POLICIES

Policy statement: We are committed to a practice which protects children from harm. Staff and volunteers in this organisation accept and recognise our responsibilities to develop awareness of the issues which cause children harm. We have an ongoing responsibility and involvement and should provide a safe and trusted environment for anyone who comes in contact with Space to Dream Gallery, including staff and volunteers. 

 

Definitions: Children 

Children are people under the age of 18 in the UK, and young people are people aged 16 to 25. Vulnerable young people are those who have difficulty in protecting themselves from harm, due to physical, communication, perceptual or emotional difficulties. This might include those with disabilities or learning difficulties, or those who are seriously or chronically ill. This might also include those who have caring responsibilities and be “looked after” children as defined by the Children Act 1989.

 

 

Staff: Staff are all people employed by Space to Dream Gallery on any basis: part-time, freelance, casual or voluntary.

 

Child Protection Officers

 

Morgane Brieussel 

2 Macaulay walk

SW9 0AU London

07940409382

 

Child protection officer of Lambeth Council
Email: dutymanager@lambeth.gov.uk. 

Phone: 020 7926 5555

 

Networks and resources 

Space to Dream refers to www.safenetwork.org.uk and Lambeth safeguarding learning pool. We have access to “Working together to safeguard children”, “Keeping children safe in education” and “London child protection procedures” on the Lambeth safeguarding website. 

 

If you have an urgent mental health crisis:

• From 9 to 5, please call Lambeth CAMHS on 0203 228 7370 and speak to the duty worker.

• Out of office hours, call the dedicated Mental Health Crisis Line on 0800 731 2864 or contact NHS 111.

 

Aims: Space to Dream Gallery aims to protect children through the following measures. 

 

• Adopting child protection guidelines through procedures and a code of conduct for staff and volunteers.

• Sharing information about child protection and good practice with children, parents and guardians, staff and volunteers.

• Sharing information about concerns with agencies that need to know, and involving parents and guardians and children appropriately.

• Carefully follow the procedures for recruitment and selection of staff and volunteers.

• Providing effective management for staff and volunteers through support, supervision and training.    

• Reviewing our policy and good practice regularly.

 

                                                                                       

Policy: 

 

Space to Dream Gallery believes that children must be protected from harm at all times.

 

We believe every child should be valued, safe and happy. We want to make sure that children we have contact with know this and are empowered to tell us if they are suffering harm.

 

We want children who use or have contact with this organisation to enjoy what we have to offer in safety.

 

We want parents and carers who use or attend our organisation to be supported to care for their children in a way that promotes their child’s health and well-being and keeps them safe.

We will achieve this by having an effective child protection procedure and following national and local guidance (What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused and the London Safeguarding Children Procedures).

If we discover or suspect a child is suffering harm we will notify social services or the police so that they can be protected if necessary.

 

This child protection policy and our child protection procedure apply to all staff, volunteers and users of Space to Dream Gallery and anyone carrying out any work for us or using our premises.

 

We will review our child protection policy and procedures annually to make sure they are still relevant and effective.

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Procedure

There will be a named person for child protection who will be responsible for dealing with any concerns about the protection or welfare of children.  This person is currently Morgane Brieussel. We will clarify whether we are operating under our Child Protection Policy and Procedure or the commissioner’s.

 

All staff and volunteers will be carefully selected to try and ensure they do not pose a risk to children or vulnerable adults.  Those staff and volunteers who may be placed in a position of responsibility for or who will have substantial unsupervised contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults will be checked through the Disclosure and Barring Service, and we will ask for 2 references. Referees are asked specifically to comment on the person’s suitability to work with children. Space to Dream Gallery ensures that we are always present during workshops. 

 

All staff and volunteers will receive information and training on safe conduct and what to do if they have concerns about a child. This will include information on recognising where there are concerns about a child, where to get advice and what to do if no one seems to have taken their concerns seriously. 

 

We will endeavour to make this organisation a safe and caring place for children by having a code of conduct for staff and users. This will be given to all staff and users and they will be expected to comply with it.  Safe arrangements will be made for each activity including a registration for each child and a record kept of each session or workshop.

 

Any information given to users about activities of the organisation will include information about the child protection policy and procedure.  Parents and carers of any children using supervised activities for children will be given specific information about the child protection policy and procedure. 

 

We will follow the guidelines set out in our Complaints Procedure.

We carry out media consent forms. We also have a teacher-to-student ratio to ensure health and safety.

 

Commitment to safeguarding

What is Child Abuse?

It is generally accepted that there are four main forms of child abuse and that in all forms of abuse there are elements of emotional abuse. Some children are subjected to more than one form of abuse at any one time. These four definitions do not minimise other forms of maltreatment.

 

 

• Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning or suffocation.

• Emotional abuse is persistent emotional ill-treatment which is likely to cause serious harm to the child’s emotional development. May involve making a child feel that they are worthless, unloved or inadequate and cause children to feel frightened, in danger, be exploited or corrupted.

• Sexual abuse is forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether or not they are aware of what is happening. It may involve physical contact, penetrative or non-penetrative acts. It may also  include involving children in watching pornographic material or watching sexual acts. Sexual abuse can be perpetrated by men or women and by other young people.

• Neglect is the persistent failure of a parent or carer to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, which is likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development.

 

How can you recognise if abuse is taking place?

Recognising child abuse in not easy. It is not the responsibility of Space to Dream gallery staff and volunteers to decide whether or not child abuse has taken place or if a child is at significant risk; that is a task for professional child protection agencies. However, it is our responsibility to act if there is a concern. Everyone has a responsibility to report suspected or alleged child abuse.

 

Safeguarding goes beyond preventing physical abuse, and includes protecting people from harm generally, including neglect, emotional abuse, exploitation, radicalisation and consequences of the misuse of personal data. 

 

Anyone working for Space to Dream gallery may become aware of child abuse in a member of ways, including the following. 

 

• A child may disclose that they are being abused at home or elsewhere including by someone within the organisation.

• Someone else might report that a child has told them, or that they strongly believe, that a child has been or is being abused.

• A child might show some signs of physical injury for which there appears to be no satisfactory explanation.

• A child’s behaviour may indicate that it is likely that they are being abused.

• Something in the behaviour of one of the workers or a young person, or in the way the worker or young person relates to a child, alerts them or makes them feel uncomfortable in some way.

• One child may be observed abusing another.

 

Responding to signs or suspicions of abuse

Any member of Space to Dream gallery who is made aware of actual or possible child abuse should report and discuss their concerns as soon as possible to Space to Dream gallery’s Child Protection Officer, Morgane Brieussel.

Any incidents, disclosures or observations will be recorded by filling in the Child Protection Report Form.

 

Responding to allegations of abuse against a member of Space to Dream gallery staff or volunteer

These will be reported as soon as possible to Morgane Brieussel and as above any incidents, disclosures or observations should be recorded by filling in the Child Protection Report Form. If the allegation is against Morgane Brieussel, then social services will be contacted.

 

 

Responding to allegations of abuse against someone not working in the organisation

This may be a parent, carer, service user, another child or anyone else. As above any incidents, disclosures or observations should be reported as soon as possible to Morgane Brieussel and recorded by filling in the Child Protection Report Form.

 

Guidance on responding to a child disclosing abuse

• Stay calm.

• Listen carefully to what is said.

• Do not promise to keep secrets; find an appropriate early opportunity to explain that is likely that the information will need to be shared with others.

• Allow the child to continue at their own pace.

• Only ask questions for clarification purposes – at all times avoid asking questions that suggest a particular answer.

• Reassure the child that they have done the right thing in telling you.

• Tell them what you will do next and with whom the information will be shared.

• Record in writing what was said using the child’s own words as soon as possible;  note date, time and names mentioned and to whom the information was given and ensure that the record is signed and dated.

 

Confidentiality 

The legal principle that the welfare of the child is paramount means that the considerations of confidentiality which might apply to other situations at Space to Dream Gallery should not be allowed to override the right of the children to be protected from harm. However, every effort will be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned when an allegation has been made and is being investigated.

 

If something goes wrong within Space to Dream Gallery, the Directors of Space to Dream Gallery are accountable and responsible for putting things right