Safe Guarding Officer

Walsall Community Active Projects CIC

Company number 17051741

Safeguarding Children, Young People and Adults at Risk Policy

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1. Statement of Intent

Walsall Community Active Projects CIC is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk who take part in our activities. We believe everyone has the right to be safe, treated with respect and protected from harm, regardless of age, ability, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, or background.

This policy applies to all staff, volunteers, sessional workers, trustees, partners and anyone acting on our behalf. It covers all our services, including alternative education, sport, mentoring, mental health support, youth club activities, crime prevention work, and family and housing support.

2. Our Safeguarding Principles

• The welfare of the child, young person or adult at risk is our paramount concern.
• Everyone has a right to protection from abuse, neglect, exploitation and harm.
• We will respond to every concern, however minor it may seem.
• We will work openly with parents, carers, schools, social care, the police and other agencies.
• All concerns will be taken seriously, recorded and acted on without delay.

3. Legal and Statutory Framework

This policy reflects current UK law and statutory guidance, including:

• The Children Act 1989 and 2004
• Working Together to Safeguard Children (current edition)
• Keeping Children Safe in Education (current edition)
• The Care Act 2014
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
• The Equality Act 2010
• The Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR
• The Prevent duty under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015

We work within Walsall Safeguarding Partnership procedures and follow guidance from the Walsall Safeguarding Children Partnership and Walsall Safeguarding Adults Board.

4. Definitions of Abuse

We recognise the main categories of abuse as set out in statutory guidance:

• Physical abuse: hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or otherwise causing physical harm.
• Emotional abuse: persistent emotional ill-treatment that causes severe and lasting effects on a person's emotional development.
• Sexual abuse: forcing or enticing a child or adult to take part in sexual activities, whether or not they are aware of what is happening.
• Neglect: persistent failure to meet a person's basic physical and psychological needs.
• Financial abuse: particularly relevant for adults at risk, including theft, fraud and pressure over money or possessions.
• Discriminatory abuse: harassment or slurs based on race, gender, disability, sexuality, religion or other protected characteristics.
• Organisational abuse: poor practice or neglect within a setting or service.
• Online and digital abuse: harm caused through technology, including grooming, bullying and sharing of indecent images.

We are also alert to wider risks such as child criminal exploitation (including county lines), child sexual exploitation, gang involvement, knife crime, modern slavery, radicalisation, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, honour-based abuse, domestic abuse, and harmful sexual behaviour between peers.

5. Designated Safeguarding Roles

We have clear safeguarding roles within the organisation:

• Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): responsible for managing all safeguarding concerns, liaising with statutory agencies and providing advice to staff and volunteers.
• Deputy Safeguarding Lead: supports the DSL and acts as cover when the DSL is unavailable.
• Safeguarding Trustee: provides board-level oversight, challenge and assurance.

The current postholders, contact details and out-of-hours arrangements are recorded on our staff noticeboard and in induction materials.

6. Recognising a Concern

Concerns may come to our attention in several ways:

• A direct disclosure from a child, young person or adult
• Information shared by a parent, carer, family member or friend
• Observations of injuries, behaviour, mood or appearance
• Concerns shared by another professional, school, or partner agency
• Online activity, messages or social media content

All staff and volunteers are trained to recognise possible signs of abuse and to know that it is not their job to investigate, but to record and report.

7. Responding to a Disclosure

If a child, young person or adult shares a concern, the staff member or volunteer will:

• Listen carefully and calmly, without interrupting
• Take what is being said seriously
• Reassure the person that they were right to speak up
• Avoid promising to keep it secret
• Avoid leading questions, but ask gentle open questions if needed for clarity
• Explain what will happen next, in simple language
• Record the conversation as soon as possible using the person's own words
• Report to the Designated Safeguarding Lead without delay

8. Reporting and Referral Procedures

All safeguarding concerns must be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead on the same day. The DSL will:

• Review the concern and any supporting information
• Decide on next steps, taking advice from statutory agencies where needed
• Make referrals to Walsall Children's Services, Walsall Adult Social Care, the Police or other agencies as appropriate
• Keep accurate, confidential records and follow up to ensure action is taken

In an emergency where a child or adult is in immediate danger, staff will call 999 first and then notify the DSL.

If a concern relates to the DSL, it must be reported directly to the Safeguarding Trustee or the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for Walsall.

9. Allegations Against Staff, Volunteers or Trustees

Any allegation against a person in a position of trust will be taken seriously and managed in line with the LADO procedures for Walsall. The person involved may be suspended from duties while the matter is investigated. We will cooperate fully with statutory agencies and follow their lead on next steps.

10. Safer Recruitment

We follow safer recruitment practices for all staff, volunteers and trustees, including:

• Clear role descriptions and person specifications
• Two written references, including from the most recent employer or relevant body
• Enhanced DBS checks where eligible, including a check of the children's and adults' barred lists for regulated roles
• Identity, right-to-work and qualification checks
• Probation periods for new staff
• Safeguarding questions included as standard in all interviews

11. Training

All staff, volunteers and trustees will complete safeguarding training appropriate to their role:

• Basic safeguarding awareness at induction
• Refresher training at least every two years
• Enhanced training for the DSL and Deputy, refreshed every two years
• Specific training on areas relevant to our work, such as child exploitation, mental health awareness, Prevent and online safety

12. Safe Working Practices

Staff and volunteers will:

• Work in open, visible spaces wherever possible
• Avoid being alone with a child or adult at risk in a closed room without good reason
• Use organisation-approved communication channels for contact with participants and parents
• Never give out personal contact details, including personal phone numbers and social media accounts
• Follow our Code of Conduct, Lone Working Policy and Photography and Social Media guidance at all times

13. Information Sharing and Confidentiality

We will share information only with those who need to know in order to keep someone safe. Information will be shared in line with the Data Protection Act 2018, UK GDPR and statutory safeguarding guidance. Safeguarding records will be kept securely, separately from general participant records, and retained in line with our Data Protection Policy.

14. Working in Partnership

We work closely with schools, local authorities, housing providers, the police, NHS services, youth offending teams and voluntary sector partners. We will share information appropriately and attend multi-agency meetings such as case conferences and strategy meetings where invited.

15. Whistleblowing

Anyone with concerns about safeguarding practices within our organisation can raise them through our Whistleblowing Policy, or directly with the Safeguarding Trustee, LADO or relevant statutory body. We will protect anyone who raises a concern in good faith from any form of retaliation.

16. Key Contacts

Local statutory contacts:

• Walsall Children's Services (MASH): 0300 555 2866
• Walsall Adult Social Care: 0300 555 2922
• Police (non-emergency): 101
• Police (emergency): 999
• NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000
• Childline: 0800 1111

Contact numbers should be checked regularly and updated when statutory services change them.

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Policy Review

This policy was adopted on 14 February 2026 and will be reviewed annually, with the next scheduled review in February 2027. It will also be reviewed earlier if there are significant changes in legislation, guidance, or our activities.

All staff, volunteers and trustees will be made aware of any updates and asked to confirm they have read and understood the revised version.

Signed on behalf of the Board