Safeguarding Policy Summary
Some Key Points
The purpose of this document is to provide a quick reminder of key points of practice. It should not be used as a substitute for the full policy, which should be read by all workers.
-
The leadership of Emmanuel Church are committed to providing a safe and caring environment for all children, young people and vulnerable adults.
-
Our full policy includes procedures for recognising and responding appropriately to an allegation or suspicion of abuse. Workers will be given training about these.
-
In appointing new workers the leadership will ensure that the correct procedure has been carried out, as detailed in the policy. The procedure will include application, interview, references, CRB/DBS check, and 6 month probationary period.
-
Suitability for appointment as a worker will be based on: Christian conversion and lifestyle; age 16 or older (age 18 for work involving teens); satisfactory application process (above).
Practice Guidelines
Key points of safe practice etc will be audited every 6 months as per the policy.
-
Risk assessments will be prepared for each type of activity that we run.
-
A well maintained first aid kit should be present at each event.
-
When a child first joins a group, a ‘membership’ consent form will be filled in.
-
A register will be kept for each activity to record the name of children/young people, workers and others present.
-
Records will be kept of any: unusual happenings or concerns; accidents; home visits; complaints.
-
There must always be at least 2 appointed adults (i.e. those who have gone through the appointment procedure) present at each meeting. If a group contains both boys and girls, and parents are not present, and there is no other group meeting on the premises, then both male and female workers should be present, unless this is unavoidable at short notice. Any off-site visits involving both male and female young people should only take place where male and female leaders are present.
Minimum supervision ratios:
Age
Adult to child ratio
0 to 2
1:3
2 to 3
1:4
3 to 8
1:8
8 to 12
1:10
12 to 18
1:15
-
A worker should not be alone with a child/young person, except as explained in the full policy.
-
No child/young person should be sent home early from a meeting, unless collected by a parent.
Overnight stays
The full policy contains guidelines which must be read when planning any overnight event (page 15).
Transport
The full policy contains guidelines which must be read by all who provide transport (page 16)
Code of Conduct for Workers
We should never :
-
Engage in sexually provocative games, including ‘horseplay’(e.g. Twister).
-
Allow or engage in inappropriate touching of any form.
-
Make sexually suggestive comments about, or to, a child – even in fun.
-
Fail to act on allegations a child makes.
-
Do things of a personal nature for children/young people that they can do for themselves.
-
Take recreational or illegal drugs, drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco while in the presence of children/young people in a youth work context.
-
Roughly handle a child.
Physical contact:
-
Be mindful of how and where you touch a child.
-
Remember your size and strength during sports and games, and restrict your involvement accordingly.
-
Physical contact to comfort and reassure is valid, provided it is meeting the needs of the child.
-
Physical contact should only ever take place with the consent of the child and in the presence of others eg hand on shoulder.
Meeting with individual children/young people:
-
All meetings with individuals should take place openly.
-
We should never counsel a child/young person alone in a closed room. Another worker should always be on the premises, aware of the meeting and, where appropriate, in the same room.
-
It is important to keep parents informed as to who their child is with and where they are.
-
Workers should only have children in their homes with the knowledge and consent of their parents.
Personal Relationships:
-
Workers involved in personal relationships with other workers should ensure that this does not affect their role in the ministry (e.g. excessive physical contact).
-
All workers should be aware that they should act as a good example to those in their care.
Communications and Social Media:
-
Correspondence between a worker and a child/young person must be initiated by the child, except for group messaging for general information.
-
Parental consent must be given before any e-communication with a young person.
-
Facebook should not be used to communicate with our young people, except as explained in the policy.
-
Workers should have read the further guidance on e-communication, which is found in the full policy.
Complaints
Any complaint or concern from a parent or carer will be taken seriously. The full policy gives more details. This to be taken up with our Safeguarding Co-ordinator Alan Steele or our deputy Safeguarding Co-ordinator Jane Wilkinson.