Child Protection and Safeguarding Children Policy Statement

Thanet District Council is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people when they come into contact with the services that we provide.  Kent has a Multi Agency Children’s Safeguarding Board which Thanet District Council supports and is guided by.  These procedures should be read in conjunction with KSCB procedures, available at http://kscb.org.uk/.

TDC offers a range of services to children and young people and recognises that these may have a very powerful and positive influence on them. It is our aim to aid the development of self-esteem and social awareness of children and young people and to provide opportunities for enjoyment with personal achievement. TDC will promote the safeguarding of children in all our services affecting them and consult with young people in policy and service delivery matters which affect them so that they may help shape our services.

In addition to direct service delivery for children, the wide ranging nature of the Council’s work gives many staff substantial access to children and young people. This policy applies to all staff and Members that may come into contact with children and young people in the course of their work, whether in someone’s home, on Council premises, or in the community.

As many staff are in regular contact with children and young people, they are in a position to observe outward signs of abuse and can and should alert others when such signs are observed. All Thanet District Council staff and Members have a responsibility to be mindful of the potential for abuse, and to refer suspected cases to Kent County Council Children’s Social Services or to the Police.

Scope

This Policy, its related procedures and guidance apply to all staff, members, volunteers and those working on behalf of the Council, whose work involves contact with children and young people under the age of 18 and vulnerable adults, hereafter collectively referred to as ‘staff’.

Contractors and/or those providing a service on behalf of the council i.e. sports coaches, unless bound to comply with their own Child Protection and Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures (which shall be no less onerous than the Council’s), shall comply with the terms of this policy and procedure and shall ensure that employees and sub-contractors do likewise throughout the duration of the contract.

Elected members of Thanet District Council share a responsibility with staff when representing Thanet District Council. Therefore all aspects of this policy apply equally to elected members.

Accountability

Accountability for ensuring that Thanet District Council fulfils its child protection and safeguarding children responsibilities falls to the Chief Executive. However, responsibility is delegated to the Designated Child Protection Officer. The Designated Child Protection Officer is also the Council’s Champion for Children and is responsible for promoting their well being. The designated officer will be suitably trained in child protection and will be responsible for:

• The actions set out within the Child Protection and Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures.
• Maintaining a record of all child protection related documents and reports.
• Receiving and recording information regarding child protection concerns.
• Consulting with the relevant statutory agencies regarding any child protection concerns raised.
• Making formal referrals to relevant statutory agencies regarding any child protection concerns.

All staff have a responsibility for ensuring that the activities that they are involved in during the course of their work are carried out in accordance with this policy and procedures relating to it.

Managers are responsible for ensuring that the activities and services they provide have adequate procedures to protect and safeguard young people.  Managers are responsible for ensuring that procedures are followed by their staff.

Recruitment

All TDC staff will be appointed in line with the Council’s recruitment and selection policies and procedures to ensure that all necessary checks are carried out on individuals expected to work with children and young people. Pre selection checks must include the following:

• Completion of an application form including a self-disclosure about criminal records.
• Consent to obtain information from the Criminal Records Bureau to check for convictions for criminal offences against children in accordance with current legislation.
• Receipt of two references in accordance with Thanet District Council recruitment and selection procedures. 
• Verification of qualifications.
• Verification of identity.

Screening by the Criminal Records Bureau will be undertaken on all staff and volunteers that work with children and vulnerable adults as part of their normal duties.

Elected Members of TDC do not have an eligibility requirement to undertake an eCRB to carry out their duties.  TDC is not able to carry out eCRB checks without individual consent.  If any Member feels that they should have an eCRB check due to their duties, please contact the Lead Officer for Child Protection.

A register of designated posts, which are subject to CRB checks is maintained by the Human Resources Department.  This will also be held by the Lead Officer for Child Protection to maintain and ensure that renewals of eCRBs are made when required

Training

The child protection and safeguarding process includes training after recruitment as part of TDC’s Induction Programme.  Training is originally provided online, and then more in-depth classroom based learning is provided if required, dependent on job role, which is required to be refreshed annually. Thanet District Council is committed to ensuring that all employees and Members that work directly or indirectly with children and young people have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and the requirement for reporting suspected concerns of possible or potential child abuse. All staff that come into contact with children and young people as part of their job shall be provided with recognised and up to date training in:

• Child protection awareness
• Diversity awareness
• First Aid (where appropriate)
• Procedures on working with children/young people

The Council’s Corporate Training Manager will maintain a register which identifies the training needs that relate to child protection and safeguarding for each appropriate post in the Council.

Independent Safeguarding Authority's Vetting & Barring Scheme

The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) was set up to govern the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS).  It replaces the current List 99, Protection of Children Act (POCA), Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) and Disqualification Order regimes.  The aim of the scheme is to reduce the incidence of harm to children and vulnerable adults by helping to ensure that:

• Employers benefit from an improved vetting service for those that work with children and vulnerable adults;
• Those who are known to be unsuitable are barred from working with children or young adults at the earliest opportunity.

Although the scheme has been scaled back following a review,  the ISA’s barring responsibilities and referral regulations introduced in October 2009 still apply at present.  All proposed changes resulting from the review will become law in early 2012.  Current regulations still in force are:

• Any person that is barred from working with children or vulnerable adults will be breaking the law if they work or volunteer with these groups
• An organisation that knowingly employs someone that is barred to work with these groups will be breaking the law
• If an organisation works with children or vulnerable adults and it dismisses a staff member or volunteer because they harmed a child or vulnerable adult, or would have dismissed them for this had they not left, the organisation must tell the Independent Safeguarding Authority.

TDC have a legal responsibility to notify the ISA of any relevant information so that individuals that pose a threat to children or vulnerable groups can be identified and barred accordingly.  The referral form is available in Annex C. Guidance to the ISA referral system is available at http://www.isa.homeoffice.gov.uk/PDF/Referral%20Guidance%20and%20Form%20FINAL%20v%2010-01.pdf. 

Information Sharing and Partnerships

The Council supports information sharing and work in partnership with Kent County Council to support practitioners to work together to meet the needs of children, young people and their families.  TDC work in accordance to the guidelines set by the Kent Information Sharing Protocol and also the Kent Safeguarding Children’s Board.

Legislation, Guidance and Reference

This Policy and Procedures have been developed in line with the principles of The Children Act 1989 and The Children Act 2004, and with reference to the following:

• Working Together To Safeguard Children 2006
• What to Do If You’re Worried a Child Is Being Abused (2006)
• Every Child Matters 2004
• The NSPCC publication Sportscheck
• Kent & Medway Child Protection Procedures 2001
• KSCB Policy and Procedure

The Policy and Procedures should also be read in conjunction with the following Council documents:

• Recruitment and Selection Policy and Procedures
• Corporate Equality Policy
• Code of Conduct for Staff
• Dignity at Work Procedure
• Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures.
• Complaints Procedure
• Whistleblowing Code

Child Protection and Safeguarding Children Procedures

All staff must be aware of, and have been provided with, a copy of the Council’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures.

A Child Protection and Safeguarding Committee, chaired by the Designated Child Protection Officer will oversee the working and development of the policy and procedures. It will meet annually with the subject matter centred on changes in legislation, required actions for TDC, the KSCB Section 11 audit (where applicable) and then report to SMT. The composition and responsibilities of the Committee will be reviewed at this meeting.  Any other Child Protection business will take place via email, with adhoc meetings if required.

Examples of where Child Protection issues impact on the Council

Council Officers come into contact with children and families in many circumstances.  This list is not exhaustive but highlights the most common examples.

Next: Child Protection Policy Principles

• Introduction
• Policy statement
• Principles
• Reporting Procedures

Lead Officer Child Protection

Sarah Phippin

Community Development Officer

E-mail:

sarah.phippin@
thanet.gov.uk

Tel: 01843 577092