child Protection.

Every person under this policy must ensure that they play an active role in ensuring that children are properly safeguarded.

Every person under this policy holds responsibility for:

• Remaining alert and aware of possible safeguarding risks to children.

• Guarding children against harmful environments with appropriate actions (for example, adequate supervision or ensuring safe environments).

• Taking positive steps to maintain the safety and wellbeing of children engaging with us.

• Reporting concerns expeditiously and appropriately, in line with child protection procedures.

• Understanding the duty to report specific concerns.

• Challenging any inappropriate or harmful behaviour of any other adult and reporting this accordingly.

• Acting appropriately in the presence of children. 

• Not taking any inappropriate risks. 

• Not smoking, drinking, or taking any form of illicit substances (prior to or) during our work with children. 

Safeguarding Officer

The primary task, role and responsibility of the Safeguarding Officer is to ensure high quality safeguarding children and adult practice throughout the service. The safeguarding agenda will be underpinned in by legislation and Government strategy along with national, regional, and local guidance.

Name: Will Chapple

Email: Enquiries@stayconnectedfamilytime.co.uk 

Telephone: Insert Phone Here

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

• Valuing, listening to and respecting them.

• Appointing a nominated child protection lead for children and young people.

• Adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures, and code of conduct for staff and volunteers.

• Developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related procedures.

• Providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training, and quality assurance measures so that all staff and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures, and behaviour codes confidently and competently.

• Recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made.

• Recording and storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance, more information about this is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk. 

• Sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children and their families via leaflets, posters, group work and one-to-one discussions.

• Making sure that children, young people, and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern.

• Using our safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families, and carers appropriately.

• Using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately.

• Creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying that does arise.

• Ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place.

• Ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff, and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance

• Building a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers, children, young people, and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

Confidentiality and Data Protection do not provide barriers to the sharing of information that keeps children and young people safe. Information should be shared with relevant agencies, on a need-to-know basis without delay. 

All records relating to safeguarding must be:

• Truthful. 

• Accurate. 

• Concise (in terms of words), yet detailed (in terms of sharing known information. 

• Signed. 

• Dated. 

All personal information we may process relating to children, shall be processed, and stored in accordance with our data protection privacy policy which can be located within our available policies. 

Responding to a Safeguarding Concern

Where a child is at immediate risk of serious harm, any adult present should call 999. Thereafter, the Safeguarding Officer should be contacted as soon as is reasonably practicable.

Where there is a safeguarding concern but no immediate risk of serious harm, the adult who has heard (about) or witnessed this concern should consult with the Safeguarding Officer as soon as practicable and by no later than the end of that same day. If the Safeguarding Officer is not onsite, this person can always be contacted by phone. Alternatively, advice can be sought from Insert Name or Job Role Here. 

Where there is a need to make a safeguarding referral, you will be supported to do this, by the safeguarding officer, or another senior person. However, it will be usual for the person who became aware of the concern to make the safeguarding referral, where this is needed. 

Where any child makes a disclosure relating to harm or abuse to an adult, it is important to:

• Listen calmly and carefully, showing that their views are taken seriously.

• Provide an appropriate and honest level of reassurance.

• Avoid interrogating children and asking probing, intrusive and/or leading questions.

• Avoid making false promises regarding secrets and confidentiality with the child (because any concern of abuse/harm must be shared with the Safeguarding Officer and any subsequent safeguarding referral. 

• Make a confidential written record of the discussion either during the discussion or immediately afterwards. The record should include the key details of the disclosure together with any relevant times, dates, places, and people concerned. Audio and video recordings of children making disclosures should be avoided.

• Refer all relevant information to the Safeguarding Officer as soon as practicable afterwards, and by no later than the end of the day. 

Upon receipt of any safeguarding concern, the Safeguarding Officer shall consult with (or support you to consult with) any other relevant persons and will support you to make any appropriate referrals to the relevant authorities, such as the applicable Local Authority Children's Services department. This will usually be the department local to where the child lives. 

Reporting concerns about other adults within the Company

Where any person has a concern regarding the conduct of an adult connected to the organisation, which poses or may pose a safeguarding risk to children such as:

• Harming a child either physically or emotionally.

• Exposing a child to behaviour which may cause physical or emotional harm.

• Engaging in criminal activity concerning a child. 

This must be raised in the first instance with the Safeguarding Officer (or where this is not appropriate, a different senior member of the organisation) so that the next appropriate steps may be agreed and actioned. We recognise that there could be circumstances where a person may need to report a matter that has taken place in a setting outside of the person's engagement with the organisation.

Usually, any appropriate steps following a safeguarding referral in respect of an individual connected to the organisation will include either:

• Further initial enquiries.

• Escalation to the applicable Local Authority Children's Services department for assessment and/or the police for investigation.

• Instigation of any appropriate disciplinary, formal investigation processes and suspension of any person concerned within the Charity.

• A referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service, Disclosure Scotland or Access Northern Ireland, or any other relevant regulatory bodies. 

Any person within the organisation who has allegations made against them shall be informed properly in a formal meeting of the particulars of the allegations and the relevant next steps which shall be taken. Such a meeting should ordinarily be held by the Safeguarding Officer. On certain occasions, such a meeting may not be convened until this has been approved by any authorities involved (such as the police or the relevant Local Authority).

Any person from within the organisation who has allegations made against them shall be treated fairly. All enquires, investigations and decisions taken shall be just and fair, with the safety of any child concerned at the heart of the process.

Any person from within the organisation who makes an allegation against another person from within Stay Connected Family Time shall be listened to, taken seriously, and shall be treated fairly and justly throughout the process of enquiries, investigations and decision making.