After-school clubs, community activities, and tuition: Safeguarding guidance for providers (September 2023)
Using the new guidance to ensure Key Steps are taken by every Organisation. Ensuring the safety and protection of children and families is paramount in any setting. A well-crafted Safeguarding and Child Protection policy is the foundation, tailored to your organisation and reviewed annually. Everyone shares the responsibility for reporting Safeguarding and child protection concerns, and regular reviews can keep your procedures up-to-date.
It's paramount to create an environment where children and young people can thrive, learn, and play without worry. This is reinforced by having staff who can confidently display professional curiosity and follow procedures when they suspect someone may be at risk of harm. It's essential to train all staff and volunteers comprehensively, ensuring their awareness of specific risks. Engagement is about more than playdates and activities; it's about creating a secure and nurturing environment where children and young people can grow and thrive.
Settings should therefore appoint a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) to oversee safeguarding efforts, and maintain clear referral routes for reporting concerns, with staff being aware of their legal ‘duty of care’ and understanding local authority involvements are crucial, this ensures a safe environment for all. Remembering, children and people with special needs or wider vulnerabilities may require a personalised safeguarding approach. Child safety isn't just about paperwork; it's a comprehensive approach to creating a secure environment for all.
When it comes to settings appointing staff or volunteers to engage children and families, safeguarding should always be a top priority. But it's not as simple as just running a background check. Robust recruitment procedures are a must, considering checks like DBS alongside identity verification and references. Sadly sometimes harm may occur as the result of staff/ volunteers interactions. Harm through this form is not always intentional but can happen as a result of those staff or volunteers needing training or support to understand effective safeguarding practice. Therefore, responding to concerns about staff or volunteer behaviours, even low-level ones, is crucial. Robust safer recruitment procedures to be truly effective need to go hand in hand with mechanisms that enable a culture of on-going vigilance, such as a clear staff behavior policy; outlining expectations for technology use and staff-child/ service user interactions and whistleblowing processes. This creates and sustains a safe cultures in organisations.
Here's a quick guide to ensuring that settings engaging children create and sustain an effective safeguarding culture:
- Settings, staff and volunteers all taking legal responsibility for children and visitors' safety.
- Dynamic risk assessments.
- Well-structured emergency plans.
- Precise attendance records.
- Trained staff with first aid skills.
- Health and safety policies.
- Records of parental consent and attendance.
- Missing service user protocols.
- Legal compliance with health, safety, and data protection regulations
Ensuring safety in settings working with families requires strict governance and compliance. Providers must register appropriately, establish governing bodies, and implement clear complaints and whistleblowing policies. Compliance with data protection, safety measures for visitors, performances, and educational visits is essential. Prioritising safety is non-negotiable. By following these principles, providers working with children and families can make sure that safety is a top priority. After all, when it comes to safety, there should be no room for compromise.
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