Twinkle's SEN
Activity Days CIC

​

 

 

Twinkles SEN CIC abides by the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people and is committed to safeguarding practice that reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice requirements.

• We recognise the welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take.

• All children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation has an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse.

• Some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues.

• Working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.

 

Purpose:

Organisation Name: Twinkles SEN CIC Activity Days will:

• Protect children and young people who attend our events from harm. This includes the children of adults who use our services.

• Provide staff and volunteers, as well as children and young people and their families, with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.

This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of Twinkles SEN CIC, including senior managers and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff and students. Failure to comply with the policy and related procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the organisation.

 

 

Designated Safeguarding Officer and Deputy

 

Ingrid Henry, Chair of the Group, is the Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO).  [GH1] 

Contact Details: 07721 391909 contactable Monday-Friday 9am-5pm

Training Undertaken: Childrens Safeguarding Course[GH2] 

 

Nicola Stannard, Volunteer in the Group, is the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Officer. 

Contact Details: 07776 214594 contactable Monday-Friday 9am-5pm

Training Undertaken: Children’s Safeguarding Course[GH3] 

 

 

If the Designated Safeguarding Officer or Deputy are unavailable anyone with a safeguarding concern can contact The Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS).

-A staff member or volunteer can call (0344 800 8021)

-A member of the public or parent can call (0344 800 8020).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roles and responsibilities of the Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO)

The Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) plays a critical role within our Community Interest Company (CIC) in ensuring the safety, protection, and well-being of all individuals involved in our activities, particularly children, young people, and vulnerable adults. The DSO is responsible for overseeing the implementation of safeguarding policies and procedures, providing guidance and support to staff and volunteers, and serving as the primary point of contact for safeguarding concerns and disclosures.

Responsibilities:

• Policy Development and Implementation:

• Develop, review, and update safeguarding policies and procedures in line with current legislation, statutory guidance, and best practices.

• Ensure that safeguarding policies and procedures are effectively communicated to all staff, volunteers, and stakeholders and that they are understood and adhered to.

• Organise and facilitate safeguarding training sessions for all staff and volunteers, ensuring that they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to recognise signs of abuse, respond appropriately to concerns, and report incidents in accordance with procedures.

• Promote awareness of safeguarding issues and best practices through regular communication, newsletters, and training updates.

• Provide expert advice and guidance to staff, volunteers, and management on safeguarding matters, including interpreting policies, responding to concerns, and making referrals to relevant authorities or support services.

• Conduct regular risk assessments to identify potential safeguarding risks within our activities, events, and programs.

• Implement appropriate controls and measures to mitigate risks and create a safe environment for all participants.

• Ensure that all safeguarding concerns, disclosures, and incidents are documented and reported promptly and accurately in line with organisational procedures and legal requirements.

• Maintain secure and confidential records of safeguarding-related information, ensuring compliance with data protection regulations.

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with external agencies

• Collaborate with partner agencies to share information, coordinate responses to safeguarding concerns, and advocate for the best interests of vulnerable individuals.

• Recognised qualification in safeguarding or child protection (e.g., Level 3 Safeguarding Training).[GH4] 

The Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) reports directly to the board and works closely with other members of the management team to ensure the effective implementation of safeguarding policies and procedures.

 

Definitions:

The Children Act 1989 definition of a child is: anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday, even if they are living independently, are a member of the armed forces or is in hospital.

 

Safeguarding children: Safeguarding children is defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 as:

• protecting children from maltreatment.

• preventing impairment of children’s health or development.

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

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

Child protection is defined as: Part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. This refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm.

What is abuse and neglect?

A form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others (e.g. via the internet). They may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.

There are 4 main categories of abuse, which are: sexual, physical, emotional abuse, and neglect.

Physical abuse

A form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

Emotional abuse

The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.

Sexual abuse

Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse Sexual abuse can take place online, and technology can be used to facilitate offline abuse. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

Neglect

The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse.

Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to:

•     provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment);

•     protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger;

•     ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or

•           ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.

It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

 

It is important to be aware of more specific types of abuse that fall within these categories, they are:

• Bullying and cyberbullying

• Child sexual exploitation

• Child Criminal exploitation

• Child trafficking

• Domestic abuse

• Female genital mutilation

• Grooming

• Historical abuse

• Online abuse

 

For detailed definitions of these other types of abuse, please see Appendix 1.

 

Handling Disclosures

Disclosure is the process by which children and young people start to share their experiences of abuse with others. This can take place over a long period of time – it is a journey, not one act or action.

 

A disclosure may be made in many ways, including verbally, in writing, through a drawing, through play or behaviour by a child, young person or an adult and it is important for everyone that this information is communicated to the safeguarding lead.

 

These guidelines are given to anyone in this situation and will be followed by the Designated and Deputy Safeguarding Leads at Twinkles:

 

Guidelines on handling disclosures

 

You may become aware of suspected or likely abuse by:

• Your own observations and concerns

• Being told by another person that they have concerns about a child or adult

• The child or vulnerable adult tells you

• The abuser tells you

 

Also remember that you may not always be working directly with the child or adult but become concerned because of difficulties experienced e.g. Domestic Violence incidents, Mental Health issues, Substance and Alcohol Abuse Incidents

 

REMEMBER:

• Seek advice from the Safeguarding Lead

• Do not delay referral

• Make a careful written record of anything you observe or are told

• Do not investigate

 

Procedure for handling a disclosure of abuse

If a child discloses abuse, it is important to respond appropriately. This means giving them the opportunity to talk without asking probing questions.

 

Staff should:

• stay calm

• acknowledge that they have heard the person

• listen carefully to what is being said

• find an appropriate opportunity to explain that the information will probably have to be shared with others – never promise to keep secrets

• allow the person to talk at their own pace

• not ask direct questions – allow the person to say as much as they want to, by using active listening skills such as mirroring, neutral responses and active body language

• reassure the person that they have done the right thing in telling someone

• tell them what steps will be taken next and with whom the information will be shared

• never promise to keep the disclosure a secret

• Record what was said immediately as close to what was said as possible.  Also record what was happening immediately before the child disclosed.

• Name, sign and date the record in ink.

• Contact the designated safeguarding lead immediately.

 

The report should include:

• the child’s or vulnerable adult’s known details including name, date of birth, address and contact telephone numbers

• whether the person making the report is expressing their own concerns or those of someone else

• the nature of the concern, including dates, times, specific factors and any other relevant information, making a clear distinction between what is fact, opinion or hearsay

• a description of any visible bruising or other injuries, also any indirect signs such as behavioural changes

• details of witnesses to the incidents

• the account, if it can be given, of what has happened and how any bruising or other injuries occurred

• accounts from others, including colleagues and parents

 

Staff may have to make a judgement about how much of the story they allow the child or vulnerable adult to disclose. This is dependent on the individual circumstances and the decision should reflect:

 

• that they are likely to have to repeat what is said to a social worker, case worker and/or the police.  Therefore, it may be appropriate to stop them so that they do not have to tell their experiences several times

• that it may be traumatic for them to disclose the details and, if distressed, they may need to continue to tell of their experiences

• that any attempt to stop them telling should be done very sensitively so that they do not think that we do not want to hear, are disgusted, angry or disbelieving

 

The DSO or their deputy will refer concerns to Norfolk County Council Childrens Advice & Duty Service (CADS). In an emergency: Police Emergency Number: 999

Whilst waiting for the relevant services to respond or attend, the member of staff should:

• reassure the child/vulnerable adult and make sure that they are safe, but don’t make promises we cannot keep

• listen to them and tell them what is being done

 

We recognise our duty to work with other agencies in safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and in responding to abuse. All members of staff have a responsibility to be mindful of issues related to their safety and welfare and a duty to report and refer any concerns however minor they appear.

 

 

Contacting the Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS)

If we are concerned that a child or children is experiencing or likely to suffer significant harm the DSO or Deputy we will telephone (CADS) immediately on 0344 800 8021

When considering whether to contact CADS we will consult the CADS Flowchart in Appendix 2) and the Norfolk Continuum of Needs Guidance 2023 produced by the Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership (NSCP)

We will gain consent from the parent to contact CADS, unless to do so would place the child at further risk of harm or undermine a criminal investigation.

CADS will advise us of the action required to resolve the concerns either directly or with the support of partner agencies, not necessarily Children’s Services. Or a formal referral, recording the level of need. Depending on the level, the referral will be processed into either a Family Support Team or Social Work Team.

A consultation feedback letter will be provided as a record of all conversations and provide a clear audit trail of the outcome agreed.

We will not investigate and will be led by the Local Authority and/or the Police.

We will keep written dated records of all conversations with CADS.

We understand if we are unhappy about a decision made by CADS we can use the Resolving Professional Disagreements policy on https://norfolklscp.org.uk/

Members of the public or parents can contact CADS on 0344 800 8020.

 

For any call raising concerns about a child, the Children’s Advice and Duty Service will ask for:

• all of the details known to you/your agency about the child; their family composition including siblings, and where possible extended family members and anyone important in the child’s life

• the nature of the concern and how immediate it is

• any and what kind of work/support you have provided to the child or family to date

 

They will also need to know where the child is now and whether you have informed parents/carers of your concern.

 

Notice to Callers:

• Preparing for the conversation: please see the tools developed by the Children’s Advice and Duty Service to support communication. This includes FAQs and a flow chart (appendix 2). Please remember to record your concerns for your internal audit trail.

• Consent: Please can you ensure you seek consent for the referrals unless the concerns being raised suggest that the child/children or someone else (including the referrer) would be placed at risk of significant harm, or it might undermine a criminal investigation if the parents/carers are informed. Reasons for not seeking consent should be clearly stated when speaking with Children’s Advice and Duty Service and recorded on internal systems for your records.

 

Making an Allegation Against a Volunteer with Twinkles SEN Activity Days CIC. 

Our aim is to provide a safe and supportive environment which secures the wellbeing and very best outcomes for the children who attend our setting. We do recognise that sometimes the behaviour of adults may lead to an allegation of abuse being made.

Allegations sometimes arise from a differing understanding of the same event, but when they occur, they are distressing and difficult for all concerned. We also recognise that many allegations are genuine and there are some adults who deliberately seek to harm or abuse children. We work to the thresholds for harm as set out in ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (2023).

An allegation may relate to a person who works / volunteers with children who has:

• behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child and/or;

• possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child and/or;

• behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates he or she may pose a risk of harm to children; and/or

• behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children.

The 4th bullet point above recognises circumstances where a member of staff (including locum or supply staff) or volunteer is involved in an incident outside of setting/agency/work place which did not involve children but could have an impact on their suitability to work with children; this is known as transferrable risk.

At Twinkles we recognise our responsibility to report / refer allegations or behaviours of concern and / or harm to children by adults in positions of trust known to us, but who are not employed by our organisation to the LADO service directly at lado@norfolk.gov.uk

We will take all possible steps to safeguard our children and to ensure that the adults at ­­­­­­­­­­Twinkles are safe to work with children. When concerns arise, we will always ensure that the safeguarding actions outlined in the local protocol and procedures NSCP Protocol 8.3 – Allegations Against Persons who Work/Volunteer with Children and The Management of Allegations Against People Working with Children Procedure  are adhered to and will seek appropriate advice.

If an allegation is made or information is received about any adult who works/ volunteer in our setting which indicates that they may be unsuitable to work / volunteer with children, the member of staff receiving the information will inform The Designated Safeguarding Officer immediately. This includes concerns relating to agency, supply and specialist staff, students and volunteers.

Should an allegation be made against the Designated Safeguarding Officer, this will be reported to The Deputy Safeguarding Officer. In the event that the Deputy is not contactable on that day, the information must be passed to and dealt with by Elaine Hunter-Technical Assistant and Director.

 

Working with Parents and Carers

The Safeguarding policy is part of the terms/conditions that parents are asked to follow before engaging in our services. The safeguarding policy is available to view on our website. Our terms and conditions will also set out the following:

-Parents will be informed of our legal duty to assist other agencies with Safeguarding enquiries and what happens should we contact The Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS).

-Parents will be made aware that we will need to share information with the relevant authorities if we have concerns about the welfare of their child, and that we do not have to seek consent from them if there are serious concerns about harm or likely harm to their child.[GH5] 

We choose volunteers from our parents, so they are aware of our safeguarding policy from when they signed up to our services.

 

Relevant Guidance and Legislation:

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England.

 

-Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 

-What to do if You’re Worried a Child is Being Abused 2015

-Children Act 2004

-Children Act 1989

-The Online Safety Act 2023 

-Data Protection Act 2018

-Norfolk Continuum of Needs Guidance 2023

Norfolk Guidance to Understanding Continuum of Needs | NSCP | PWWC (norfolklscp.org.uk)

-Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership Policies and Procedures

Polices & Procedures | Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership (norfolklscp.org.uk)

 

Twinkles SEN CIC should have in place arrangements that reflect the importance of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people as well as vulnerable adults.

 

 

The Prevent Duty in Norfolk

PREVENT - Prevent is part of the UK's Counter-terrorism strategy CONTEST. The aim of Prevent is to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

The key terms to be aware of are as follows:

​Extremism - the vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

Radicalisation - refers to the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and extremist ideologies associated with terrorist groups.

Terrorism - action that endangers / causes serious violence to a person/people; causes serious damage to property; or seriously interferes with / disrupts an electronic system.

Responding to a Concern-Notice – Check – Share

Notice-A staff member or volunteer working with a child or young person could be the person to notice that there has been a change in the individual’s behaviour that may suggest they are vulnerable to radicalisation. Every case is different, and there is no checklist that can tell us if someone is being radicalised or becoming involved in terrorism. There are some common signs that may mean someone is being radicalised.

• Expressing an obsessive or angry sense of injustice about a situation and blaming this on others.

• Expressing anger or extreme views towards a particular group such as a different race or religion.

• Suggesting that violent action is the only way to solve an issue, sharing extreme views or hatred on social media.

 

Check-The next step is for the staff member or volunteer to speak to the manager or safeguarding lead to better understand the concerns raised by the behaviours observed to decide whether intervention and support is needed. In many cases there will be an explanation for the behaviours that either requires no further action or a referral not related to radicalisation or extremism.

Share-Where the staff member or volunteer still has concerns that the individual may be vulnerable to radicalisation, then the organisation’s safeguarding procedures will be followed, and this safeguarding concern will be reported to the Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS).

Following this the Prevent referral form should be completed, which can be downloaded from here referral form and sent to: preventreferrals-NC@Norfolk.police.uk

An initial assessment of the referral will be carried out prior to any further information gathering on the individual.

For urgent radicalisation concerns contact Norfolk police on 101 or, in an emergency, 999.

Additional information and guidance on Prevent is available on the Norfolk County Council website.

 

 

Training and Awareness:

Twinkles SEN CIC will ensure an appropriate level of safeguarding training is available to its Trustees, Employees, Volunteers and any relevant persons linked to the organisation who requires it (e.g. contractors).[GH6]  All volunteers will undertake an Introduction to Safeguarding Training Course, which will be renewed every 3 years.

 

For all employees who are working or volunteering with children, this requires them as a minimum to have awareness training that enables them to:

• Understand what safeguarding is and their role in safeguarding children.

• Recognise a child potentially in need of safeguarding and take action.

• Understand how to report a safeguarding Alert.

• Understand dignity and respect when working with children.

• Have knowledge of the Safeguarding Children Policy.

 

Norfolk Safeguarding Partnership provides free safeguarding guidance and information  https://norfolklscp.org.uk/

 

Similarly, employees and volunteers may encounter concerns about the safety and wellbeing of an adult at risk of abuse. For more information about adults safeguarding, refer to Twinkles SEN CIC Adults Safeguarding Policy.

 

Confidentiality and Information Sharing:

Twinkles SEN CIC expects all employees, volunteers and trustees to maintain confidentiality.  Information will only be shared in line with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018.

 

Our organisation cannot guarantee confidentiality if there is a child safeguarding concern, as we will need to share these concerns with the Children’s Advice and Duty Service. It is an expectation that our organisation will seek consent to share information first unless to do so would place somebody at risk of harm or undermine a criminal investigation.

 

For further guidance on information sharing and safeguarding see Confidentiality and Information Sharing policy.

 

Recording and Record Keeping:

We only keep minimal records on children, as parents are present at all times. Our website asks for a child’s name and age, which is stored to enable age-appropriate activities to be available. Volunteers complete an application form, and this is stored securely. All records are stored securely on a USB stick. We have a safeguarding concern template form we use, which again is stored securely on a USB.

 

A written record must be kept on any safeguarding concerns. This must include details of the person involved, the nature of the concern and the actions taken, decision made and why they were made.

 

All records must be signed and dated. All records must be securely and confidentially stored in line with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

 

Safe Recruitment & Selection:

Twinkles SEN CIC is run by volunteers, all volunteers are parents within the group and are not in a position of responsibility over children other than their own.  All volunteers are provided with a copy of the Volunteer Code of Conduct.  Should we be required to employ staff, Twinkles is committed to safe employment and safe recruitment practices, which reduce the risk of harm to children from people unsuitable to work with them or have contact with them.

 

Twinkles SEN CIC has policies and procedures that cover the recruitment of all Trustees, employees and volunteers. (Safer Recruitment and Selection Procedures and Twinkles SEN CIC Volunteer Code of Conduct).

 

Parent volunteers-parents are invited to become group volunteers once they have been attending groups for 1 year so that they are familiar with how we operate. Volunteers are only selected if their own children do not need close supervision. We choose volunteers from our parents, so they are aware of our safeguarding policy from when they signed up to our services. Safeguarding induction for parent volunteers is to forward our policies to them at the outset and ask them to read them.  We then ensure they have the contact information and numbers on their phones, so they have access at all times.  All volunteers will undertake an Introduction to Safeguarding Training Course, which will be renewed every 3 years.

 

Online Safety

Online Safety includes the use of photography and video, the internet and social media sites, mobile phones and smart watches.

Written photograph consent is gained from parents before any photos are taken or shared anywhere. There is one I-Phone which belongs to the DSL, which is used to take photos of children, where parental consent is in place.

Parents are asked to agree to our Group rules on our website when joining and one of these reminds me to only photograph their own children. If a child has phone with them in an activity and is using it inappropriately the parent will be asked to step in and address this. If this does not happen or the incident is not resolved, it will be dealt with in accordance with our Behaviour Policy.

Social Media:

All employees and volunteers should be aware of Twinkles SEN CIC Social Media policy and procedures and the Twinkles SEN CIC Volunteer Code of Conduct for behaviour towards the children we support.  Twinkles operate a Facebook page:

Twinkle’s SEN Activity Days CIC https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057429279815

Twinkles has a website www.twinklessen.com

 

  Use of Mobile Phones and other Digital Technology:

All employees, trustees and volunteers should be aware of Twinkles SEN CIC policy and procedures regarding the use of mobile phones and any digital technology and understand that it is unlawful to photograph children and young people without the explicit consent of the person with parental responsibilities.

 

Please refer to the Photography & Image Sharing Policy.

 

Whistleblowing:

It is important that people within Twinkles SEN CIC have the confidence to come forward to speak or act if they are unhappy with anything. Whistle blowing occurs when a person raises a concern about dangerous or illegal activity, or any wrong- doing within their organisation. This includes concerns about another volunteer. There is also a requirement by Twinkles SEN CIC to protect whistleblowers. (see Twinkles SEN CIC Whistleblowing policy). 

 

Other Relevant Policies

Our safeguarding policy should be read in conjunction with the other following policies which also fall under our safeguarding umbrella:

• Role description for the Designated Safeguarding Officer

• Safeguarding Policy and Procedures, which include: dealing with disclosures and concerns about a child or young person, managing allegations against staff and volunteers, recording concerns and information sharing, anti-bullying and whistleblowing.

• Code of conduct for staff and volunteers

• behaviour codes for families at our events

• Photography and sharing images guidance

• Managing complaints

• Health and safety

 

Important Contacts:

Norfolk Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS) 0344 800 8021

Norfolk Children’s Services 24 hours 0344 800 8020

Norfolk Police 101 / In an emergency 999

Norfolk Local Authority Designated Officers (LADO) Team

lado@norfolk.gov.uk

Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership (NSCP) norfolklscp.org.uk

Safer Programme 01603 228966 safer@norfolk.gov.uk

The Disclosure and Barring Service Regional Outreach Service

The DBS Regional Outreach service - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Norfolk Early Help Hub
https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/children-and-families/early-help-and-family-support

Just One Number-0300 300 0123

Police Emergency – 999 or Non-emergency – 101

NSPCC Helpline-0808 800 5000

Policy Review

​

 

Appendix One-Definitions of Abuse

Definitions of Abuse

1. Bullying (including cyberbullying) Under the Children Act 1989, a bullying incident should be addressed as a child protection concern when there is ‘reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm’. Where this is the case, staff should report their concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead. Even where safeguarding is not considered to be an issue, the DSL may need to draw on a range of external services to support the young person who is experiencing bullying, or to tackle any underlying issue which has contributed to a young person engaging in bullying.  Bullying is behaviour by an individual or group, repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally. Bullying can take many forms (for instance, cyber- bullying via text messages or the internet), and is often motivated by prejudice against particular groups, for example on grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or because a child is adopted or has caring responsibilities. It might be motivated by actual, or perceived, differences between children. Stopping violence and ensuring immediate physical safety is obviously our first priority but staff need to be aware that emotional bullying can be more damaging than physical. Many experts say that bullying involves an imbalance of power between the perpetrator and the victim. This could involve perpetrators of bullying having control over the relationship which makes it difficult for those they bully to defend themselves. The imbalance of power can manifest itself in several ways, it may be physical, psychological (knowing what upsets someone), derive from an intellectual imbalance, or by having access to the support of a group, or the capacity to socially isolate. It can result in the intimidation of a person or persons through the threat of violence or by isolating them either physically or online.

2. Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE). Child sexual exploitation is a form of sexual abuse where children are sexually exploited for money, power or status. It can involve violent, humiliating and degrading sexual assaults. In some cases, young people are persuaded or forced into exchanging sexual activity for money, drugs, gifts, affection or status. Consent cannot be given, even where a child may believe they are voluntarily engaging in sexual activity with the person who is exploiting them. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact and can happen online. A significant number of children who are victims of sexual exploitation go missing from home, care and education at some point. What marks out exploitation is an imbalance of power in the relationship. The perpetrator always holds some kind of power over the victim which increases as the exploitative relationship develops. Sexual exploitation involves varying degrees of coercion, intimidation or enticement, including unwanted pressure from peers to have sex, sexual bullying including cyberbullying and grooming. However, it is also important to recognise that some young people who are being sexually exploited do not exhibit any external signs of this abuse and may not identify themselves as being a victim.

3. County Lines. County lines, or ‘going country’ means groups or gangs using young people or vulnerable adults to carry and sell drugs from borough to borough, and across county boundaries. It is a tactic used by groups or gangs to facilitate the selling of drugs in an area outside of the area they live, reducing their risk of detection. This issue is areas across the country, not just large cities. County lines is a form of child criminal exploitation (CCE). CCE is when an individual or group take advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, control, manipulate or deceive a child or young person in to committing a crime.

4. Domestic Violence. The definition of domestic violence and abuse is any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. A child witnessing domestic violence is likely to be a victim of emotional abuse (see also Teenage Relationship Abuse).

5. Honour Based Violence (HBV). Honour based violence (HBV) is a collection of practices, which are used to control behaviour and exert power within families to protect perceived cultural and religious beliefs and/or honour. Such violence can occur when perpetrators perceive that an individual has shamed the family and/or community by breaking their honour code. The individual is being punished for actually, or allegedly, undermining what the family or community believes to be the correct code of behaviour. It is often committed with some degree of approval and/or collusion from family and/or community members.  HBV often focuses on the violence experienced by victims, but other forms of abuse should not be overlooked. Women are predominantly (but not exclusively) the victims of HBV, which is often used to assert male power in order to control female autonomy and sexuality. HBV can take place across national and international boundaries, within extended families and communities and often cuts across cultures, communities and faith groups. HBV may include murder, unexplained death (suicide), fear of or actual forced marriage, controlling sexual activity, domestic abuse, rape, kidnapping, false imprisonment, threats to kill, assault, harassment, forced abortion, breast ironing and female genital mutilation.

6. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs. It is illegal in the UK and a form of child abuse with long-lasting harmful consequences. A young person may disclose that she is at risk of FGM, has suffered FGM or that a sister or family member is at risk. Our staff need to be alert to the possibility of a girl being at risk of FGM, or already having suffered FGM.  The new mandatory reporting duty for FGM, introduced via the Serious Crime Act 2015, came into effect on 31 October 2015. This duty requires our organisation to report known cases of FGM in under 18-year- olds to the police.

7. Financial or Material Abuse. This can include theft, fraud, exploitation, pressure in connection with wills, property or inheritance or financial transactions or the misuse, misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits.

8. Forced Marriage. Forcing a person into a marriage is a crime in England and Wales. A forced marriage is one entered into without the full and free consent of one or both parties and where violence, threats or any other form of coercion is used to cause a person to enter into a marriage. The pressure put on people to marry against their will can be physical (including threats, actual physical violence and sexual violence) or emotional and psychological (for example, when someone is made to feel like they’re bringing shame on their family). Financial abuse (taking wages or not giving money) can also be a factor. A lack of full and free consent can be where a person does not consent or where they cannot consent (if they have learning disabilities, for example). Nevertheless, some communities use religion and culture as a way to coerce a person into marriage.  An arranged marriage is not the same as a forced marriage. In an arranged marriage, the families take a leading role in choosing the marriage partner, but both parties are free to choose whether to enter into the marriage or not.

9. Gang Activity/Youth Violence. Groups of children and young people often gather together in public places to socialise, and peer association is an essential feature of most children’s transition to adulthood.  Groups of children and young people can be disorderly and/or anti-social without engaging in criminal activity. Young people on the periphery of becoming involved with street gangs and those young people already involved in some way can be described as ‘A relatively durable, predominantly street-based group of young people who see themselves (and are seen by others) as a discernible group for whom crime and violence is integral to the group’s identity’. Youth violence, serious or otherwise, may be a function of gang activity. However, it could equally represent the behaviour of a child acting individually in response to his or her particular history and circumstances. ‘Serious youth violence’ is defined as ‘any offence of most serious violence or weapon enabled crime, where the victim is aged 1-19’; i.e. murder, manslaughter, rape, wounding with intent and causing grievous bodily harm. ‘Youth violence’ is defined in the same way, but also includes assault with injury offences. Most children and young people do not become violent overnight. Their behaviour represents many years of (increasingly) anti-social and aggressive acts.

10. Peer-on-Peer abuse. All cases of peer-on-peer abuse are serious, whether physical, emotional or psychological. Peer-on-peer abuse can take various forms and include serious bullying, relationship abuse, domestic violence, child sexual exploitation, harmful sexual behaviour, and/or gender-based violence. This form of abuse occurs when there is any kind of physical, sexual, emotional or financial abuse or coercive control exercised between children. This can include (but is not limited to) bullying (including cyberbullying); sexual violence and sexual harassment; physical abuse such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm; sexual harassment, such as sexual comments, remarks, jokes and online sexual harassment, which may be stand-alone or part of a broader pattern of abuse, upskirting, sexting and initiating/hazing type violence and rituals.

Peer-on-peer abuse, in whatever form, detrimentally affects the ability of our young people to achieve and progress to the best of their ability, their well-being and will not be tolerated in any form, or to any degree.

How and when does peer-on-peer abuse happen?

• Anytime – it may be a single isolated incident or over a period of time.

• Anywhere might compromise the child’s safety or wellbeing.

 

Recognising the signs of peer-on-peer abuse?

Staff will suspect peer-on-peer abuse is occurring if a young person:

• Becomes withdrawn and anxious.

• Starts to attend erratically or persistently arrives late

• Has a ‘fake’ illness

• Prefers to stay with adults and appears fearful around other young people

• Becomes withdrawn or displays a sudden lack of confidence

Every young person will react differently, and we recognise that this sort of abuse has serious impact on those who are victims, in terms of self-esteem and relationship outcomes. Our staff will intervene in “inappropriate behaviour” and have a zero-tolerance approach to sexual violence and sexual harassment, an important part of this is not laughing off or tolerating sexual banter or jokes.

1. Upskirting. This typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing without them knowing, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks to obtain sexual gratification, or cause the victim humiliation, distress or alarm. It is now a criminal offence and may constitute sexual harassment. Cases of ‘upskirting’ have a mandatory requirement for being reported.

2. Youth Produced Sexual Imagery (Sexting). Making, possessing and distributing imagery of someone under 18 which is indecent is illegal. This includes imagery created by under 18s themselves. The relevant legislation is contained in the Protection of Children Act 1978 (England and Wales) as amended in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (England and Wales). Specifically, it is an offence to possess, distribute, show and make images of children.

The Sexual Offences Act 2003 defines a child, for the purposes of indecent images, as anyone under the age of 18.

It is an offence for:

• A person under the age of 18 creates and shares sexual images of themselves with a peer under the age of 18.

• A person under the age of 18 shares sexual imagery created by another person under the age of 18 with a peer under the age of 18 or an adult.

• A person under the age of 18 is in possession of sexual imagery created by another person under the age of 18.

The sharing of sexual imagery of people under 18 by adults constitutes child sexual abuse and this should be reported to the police.

1. Teenage Relationship Abuse. This is similar to domestic violence. Teenage relationship abuse is defined as when there is actual or threatened abuse within a romantic relationship or a former relationship. One partner will try to maintain power and control over the other. This abuse can take a number of forms: physical, sexual, financial, emotional or social. This includes coercive and controlling behaviour.

2. Trafficking. Trafficking is defined as ‘the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of children by means of threat, force or coercion for the purpose of sexual or commercial sexual exploitation or domestic servitude’ (NSPCC). Any child transported for exploitative reasons is considered to be a trafficking victim - whether or not he/she has been deceived, because it is not considered possible for children to give informed consent in this situation. A child may be trafficked without crossing any national borders, e.g. only within the UK. A child may be trafficked between a number of countries prior to being trafficked into/within the UK. The child may have entered the UK illegally or legally (i.e. with immigration documents). The intention to exploit the child underpins the entire process.

The Modern Slavery Act 2015 consolidates current offences of trafficking and slavery and details the different forms of exploitation that a victim of trafficking may be forced into. Any child who is a suspected victim of trafficking should be referred to the National Referral Mechanism, a framework for identifying victims of human trafficking and ensuring they receive appropriate care and protection under law.

1. Radicalism and extremism. Radicalisation refers to the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism.  People may become susceptible to radicalisation through a range of social, personal and environmental factors - it is known that violent extremists exploit vulnerabilities in individuals to drive a wedge between them and their families and communities. Therefore, it is important that staff are able to recognise those vulnerabilities.

 

Indicators of vulnerability include:

• Identity Crisis – the student/ pupil is distanced from their cultural / religious heritage and experiences discomfort about their place in society;

• Personal Crisis – the student / pupil may be experiencing family tensions; a sense of isolation; and low self-esteem; they may have dissociated from their existing friendship group and become involved with a new and different group of friends; they may be searching for answers to questions about identity, faith and belonging;

• Personal Circumstances – migration; local community tensions; and events affecting the student / pupil’s country or region of origin may contribute to a sense of grievance that is triggered by personal experience of racism or discrimination or aspects of Government policy;

• Unmet Aspirations – the student / pupil may have perceptions of injustice; a feeling of failure; rejection of civic life;

• Experiences of Criminality – which may include involvement with criminal groups,

• imprisonment, and poor resettlement / reintegration;

• Special Educational Need – students / pupils may experience difficulties with social interaction, empathy with others, understanding the consequences of their actions and awareness of the motivations of others.

 

The Government prevent strategy defines extremism as vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values.  These can include democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also include in our definition of extremism calls for the death of members of our armed forces, whether in this country or overseas.

Early indicators of radicalisation or extremism may include:

• showing sympathy for extremist causes

• glorifying violence, especially to other faiths or cultures

• making remarks or comments about being at extremist events or rallies outside school

• evidence of possessing illegal or extremist literature

• advocating messages similar to illegal organisations or other extremist groups

• out of character changes in dress, behaviour and peer relationships (but there are also very powerful narratives, programmes and networks that young people can come across online so involvement with particular groups may not be apparent.)

• secretive behaviour

• online searches or sharing extremist messages or social profiles

• intolerance of difference, including faith, culture, gender, race or sexuality

• graffiti, artwork or writing that displays extremist themes

• attempts to impose extremist views or practices on others

• verbalising anti-Western or anti-British views

• advocating violence towards others

 [GH1]The designated safeguarding lead should have also completed Designated Safeguarding Officer/Person training. Once this course has been completed update your policy to show this.

 [GH2]Specify the full name of what course has been completed so far and who the course provider was.

 [GH3]Specify the full name of what course has been completed so far and who the course provider was.

 [GH4]The designated safeguarding lead should have also completed Designated Safeguarding Officer/Person training. Once this course has been completed update your policy to show this.

 [GH5]Ensure the two points below are contained in your website sign up and terms conditions

 [GH6]As highlighted in my email: it is important that as a minimum anyone with contact with children should attend the Safer Programme’s Introduction to Child Safeguarding Course to ensure they get the local reporting procedures.