Safeguarding Policy and Procedures

Updated May 2019

This policy applies to the board of trustees, paid staff, and volunteers for Microtia UK.

Safeguarding means:

• Protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
• Preventing harm to children’s health or development
• Ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
• Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes

Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.

The purpose of this policy:

• To protect children and young people under the age of 18 who attend information days and fundraising events organised by Microtia UK
• To provide trustees, paid staff and volunteers with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection. Microtia UK believes that a child or young person should never experience abuse of any kind. We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people and to keep them safe. We are committed to practise in a way that protects them

We recognise that:

• The welfare of the child/young person is paramount, as enshrined in the Children Act 1989
• All children and young people, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse
• Some children and young people are additionally vulnerable because of their level of dependency or their communication needs

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by ensuring that all children are supervised by their parents/relatives/carers at all times during events organised by Microtia UK.

Additionally:

• Valuing them, listening to and respecting them
• Appointing a Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) for children and young people
• Two of our trustees receive regular Child Protection Training through their workplace
• Ensuring that trustees, paid staff, volunteers co-ordinating events and children’s entertainers at events have the relevant safeguarding checks (DBS)
• Using our safeguarding procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately
• Using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately
• Ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place
• Ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers at our fundraising events by applying health and safety measures

Use of Child Protection Procedures

If trustees, paid staff or volunteers become concerned that a child’s or young person’s behaviour suggests either that they may be at risk of significant harm or that they may present a risk of significant harm to other children or young people, Microtia UK’s child protection procedures will be followed and a referral may be made to the local authority children’s social care service. Such a referral would be discussed with the child and their family at the earliest possible opportunity, except in situations where this would possibly endanger a child’s or young person’s safety or interfere with a police investigation.

Safeguarding Procedure

• If the child is in immediate danger then call the police on 999
• If the child is at risk of significant harm then a referral should be made immediately to the Children’s Social Care Emergency Duty Team in the area which the child lives
• Liz Jones (designated safeguarding person) to be notified liz@microtiauk.org

Complaints:

• Please contact the trustees of Microtia UK if you have a complaint about someone associated with our charity (namely: volunteers, paid admin support, entertainers at our events, etc) info@microtiauk.org

Contact details

Designated safeguarding person (DSP) Liz Jones liz@microtiauk.org

NSPCC Helpline  0808 800 5000

We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually and when there are significant changes in legislation or internal to our organisation.