Safeguarding Policy

CHILD PROTECTION AND SAFEGUARDING POLICY

The purpose of this policy is:

to protect children and young people who receive Barkingside Art Club’ services.

to provide parents, staff and volunteers with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.

This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of Barkingside Art Club, including owners, paid staff, volunteers, and students.

Legal framework

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England. A summary of the key legislation is available from nspcc.org.uk/learning.

We believe that:

children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind

we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them.

We recognise that:

the welfare of the child is paramount

all children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have a right to equal 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.

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

valuing, listening to and respecting them

appointing a Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) for children and young people

adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers

providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures

recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made

recording and storing information professionally and securely

sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children, their families, staff and volunteers

using our safeguarding procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately

using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately

creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying that does arise

ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place

ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance.

Contact details:

Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO)

Name: Eliyah Qureshi (Director and Art Educator of Barkingside Art Club)

Email: admin@barkingsideartclub.com

NSPCC Helpline 0808 800 5000