Contents

  1. Safeguarding Children Policy
  2. Definition of Child Abuse and Neglect
  3. Safeguarding Children Procedures to be Followed
  4. Nominated Safeguarding Children Person
  5. Copy of Information Poster for Display

 

  1. SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN POLICY

1.1       Context

The protection of children from harm is a national licensing objective. The term ‘children’ refers to all babies, children and teenagers i.e. from birth till their 18th birthday. The words ‘child protection’ is included in the term safeguarding children.

This safeguarding children policy is for all staff (paid or unpaid). This policy will give some basic information about what to do if you are concerned about a child and how your local Children’s Social Care and Metropolitan Police Team will respond to and deal with reports about children whose welfare is causing concern.

1.2       Policy Responsibility

This Policy has been drawn up by the Kingston and Richmond Safeguarding Children Partnership (KRSCP) in consultation with the London Local Safeguarding Children Board. Responsibility for revising the Policy rests with the Committee – your feedback on policy implementation will be welcomed. The KRSCP on behalf of its three statutory partners, Richmond and Kingston CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group), Children’s Services in Richmond and Kingston Councils, and the Southwest London Police Borough Command Unit has a statutory role to coordinate what is done by each person or body for the purposes of safeguarding children and promoting the welfare of children in the local area and ensuring the effectiveness of this work.

1.3       Government Guidance

The Government position is that everyone working in an environment where there may be children present should safeguard and promote the wellbeing of children.

All adults (owner/license holders, staff and the wider community) must follow the Government Guidance published by the Department of Health, “What To Do If You’re Worried A Child is Being Abused”

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-to-do-if-youre-worried-a-child-is- being-abused.

The Guidance describes the national framework within which local agencies and professionals should work and take action where there are concerns about the welfare of a child.

Advice can also be obtained from your local Police Station on 101 or your local SPA team or Children’s Services Emergency Duty Team when out of business hours.

Richmond SPA team - 020 8547 5008

Kingston SPA team - 020 8547 5008

Richmond Children’s Services Emergency Duty Team on 020 8770 5000 Kingston Children’s Services Emergency Duty Team on 020 8770 5000

Call the Police if you’re seriously concerned about a child’s immediate safety on 999.

1.4       Training and Competence

All staff should have a basic awareness of Child Protection issues. This includes:

  • Being alert to the possibility of child abuse and neglect, i.e. the definition, prevalence, identifying features in a child or adult, legal parameters and social consequences;
  • Having enough knowledge to recognise an abusive or potentially abusive event or set of circumstances.
  • Knowing who in the organization to raise your concerns with,
  • Being competent in taking the appropriate immediate or emergency action, and
  • Knowing how to make a referral to Social Services and/or the Police.

Information about this is included in this Child Protection Policy and in the “What To Do If …” publication referred to in 1.3 above.

The General manager is responsible for ensuring that they and their staff are familiar with, and competent in following both this Safeguarding Children Policy and the Government Guidance.

1.5       Basic Principles

1) If anyone has any concerns about a child, then they must discuss these with the local Police Child Abuse Investigation Team and the local Children’s Social Services at the earliest possible opportunity.

These may include concerns about a member of staff or a suspicion that an activity taking place in the establishment could place children at risk.

2) In any situation where there is a suspicion that there may be abuse the welfare needs of the child must come first (see Children Act 1989) even where there may be a conflict in interest e.g. where the suspected perpetrator may be a customer, client or employee/employer.

1.6       Protection for All

All children must be safeguarded from harm and exploitation whatever their:

  • Race, religion, first language or ethnicity;
  • Gender or sexuality;
  • Age;
  • Health, ill-health or disability;
  • Location or placement (e.g. living alone in a hostel or residential unit, with their family or a foster family, as a tourist in an hotel etc);
  • Criminal or offensive behavior;
  • Wealth or lack of it; and
  • Political or immigration status.
  1. DEFINITION OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT

2.1       Context

All the Local Authorities in London and the Metropolitan Police, use a single set of multi-agency procedures when working to safeguard children, these are the London Child Protection Procedures. The London Child Protection Procedures are also used by all the other agencies in London who are in contact with children.

This section closely reflects the London Child Protection Procedures

(See the London Child Protection Committee website: www.londoncpc.gov.uk )

2.2       Child Abuse and Neglect

‘Child abuse and neglect’ is a generic term encompassing all maltreatment of children. Children may be abused or neglected through the infliction of harm, or through the failure of the adults around them to act to prevent harm.

The term ‘child abuse and neglect’ therefore includes the impact on children from serious physical and sexual assaults through to situations where the standard of care for the child from their parent or carer does not adequately support the child’s health or development.

Abuse and neglect can occur in a family or an institutional or community setting. The perpetrator of abuse may or may not be known to the child.

The Department of Health1 has defined four broad categories of abuse which are used by professionals working in child protection. These are: neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. These categories overlap and an abused child usually suffers more than one type of abuse.

2.3       Physical Abuse

Physical abuse may take many forms, such as, hitting (including, with an object) or punching, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning or suffocating a child or young person. It may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately causes ill health to, a child or young person.

2.4       Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse is the maltreatment of a child which has a severe and negative effect on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child or young person that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may involve:

  • Imposing expectations on a child or young person which are not appropriate for their age and/or development;
  • Causing children or young people to frequently feel frightened or in danger e.g. witnessing domestic or other violence; and/or
  • Exploitation or corruption of children or young people.

Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of children, though emotional abuse may occur alone.

2.5       Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. Sexual abuse includes penetrative (i.e. vaginal or anal rape or buggery) or non-penetrative acts. Sexual abuse includes sexual exploitation of children through prostitution.

Sexual abuse also includes non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, pornographic materials, watching sexual activities, or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.

The fact that it is abusive to children to allow or coerce them into witnessing acts of a sexual nature between adults, may be particularly relevant where children are exposed to adult focused activities such as premises where sexual themes are prevalent.

2.6       Neglect

Neglect involves the persistent failure to meet a child or young person’s basic physical and /or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child or young person’s health and development.

  • This may involve failure to provide a child or young person with adequate food, shelter or clothing, failure to protect them from physical harm or danger or failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of a child’s basic emotional needs. This includes children or young people being present – with or without their parents, at venues unsuitable for their age e.g. venues with an ‘adult only’ activities such as;
  • Events of a sexual nature;
  • Where there are convictions of current members of staff for serving alcohol to minors;
  • Premises where gambling is the main activity; and/or
  • Premises where the supply of alcohol is the main activity.

Children need to be protected even when it appears that they are not aware that the physical abuse, sexual activity they are involved in or witness, or the neglect they experience, is harmful to them.

  1. CHILD PROTECTION PROCEDURES TO BE FOLLOWED BY STAFF

3.1       Action to be Taken

Local Authority Children’s Social Care, the Police (and the children’s charity NSPCC) are the only agencies which have a legal obligation to investigate child abuse.

If you suspect that a child under the age of eighteen years or an unborn baby is being harmed by:

  • Experiencing or already has, experienced abuse or neglect; and/or is
  • Likely to suffer significant harm in the future;

You must talk to your nominated safeguarding children person and make a referral to your local Children’s Social Care and your local Police.

3.2       Who to Contact

In Office Hours

Richmond SPA 020 8547 5008

Kingston SPA   020 8547 5008

Local Police     101

Out of Office Hours

Richmond Children’s Services Emergency Duty Team 020 8770 5000

Kingston Children’s Services Emergency Duty Team 020 8770 5000

In an Emergency         999

3.3       What Children’s Social Care and the Police will want to know:

When you contact the Duty Officer, you should provide the following details:

  • Your name;
  • Your address and a telephone number at which you can be contacted in case they require other information or to follow up;
  • The child or young person’s name, and any other details, if known (parent’s name, address, school etc);
  • Relevant information about the circumstances of your concerns – what you see, hear or suspect to be happening about an individual child and young person;
  • Also concerns relating to activities you see, hear or suspect to be happening about the premise or linked to the premises e.g. if you suspect that a member of staff is selling alcohol to young people who are underage or you believe that children are at risk of sexual exploitation (prostitution or internet pornography). You may not have all the details about a child or young person, or the activity but you should still refer.

You will be expected to put in writing within 48 hours the information which you have given verbally (telephone or face-to-face).

Children’s Social Services and the Police should tell you how to respond to the situation in a way that supports their plan of action.

You may be in breach of your license if you do not disclose information where child abuse is suspected.

4.1       Nominated Safeguarding Children Person

Recommended best practice is for the owner/license holder to nominate themselves or a senior staff member to have the following responsibilities* in relation to safeguarding children for the licensed premises – to:

  • Arrange safeguarding children training for all staff;
  • Monitor and report on whether all staff have received the minimum (initial and refresher) safeguarding children training;
  • Ensure that all staff have read and know where to find this policy and the Government Guidance: “What To Do If You’re Worried a Child is Being Abused” (See 1.3 on page 1)
  • Ensure that an up-to-date Safeguarding Children Procedures Poster is displayed for all staff at all times (See last page of this Policy);
  • Provide advice and support to staff when they have a concern about safeguarding a child;
  • Record all concerns raised by staff; and
  • Be the contact person for the local Children’s Social Services and the Police in relation to all incidents or concerns related to the safeguarding of children on or linked to the premises.

* This list is not exhaustive

All staff should know that they can call the local Children’s Social Services and the Police if the person they suspect is senior to them in the licensed premises staff hierarchy.

Kingston and Richmond Safeguarding Children Partnership 07834 386 459

lscb-support@kingrichlscb.org.uk

Free training: https://kingstonandrichmondlscb.org.uk/training.php

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN

This establishment has a Safeguarding Children Policy which each member of staff should consult and familiarise themselves with.

If you are concerned about the welfare of any child or suspect that child/children are being abused in connection with your establishment.

Do not keep these concerns to yourself Discuss them with  your nominated Safeguarding Children person, the local Children’s Social Services and the local Police Station.

Premises in the Borough of Richmond

Children’s Social Care

Richmond SPA 020 8547 5008

Emergency Duty Team Police Station (non emergency) 101

Premises in the Borough of Kingston

Children’s Social Care Kingston SPA 020 8547 5008

Emergency Duty Team Police Station (non emergency) 101

In the case of an emergency dial 999