Brathay Trust

BRATHAY TRUST

CHILD PROTECTION AND SAFEGUARDING POLICY & PROCEDURES [INCLUDING SAFEGUARDING VULNERABLE ADULTS]

DESIGNATED CHILD PROTECTION OFFICER: GODFREY OWEN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE

CONTACT DETAILS:

MOBILE PHONE: 07739 646144 EMAIL: [email protected]

DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT RECORD

CHILD PROTECTION POLICY & SAFEGUARDING PROCEDURES (REPLACES PREVIOUS SAFEGUARDING POLICY, DATED Dec. 2011)

Originated: November 2011

Next Full Document Review Date: March 2017

Document Status Issue Date Notes Originator Authorised by: 1 January 2011 Draft Document issued for Leadership Team Jon Owen n/a consultation 2. February 2011 Document issued to Trustees for review and Godfrey J. Burdon-Bailey signed off in principle Owen (Chair) 3. February 2011 Document issued to Management Group for Jon Owen Godfrey Owen review 4. March 2011 Document issued to Leadership Team for final Jon Owen Godfrey Owen sign-off 5. 21 April 2011 CEO sign-off; Document distributed to staff via Jon Owen Godfrey Owen email 6. 23 November Two new draft sections added: Child Sexual Jon Owen n/a 2011 Exploitation & Use of Reasonable Force; Draft issued for Leadership Team consultation 7. 12 December New policy signed off by Leadership Team and Jon Owen Godfrey Owen 2011 Mgmnt Group; distributed to staff via email 8. December Policy review commenced by Director of Young Dale Godfrey Owen 2013 People Services Tomlinson 9. February 2014 Policy review completed. Policy reviewed by Godfrey Owen CEO and circulated to Management Group for review 10. March 2014 Management review completed and final Godfrey Owen version circulated to entire organisation 11 March 2014 Policy circulated to Trustees Godfrey Owen 12 February 2015 Edits made: double waking night cover, Dave Godfrey Owen overnight supervision at venues, instant Harvey messaging guidelines, staff recruitment sections 13 November Incorporated Lone Working policy & procedure Godfrey Godfrey Owen 2015 into a procedure of main policy and placed as Owen appendix. 14 March 2016 Edits made: inclusion of safeguarding YP from Jenni Godfrey Owen extremism and radicalisation McDuff 15 Sept 2016 Inclusion of section, Information Sharing Godfrey Godfrey Owen Owen

CONTENTS PAGE

Document Management Record 2

Policy statement 4

Responsibilities 5 Designated Child Protection Officer 5 Convening ‘Lessons Learnt’ panels 5

Other relevant Brathay policies 5

Guidance: 1.1 One to one situations 6 1.2 Transporting young people 6 1.3 Looked After young people 7 1.4 Social contact with young people 7 1.5 Youth work using digital media 8 1.6 Recordings 9 1.7 Confidentiality 10 1.8 Ethical conduct in youth work 10 1.9 Working with sexually active young people 11 Fraser Guidelines 12 1.10 Child Sexual Exploitation 13 1.11 Extremism & radicalisation 14 1.12 Use of reasonable force 15 2.0 Overnight supervision 23 2.1 Accommodation security 24 2.2 Contractors 24 2.4 Staff recruitment 25 2.2 Definition of a vulnerable adult 26

Disclosure of abuse made by young people 27 Flowchart of disclosure procedures 28

Handling information from third parties 29 Flowchart of third party procedures 31

Allegations of abuse against Brathay staff 32 Flowchart of allegation procedures 35

Concerns about young people 36

Appendix A: Common requirements of organisations 37 Appendix B: Law relating to this policy 38 Appendix C: Definitions of abuse 39 Appendix D: Signs and symptoms of abuse 40 Appendix E: Common Assessment Framework 41 Appendix F: Useful external contact details 42 Appendix G: Lone Working procedures 43 Appendix H: Information Sharing, supporting information 50 Glossary 51

POLICY STATEMENT

Brathay Trust is fully committed to safeguarding the welfare of all children, young people and vulnerable adults by taking all reasonable steps to protect them from neglect, physical, sexual or emotional harm. All staff, associates, trustees and volunteers will at all times show respect and understanding for the rights, safety and welfare of all children and young people with whom the Trust comes into contact, and conduct themselves in a way that reflects our principles.

The above will be achieved by: • A proactive approach to safeguarding which constantly reviews our practice and responds to issues and potential vulnerabilities immediately and robustly.

• Close liaison and joint working with statutory child protection agencies to ensure that practice meets the best possible standard for all those we work with.

• ensuring that all staff, trustees, associates, and volunteers are carefully recruited, trained and supervised;

• carefully assessing all risks that children and young people encounter and taking all necessary steps to minimise and/or manage them;

• listening to children, and understanding how their individual circumstances and life experiences may affect their vulnerability and risk. Then taking that into account in planning engagement and activities with that young person;

• informing parents1, children and young people how to voice concerns or complaints about anything that they may not be happy with;

• presenting parents, children, young people and accompanying staff with information about what we do and what can be expected from us.

All Brathay’s trustees, staff, associates, and volunteers have a duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. This also applies to third party delivery agents. All of the above groups should be familiar with these procedures, are expected to comply with them and have a duty to report any child protection or welfare concerns to the Chief Executive, who is the Trust’s Designated Child Protection Officer.

For the purposes of this policy, the terms ‘young people’, ‘children’ and ‘child’ refer to all children and young people under the age of 18 and also to vulnerable adults. See page 26 for the Home Office’s definition of vulnerable adults, which Brathay has adopted.

Child protection and safeguarding responsibilities and arrangements are set out in this document. This document replaces the previous policy and related procedures, dated December 2011.

1 In the context of this policy, ‘parents’ is taken to also mean guardian(s) and .all those with Parental Responsibility as defined by the Children’s Act (2004).

RESPONSIBILITIES

Job Title Responsibility Chief Executive Overall responsibility for safeguarding and child protection arrangements throughout Brathay Trust Chief Executive Designated Child Protection Officer: responsible for this Policy and associated procedures,

including training, implementation and reviewing Lead Signatory Responsibility for Disclosure & Barring Service process management All staff, trustees, associates and volunteers Responsibility for ensuring that young people and vulnerable adults are safeguarded

Other Relevant Brathay Policies

• Health & Safety Policy • Critical Incident Management Policy & Procedures:

o Community Critical Incident Procedures o Training Critical Incident Procedures • Managing Risk to Individuals & Reducing Harm Policy & Procedures • Staff Handbook • Significant Risk of Harm Policy • DBS policy and procedures • Transport Policy • Lone Working Policy & Procedures (Young People) • Substance Misuse & Drugs Policy & Guidelines • Data Protection Policy • ICT Security Policy • Whistle-blowing Policy Continuous improvement: Learning from safeguarding related incidents. We are committed to a process of continuous review and improvement of our practice and procedures. To this end, in the case of all incidents resulting in formal recording via the Incident Management system, which are deemed by reviewing managers to have a safeguarding element; a Safeguarding Incident Panel (SIP) will be convened. This panel will be chaired by the Chief Executive or a deputised manager, and will consist of at least one member of staff with direct knowledge of the incident, a CYPS Manager and other staff as required at the discretion of the manager convening the panel. The panel will consider the incident and make such recommendations as to future practice, and any necessary changes or additions to practice as may be deemed necessary. The meeting will be formally minuted, and the outcomes recorded in the Incident Management system.

Working with Young People Introduction Staff2 should conduct themselves in such a way as to avoid compromising situations and to protect themselves against allegations of abuse. The following guidelines have been developed to support staff working in all settings to establish safe & responsible environments which safeguard young people3 and manage the risk of adults being unjustly accused of improper or unprofessional conduct.

1.1 One-to-One Situations

Guiding Principle To ensure that staff can work with young people without the young person feeling vulnerable, and to manage and reduce the likelihood of allegations being made against staff.

One-to-one situations will either be planned or unplanned.

The following guidance is provided to ensure staff are aware of their responsibilities.

Unplanned One-to-One Situations • Staff should avoid being alone with a young person when there is no-one else about; • On residentials, staff should not enter a young person’s bedroom alone when a young person is present. If this is absolutely necessary, then they should leave the door open; • Staff should not be in residence or at camp with children of the opposite sex, unless a member of staff or other responsible adult of the child’s sex is in residence or nearby.

Planned One-to-One Situations In certain situations it may be unrealistic to state that one-to-one interactions should not take place. Where there is a need to work in one-to-one situations, this should be planned and agreed with a manager beforehand. This will include:

• defining & recording the reason for the meeting; • identifying the meeting location; • conducting & agreeing a full risk assessment; • avoiding conducting one-to-one meetings in remote/secluded areas; • always informing other colleagues/guardian and assess the need to have them present or close by; • always reporting situations which are or could be interpreted as child protection incidents.

As one-to-one situations are potentially high risk both for staff and young people, staff are directed to read the Trust’s Lone Working & Safeguarding procedures (Appendix G).

1.2 Transporting Young People When transporting young people, this should be planned so that, whenever possible, staff are not alone in a vehicle with one young person. As far as practicable, it is advisable that transporting of

2 In the context of this policy, ‘staff’ is taken to also apply to trustees, associates and volunteers. 3 ‘Young people’, ‘child’, ‘children’ are taken to mean those under 18 and vulnerable adults.

6 young people is not done in private vehicles. Any emergency or impromptu arrangements must be justifiable and risk-assessed as far as possible in the circumstances. Details of the journey must be reported to a manager within 24 hours.

See also ‘One to One Situations’, page 6. In addition staff must:

• be aware that the safety and welfare of the young person(s) is their responsibility until they are safely passed over to a parent / legal guardian / or to a recognised place of safety e.g. police custody, hospital or other responsible authority; • ensure that their behaviour is appropriate at all times; • ensure that there are proper arrangements in place to ensure vehicle, passenger and driver safety. This includes ensuring that all passengers wear seat belts and also having appropriate insurance cover in accordance with Brathay’s Transport Policy.

1.3 Looked After Young People Whilst ‘looked after’ young people have identical safeguarding needs to any other young person, some special considerations do apply because they are corporately parented. This means that: • Staff must ensure that the young person’s Lead worker or key professional is kept fully informed about ongoing work with the young person, and that s/he is invited to contribute to planning meetings or to comment on proposed programmes of work • Where a Team Around the Child (TAC) has been convened, attendance at meetings, or sharing of key information should always be considered. • Particular care must be taken to obtain an up to date history and assessment of concerns or vulnerabilities relating to a looked after child when planning activities, especially those involving a residential component. Wherever possible, ensuring that pastoral support is provided by relevant Local Authority staff if significant concerns are identified prior to a planned activity or residential. • Where incidents occur during Brathay activities or residentials involving looked after young people, every effort must be made to share all the facts with key Local Authority staff and managers as soon as possible and in any event within 24 hours. • When planning residentials comprised wholly or mainly of looked after children, particular care should be taken to ensure that accommodation issues, staffing ratios and pastoral support are adequate to meet any likely concerns. Special consideration should be given to the need or otherwise for double ‘waking night cover’.

1.4 Social Contact Staff should not work with young people ‘unofficially’ outside Brathay. This means: • staff must not take young people to their own homes; • not having social contact with the young people or their families, unless the reason has been firmly established and agreed with their line manager; • if a young person or parent seeks to establish social contact or if this occurs coincidentally, the staff member(s) must exercise their professional judgement in making a response but should always discuss the situation with their line manager; • staff should be aware that social contact in certain situations can be misconstrued as grooming; as such they should advise their manager or in their absence the Duty Manager of any coincidental social contact they have with a young person or parent with who they work which may give rise to concern;

• staff should be aware that the sending of personal communications such as birthday or faith cards should always be recorded and/or discussed with their line manager; • staff should record & report any situation which may place a young person at risk or which may compromise Brathay or their own professional standing.

The above are provided as examples and are not intended to be exhaustive.

1.5 Guidance for engaging young people through digital media Communicating effectively with young people in a variety of ways is an integral aspect of youth work. Telephone contact, texting, e-mail, face to face work, outreach work and detached work have all been vital tools for engaging young people in provision over the last few years. Increasing numbers of young people are using electronic methods of communication, congregating in virtual environments, and much of their social interaction and peer education occurs in these spaces. Therefore youth workers need to actively engage with young people in these environments.

Given the pace of change in this area, the principles outlined in these guidelines should be seen as applying to emerging technologies and/or applications.

• Youth workers should ensure young people are using electronic methods of communication safely and have appropriate support networks; • Electronic communication methods provide opportunities for promoting services, they encourage young people to participate in positive activities, and to become involved in developing the service; • However, electronic communication methods are also utilised by individual’s intent on ‘grooming’ young people. To protect both individual staff members and the Trust from the consequences of allegations relating to the use of digital media, staff should co-operate fully with any requests or processes instigated to address these risks; • The following procedures have been prepared with the above principles in mind.

Universal digital media guidelines • Staff should apply the same rules and standards of best practice when communicating with young people via digital media as in face to face communication; • extra diligence must be taken to ensure messages cannot be misinterpreted; • staff should use messaging via new media as a method of communicating information and not as a primary communication tool to build relationships i.e. to inform of an event or a change of time; • if staff receive a message from a young person wishing to engage in a ‘social conversation’ they must send a message to explain that they cannot engage in social messaging and direct them to a number or website they can use for further help if they should need it; • if staff receive a verbally abusive or threatening message, or if they worry about the safety of the sender or someone else they must contact their line manager.

SMS/text messaging • Mobile phones will be allocated to staff at the discretion of the CEO; • staff must familiarise themselves with the Trust’s Mobile Phone Policy; • mobile telephones are issued for business use; any misuse of the phone may be a disciplinary issue. Whilst it is not possible to provide a definitive list of the actions that represent misuse it should be remembered that the equipment is owned by the Trust, for use on Brathay business. If staff fail to consider any of the above or take any other action that could

reasonably be considered to be misuse, appropriate action may be taken under the Trust’s disciplinary procedure; • if necessary staff mobile numbers can be publicly displayed i.e. on posters, clearly stating the staff name; • under no circumstances should staff give their personal mobile or home number to a young person.

Email • All staff will be given an email address on their induction into the Trust; • Staff must familiarise themselves with Brathay’s ICT Security Policy; • Emails should only be sent to young people during ‘normal youth work hours’ (8am-10pm); • Work email addresses can be given to young people who are engaging in youth work with the Trust and need to receive information. • If necessary staff email addresses can be publicly displayed i.e. on posters, clearly stating the staff name; • Under no circumstances should a staff member give their personal email address to a young person; • Materials sent will be selected that are unbiased and meet equal opportunities criteria in terms of ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, disability, religion and beliefs & age.

Social networking • Staff intending to use Social Networking Sites in a work capacity should do so from a separate profile than their personal profile, should they have one; • Prior consent/sign-off should be sought from Brathay’s Marketing & Communications department before first use of Social Networking Sites to communicate with Young People; • In the event that a member of staff sets up a work profile, they must inform Brathay’s ICT Officer of the existence of this profile, and the login details for it; • In order to protect themselves from risk of allegations, we recommend that staff using Social Networking Sites with a personal profile - in a private capacity - should set their privacy settings so only friends can view their profile; • Under no circumstances should a staff member with a personal profile add a young person Brathay works with or has worked with within the last five years as a friend on a Social Networking Sites; • Staff should not put photographs of work activities on their personal profiles. • Staff must familiarise themselves with the Trust’s ICT Security Policy; • Messages sent via Social Networking Sites should only be sent to young people during ‘reasonable’ hours, as per emailing above (8am-10pm).

Instant messaging • Under no circumstances should staff communicate with a young person through an instant messaging site; • Under no circumstances should staff give their instant messaging address to a young person; • If staff receive an instant message from a young person they must not engage – they should inform their line manager. Managers will make a file note following notification from a worker that they have been Instant messaged. This is for the benefit of the worker and ensures that nothing is hidden.

1.6 Recording We are committed to capturing young people’s views and involving them in planning for the future. In order to do this, it is from time to time beneficial to record young people either individually or as a group. We also seek to record activities so we can showcase what we do and

why it works. However, in all cases where recording is undertaken, whether audio, video or photographic, prior permission must always be obtained: • Staff must ensure that where a young person is under 18, or is deemed vulnerable, that permission to record images or voice is obtained from a parent, or other person holding parental responsibility. This will normally be done via the signing of the Personal Information Form (PI form) or the Research consent form where this is appropriate. • any restrictions stipulated by parents or other carers i.e. voice recording only, must be respected. • it is essential that all members of a group have valid permissions obtained before undertaking group recording • particular care must be taken to ensure that images and recordings are only used for legitimate purposes, and that they are not released to non Brathay staff without specific agreement being obtained about how such images are to be used.

1.7 Confidentiality Members of staff may have access to confidential information about young people in order to undertake their everyday responsibilities. In some circumstances staff may be given highly sensitive or private information. They should never use confidential or personal information about a pupil or her/his family for their own, or others’ advantage (including that of partners, friends, relatives or other schools/services).

Information must never be used to intimidate, humiliate, or embarrass the young person.

Confidential information about a child or young person should never be used casually in conversation or shared with any person other than on a need-to-know basis. In circumstances where the child’s identity does not need to be disclosed the information should be used anonymously.

There are some circumstances in which a member of staff may be expected to share information about a child, for example when abuse is alleged or suspected. In such cases, individuals have a duty to pass information on without delay, but only to those with designated child protection responsibilities.

Staff are expected to treat any information they receive about young people in a discreet and sensitive manner. If a member of staff is in any doubt about whether to share information or keep it confidential he or she should seek guidance from a senior member of staff. Any media or legal enquiries should be passed to Marketing & Communications staff or the Chief Executive.

The storing and processing of personal information about young people is governed by the Data Protection Act 1998. Brathay has a designated Data Protection Officer and a related policy, both of which are sources of support in this area.

The HMG booklet "What To Do If You’re Worried A Child Is Being Abused" contains further guidance on sharing information to protect children.

1.8 Ethical conduct in youth work Brathay expects staff to adhere to and uphold the highest standards of professional conduct. Below is a summary of the statement of principles of ethical conduct for youth work, from the National Youth Agency. Youth work staff are advised to read the full document (NYA website)

Ethical principles Youth workers have a commitment to: I. Treat young people with respect, valuing each individual and avoiding negative discrimination. II. Respect and promote young people’s rights to make their own decisions and choices, unless the welfare or legitimate interests of themselves or others are seriously threatened. III. Promote and ensure the welfare and safety of young people, while permitting them to learn through undertaking challenging educational activities. IV. Contribute towards the promotion of social justice for young people and in society generally, through encouraging respect for difference and diversity and challenging discrimination.

Professional principles Youth workers have a commitment to: V. Recognise the boundaries between personal and professional life and be aware of the need to balance a caring and supportive relationship with young people with appropriate professional distance. VI. Recognise the need to be accountable to young people, their parents or guardians, colleagues, funders, wider society and others with a relevant interest in the work, and that these accountabilities may be in conflict. VII. Develop and maintain the required skills and competence to do the job.

1.9 Specific considerations when working with sexually active young people Most young people under the age of 18 years will have an interest in sex and sexual relationships. All young people, regardless of gender or sexual orientation who are believed to be engaged in, or planning to be engaged in sexual activity should have their needs for health education and/or protection assessed by Brathay staff where this is deemed necessary and appropriate to individual need, to secure best outcomes for the young person. Such assessment will not be undertaken routinely, and should follow discussion with a manager.

Areas to consider when assessing need • Power imbalances are very important and can occur through differences in size, age and development and where gender, sexuality, race and levels of sexual knowledge are used to exert such potentially coercive power;

• There may also be an imbalance of power if the young person’s sexual partner is in a position of trust in relation to them e.g. teacher, carer, youth worker; • Where sex is being used for favours e.g. exchanging sex for clothes, trainers, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes; • If the young person has a learning disability or other communication difficulty they may not be able to let someone know that they are or have been abused or subject to abusive behaviour. The Sexual Offences Act recognises the rights of people with a mental disability to a full life, including a sex life. However there is a duty to protect them from abuse and exploitation; • Whether the person is competent to understand and consent to the sexual activity they are involved in; • Whether overt aggression, coercion or bribery was involved including misuse of substances/alcohol as a disinhibiter;

• Whether the young person’s own behaviour, for example through misuse of substances including alcohol places them in a position where they are unable to make an informed choice about the activity; • Any attempts to secure secrecy by the sexual partner(s) beyond what would be considered usual in a (teenage) relationship; • Whether methods used to secure compliance and/or secrecy by the sexual partner are consistent with behaviours considered to be grooming.

The next section provides information about how to handle situations to do with sexually active young people of various age groups: • Under 16s • Under 13s • 13-16 years old • 16-18 years old

Fraser Guidelines (Under 16s) Brathay staff must follow the Fraser Guidelines when discussing personal or sexual matters with a young person under 16. They hold that sexual health services can be offered without parental consent providing that: • The young person understands the advice that is being given. The young person cannot be persuaded to inform or seek support from their parents/guardians, and will not allow the worker to inform the parent/guardian that contraceptive advice is being given; • The young person is likely to begin or continue to have sexual intercourse without contraception or protection by a barrier method; • The young person’s physical or mental health is likely to suffer unless they receive contraceptive advice and/or treatment; • It is in the young person’s best interest to receive contraceptive / safe sex advice and treatment without parental consent.

Sexually Active Young People Less than 13 Years Old Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, children under the age of 13 are considered of insufficient age to give consent to sexual activity. Brathay staff must notify the Police (via the Area Designated Person or Safeguarding Lead) as soon as possible when a criminal offence has been committed or is suspected of having been committed against a child, unless there are exceptional reasons not to do so.

Sexually Active Young People Aged between 13 and 16 Years Old The 2003 Sexual Offences Act reinforces that, whilst mutually agreed, non-exploitative sexual activity between teenagers does take place and that often no harm comes from it, the age of consent should still remain at 16. This is an acknowledgement that this group of young people is still vulnerable, even when they do not view themselves as such.

Although the age of consent is 16, the law is not intended to prosecute mutually agreed sexual activity between two young people of a similar age (e.g. 14 and 15), unless it involves abuse or exploitation.

Under the 2003 Act young people, including those under 16 have the right to confidential advice on contraception, condoms, pregnancy and abortion. The Act states that a person is not guilty of aiding, abetting or counselling a sexual offence against a child where they are acting for the purpose of: • Protecting a child from pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted infection;

• Protecting the physical safety of a child; • Promoting child’s emotional wellbeing by the giving of advice.

Sexually Active Young People between 16 and 18 Years Old Although sexual activity in itself is not an offence over the age of 16, young people under the age of 18 are still offered the protection of Safeguarding Procedures under the Children’s Act.(2004) Consideration still needs to be given to issues of sexual exploitation through prostitution and abuse of power in circumstances outlined above. This also applies to safeguarding vulnerable adults (see separate section for definition) over the age of 18. Young people over the age of 16 and under 18 are not deemed able to give consent if the sexual activity is with an adult in a position of trust or a family member as defined by the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

1.10 Child Sexual Exploitation The nature of child sexual exploitation is that it is a course of conduct rather than an isolated incident leading to a series of serious sexual and other offences. It is best described as a process of involving children in sexual activities through means such as deceit, manipulation, coercion, use of violence and threats of force with cumulative effect on children, families, social systems and the community as a whole. The sexual exploitation of children and young people is a form of child abuse.

The National Working Group for Sexually Exploited Children and Young People define child sexual exploitation as follows:

The 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 performing, and/or others performing on them, sexual activities.

Child sexual exploitation can occur through use of technology without the child’s immediate recognition, for example the persuasion to post sexual images on the internet/mobile phones with no 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.

Grooming Generally, grooming is a phased, gradual process used by perpetrators to sexually exploit children and young people. It can take place over varying periods of time – from a few days to several years. It can also take different forms, and be more or less violent. Although it is talked about as having stages, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it will always develop in the same way. Typically, grooming involves a number of stages:

1. Initial contact; 2. Befriending, which can include non-coercive behaviour such as buying gifts, and coercive behaviour such as threats, intimidation and the use of violence; 3. Exchange of favours; 4. Control; 5. Exploitation.

Warning signs The process of grooming affects children and young people in different ways. It is not easy to recognise the signs because many could be regarded as ‘normal’ teenage behaviour.

The following list of warning signs is not exhaustive but if you spot them it could indicate that a young person is at risk of sexual exploitation.

• Low level indicators include: overtly sexualised dress; going missing; unaccounted-for monies or goods; associated with unknown adults; experimenting with drugs and alcohol; reduced contact with family & friends; poor self-image; • Medium level indicators include: getting into cars with unknown adults; disclosure of sexual assault which is then withdrawn; having a much older boyfriend/girlfriend; staying out overnight without reasonable explanation; self-harming; • High level indicators include: serious self-harming; being taken to clubs and hotels by adults; chronic alcohol or drug use; removed from a known ‘red light’ district; abduction; disclosure of serious sexual assault which is then withdrawn.

What to do if you are concerned that a young person is being sexually exploited Given that child sexual exploitation is a form of child abuse, any staff member with concerns that a young person is being exploited should follow the procedures on p.32 of this document.

1.11 Safeguarding vulnerable people from extremism and radicalisation

Extremism is defined in the Prevent strategy as vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values. Radicalisation refers to the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism leading to terrorism.

As with sexual exploitation, radicalisation is a process of encouraging violent or harmful behaviour through means such as deceit, manipulation, coercion, propaganda and threats. This is often done through grooming techniques, often online, and (as with sexual exploitation) can occur without the individual’s immediate recognition, starting with befriending and persuading to become involved in religious or political groups opposing government policy. Safeguarding people from radicalisation is no different from safeguarding them from other forms of harm. Vulnerability to radicalisation is likely to be similar to other vulnerabilities that might give rise to safeguarding concerns such as:

• Learning difficulties • Isolation • Vulnerable to peer pressure • Low self-esteem • Problems at home

What to do if you are concerned that someone is being radicalised? If you have any concerns about someone in relation to extremism or radicalisation you should follow the guidelines set out in the safeguarding policy – ‘Concerns about young people’ p36. This includes informing a senior member of staff, referring to the appropriate local authority and recording the details of the concern. The Channel process is part of the government’s overall strategy of preventing radicalisation. The Channel referral process requires that concerns should be passed on to the local Prevent Officer (Police/Local Authority). If further action is considered appropriate, screening by the police Channel Coordinator might take place, followed by a preliminary assessment by the Local Authority’s Prevent Lead and Police Channel Coordinator. If in doubt about whether to refer to Channel, speak to your line manager.

1.12 Use of Reasonable Force Summary Brathay Trust’s policy is not to use physical force against young people if at all possible, except as a last resort in order to discharge a duty of care;

The Chief Executive recognises that in certain circumstances - such as to prevent young people from hurting themselves or others - the use of reasonable force on the part of staff may be justified as an act of care and control;

For any form of physical intervention to be justified, there must be a risk of injury or damage likely in the predictable future, and immediate action deemed necessary;

All members of staff have a legal power to use reasonable force;

Any incidents where staff have used a physical intervention should be followed up with an interview with the young person, and also documented on an Incident Form.

What is reasonable force? The term ‘reasonable force’ covers the broad range of actions used by most front line staff at some point in their career that involve a degree of physical contact with young people;

Force is usually used either to control or restrain. This can range from guiding a young person to safety by the arm through to more extreme circumstances such as breaking up a fight or where a young person needs to be restrained to prevent violence or injury;

‘Reasonable in the circumstances’ means using no more force than is needed;

As mentioned above, control means either passive physical contact, such as standing between young people or blocking a person’s path, or active physical contact such as leading a young person by the arm out of a room;

Restraint means to hold back physically or to bring a young person under control. It is typically used in more extreme circumstances, for example when two young people are fighting and refuse to separate without physical intervention;

Staff should always try to avoid acting in a way that might cause injury, but in extreme cases it may not always be possible to avoid injuring the young person.

Who can use reasonable force? All members of staff have a legal power to use reasonable force (under Section 93 of the Education & Inspections Act 2006 and Section 550A of the Education Act 1996).

When can reasonable force be used? Reasonable force can be used to prevent young people from hurting themselves or others, from damaging property, or from causing disorder;

The decision on whether or not to physically intervene is down to the professional judgement of the staff member concerned and should always depend on the individual circumstances. For more information see Exercising Judgement, below.

Principles Staff must ensure that they do not use any form of physical force that may be construed as “assault” to control anyone. The only exception to this is in the use of physical contact to prevent an immediate danger of significant physical injury to, or the damage to the property of, any person.

Instances of staff using force will always be investigated. Staff who use force in a way that conforms to this policy will have the organisation’s support. Staff who use force in a way not conforming to this policy may be subject to disciplinary action and in some cases the matter will be referred to the Police, with criminal proceedings a possibility.

There will be occasions where damage to property may be deemed preferable to the application of physical force as a preventative measure. However, staff should give consideration to the nature of the property in question and whether its damage may place any person at risk of injury or lead to criminal proceedings.

Guidelines on the use of reasonable force

1 Preventive Measures / De-escalation i. On the basis that early action taken to diffuse a potentially violent situation is the most desirable solution, the following techniques are suggested for dealing with young people who are becoming increasingly agitated: • Ignore the inappropriate behaviour • Redirect or remind the young person with verbal cues • Calm him/her down by setting expectations and giving them a choice about how to respond to the situation • Acknowledge the feelings that are causing the agitation, giving the young person the opportunity to express their feelings verbally rather than physically; or • Remove the source of the agitation, or the young person, to a more neutral environment. ii. In considering the techniques mentioned above, there are a number of points to bear in mind: • There are clear situations where the inappropriate behaviour cannot be ignored, such as violence, threats of violence and / or destruction of property; • Staff should endeavour to appear calm, even though they may be feeling quite the contrary; • In attempting to diffuse the situation, the use of touch should be considered carefully. An attempt to calm by laying a hand gently on the young person’s shoulder, for instance, may lead to escalation of the behaviour.

2 Physical Presence i. By their very presence, staff should be able to convey messages of care and control. This presence should normally be sufficient to positively influence the young person’s behaviour, through the use of a look, gesture or quiet word. ii. A deliberate strategy to deal with difficult behaviour may be for a member of staff to devote himself or herself exclusively to one young person. As far as is possible this should be through the use of constructive activity/discussion rather than just “shadowing” and, if possible, should be agreed in liaison with all other staff present. It is important that any such arrangement be done in line with Brathay’s Lone Working guidelines.

iii. In the event that a young person is “running away”, this strategy is more advisable than resorting to “restraint”, unless the young person is placing him/herself in immediate danger of significant injury. In such situations the member of staff selected to stay with the young person, should allow the individual to move far enough away from the others involved allowing them sufficient privacy to regain their composure. The remaining staff should ensure that they are within shouting/signalling distance of their colleague and ready to assist if required. Unless this assistance is requested, they should make every effort to calm the remaining young people and prevent them from attempting to follow, or communicate with, the young person concerned. iv. If the member of staff cannot keep pace with the young person, or is no longer in a position to request support from colleagues, s/he must accept that further efforts are not advisable. At this point the Police should be informed and staff should follow our standard procedures for a missing person. v. In using physical presence the following factors must be considered:

• Techniques should not be persisted with, if the young person physically resists • If challenged, staff should be prepared to engage the young person in dialogue about what is being done and why • The conscious use of physical presence for control purposes can be oppressive if extended over long periods, and this should be borne in mind • Some oppressive physical methods may also reactivate previous negative experiences for the young person, possibly resulting in a violent reaction.

3 Physical Intervention Principles for using physical intervention: • Staff should take steps in advance to avoid the need for physical intervention, e.g.; through dialogue and diversion (see above); and the young person should be warned verbally that physical restraint would be used unless s/he desists; • Staff should ensure that they operate within their level of competence, factoring in whether they have received any training in safe techniques; • Staff should have good grounds for believing that immediate action is necessary to prevent a young person from significantly injuring themselves, or others, or causing serious damage to property; • Every effort should be made to secure the presence of other staff before applying restraint. These staff can act as assistants and witnesses.

1 Whenever possible there should be at least two members of staff present when a young person is being restrained and the most senior member of staff available should take charge of the situation. 2 If it is necessary to restrain a young person, a member of staff of the appropriate gender must be present from the earliest possible time. 3 In a situation where the young person’s behaviour is directed at a member of staff, the staff member concerned should not be involved in carrying out the restraint, unless there is no other alternative.

If it becomes necessary to physically restrain a violent young person; to avoid injury and the infliction of pain, the amount of force used must be the minimum necessary to hold the young person safely:

1 Staff must consider any hazards presented by the immediate environment (e.g.: rocks, windows etc.) and endeavour to steer the young person towards a safer area or consider how to protect all those involved, from the hazard. 2 The length of time a young person is restrained should be the minimum necessary to achieve the immediate objective. 3 As soon as it is felt safe, restraint should be gradually relaxed to allow the young person to regain self-control. During this process the young person should be told what is happening and what behaviour is expected of them. As the hold is relinquished, staff should look for indications that may suggest the young person will restart the aggressive behaviour.

Restraint must be an act of care and control, not punishment: 1 In some circumstances it may not be appropriate to speak to the young person during the exercise of restraint as this may compound the issue. However most young people will respond positively if spoken to in a quiet and soothing manner, to encourage the speedy return of calm and self-control. 2 Physical restraint should not be used purely to force compliance with staff instructions when there is no immediate risk to people or property. 3 Restraint should be ceased if the contact appears to be arousing any sexual expectations or feelings. 4 Staff should be careful where they hold young people. For instance, they should be careful not to hold a young person in such a way that it involves contact with genitals or breasts. If female, the individual should not be held with her legs apart. 5 Young people known to be suffering from epilepsy must not be restrained. If during restraint, a young person begins to have an epileptic fit the restraint should cease and first aid procedures commenced immediately. 6 Expectant mothers should not be restrained, unless as a last resort. If restraint in unavoidable, extra care must be taken to ensure the minimum amount of force is used. 7 It is not normally acceptable to use force to prevent a young person taking drugs or alcohol. However, if drugs are being used to cause deliberate self-harm, physical action may be appropriate if all other attempts to dissuade the young person from taking drugs behave in a way that requires an appropriate level of physical response from staff. In situations involving drugs, staff should refer to Brathay’s Substance Misuse Policy & Guidelines, and the assistance of the Police should be seriously considered.

4 Restraint Techniques The physical restraint of a very violent young person of large stature (or in possession of a dangerous weapon) is likely to place the restrainer/s in some danger of injury, this risk will be reduced if as many staff as possible are called to assist.

On no account should members of staff attempt to overcome a large and violent and/or armed young person merely to re-establish control.

If this sort of incident occurs, the staffs’ efforts should be redirected towards protection of themselves and other young people. If circumstances permit, it may be advisable to contact the police.

Generally the most useful form of restraining is to encircle the individual with both arms. This can be done from a standing or sitting position. Care is needed if limbs are held since a struggle could result in a limb being wrenched or broken. This risk is minimised if limbs are held near a major joint or preferably on both sides of a major joint. Staff should also be

aware of the possibility that a person being restrained in this manner may attempt to use their head as a means of striking the restrainer.

Physical intervention techniques that place the adult’s weight on the young person, or that involve the adult straddling the young person, are completely unacceptable.

In very violent incidents it may be necessary to restrain a young person by placing him or her down on the floor and holding his or her arms and legs. In a team restraint there must always be one leader who directs the action. This person must be the only one to give directions and should be the only one communicating with the young person. Any other staff involved must follow the leader’s directions. It may be advisable for staff to relieve the primary person restraining the young person, if that person is tiring. Caution is required in this method of restraint; care must be taken to avoid friction burns and the possibility of the young person’s airway becoming blocked. It may also be necessary for someone to support/protect the young person’s head from injury.

It is important to listen to what the young person is saying during an exercise of restraint and use judgement to adjust the hold if the young person complains of pain.

5 Incidents in Vehicles If an incident develops while travelling in a vehicle the driver should endeavour to stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. If travelling on motorway, the driver must use his/her judgement to decide whether this should be on the hard shoulder or the next motorway exit/service station.

If the situation cannot be brought back under control quickly, the young person behaving violently should be separated from the rest of the group or the individual who is the focal point of the behaviour. Often this is easiest to implement by asking the latter to leave the vehicle, circumstances permitting (Not desirable on a motorway).

Having regained control it may be advisable to allow the young person, who had been behaving violently, to walk about and regain their composure at the earliest opportunity. If on the motorway, the driver must use his/her judgement to decide whether this should be at the next motorway exit/service station, next junction etc.

6 Incidents during Adventurous Activities If an incident develops whilst undertaking an adventurous activity, young people and staff may be exposed to extra risks, such as the possibility of falling from height etc. In deciding what action to take, staff should factor in such associated risks: risks both to themselves; risks to the young person who is the focal point of the behaviour; and risks to others. In some circumstances, it may be appropriate to choose to not physically intervene e.g. if in their judgement this will increase the overall level of risk either to themselves, young people or others.

7 Recording incidents At the earliest opportunity, staff must complete an Incident Report which should be submitted to Brathay’s Health, Safety & Environment Manager; the report should indicate how the young person was restrained, if relevant, and for how long.

Note: Any incident resulting in; an injury to any party that requires professional medical attention; the assistance of Police or other emergency service, must be brought to the attention of your line manager within 2 working days.

8 Following an incident

Debriefing the incident The manager should ensure that any incidents of restraint are discussed at a Team meeting. This should enable a constructive review of how the incident was managed, provide support to the staff involved and initiate appropriate follow-up with the young person/partner agency involved.

9 Follow up Interview with the Young Person: Following the use of restraint the young person should have the opportunity to recuperate and have time alone if appropriate. However, an interview should take place as soon as possible. The more time between the incident and the interview the less effective it becomes.

The aim of the interview should be: 1 To return the young person to an emotional level at which they can function appropriately; 2 To use the loss of control and the subsequent restraint incident to clarify the underlying causes that led to restraint being used in the first place; 3 To develop a strategy for change with the young person that will lead to better self- control

Consideration should be given to the needs of other young people who were present at the incident and observed the restraint.

Exercising judgement Establish: a. that injury or damage to property is likely to happen in the predictable future, see The meaning of Injury and Damage to Property and The meaning of ‘Predictable Future’; b. that immediate necessary action to reduce or prevent the likelihood of the injury or damage, see The meaning of ‘Immediately Necessary’; c. that the amount of force used is the minimum necessary to achieve the objective, see The meaning of ‘Minimum Force’.

The meaning of (Significant) Injury and (Serious) Damage to Property There are differing justifications for the use of Restraint and other Physical Interventions.

Restraint is a form of physical intervention used as a positive application of force to control movement with the intention of safeguarding people and property and should therefore only be used where the likely injury is SIGNIFICANT or the likely damage to property is SERIOUS.

Other forms of physical intervention which are less intrusive by degrees, such as presence, positive touch and holding, may be justified where the likely injury or damage to property is less significant or serious.

It is not possible to provide an exhaustive definition given the variety of situations that staff may face or how they should act. It is for the staff on the spot to decide themselves and act accordingly - in keeping with procedures and guidance set out in this document.

However, Injury and Damage (which is not significant or serious) may justify less intrusive physical interventions such as presence, positive touch or holding include the following: • Minor injuries caused to the young person or others; • Wilful or reckless behaviour that may result in the young person/others being at risk of harm; • The likelihood of criminal offences not involving violence or potential risk of injury; • Minor drug or alcohol misuse; • Minor damage to property belonging to the young person, the Trust or others.

For restraint to be justified (the use of physical intervention as a positive application of force to control movement with the intention of safeguarding people and property) the likely injury must be significant and the likely damage must be serious.

Significant Injury is broadly defined as actual or grievous bodily harm, physical or sexual abuse, risking lives of or injury to, the self or others by wilful or reckless behaviour and self- poisoning. This may include the following: • Abduction • Actual and grievous bodily harm or more serious violent offences • Attempted suicide or death • Poisoning • Injury requires medical attention • Serious drug or alcohol misuse • Sexual exploitation, including sexual abuse • Theft or other criminal offences of a serious nature • Serious damage to property

For any form of physical intervention to be justified those using it must firstly believe that injury or damage is likely in the predictable future.

The meaning of ‘Predictable Future’ For any form of physical intervention to be justified, there must be a risk the injury or damage is likely in the predictable future.

The fact that injury or damage has already occurred would not be a justification for physical intervention UNLESS there is a risk that further injury or damage would follow if adults did not act. For example, a young person may break a small window, which may be interpreted as a minor misdemeanour and unlikely to be repeated; therefore physical intervention may not be justified.

However, if the young person is likely to use fragments of the glass as a weapon to cause significant injury to him/herself or another person, the use of physical intervention, even restraint, may be justified in order to protect the person(s) and confiscate the glass.

Staff must not only believe that the injury or damage is likely in the predictable future but also that action is immediately necessary.

The meaning of ‘Immediately Necessary’ Immediately Necessary means it means that staff believe it is necessary to act, at the time, to prevent a young person or others from being injured or to prevent property from being damaged at some time in the Predictable Future.

If at all possible, all the adults caring for the young person should consult each other before acting; even if there is an agreed plan or strategy in place to manage the behaviour.

If no plan/strategy is in place, the workers must act in the best interest of the young person within the procedures and guidance in this document.

Before acting, the adults must satisfy themselves that their actions are necessary as a Last Resort.

The meaning of ‘last resort’

Last resort means:

• That all other non-physical methods of persuasion, diffusion and re-direction failed; OR • That all available non-physical methods would not work in the circumstances.

The other methods, which may work in the circumstances, can include less intrusive physical contact. However, staff may not use any physical interventions unless they are satisfied that non-physical interventions have failed or would not work in the circumstances.

If possible, workers must adopt verbal and non-verbal skills, engaging young person, calming, reaching; using humour, the intervention of colleagues; negotiating, listening, planned ignoring or leaving the situation if it works.

If these actions are not working (or staff believe they would not work if tried) they may use physical contact or physical Interventions.

However, staff who use physical contact before trying or considering non-physical methods leave themselves open to criticism and could be subject to complaint, disciplinary action and involvement of the Police or Young person Protection agencies.

Also, if physical intervention is required, staff may only use the minimum force necessary to achieve the objective.

The meaning of ‘Minimum Force’ If physical intervention is immediately necessary (see The meaning of ‘Immediately Necessary’), as a last resort (see The meaning of ‘last resort’), the force used must be the minimum necessary to achieve the objective.

The minimum necessary means exactly that:

The amount of force used must be commensurate with the desired outcome and the specific circumstances in terms of intensity and duration.

It may also be appropriate for a person to block or prevent a young person’s mobility or movement using physical interventions whilst help is summoned, then giving the opportunity for the intervention to be reduced when they arrive.

In all cases, the measures must be used for the minimum or shortest time necessary; and the amount of force used must be the minimum that is necessary. The possible adverse effects associated with the measures used be less severe that the adverse consequences which may have occurred without it.

The minimum necessary may mean that proximity or use of physical presence will work in the circumstances; and that it will not be necessary to use more intrusive form of physical intervention. However, where the risks are greater, and other less intrusive interventions have failed or would not work, holding or implementing physical intervention may be the minimum that is necessary to achieve the objective.

In any case, caution should be exercised in releasing or reducing interventions too early; to do so may escalate rather than calm the situation. Disengagement should normally be undertaken in a planned and controlled manner.

If it is not possible to consult others before acting, the onus is on the staff on the spot to decide what level of intervention is appropriate in the circumstances; considering, for example: i. Any agreed strategy or plan that may exist for managing a given situation; ii. The age, size and ability of the young person and person managing the behaviour; iii. The understanding of the young person and ability to make informed decisions; iv. Any disabilities or medical conditions the young person may be suffering; v. The abilities, skills of the person(s) managing the incident, and the training they have undertaken; vi. The emotional and mental state of the young person; and whether the young person is under the influence of alcohol, drugs or other substances; vii. The young person’s background, history of using violence etc.

Use of reasonable force: Whatever interventions or measures are taken, staff must not place themselves in a position where anyone’s safety is seriously compromised. In such circumstances they should call for help, maybe from the Police, or retreat if that is the only safe option open to them.

2.0 Overnight Supervision & Pastoral Care

Overnight Supervision Client Responsibility

The overnight supervision and pastoral care of young people is the responsibility of staff accompanying the group, except on open programmes or when it is specifically agreed in advance that Brathay staff will take this responsibility. It is not Brathay’s responsibility to ensure that client organisations have proper child protection procedures and that their staff are properly trained and act appropriately. However, if it seems necessary, Brathay staff should provide guidance about, for example, appropriate staff ratios for overnight supervision.

Overnight Supervision Brathay Responsibility When Brathay is providing overnight supervision, consideration must be given to the sex of staff and participants. Staff should not be in residence or at an overnight location (e.g. a campsite) with children of the opposite sex, unless a member of staff or other responsible adult of the child’s sex is in residence. Clear behaviour guidelines should be set, which should be aligned with the law (e.g. on the consumption of alcohol). While harm reduction is a valid way of working when done professionally, staff should be aware of the risks they run if they turn a blind eye to certain behaviours, or allow young people to be unsupervised.

Overnight Supervision at venues (including camping) other than the Brathay Estate When accommodation at venues (including camping) other than the Brathay estate, Low Bank Ground and Hinning House is used with children, a child protection risk assessment should be carried out as part of, or in addition to, a general health and safety risk assessment. As a result, suitable measures should be put in place to ensure that the security and supervision of children meets the standards pertaining at Brathay. For example, if staff from another organisation might have unsupervised access to young people in Brathay’s care, then it must be ensured that the organisation has child protection policy and procedures which are equivalent to Brathay’s, including proper vetting procedures for staff recruitment and CRB Disclosure checks.

2.1 Accommodation Security Brathay will provide an appropriate level of security in accommodation used by young people. Normally this will mean that doors and windows can be secured, and that a telephone is provided to contact the emergency services and duty staff. Keys and door codes should only be issued to relevant staff. Refer to policy on Overnight accommodation for Young People in Brathay Buildings.

Door codes are a primary security measure controlling access to various locations around the Brathay Hall site, at the Wigan Centres, and in the local offices. Every effort should be made to keep these codes secure. Staff who become aware that door codes have become known to unauthorised persons should ensure that managers are made aware, so that codes can be changed.

Whilst it accepted that some codes may be written down for ease of reference, this practice should be kept to a minimum; and particular care should be taken where annotated lists are prepared which identify buildings and codes. Loss or disclosure of codes is a serious matter, and should be reported to a manager immediately.

Door codes for all youth accommodation buildings should be changed three-monthly as a security precaution, sooner if there is any suspicion that codes have been compromised. All other access codes should be changed six monthly.

In community settings staff will endeavour to keep children/young people safe by adhering to any local policies and procedures, for instance, sharing information appropriately through information sharing protocols; ensuring that the police are called to violent incidents that may warrant their attention.

Staff should challenge any strangers who are seen in the vicinity of children/young people in the residential and community settings (in the community setting it may be more appropriate to make more discreet enquiries).

2.2 Contractors In situations where contractors (examples: plumbers, electricians, builders etc.) are required to engage in planned or emergency work on premises where young people are either residing or temporarily working, the following applies: • Contractors should not generally have overnight access to accommodation used by young people when it is occupied; • Contractors should be made aware (by whoever commissions them) of the nature of our work with young people, and should be asked to make reasonable adjustments to their working practices to minimise risk to themselves to young people, to staff and the public (e.g. securing tools, plant and materials); • When using third party premises where contractors not commissioned by Brathay may be present, the most senior member of Brathay staff should manage – or designate another member of staff to manage - the interface between contractors and/or their equipment and young people for whom we are responsible.

Those particular contractors who may work unsupervised in occupied Brathay accommodation should obtain an Enhanced DBS Disclosure through Brathay. Contractors who are not checked in this way should only be given keys or door codes if supervised. Keys must be checked in and door codes changed after use.

In an emergency, it is accepted that contractors and others may need to have access to occupied accommodation. In this instance young people should be supervised by appropriate staff, and door codes changed afterwards. This should also apply to any community facilities utilised by Brathay community programmes.

2.3 Staff Recruitment4 • All appointments are made following a face-to-face interview that explores attitudes, motivation, temperament and personal qualities as well as skills and experience relevant to the role. • All offers of employment/work are made conditional to satisfactory references and a DBS check at either standard or enhanced level depending on the nature and responsibilities of the post. • References are obtained for all candidates before confirming an appointment. • Referees are selected carefully by Brathay in order to acquire information on the individual’s appropriateness to the role they have applied for. Referees are also specifically asked if the individual is suited to work for an organisation that works with young people. Information is obtained in writing and kept confidentially on the individual’s personal file. • All staff/workers are subject to a DBS check at the relevant level. For all staff working directly with young people, this will be at the enhanced level. • Candidates must provide appropriate proof of identity and their right to work in the UK before appointment is confirmed. This usually includes documents including: a photograph, current address, and confirmation of name and date of birth. Employment status may require passport verification, or EU identity document, and/or National Insurance number. • If it is necessary for someone to start work at short notice, before checks are completed, a risk assessment is carried out, documented, and kept confidentially. Until their DBS disclosure is received by Brathay, the individual is supervised by a DBS-checked member of staff.

4 To include the recruitment of: permanent and fixed-term staff; sessional-, and associate workers; volunteers and trustees.

• Where candidates are recruited from overseas, extra care is taken in pursuing references and carrying out the relevant checks. Where appropriate, advice from the DBS Overseas Information Service is obtained. • All staff/workers are made aware of Brathay’s safeguarding policy and procedures, and their obligations regarding child protection, as part of their induction. Staff/workers with face-to- face access to young people will receive additional on-going training as appropriate. • In the event of any child protection incidents, the HR Manager is responsible for keeping the relevant records in a confidential manner.

2.4 Definition of a Vulnerable Adult A vulnerable adult is a person aged 18 years or older to whom any of the following applies: • Is living in residential accommodation e.g. a care home or residential special school; • Is living in sheltered housing or is receiving domiciliary care in his or her own home; • Is receiving any form of health care; • Is detained in a prison, remand centre, young offender institution, secure training centre or attendance centre or under the powers of the Immigration and Asylum Act; • Is in contact with probation services; • Is receiving a welfare service of a description to be prescribed in regulations; • Is receiving a service or participating in an activity which is specifically targeted at people with age-related needs, disabilities or prescribed physical or mental health conditions. (age-related needs includes needs associated with frailty, illness, disability or mental capacity); • Is an expectant or nursing mother living in residential care; • Is receiving direct payments from a local authority/HSS body in lieu of social care services; • Requires assistance in the conduct of his or her own affairs.

______

The next section covers the procedures to be followed in response to key safeguarding incidents:

Disclosure of abuse made by young people p.27 Flowchart of disclosure procedures p.28

Handling information from third parties p.29 Flowchart of third party procedures p.31

Allegations of abuse against Brathay staff p.32 Flowchart of allegation procedures p.35

Concerns about young people p.36

HANDLING A DISCLOSURE OF ABUSE MADE BY A YOUNG PERSON WITH WHOM BRATHAY IS WORKING If a young person with whom Brathay is working, discloses abuse, or risk of abuse, to a member of staff or volunteer, he or she must take the following action. First of all it should be established whether the young person is legally a child (someone under 18 years old) or a young adult.

If the Person is Legally a Child The worker should: • listen carefully to what the child/young person is saying; • explain that because this is a serious matter, it cannot remain confidential between the worker and the young person. The staff member should inform the young person that she/he will need to talk to their manager to decide what action may be necessary to ensure that the young person is safe in the future, and also to ensure the safety of any other child or young person who is in contact with the alleged abuser; • undertake to keep the child/young person informed as to any action that is proposed and to support the young person through this.

The worker must inform their line manager of the situation as soon as possible. If the line manager is unavailable, then a more senior manager should be contacted. If no-one in the line-management chain is available, the CEO should be contacted as soon as possible.

If the concern arises out of office hours and it is not possible to contact any manager, and where a child/young person has disclosed serious abuse, then a referral should be made directly to Children’s Services, rather than placing a child/young person at risk by unreasonable delay in the making of a referral. In the event that it proves difficult to get hold of the contact details of the relevant Children’s Services, contact the Police locally (ideally via a non-emergency number) and ask for the Duty Officer of the Child Protection Team.

The manager should decide whether or not to make a referral to Children’s Services. All serious allegations of abuse should be referred to Children’s Services, however if in any doubt a consultation should take place with the relevant Children’s Services duty team. This is not only to protect the young person themselves but also any other children or young people that the alleged abuser may be in contact with.

If the young person has a named social worker, she/he should be contacted with the referral. If the named worker is not available, or if there is no named worker, the Brathay manager should ask to speak to the Children’s Services Duty Manager, explaining that they wish to make a child protection referral.

If the situation arises out of office hours, the Brathay manager should contact the local out of hours/emergency social worker.

See Appendix F in this document (page 42) for a list of social services telephone numbers. If for any reason the emergency social worker is not available, then the duty officer in the local police child protection team should be contacted.

When making the referral, the Brathay manager should note the name of the person in Children’s Services who they have contacted and the time and date when the referral was made. They will also need to clarify what action Children’s Services are proposing to take and the timescale for this, and also how the child/young person's immediate safety is to be ensured. Telephone referrals

27 should be followed up in writing within 2 working days. All incidents, concerns and referrals in relation to children and young people and the action that results from these should be recorded5

Young Person (YP) discloses Q: abuse or risk of abuse to a Is the YP member of Brathay staff under 18? No Q: Yes Is the YP a vulnerable adult? Yes

Inform YP that you will have to No involve a manager; & that you cannot guarantee confidentiality This is not a Child Protection issue; however consider other lines of support e.g. you might suggest they contact Police Inform a manager as soon as possible (same day)

Q: Line manager available? Yes Pass on all relevant No information to manager

Line Manager consults Local Contact Chief Executive Authority Designated Officer (LADO)

Abuse disclosed and not Manager & LADO possible to contact decide whether to Yes Yes any manager? escalate

Contact Children’s Services Inform CEO; update young person

Q: Does YP have a named Social Yes Worker? No

Contact local Emergency Contact named Social Worker Social Worker

Q: Emergency Social No Worker available?

Contact local Police, asking for the Duty Officer of the Child Yes Protection Team

Record: 1. Name of person contacted Other actions: 1. Inform CEO 2. Time and date of referral 2. Keep YP updated 3. What action they plan to take 3. Only CEO* handles media

28 *CEO or staff designated by them to handle the media Ask [and Record]: How is the YP’s immediate safety to be ensured? i.e. action they advise us to take HANDLING CONCERNS / INFORMATION FROM THIRD PARTIES

Third party information is when anyone (other than those directly involved with Brathay) passes on information or expresses their concerns. Information from a third party regarding suspicions of child abuse cannot be ignored. If the person imparting the information has concerns, they should be encouraged to contact their local Children’s Services, in order to discuss their concerns with a qualified social worker. If they do not wish to do so, it should be explained to them that Brathay is obligated to. The concerns should be logged and any action taken recorded fully.

• First of all it should be established whether the young person is legally a child (someone under 18) or a vulnerable adult.

If the Person is Legally a Child or a Vulnerable Adult The worker should clarify with the third party and record the following:

• The nature of their concerns; • How and why their concerns have arisen; • Whether they wish to remain anonymous; and • What involvement they are having or have had with the young person and/or family members.

The worker must inform their manager of the situation as soon as possible. If the concern arises out of office hours and it is not possible to contact any manager, and where the information relates to serious abuse, then a referral should be made directly to Children’s Services, rather than placing a child/young person at risk by unreasonable delay in the making of a referral.

If it is possible to contact a manager, they should decide whether or not to make a referral to Children’s Services. All serious allegations of abuse should be referred to Children’s Services however if in any doubt a consultation should take place with the relevant Children’s Services duty team. This is not only to protect the young person themselves but also any other children or young people that the alleged abuser may be in contact with.

If the individual has a named social worker, she/he should be contacted with the referral. If the named worker is not available, or if there is no named worker, the Brathay manager should ask to speak to the Children’s Services Duty Manager within the Local Authority, explaining that they wish to make a child protection referral.

If the situation arises out of office hours, the Brathay line manager should contact the local out of hours/emergency social worker.

When making the referral, the Brathay manager should note the name of the person in Children’s Services who they have contacted and the time and date when the referral was made. The line manager will also need to clarify what action Children’s Services are proposing to take and the timescale for this, and also how the child/young person's immediate safety is to be ensured. Telephone referrals should be followed up in writing within 48 hours (2 working days).

If a CYPS Area Manager or equivalent has not already been informed of the situation, the manager should do this as soon as possible (in the absence of the Area Manager, the Chief Executive should be contacted). There will need to be a discussion as to how the child or young person and all the staff directly involved in the situation can best be supported for the duration of the investigation.

All incidents, concerns and referrals in relation to young people and vulnerable adults and the action that results from these should be recorded.

Brathay Trust staff should not “investigate” the matter. That is for Children’s Services and perhaps the Police. Brathay staff must only gather sufficient information to establish that there is concern about risk of harm to a child / vulnerable adult.

If the person is neither a child nor a vulnerable adult This is not a safeguarding issue; however consider other lines of support / referral e.g. the Police.

The flowchart on the following page lays out the actions to be taken in the event that a third party discloses abuse or risk of abuse to a member of Brathay staff.

[For an explanation of acronyms – for example LADO – see the Glossary on page 2.]

Third Party expresses concerns, discloses abuse or Q: risk of abuse of a YP with Is the whom Brathay are working YP under 18? No

Q: Yes

Is the YP a Yes vulnerable adult?

No Record: 1 The nature of their concerns 2. How & Why they have arisen This is not a Child Protection 3.Whether they wish to remain issue; however consider other anonymous lines of support e.g. you might 4.Their involvement with YP/Family. suggest they contact Police They should be encouraged to contact Childrens’ Services

Q: Are they prepared to Contact Line Manager or in Yes contact Children’s No Inform them that we are their absence CEO Services? obliged to do so

Contact Line Manage or in their absence CEO Manager consults Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) Manager consults Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)

Line Manager Inform CEO; no No & LADO decide further action whether to escalate

Yes

Manager contacts Children’s Services

Q: Does No Yes YP have a named Contact local Emergency Social Worker? Social Worker

Contact named Social Worker Q: Emergency Social No Worker available?

Contact local Police, asking for the Duty Officer of the Child Yes Protection Team

Record: 1. Name of person contacted Other actions: 1. Inform CEO 2. Time and date of referral 2. Only CEO* handles media 3. What action they plan to take *Or their designate

HANDLING ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE MADE AGAINST BRATHAY STAFF 1. Any allegation of abuse against a Brathay member of staff must be taken seriously, both for the sake of the child/young person involved and the member of staff themselves. Allegations of abuse by a member of staff include: • Behaving in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child/young person • Committing a criminal offence against or related to a child/young person • Behaving towards a child/young person in a way that indicates s/he is unsuitable to work with children/young people

2. If it is a child/young person making the allegation, the member of staff receiving the allegation should remain calm and inform the child/young person that: • It is a serious matter and will need to be discussed with the appropriate manager in order to decide how the matter will be investigated • The child/young person will be kept informed about the progress of the investigation

3. The member of staff receiving the allegation should immediately contact the manager of the worker against whom the allegation has been made. The worker who is the subject of the investigation must NOT be informed of the allegation at this point.

4. The manager of the worker against whom the allegation has been made should refer the matter immediately to the CEO or in his absence the person acting for him. This ‘responsible senior manager’ will decide: • Whether there are sufficient grounds for taking further action; • If there are sufficient grounds for taking further action, the decision as to whether the incident is serious enough to be considered as potential child abuse will be informed by a consultation with the relevant Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). See Appendix F in this document (page 42) for a list of social services telephone numbers. • The LADO will be kept informed of all decisions taken by Brathay Trust in relation to the allegation and the person/s subject to the allegation; • If following this consultation with the LADO the allegation does not amount to child abuse, the ‘responsible senior manager’ in consultation with the respective Regional Manager or equivalent will consider whether the case should be dealt with under Brathay Trust’s Complaints Policy.

5. In cases where there insufficient information to make this decision the ‘responsible senior manager’ will need to decide, as a matter of urgency, what information is needed and how this should be obtained, so that a decision can then be taken as to whether or not this situation should be considered as a matter of potential child abuse.

6. If the ‘responsible senior manager’ in consultation with the LADO decides that the situation should be considered as potential child abuse, she/he should refer the matter to the relevant Children’s Services department and request that an emergency planning/strategy meeting be convened to plan the process of the investigation including the interviewing of the member of staff who is the subject of the allegations.

7. The ‘responsible senior manager’ will also need to decide whether for the duration of the investigation the member of staff should continue in their work, be moved to other duties, or be suspended in accordance with the terms of the Disciplinary Policy and Procedure (Refer to the Brathay Staff Handbook) In making this decision the ‘responsible senior manager’ will need to take into account:

• The need to avoid further contact between the child/young person and the named member of staff • The feasibility of the named member of staff continuing to work in their post whilst a child abuse investigation is under way • The potential risk to other children/young people • The possibility of the member of staff seeking to interfere with the investigation

8. The suspension or moving of the member of staff does not indicate an assumption of guilt. The purpose is to facilitate an effective investigation. If the worker is subsequently cleared, there can then be no allegation of a 'cover up'. If a staff member requests to be suspended during the investigation, this should be considered.

9. At this point the ‘responsible senior manager’ will need to inform the named member of staff that an allegation has been made against him/her and that this matter has been referred to Children’s Services to be formally investigated, and that Children’s Services (and possibly the police) will be interviewing the member of staff in the near future.

10. To avoid prejudicing the investigation the details of the allegation should not be discussed prior to the Children’s Services interview, and the member of staff should be instructed not to discuss this with other colleagues.

11. There should be no contact between the alleged perpetrator and the child/young person making the allegation and, if appropriate, no contact with any other child/young people linked to the Trust.

12. A named manager from Brathay, who is not involved in the line management of the member of staff and who will not be involved in the investigation, should be appointed to offer general support over the period of the investigation.

13. This information should always be given to the member of staff in writing, in addition to any verbal communication. In the event of a suspension from work, these discussions and the written communication, must also comply with the procedure for suspension set out in the Disciplinary Policy and Procedure, and HR advice must be sought.

14. The ‘responsible senior manager’ will, in consultation with the member of staff's line manager, decide what should be said to: • The child/young person making the allegation; • The other staff in the Service and any other children/young people linked to the Service.

15. Any details of the allegation should only be provided on a strict 'need to know’ basis.

16. Once the Children’s Services investigation has been completed, the ‘responsible senior manager’ should decide whether any further action is needed in relation to the information arising from the investigation. Depending on the outcome or the investigation, it may or may not be appropriate at this point to institute Brathay’s formal disciplinary procedures. This decision should be conveyed to the member of staff within seven days of the completion of the investigation.

17. Any contact from the media concerning any allegation of abuse should immediately be redirected to the Chief Executive’s Office.

18. The same procedures will be undertaken in relation to volunteers.

The flowchart on the following page lays out the actions to be taken in the event of an allegation being made against a member of Brathay staff.

[For an explanation of acronyms – for example LADO – see the Glossary on page 2.]

Young Person (YP) makes an allegation to a member of Brathay staff about another member of Brathay staff

Inform YP that it is a serious matter, and Contact the line manager of the staff hence will need to be discussed with a senior against whom the allegation has been manager to decide what to do; and also that made. The subject of the allegation they will be kept informed must not be informed at this stage.

As soon as possible, the YP and member(s) of staff who The line manager of the staff member against whom the are the subjects of the allegation should be separated, allegation has been made is to contact the CEO, or in their and are not to have contact with each other. absence, the person deputising for them.

Consult Local Authority Designated Office (LADO)

CEO or deputy NO – inform YP & decides if there Staff of outcome No?: Case dealt with are ground for under Brathay’s YES?: CEO & LADO decide if further action Y/N Complaints Policy? incident serious enough to be Y/N considered as potential abuse Y/N No further action

Yes?: CEO / LADO contacts relevant Children’s Services department CEO decides whether staff member continues their work, moved to other duties or is In liaison with CEO, Children’s Services suspended or the Police will set up a series of interviews with staff and YP

A named manager – uninvolved in the CEO informs named member of staff that investigation and in the line management an allegation has been made, instructs of the staff at the centre of the allegation them not to discuss with colleagues - to be assigned to offer support

CEO /their deputy, in consultation with the staff member’s line manager, decides what is said to: (i) the YP making the allegation; (ii) other YP; and (iii) other staff

When Children’s Services have completed their investigation, the CEO / their deputy decides whether any further action is required e.g. formal disciplinary procedures NB: CEO’s office to handle all media enquiries, at all times

CONCERNS IN RELATION TO YOUNG PEOPLE WITH WHOM BRATHAY IS WORKING

1. All Brathay Trust premises should have copies of their relevant local authority’s safeguarding procedures and a copy of ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’, accessible to all staff.

2. If a staff member receives information that leads him or her to believe that a child or child relative, of a child or young person with whom Brathay Trust is working, has been abused, or is at risk of abuse, he or she must take the following action:

2.1 The staff member must inform their line manager of the situation as soon as possible. If the line manager is unavailable within office hours, then a more senior manager should be contacted. If no-one in the line-management chain is available, the CEO should be contacted;

2.2 Residential programmes have 24-hour management cover and therefore there should always be a senior member of staff who will be contactable;

2.3 In the case of a volunteer receiving the information, he or she must inform the member of staff to whom he or she is accountable;

2.4 If the concern arises out of office hours and it is not possible to contact any manager, then a referral should be made directly to Children’s Services, rather than placing a child at risk by unreasonable delay in the making of a referral. See Appendix F in this document (page 42) for a list of social services telephone numbers;

2.5 If the line manager agrees that there is a serious concern regarding a child's safety and welfare, she/he should make a referral to the relevant Children’s Services Department without delay. In most situations it will be appropriate to inform the child or young person that a referral is going to be made to Children’s Services, to explain the reasons for this and to offer to support the young person through the resulting investigation;

2.6 The only exceptions to this are if, in the line manager's view, informing the child or young person that a referral was going to be made would: • impede the investigation or • place the child at greater risk or place the member of staff concerned at risk. If such exceptions apply, a referral should be made directly to the relevant Children’s Services Department without informing the child or young person first;

2.7 If the child or young person has a named social worker she/he should be contacted with the referral. If the named worker is not available, or if there is no named worker, the Brathay line manager should ask to speak to the Children’s Services Duty Manager, explaining that they wish to make a child protection referral;

2.8 If the situation arises out of office hours, the Brathay manager should contact the local out of hours/emergency social worker. See Appendix F in this document (page 42) for a list of social services telephone numbers. If for any reason the emergency social worker is not available, then the duty officer in the local police child protection team should be contacted;

2.9 When making the referral, the Brathay manager should note the name of the person in Children’s Services who they have contacted and the date and time when the referral was made. The line manager will also need to clarify what action Children’s Services are proposing to take and

36 the timescale for this. Any referral made by telephone will need to be followed up with a written referral;

2.10 If an Area Manager has not already been informed of the situation, the line manager should do this as soon as possible (in the absence of an Area Manager the CEO should be contacted). There will need to be a discussion as to how the child or young person and all the staff directly involved in the situation can best be supported for the duration of the investigation;

2.11 All incidents, concerns and referrals in relation to children and young people and the action that results from these should be recorded.

Appendix A: Common requirements of organisations p.37

Appendix B: Law relating to this policy p.38

Appendix C: Definitions of abuse p.39

Appendix D: Signs and symptoms of abuse p.40

Appendix E: Common Assessment Framework p.41

Appendix F: Useful external contact details (local Social Services etc.) p.42

Appendix G: Lone working procedures, supporting documentation p.43

Appendix H: Information Sharing, supporting information p.50

APPENDIX A: COMMON REQUIREMENTS OF ORGANISATIONS DELIVERING CHILDREN’S SERVICES Extract from ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (DCSF 2010), p.42: To fulfil their commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, all organisations that provide services for, or work with, children must have:

• Clear priorities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, explicitly stated in key policy documents; • A clear commitment by senior management to the importance of safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare; • A culture of listening to and engaging in dialogue with children – seeking their views in ways appropriate to their age and understanding, and taking account of those both in individual decisions & the establishment / development & improvement of services; • A clear line of accountability and governance within and across organisations for the commissioning and provision of services designed to safeguard and promote the welfare of children;

• Recruitment and human resources management procedures and commissioning processes, including contractual arrangements, that take account of the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people, including arrangements for appropriate checks on new staff and volunteers and adoption of best practice in recruitment of new staff and volunteers; • A clear understanding of how to work together to help keep children and young people safe online by being adequately equipped to understand, identify and mitigate the risks of new technology; • Procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse against members of staff and volunteers (see paragraphs 6.32 to 6.42 in ‘Working Together’); • Arrangements to ensure that all staff undertake appropriate training to equip them to carry out their responsibilities effectively, and keep this up-to-date by refresher training at regular intervals; and that all staff, including temporary staff and volunteers who work with children, are made aware of both the establishment’s arrangements and their responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children; • Policies for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children (e.g. pupils/students), including a child protection policy, and procedures that are in accordance with guidance and locally agreed inter-agency procedures • Arrangements to work effectively with other organisations to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, including arrangements for sharing information (see paragraph 2.12 in ‘Working Together’); and • Appropriate whistle-blowing procedures and a culture that enables issues about safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children to be addressed.

APPENDIX B: LAW RELATING TO THIS POLICY 1. The following acts of parliament provide the legislative framework for safeguarding children:  The Children Act 1989  The Protection of Children Act 1999  Sexual Offences Act 2003  The Children Act 2004  The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006

2. The most important relevant guidance arising from the legislation is: Working Together to Safeguard Children (DCSF 2010) What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused (DfES 2006)

3. An additional important convention is: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

4. In relation to safe recruitment of staff the following report is important: Choosing with Care (HM Government 1992)

5. In relation to Fraser guidelines relating to contraception etc, NSPCC have further info: http://www.nspcc.org.uk/inform/research/questions/gillick_wda61289.html

APPENDIX C: DEFINITIONS OF ABUSE

Extract from ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (DCSF 2010) p. 37:

What is abuse and neglect? Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting, by those known to them or, more rarely, by a stranger. They may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.

Physical abuse Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

Emotional abuse Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond the child’s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying, causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.

Sexual abuse Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, including prostitution, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative (e.g. rape, buggery or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts. They may include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual online images, watching sexual activities, or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.

Neglect Neglect is 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) • Ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.

It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

APPENDIX D: SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF ABUSE [source: Kidscape] Although these signs do not necessarily indicate that a child has been abused, they may help adults recognise that something is wrong. The possibility of abuse should be investigated if a child shows a number of these symptoms, or any of them to a marked degree:

Sexual Abuse • Being overly affectionate or knowledgeable in a sexual way inappropriate to the child's age • Medical problems such as chronic itching, pain in the genitals, venereal diseases • Other extreme reactions, such as depression, self-mutilation, suicide attempts, running away, overdoses, anorexia • Personality changes such as becoming insecure or clinging • Regressing to younger behaviour patterns such as thumb sucking or bringing out discarded cuddly toys • Sudden loss of appetite or compulsive eating • Being isolated or withdrawn • Inability to concentrate • Lack of trust or fear of someone they know well, such as not wanting to be alone with a babysitter or child minder • Starting to wet again, day or night/nightmares • Become worried about clothing being removed • Suddenly drawing sexually explicit pictures • Trying to be 'ultra-good' or perfect; overreacting to criticism

Physical Abuse • Unexplained recurrent injuries or burns • Improbable excuses or refusal to explain injuries • Wearing clothes to cover injuries, even in hot weather • Refusal to undress for gym • Bald patches • Chronic running away • Fear of medical help or examination • Self-destructive tendencies • Aggression towards others • Fear of physical contact - shrinking back if touched • Admitting that they are punished, but the punishment is excessive (such as a child being beaten every night to 'make him study') • Fear of suspected abuser being contacted

Emotional Abuse • Physical, mental and emotional development lags • Sudden speech disorders • Continual self-depreciation ('I'm stupid, ugly, worthless, etc') • Overreaction to mistakes • Extreme fear of any new situation • Inappropriate response to pain ('I deserve this') • Neurotic behaviour (rocking, hair twisting, self-mutilation) • Extremes of passivity or aggression

Neglect • Constant hunger • Poor personal hygiene • Constant tiredness • Poor state of clothing • Emaciation • Untreated medical problems • No social relationships • Compulsive scavenging • Destructive tendencies

Note: A child may be subjected to a combination of different kinds of abuse. It is also possible that a child may show no outward signs and hide what is happening from everyone

APPENDIX E: INTERFACE WITH THE COMMON ASSESSEMENT FRAMEWORK (See: Managing Risk of Individuals and Reducing Harm Policy & Procedure) The CAF is a shared assessment tool for use across all children’s services and all local areas in England. It aims to help early identification of need and promote co-ordinated service provision. The following extract from ‘Common Assessment Framework for Children and Young People: Frequently Asked Questions’ (CWDC, 2007) states that:-

Q: Should a CAF be completed if it is believed a child is at risk of harm? A: No, if a child is at risk of harm then the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) procedures should be followed immediately.

This does not mean that a CAF won’t be (or hasn’t already been) undertaken in relation to that child. Where, for example, there are concerns about a young person’s vulnerability to gang involvement, a CAF should be undertaken to assess whether the child’s needs are being met. A pre-assessment checklist (‘pre-CAF’) can be used to assist in deciding if a CAF is appropriate.

The professional must check whether a CAF has already been done by contacting the Local Authority CAF Coordinator; using Contactpoint (when fully available); or asking the child/parents.

Where a CAF already exists, the professional will need the child/family consent to access information from the lead professional about the child’s needs; services in place; or adding information. (The exception to this is where professionals have concerns that to involve parents would risk further harm to a child).

If a common assessment indicates that more than two agencies should be involved in meeting the child’s needs, then the CAF holder should set up a ‘team around the child’ (TAC). In the case of a young person’s vulnerability to gang involvement, Brathay may well be invited onto the TAC.

For further information go to:- http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/_files/FAQCommonAssessmentFramework0907.pdf

APPENDIX F: USEFUL EXTERNAL CONTACT DETAILS

Bradford: Children’s Social Services 01274 437500 Out of Hours – Emergency Duty Team 01274 431010

Cumbria: Children’s Services Carlisle: 01228 227002 Penrith: 01768 812242 Whitehaven: 01946 506352 Barrow: 01229 407894 Kendal: 01539 713377 Out of Hours (all areas) 01228 526690

Kirklees: Duty and Assessment Service 01924 483792/326097 Out of Hours - Emergency Duty Team 01924 326489

Knowsley: Children’s Social Care Duty Team 0151 443 2600 Out of Hours (pager service) 07659 590081

Lancashire: Child Protection 01772 532723 Out of Hours 0845 053 0009

Leeds: Children & Young People’s Social Care 0113 222 4403

Out of Hours (Social Care Emergency Team) 0113 240 9536

Liverpool: Children’s Services Careline 0151 233 3700 Out of Hours 0151 233 3700

Sefton: Social Care Access Team 0845 140 0845 Out of Hours - Social Care Emergency Duty Team 0151 920 8234

______

In an emergency call the Police on 999 making it clear you have a Child Protection issue

APPENDIX G – LONE WORKING PROCEDURES LONE WORKING & SAFEGUARDING PROCEDURES

CONTENTS Guidelines for Safe Working Practice Personal Safety Lone Working & Safeguarding Risk Assessments

Guidelines for Safe Working Practice 1. Most youth training/youth work will be conducted in either a group work setting or on a one-to-one basis with other staff nearby. This policy sets out protocols for working in isolation; i.e. a staff member working on a one-to-one basis with a young person when no one else is present. 2. Management All one-to-one meetings with young people must be planned in advance and a senior manager (Operations Manager) made aware of the meeting. Details of the meeting must be recorded in worker’s Outlook Calendar and/or a signing out book. This should include: • Date • Time frame • Meeting location • A project specific risk assessment should be completed and signed by all workers working on the project • Signed Personal Safety Assessment based on aide memoire on pages 6 & 7 of this document. 3. Guidance on Meeting Locations Staff should consider their response to any allegation made against them if they were answering questions from a police officer or a court judge.

Example: “Yes, we met in my car in the supermarket carpark and yes it was dark, Officer” is not as doesn’t sound as good as “yes we met in the Costa Coffee house on Friday morning, Officer”.

Whilst the positive intention will be to support the young person, staff must ensure their own safety is not compromised. Staff should avoid meetings with young people alone and out of sight of another adult. Meeting locations should be ‘public and appropriate’ examples include meeting in cafés, coffee shops, bowling alley, or open spaces within

larger buildings and not in side rooms with a closed door. Meetings should not take place at the young person’s home unless the young person’s legal guardian is present in the house and is aware of the meeting. 4. Safety leading up to and following a meeting Staff should consider any risks associated with young people travelling to and from any arranged one-to-one meetings. E.g. does the young person need to use public transport to attend the meeting, does the transport timetable correspond with the meeting times? 5. Safe Practice During The Meeting 5.1 Note Taking Staff should make notes, preferably during the meeting. If this isn’t possible or appropriate, notes should be written up immediately following the meeting. Staff should be aware that should a safeguarding allegation be made against them following a one-to-one meeting, the notes may be required in any ensuing court case. Personal Safety As part of the Trust’s commitment to Safeguarding management, this section provides a procedure designed to assist staff in reducing the likelihood of unjust and unfounded allegations being made against them. To a very significant extent you can control the risks to which they are exposed and thus you have a responsibility to take care of their own safety within your work. Personal Safety Assessment A Personnel Safety Assessment involves a deliberate and focused review for potential safety concerns prior to starting the activity. Taking a few minutes to make this assessment improves your chances of accomplishing the activity without any resultant safeguarding incidents taking place. How and when should you conduct a Personal Safety Assessment?

Make sure you are prepared for the one to one session. In addition, once engaged in the session you should watch out for changing conditions that might warrant taking Time Out (Time Out – stop what you are doing and take a moment to ask yourself or discuss with peers or supervising staff any safety concerns; this could be done via a phone call.

PERSONAL SAFETY ASSESSMENT 1. I will prepare for each activity / task by:

a) Ensuring that I have prepared for the session; b) By wearing my identity badge; c) By ensuring that I have my mobile phone with me and that it is fully charged and secure. d) By ensuring that I have/will have mobile phone reception at the designated meting place; e) Addressing safety concerns prior to the start of the session (example being comfortable regarding the meeting location; f) Considering what could go wrong and preparing accordingly; if I don’t know I will ask my manager or an experienced colleague; g) Ensure that I have briefed my manager.

2. I will stay safe going to, during and after the session by: a) Not deviating from my planned session; by following the provided guidance and procedures; b) Looking for unsafe situations and taking action to prevent harm to myself and to reduce the risk of false allegations being made against me; c) Observing changing conditions (example young persons peers etc suddenly turn up during my planned session;

3. I will communicate safety / safeguarding concerns to my manager in a timely manner;

4. I will remember I can call a Time Out any time I think conditions are unsafe for me or my colleagues or whenever I am not certain that things are going right.

5. Following the one-to-one session I will write up my notes and ensure they are available for my manager to review at my next one-to-one meeting.

LONE WORKING & SAFEGUARDING RISK ASSESSMENTS This page gives a general overview of the risk assessment process used to identify and manage the risks involved with lone working. It is not intended to be an instruction manual for conducting risk assessments.

Risk Assessment is nothing more than a careful examination of what could cause harm. The overall aim is to ensure that there are suitable measures in place to enable Brathay Staff to manage the risks associated with lone working. It is not the aim of these risk assessments and the control measures to make lone working entirely free of risk; this would be unrealistic.

The HSE 5 Steps To Risk Assessment approach has been used throughout.

Step 1: Identify the hazards: Hazard is a situation with the potential to cause harm. Hazards are categorised as:

Unsafe Conditions - These are the physical conditions of the location or associated resources which render the activity unsafe. Typical examples may include Dark night/unlit areas/ trouble spots; etc.

Unsafe Acts - These are the behavioural practices which are hazardous. Examples include: weapons being carried / use of illegal substances / alcohol abuse etc. They also include omissions – the behaviours which are hazardous. Examples failing to take care when handling sharps (syringe needles) / failing to carry a mobile phone or letting the battery run flat before travelling to a 1-to-1 meeting etc.

Step 2: Decide who might be harmed and how: Brathay Staff; young people, others.

Step 3: Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions. A risk is the likelihood that harm from a particular hazard is realised. The extent or magnitude of the risk covers the number of people affected and the consequences for them. So risk reflects both the likelihood and the severity of the harm. LIKELIHOOD CONSEQUENCES Low Unlikely to happen Potential or actual Safeguarding allegation made against staff allegation Medium Moderate chance of accident happening Minor injury Includes cuts, bruises, abrasions, grazing, bumps etc. High Quite likely to happen Major Injury As defined by RIDDOR Single Fatality Multiple Fatality

Step 4: Record findings and implement them: Examples of generic lone working risk assessment are contained in this document.

Step 5: Review assessments and update when necessary; It is BT policy to review risk assessments annually. In addition assessments will be reviewed following changes to working practice; following significant changes to personnel; following a serious Accident/Near Miss or Incident.

Example Risk Assessments RISK ASSESSMENT: Generic Lone Working One to One Location: Applicable to all locations

Assessed by:

Assessment Review Next Review Date: Date: No. Hazard Likelihood Consequences Who might Control Measures Risk Level be harmed 001 Unexpected and unknown young Physical Abuse BT Staff - Remove yourself from the meeting and inform the people turn up with the young person Young person young person that you will rearrange the session. Low at your planned 1-to-1 session and Other YP - Mobile Phone with reception (essential) there is aggression being displayed

002 YP under the influence of illegal Physical Abuse BT Staff - Remove yourself from the meeting and inform the substance(s) / alcohol used by young Young person young person that you will rearrange the session. person at time of the planned session - Mobile Phone with reception (essential) Low

003 Unrelated disturbance close to the Physical Abuse BT Staff - Remove yourself and the YP from the meeting and planned 1-to-1 Young person inform the young person that you will rearrange the Low session. - Mobile Phone with reception (essential) - 004 Young Person brings a weapon to the Physical harm BT Staff - Remove yourself and the YP from the meeting and meeting inform the young person that you will rearrange the Low session. - Mobile Phone with reception (essential)

RISK ASSESSMENT: Generic Lone Working One to One Location: Applicable to all locations

Assessed by:

Assessment Review Next Review Date: Date: No. Hazard Likelihood Consequences Who might Control Measures Risk Level be harmed 005 Sharps Accidental injury/ BT Staff - Youth workers are an ‘at risk’ category and should hepatitis B/ Young person have hepatitis B vaccination. Low hepatitis C/ Other YP - Do not handle sharps unless absolutely necessary HIV

006 Verbal Abuse / threat Could lead to BT Staff - Community awareness Physical Abuse Young person - Conflict resolution training - Remove yourself from the situation Low

007 Theft / being a target for theft Loss / potential BT Staff - Minimise what you carry – money / credit cards/ Physical Abuse Young person camera etc.. Low - Maintain clear boundaries - Be aware of the situation you are in and maintain clarity - Remove yourself from the situation

Blank Form RISK ASSESSMENT: Generic Lone Working One to One Location:

Assessed by:

Assessment Review Next Review Date: Date: No. Hazard Likelihood Consequences Who might Control Measures Risk Level be harmed

APPENDIX H: INFORMATION SHARING, SUPPORTING INFORMATION

Information sharing Sharing of information amongst practitioners working with children, young people and their families can be essential to safeguarding and promoting their welfare. In many cases it is only when information from a range of sources is put together that a child can be seen to be at risk.

Not all information is confidential. Confidential information is information of some sensitivity which is not public knowledge. It may have been shared in a relationship where the person giving the information understood that it would not be shared with others. Sometimes, however, it will be necessary to share confidential information.

Confidential information should not be passed on to third parties without the consent of the person who provided it or to whom it relates unless the circumstances in which sharing information without consent can be justified in the public interest, e.g. where there is reasonable cause to believe that a child may be suffering or at risk of significant harm. In cases where we have concerns about a child, and believe that we will need to share confidential information, we should explain the problem, seek agreement and explain the reasons if we decide to act against a parent, carer or child’s wishes. We should not regard refusal of consent as necessarily stopping us from sharing confidential information. Seeking consent should, however, be the first option.

In making a decision about whether or not to share confidential information, we should weigh up what might happen if the information is shared against what might happen if it is not and make a decision based on a reasonable judgement. The safety and welfare of a child or young person must always be the primary consideration when making decisions about sharing information about them. The amount of confidential information shared and the number of people to whom it is disclosed should be no more than necessary in protecting the health and wellbeing of the child.

GLOSSARY

CAF: Common Assessment Framework (see Appendix E, page 37 for more information) CEO: Chief Executive Officer CYPS: Children and Young People’s Services DBS: Disclosure and Barring Service DfE: Dept. for Education HR: Human Resources, who within Brathay can be reached on 015394 39758 LADO: Local Authority Designated Officer, a Council’s lead for Child Protection LSCB: Local Safeguarding Children Board DM: Delivery Manager Social Networking: In the context of this policy, this means websites such as Facebook and Bebo TAC: Team around the child Third Party: Anybody not employed or otherwise involved with Brathay (e.g. member of the public) Vulnerable Adult: for a definition see page 23 YP: Young Person