Safeguarding Policy

RAMA FOUNDATION SAFEGUARDING AND CHILD PROTECTION POLICY 2019

This policy is based on UK statutory obligations, the position in India will probably be analogous with the UK.
Safeguarding is defined as: protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE, 2018)
Child Protection refers to the situation where a child is suffering significant harm, or is likely to do so, and action is required to protect that child.

Introduction

At Rama Foundation, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play in safeguarding children. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all professionals should make sure their approach is child-centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child. Everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action (KCSIE 2018).

Rama Foundation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children by:

• The provision of a safe environment in which children and young people can learn.
• Fulfilling our statutory (legal) responsibilities to identify children who may be in need
of extra help or who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm.
• All action taken by Rama Foundation will be in accordance with:
• Current legislation: Children Act 1989 and 2004; Education Act 2002 and 2011 and
Education and Inspection Act 2006

Statutory guidance:

Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018), which sets out the multiagency working arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people and protect them from harm; in addition it sets out the statutory roles and responsibilities of individuals.
• Identifying concerns early and providing help for children and young people, to prevent concerns from escalating to a point where intervention would be needed via a statutory assessment under the Children Act 1989, i.e. Section 17 (Children in Need) and Section 47 (a child suffering harm, or likely to suffer significant harm). These concerns should be discussed with the charity’s Designated Safeguarding Lead
• All volunteers should be aware of the process and principles for sharing information within their charity which supports safeguarding
• All volunteers should be aware of their local early help process and understand their role within it
• The most important consideration is whether sharing information is likely to safeguard and protect a child. Any staff member who has a concern about a child’s welfare should follow the referral processes set out in Appendix B
• This policy should be read in conjunction with the Volunteering Policy

Equalities Statement

We are committed to anti-discriminatory practice and recognise children and families’ diverse circumstances. We ensure that all children have the same protection, regardless of any barriers they may face. With regards to safeguarding we will consider our duties under the Equality Act 2010 in relation to making reasonable adjustments, non-discrimination and our Public Sector Equality Duty.

Overall Aims

This policy will contribute to the safeguarding of all children involved with Rama Foundation:
• Clarifying standards of behaviour for volunteers and pupils/students;
• Contributing to the establishment of a safe, resilient and robust safeguarding ethos
in the charity, built on mutual respect, and shared values;

This policy will contribute to supporting the pupils/students within Rama Foundation:
• Identifying and protecting the most vulnerable;
• Identifying individual needs where possible; and
• Designing plans to meet those needs.

Expectations

All voluteers and visitors to charitable organisations will:
• Be familiar with this safeguarding policy;
• Be alert to signs and indicators of possible abuse and neglect;
• Record concerns and give the record to the DSL
• If, a child is in immediate danger or is at risk of harm a referral should be made to
children’s social care and/or the police immediately. Where referrals are not made by the DSL, they should be informed, as soon as possible, that a referral has been made.
Training
In addition to this policy, all trustees and people that work within the organisation should read and understand Part One and Annex A of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) (September 2018). All members need to sign to say that they have read this information and understand it.

• All trustees will receive safeguarding and child protection updates (for example, via email or trustee meetings), as required, but at least annually, to provide them with relevant skills and knowledge to safeguard children effectively (KCSIE 2018)
• The designated safeguarding lead and any deputies will undergo training to provide them with the knowledge and skills required to carry out the role. The training will be updated every two years
• Rama Foundation will ensure that at least one person on any appointment panel will have undertaken safer recruitment training
• The designated teacher appointed to promote the educational achievement of children in care will undergo appropriate training
Role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is a trustee at the charity who undertakes lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection within that charity. Details of all DSLs and Deputy DSLs are listed below by charity:
Komilla Datta/ Sunita Datta (deputy)

Whole Charity Approach

The safeguarding policy cannot be separated from the general ethos of the charity, which should ensure that pupils/students are treated with respect and dignity, taught to treat each other with respect, feel safe, have a voice, and are listened to.

Trustees / Volunteers and those that are working with children within the charity are advised to maintain an attitude of ‘it could happen here’ where safeguarding is concerned. When concerned about the welfare of a child, volunteers/trustees should always act in the best interests of the child.

All volunteers should be aware of the charity’s procedures in order to identify those pupils in need of early intervention/help and take appropriate and timely action where there are concerns for the welfare and protection of children and young people particularly concerning referrals of cases of suspected abuse and neglect.

Know what to do if a child tells them he/she is being abused or neglected. Volunteers should know how to manage the requirement to maintain an appropriate level of confidentiality whilst at the same time liaising with relevant professionals such as the designated safeguarding lead and children’s social care. Volunteers should never promise a child that they will not tell anyone about an allegation- as this may ultimately not be in the best interests of the child.

Be clear as to the charity’s policy and procedures with regard to peer on peer abuse and children missing education;
• Be aware of signs of abuse or neglect and the additional barriers to recognising abuse and neglect in children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) (see Appendix B);

• Have the skills, knowledge and understanding to keep looked after children and previously looked after children safe;
• Whilst all volunteers should speak to the designated safeguarding lead (or deputy) with regard to any concerns about female genital mutilation (FGM), there is a specific legal duty on teachers. If a teacher, in the course of their work in the profession, discovers that an act of FGM appears to have been carried out on a girl under the age of 18, the teacher must report this to the police (KCSIE2018).
• Report any potential safeguarding concerns about an individual’s behaviour and actions towards children and young people immediately. Allegations or concerns about colleagues and visitors must be reported directly to the trustees. If the concern relates to a trustee then appropriate action needs to be taken. Rama Foundation does not support any use of physical discipline to manage behaviour at the charities they support.

Key Safeguarding Areas

In addition to the above there are other areas of safeguarding that all charities have a responsibility to address and these include:
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and Trafficking CSE is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology. Sexual exploitation can take many forms, ranging from the seemingly ‘consensual’ relationship where sex is exchanged for affection or gifts, to serious organised crime by gangs and groups. What marks out exploitation is an imbalance of power in the relationship. The perpetrator always holds some kind of power over the victim which increases as the exploitative relationship develops.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) FGM comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non- medical reasons. It is illegal in the UK and a form of child abuse with long-lasting harmful consequences.

Forced marriage is not the same as an arranged marriage, as it involves coercion and force as opposed to a marriage based on free choice. It affects both males and females.
Domestic violence and abuse, Gender-based violence and teenage relationship abuse involves any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those who are, or have been in relationships or family members regardless of gender or sexuality and is applicable to teenagers engaged in abusive relationships.

So-Called Honour-based Violence

So-called ‘honour-based’ violence (HBV) encompasses incidents or crimes which have
Gangs and youth violence. Child Criminal Exploitation Criminal exploitation of children is a geographically widespread form of harm that is a typical feature of county lines criminal activity: drug networks or gangs groom and exploit children and young people to carry drugs and money from urban areas to suburban and rural areas, market and seaside towns.

Name of Volunteer:
Signature of Volunteer:
Date:
Rama Foundation Trustees, 2019.

APPENDIX A

Procedures

1. Reporting Concerns (for full reporting see Appendix 1).
The procedure to respond to a concern about a child is detailed below:
1) Record any information factually with a time and date. Do not asking any leading questions.
2) Report the disclosure to the DSL or a trustee so that appropriate action can be taken.

2. Involving Parents and Carers

In general, the DSL will discuss any child protection concerns with parents/carers before approaching other agencies, and will seek their consent to making a referral to another agency. However there may be occasions when the charity will contact another agency before informing parents/carers because it considers that contacting them may increase the risk of significant harm to the child.

3. Multi Agency Working

Volunteers work in partnership with other agencies in the best interests of the children. If there are child protection concerns, referrals should be made by the DSL (or Deputy DSL) to or to the local safeguarding team.

Dealing with a Disclosure of Abuse

When a child tells me about abuse s/he has suffered, what must I remember?

• Stay calm
• Do not communicate shock, anger or embarrassment
• Reassure the child. Tell her/him you are pleased that s/he is speaking to you
• Never promise confidentiality. Assure her/him that you will try to help but let the
child know that you may have to tell other people in order to do this. State who this
will be and why
• Encourage the child to talk but do not ask "leading questions" or press for
information.
• Listen and remember
• Check that you have understood correctly what the child is trying to tell you
• Praise the child for telling you. Communicate that s/he has a right to be safe and
protected
• It is inappropriate to make any comments about the alleged offender
• Be aware that the child may retract what s/he has told you. It is essential to record
all you have heard
• At the end of the conversation, tell the child again who you are going to tell and why
that person or those people need to know
• As soon as you can afterwards, make a detailed record of the conversation using the
child’s own language. Include any questions you may have asked. Do not add any opinions or interpretations
• NB It is not education volunteer’s role to seek disclosures. Their role is to observe that something may be wrong, ask about it, listen, be available and try to make time to talk
• Recognise – Respond – Reassure – Refer - Record

APPENDIX B

Types of abuse and neglect

Abuse and neglect is defined as the maltreatment of a child or young person whereby someone may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to prevent harm. They may be abused by an adult or adults or by another child or children.
All Rama Foundation staff /volunteers should be aware that abuse, neglect and safeguarding issues are rarely standalone events that can be covered by one definition or label. In most cases multiple issues will overlap with one another. For children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) additional barriers can exist when identifying abuse and neglect, these include:
• assumptions that indicators of possible abuse such as behaviour, mood and injury relate to the child’s disability without further exploration;
• being more prone to peer group isolation than other children;
• the potential for children with SEN and disabilities being disproportionally impacted
by behaviours such as bullying, without outwardly showing any signs; and
• communication barriers and difficulties in overcoming these barriers.

To address these additional challenges, charities should consider extra pastoral support for children with SEND (KCSIE 2018).

The following are the definition of abuse and neglect as set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) however, the ultimate responsibility to assess and define the type of abuse a child or young person may be subject to is that of the Police and Children's Services – our responsibility is to understand what each category of abuse is and how this can impact on the welfare and development of our children and where we have concerns that a child or young person may be at risk of abuse and neglect (one or more categories can apply) to take appropriate action as early as possible.

Physical abuse: a form of abuse which 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.
Neglect: 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); or ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.
Sexual abuse: involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet). Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

Emotional abuse: the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a 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 (including cyberbullying), 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, although it may occur alone.

Written- 2018 Reviewed - 2019