Germain Rooms Safeguarding Policy

1.    Purpose

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk from abuse or neglect.

This policy defines how the Germain Rooms operates to safeguard children, young people and adults at risk of abuse or neglect. 

 

We have a duty of care and are committed to the protection and safety of everyone who enters our premises including children, young people and adults at risk involved as visitors and/or as participants in all activities and events. We also have a duty to safeguard and support our trustees, volunteers, and staff.

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2.    Definitions

Children and young people are defined as those persons aged under 18 years old. This policy will apply to all staff, contractors and volunteers and will be used to support their work. 

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as: 

• protecting children from maltreatment

• preventing impairment of children’s health and development

• ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care 

• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

 

Adult at risk of abuse or neglect.  For the purposes of this policy, adult at risk refers to someone over 18 years old who, according to paragraph 14.2 of the Care Act 2015:

• has care and support needs

• is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect

• as a result of their care and support needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.

If someone has care and support needs but is not currently receiving care or support from a health or care service, they may still be an adult at risk.

 

3.    Persons affected

• All trustees, volunteers, and staff 

• All those attending any activity or service that is being delivered from the village hall charity property

• All visitors and contractors

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4.    Policy principles

There can be no excuses for not taking all reasonable action to protect adults at risk of abuse, exploitation, radicalisation, and mistreatment. All citizens of the United Kingdom have their rights enshrined within the Human Rights Act 1998. People who are eligible to receive health and community care services may be additionally vulnerable to the violation of these rights by reason of disability, impairment, age, or illness.

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The Germain Rooms Village Hall charity has a zero-tolerance approach to abuse. 

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The Germain Rooms Village Hall charity recognises that under the Care Act 2014, it has a duty for the care and protection of adults who are at risk of abuse. It also recognises its responsibilities for the safety and care of children under the Children Act 1989 and 2004.  

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The Germain Rooms Village Hall charity is committed to promoting wellbeing, harm prevention and to responding effectively if concerns are raised. 

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The Germain Rooms Village Hall Committee is committed to the following principles: 

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• The welfare of the child, young person or adult at risk is paramount

• All children, young people and adults at risk have the right to protection from abuse

• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility: for services to be effective each professional and organisation should play their full part; and 

• All suspicions and allegations of abuse must be properly reported to the relevant internal and external authorities and dealt with swiftly and appropriately.

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5.    Procedures

 

• All members of the committee confirm they have no convictions in relation to abuse.

• All members of the committee will work together to promote a culture that enables issues about safeguarding and promoting welfare to be addressed. 

• All members of the committee, helpers or other volunteers will not have unsupervised access to children or adults at risk unless appropriately vetted.

• The hall committee will follow safe recruitment practices.

• All suspicions or allegations of abuse against a child or adult at risk will be taken seriously and dealt with speedily and appropriately. An allegation may relate to a person who works with children or adult at risk who has:

  • ​behaved in a way that has harmed a child or adult at risk or may have harmed a child or adult at risk.

  • possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child or adult at risk; or

  • behaved towards a child or children or adult at risk in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children.

• The hall committee will ensure that all hirers of the hall have signed a hiring agreement.  This will require all hirers who wish to use the hall for activities which include children and adults at risk, other than for hire for private parties arranged for invited friends and family, to produce a copy of their Safeguarding Policy and evidence that they have carried out relevant checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

• The village hall management committee will carry out an annual review of this policy.