Polices & Procedures

Old Bolingbroke and Hareby Parish Council

Child and Vulnerable Adult Welfare and Safeguarding

Policy and Procedures

Introduction

1. Old Bolingbroke and Hareby Parish Council is committed to promoting the protection, safety and welfare of children and vulnerable adults in the Community.

Policy Purpose

2. This document outlines Old Bolingbroke and Hareby Parish Council’s policy on identifying and responding to concerns regarding the safeguarding and protection of children and vulnerable adults.

3. This Policy applies to all staff, councillors, volunteers, or anyone working for or on behalf of Old Bolingbroke and Hareby Parish Council.

4. This policy provides guidance for those who may come across concerns of this nature within the context of their work for Old Bolingbroke and Hareby Parish Council.

5. The policy seeks to promote effective multi-agency working considering the Children Act 2004.

What is Child Abuse?

6. Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment of a child. Someone may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm or by failing to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting, by those known to them or by a stranger, for example, via the internet.  They may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.  Child abuse can have major long-term effects on all aspects of a child's health, development, and well-being. 

What is Vulnerable Adult Abuse?

7. Vulnerable Adult Abuse includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, psychological abuse, financial or material abuse, neglect and acts of omission, discriminatory abuse, organisational abuse, and self-neglect. 

Lead Officer

8. Old Bolingbroke and Hareby Parish Council will appoint on an annual basis a lead safeguarding officer or member. The appointment will be made at the annual meeting of the Council.  

What to do if you are worried about a child or vulnerable adult?

Child

9. If you believe a child is in immediate danger call 999 and inform the police.

10. If there is no immediate danger to the child, or if you need some advice or information, you can contact the Children Services Customer Service Centre (CSC) on 01522 782111.

11. Outside normal office hours you can contact the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) on 01522 782333

12. If there is no immediate danger you may also seek advice from the Councils Lead Safeguarding Officer.

13. Whenever you report a concern please keep a written record of what you have reported and why and inform the Councils Lead Safeguarding Officer at the earliest possible opportunity by completing the Councils incident report form which is available from the Councils offices at (address)

Vulnerable Adult

14. If you believe an adult is in immediate danger call 999 and inform the police.

15. If you think someone is being abused or you think their safety is at risk, then it is important to tell someone.

16. If you are worried about an adult and think they may be a victim of neglect, abuse, or cruelty, please call the Customer Service Centre (CSC) on 01522 78215

17. Outside normal office hours you can contact the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) on 01522 782333.

18. If there is no immediate danger you may also seek advice from the Councils Lead Safeguarding Officer.  

Information sharing with or without consent

General guidance

19. Knowing when and how to share information is not always easy, but it is important to get it right. Families need to feel reassured that their confidentiality is respected. In most cases you will only share information about them with their consent, but there may be circumstances when you need to override this.

20. If you are not sure, but in your view, there is a risk of abuse to someone, you should speak to your supervisor or Councils Lead Safeguarding Officer.

21. The seven golden rules for information sharing:

1. Rule One. Remember that the Data Protection Act is not a barrier to sharing information, but provides a framework to ensure that personal information about living persons is shared appropriately http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/29/contents

2. Rule Two. Be open and honest with the person (and/or their family where appropriate) from the outset about why, what, how and with whom information will, or could be shared, and seek their agreement, unless it is unsafe or inappropriate to do so.

3. Rule Three. Seek advice if you are in any doubt, without disclosing the identity of the person where possible.

4. Rule Four. Share with consent where appropriate and, where possible, respect the wishes of those who do not consent to share confidential information. You may still share information without consent if, in your judgement, that lack of consent can be overridden in the child’s/adults/public interest. You will need to base your judgement on the needs of the child/adult facts of the case.

5. Rule Five. Consider safety and well-being: base your information sharing decisions on considerations of the safety and well-being of the person and others who may be affected by their actions.

6. Rule Six. Necessary, proportionate, relevant, accurate, timely and secure: ensure that the information you share is necessary for the purpose for which you are sharing it, is shared only with those people who need to have it, is accurate and up-to-date, is shared in a timely fashion, and is shared securely.

7. Rule Seven. Keep a record of your decision and the reasons for it – whether it is to share information or not. If you decide to share, then record what you have shared, with whom and for what purpose.

22. Points for Consideration:

• Is there a legitimate purpose for sharing information?
• Does the information enable a person to be identified?
• Is the information confidential?
• If so, do you have consent to share?
• Is there a statutory duty or court order to share the information?
• If consent refused/there are good reasons not to seek consent
• Is there sufficient public interest to share information?
• If the decision is to share, are you sharing the right information in the right way?
• Have you properly recorded your decision?

23. There may be circumstances where a parent is not informed that a safeguarding referral is being made if you suspect:

• Sexual abuse, organised abuse or fabricated illness or injury (FII).
• It is not possible to contact parents without causing undue delay in making a referral.
• The risk of destroying evidence.
• Possibility of increased risk of domestic violence.
• Possibility of the family moving to avoid professional scrutiny

24. It is always essential in safeguarding to consider whether the adult at risk is capable of giving informed consent in all aspects of their life. If they are able, their consent should be sought.

Safer Recruitment and DBS.

25. Old Bolingbroke and Hareby Parish Council adopts safer recruitment practices for all employees, including agency employees, students, and volunteers, who might work with children and vulnerable adults as part of their jobs.

26. Even when the employee or volunteer is unlikely to work with children or vulnerable adult’s certain safer recruitment practices will also be followed.

27. The key features of safer recruitment include:

1. Advertising the post

2. Application /shortlisting/interview

3. References

4. Safer selection

5. Pre-appointment checks

6. DBS checks

7. Induction

How to respond to allegations of abuse against a member of staff or volunteer.

28.  In the first instance if you have a concern about anyone, either a volunteer or member of staff then you should contact the Lead Officer for Safeguarding within the parish council.

29. If the concern is about the Lead Officer themselves, you should refer the matter using the contacts listed in the above section entitled:

What to do if you are worried about a child or vulnerable adult?

30. If the Lead Officer considers that the alleged member of staff or volunteer has:

1. behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child

2. committed a criminal offence against or related to a child; or

3. behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates he or she would pose a risk of harm if they work regularly or closely with children.

31. Then you must follow the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Board protocol for 'Managing Allegations of abuse made against persons who work with children and young people'

If you are concerned but it is not a Safeguarding issue.

32. As in all cases the matter should be referred to the Council’s lead officer for safeguarding who will consider what action to take.

33. The Lincolnshire Domestic Abuse protocol has established procedures to help known as an Early Help Assessment (EHA).

34. The EHA process has been designed to help practitioners assess needs at an early stage and then work with the child / young person, their family and other practitioners, and agencies to meet these needs. As such, it is designed for use when:

1. You are worried about how well a child / young person is progressing. You might be worried about their health, development, welfare, behaviour, progress in learning or any other aspect of their wellbeing  

2. A child / young person or their parent / carer raises a concern with you

3. The child’s or young person’s needs are unclear, or broader than your service can address alone

4. The child or young person would benefit from an assessment to help a practitioner understand their needs better.

35. The Councils lead officer should arrange a consultation with and Early Help Advisor, call Children's Services CSC on 01522 782111.

Adopted May 2020

Next review: May 2023