Child Protection Policy

The Charity

The Child Growth Foundation supports children and adults with various growth conditions. The staff, trustees and group coordinators have regular contact with children and their families in various ways which include:

Email and social media exchanges

Telephone conversations
The annual convention
Social events

Some of the growth disorders supported by the CGF are associated with particular vulnerabilities such as learning disabilities, premature sexual maturation, autistic behaviour and medical conditions.

Rationale

We recognise our moral responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children and adults at risk of harm.

We make every effort to provide a safe and welcoming environment underpinned by a culture of openness where children feel secure, able to talk and believe that they are being listened to.
We maintain an attitude of “it could happen here” where safeguarding is concerned.
The purpose of this policy is to provide staff, group coordinators and trustees with the framework they need in order to keep children safe and secure in all their contacts with the charity.
Specific guidance is available to staff within the procedure documents.

Definitions

Within this document:

Safeguarding is an umbrella term for ‘looking out for’ the wellbeing of children and adults at risk.
Safeguarding Child is defined by ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (2018) as:

Protecting children from harm
Preventing damage to children’s health or development
Making sure that children grow up safely
Taking action to make sure all children have the best start in life

Safeguarding adults at risk of harm is defined in the Care & Support Statutory Guidance issued under the Care Act 2014 as:

Protecting the right of adults to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect
People and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experiences of abuse and neglect
People and organisations making sure that the adult’s wellbeing is promoted including, where appropriate, taking their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs fully into account when deciding any action
Recognising that adults sometimes have complex interpersonal relationships and may be ambivalent, unclear, or unrealistic about their personal circumstances and therefore potential risks to their safety and wellbeing.

Child Protection is an aspect of safeguarding but is focused on how we respond to children who have been significantly harmed or who we believe to be at risk of significant harm.

Child refers to all young people who have not yet reached their 18th birthday, this relates to England, Wales & Northern Ireland. In Scotland the legal definition applies to someone who has not yet reached their 16th birthday.

Parent refers to birth parents and other adults in a parenting role for example adoptive parents, step parents and foster carers.

Abuse could mean neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse or any combination of these. Parents, carers and other people can harm children either by direct acts and / or failure to provide proper care.

Aims

To provide staff, trustees and group coordinators with the framework to promote and safeguard the wellbeing of children.

To ensure consistent good practice.
To demonstrate our commitment to safeguarding children against all forms of abuse.

Principles and Values

The wellbeing of children, young people and adults at risk is paramount to the work of the Child Growth Foundation

All children regardless of age, gender, race, ability, sexuality, religion, culture or language have a right to feel safe and be protected from harm

All staff, trustees, volunteers and group coordinators have a key role in prevention of harm and an equal responsibility to act on any suspicion or disclosure that may indicate a child or adult is at risk of harm in accordance with the guidance

We acknowledge that working in partnership with other agencies protects children and adults and reduces risk and so we will engage in partnership working, when appropriate

Whilst the Child Growth Foundation will work openly with parents as far as possible, the charity reserves the right to contact Children’s Social Care or the Police, without notifying parents if this is in the child’s best interests

Leadership and Management

We recognise that anxiety around child protection can undermine good practice and so have established clear lines of accountability, training and advice for all staff and trustees.

The CGF appoints a Designated Safeguarding Lead and a trustee with specific responsibility for safeguarding.

Individuals associated with the charity should contact the DSL immediately if they have any concerns relating to safeguarding. However, any allegations involving a member of staff should be directed to the nominated trustee or the chairperson.

All staff, trustees and group coordinators should be aware of the signs and symptoms of abuse and be able to respond appropriately. Training is provided for all staff and trustees and is refreshed on a three-year cycle.

The CGF is committed to safe recruitment, selection and vetting procedures. Enhanced DBS checks are required for all employees, trustees and group coordinators.

The Responsibilities of the Trustees

The trustees are responsible for ensuring:

the charity has effective safeguarding policies and procedures in place
there is a member of staff identified as DS
that training is undertaken at the required frequency
there is a nominated trustee for dealing with allegations against employees of the charity
an annual audit of safeguarding is carried out and any concerns are remedied without delay

Annual review and monitoring

We review this policy and the effectiveness of our safeguarding procedures annually in line with NSPCC guidance.

Last Review: September 2020

Next Review: August 2022