OUR POLICY FOR SAFEGUARDING AND PROTECTING YOUNG PEOPLE AND VULNERABLE ADULTS
Who is this for?
This policy applies to all staff, including the advisory board, paid staff, volunteers and sessional workers, agency staff, ambassadors or anyone working or volunteering on behalf of Regeneration Brainery.
The purpose and scope of this policy:
To protect children, young people and vulnerable adults who receive services from Regeneration Brainery.
To provide staff, volunteers and our brainees and ambassadors with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child, young person and vulnerable adult protection.
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 and exercise our mission in a way that protects them.
We recognise that:
• The welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take.
• Working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.
• All children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have 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.
• Extra safeguards may be needed to keep children who are additionally vulnerable safe from abuse.
We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:
• Valuing, listening to and respecting them.
• Adopting child protection and safeguarding best practices through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers.
• Developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related procedures.
• Providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures so that all staff and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures and behaviour codes confidently and competently.
• Recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made.
• Recording, storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance [more information about this is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office].
• Making sure that children, young people and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern or complaint.
• 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.
• Building a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.
Promoting good practice:
Regeneration Brainery acknowledges that good practice is essential when working with young people. To provide children, young people and vulnerable adults with the best possible experience and opportunities all our staff must operate within an accepted ethical framework. Below is a list showing what is meant by good practice and poor practice, so that workers and
volunteers can identify whether poor practice and possible abuse may be taking place.
We will promote good practice by:
All people at Regeneration Brainery should adhere to the following actions:
• Always be publicly open when working with children, young people or vulnerable adults.
• Avoid any unobserved situations and encourage open communication.
• Treat all children, young people and vulnerable adults equally and with respect and dignity.
• Promote fairness and confront and deal with bullying
• Always put the welfare of the child, young person or vulnerable adult first.
• Respect the personal space of the child, young person or vulnerable adult; avoid any situation that could appear to encourage an intimate relationship.
• Avoid unnecessary physical contact with young people. Where any physical support is compulsory, it should only be provided with the consent of the child, young person or vulnerable adult and done openly involve parents or guardians wherever possible.
• Parental consent to be obtained if workers are required to transport children or young people who are a legal minor.
• Carer consent to be obtained if workers are required to transport vulnerable adults.
• Request written parental/carer consent for any significant travel arrangements e.g. overnight stays.
• Be a good role model, this includes not smoking or drinking alcohol in the company of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
• Always operate from a premise of constructive feedback.
• Recognising the developmental needs and capacity of children, young people and vulnerable adults and in so doing ensuring the person’s well-being is not put at risk to gain other success.
• Ensures any injury is recorded along with details of any treatment given.
• Ensure that in emergencies treatment of the young people is carried out by first ‘aid at work’ practice.
• To ensure that the correct ratio of adults to children, young people or vulnerable adults is always maintained – for the protection and welfare of the young people and the adults involved.
• To dress in appropriate clothing for the activity and not wear or carry anything that could bring injury to oneself or participants.
Poor practice:
These actions are regarded as poor practice.
• Unnecessarily spending excessive amounts of time alone with a child, young person or vulnerable adult away from others.
• Reducing a child, young person or vulnerable adult to tears as a form of control.
• Doing things of a personal nature that the child, young person or vulnerable adult can do for themselves.
• Engaging in rough, highly physical or sexual activity.
• Making inappropriate comments to a child, young person or vulnerable adult.
• Taking children, young people or vulnerable adults alone in a car on journeys.
• Sharing a room with a child, young person or vulnerable adult.
• Taking a child, young person or vulnerable adult anywhere where they will be alone with you.
• Engaging in improper touching of any form.
• Allowing children, young people or vulnerable adults to openly use threatening language.
• Allowing allegations made by a young person to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon.
Defining abuse:
It is not always easy to recognise where abuse has occurred, however, all those working and volunteering within Regeneration Brainery have a duty to be watchful and respond appropriately to suspicions of poor practice, abuse or bullying. This does not mean that it is our worker’s or volunteer’s responsibility to decide as to whether the situation is poor practice, but it does mean that it is our worker’s or volunteer’s duty to report absolutely any concerns.
Abuse has many forms, but essentially it is a term that describes the way in which a child, young person or vulnerable adult can be harmed by individuals or groups. This does not necessarily exclude those that the individual may know well.
Abuse tends to be categorised into four main forms; physical, emotional, sexual or neglect that leads to injury or harm. It is most common within a relationship of trust or responsibility, where an abuse of power or breach of trust occurs. Abuse in all its forms can affect any child, young person or vulnerable adult. It is so critical that any abuse is prevented as the effects can be so destructive that if not prevented, they may follow the individual into later life.
Physical abuse:
Defined as when individuals deliberately inflict injuries on a person or knowingly do not prevent such injuries. It includes harm caused by hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, biting, scalding, suffocating, drowning or using excessive force. Giving a child, young person or vulnerable adult alcohol or inappropriate drugs would also constitute abuse, along with the failure to supervise their access to these substances.
No abuse of any kind will be tolerated.
Emotional abuse:
Emotional abuse can be described as repetitive emotional ill-treatment of a person, which is likely to cause harsh and permanent unfavourable effects on their emotional development. Examples can be telling a child, young person or vulnerable adult that they are a waste of time, making them feel insignificant and unwelcome or calling them names and bullying them.
Activities can easily fall foul of creating such effects as described above via overzealous e.g. criticising a child, young person or vulnerable adult and expecting too much of them. As a result, it may cause anxiety which in turn can result in the loss of self-confidence.
Sexual abuse:
This can occur when a person, uses another person to meet their own sexual needs or gratification. This includes any sexual contact, showing a child, young person or vulnerable adult pornography or talking to them in a sexually overt manner. This can also occur if there is any inappropriate physical contact with a child, young person or vulnerable adult.
Neglect:
Neglect occurs when adults fail to meet a child, young person or vulnerable adult’s physical or mental needs, which then in turn results in serious harm to their growth or health. An example of neglect would be failing to provide a person’s basic needs such as food, water, shelter, protection, medical care, etc. This could also be exposing a child, young person or vulnerable adult to unbearable heat or cold.
The definitions above are a guide. Regeneration Brainery will deal with the above issues in depth within its staff training.
Signs of abuse – action:
As mentioned previously it is not always easy to recognise a situation where abuse may occur or has already taken place. Most people are not experts in such detection however it is important to remember that it is not the responsibility of those working in Regeneration Brainery to decide that abuse is occurring. It is their responsibility to act on any concerns. Some of the signs that abuse is occurring, which should be looked out for, may include one or more of the following:
• Another person expresses concern about the welfare of a child, young person or vulnerable adult.
• Difficulty in making friends.
• Unexplained changes in a child, young person or vulnerable adult’s behaviour e.g. bad tempered, upset, quiet, reserved, clingy, tearful and reluctance.
• Unexplained or suspicious injuries.
• An injury for which an explanation seems inconsistent.
• Mistrust of others, particularly those with whom a close relationship.
• The person describes or discloses what appears to be an abusive act involving them.
• Inappropriate sexual awareness.
• Engaging in sexually explicit behaviour.
• Being prevented from socialising with others.
• Displaying variations in eating patterns including overeating or loss of appetite.
• Losing weight for no apparent reason.
• Becoming increasingly dirty or unkempt.
• Sudden increases in unexplained money.
• A shortage of money or frequent loss of belongings.
There are many ways in which we may become aware of the possible occurrence of abuse, mainly through some of the ways listed above, or even witnessing it occur. In some cases, it may be reported to us, or we may be directly informed by the person affected.
How to respond to any suspicions:
It is important to remember that no matter how you have been made aware, it is not the responsibility of any of the Regeneration Brainery workers or volunteers to make the decision as to whether a child, young person or vulnerable adult is actually being abused, it is simply your responsibility to act on any concerns by contacting the appropriate authorities so that the correct and necessary action can be taken to protect them.
If you believe a disclosure is about to be made, or a child, young person or vulnerable adult is in the process of disclosing, you must tell them that you will have to talk to other people. Never tell them that you will keep it a secret. Tell the child, young person or vulnerable adult that you must talk to other people who can help. Be open and honest. Tell them who you will have to speak to and why.
If a child, young person or vulnerable adult directly informs you then you must respond in a caring calm manner. Support them and listen carefully to show that you are taking them seriously, avoid questioning them, to avoid it being argued that they have been led during questioning.
The main priority is the safety of the individual. If any medical attention is needed, you must call an ambulance immediately. Ensure that the child, young person or vulnerable adult knows that you will need to tell other people to stop the abuse from continuing.
Make certain that you record all information straight away and report the incident as soon as possible to Regeneration Brainery’s CEO. The information recorded should be very thorough and should be made at the time of the concern, detailing all the facts and not including your own opinions. The record should include the following:
• Child, young person or vulnerable adult’s details e.g. name, age, address, phone number, etc.
• The nature of the allegation, including the dates, times, etc.
• A description of the signs, for example, any visible injuries or indirect signs
• Details of the witnesses.
• An account of what the child, young person or vulnerable adult has said.
• Who the alleged abuser is if known.
• Who was consulted? give details.
Regeneration Brainery expects its members to talk about any concerns they may have about the welfare of a child, young person or vulnerable adult immediately with the CEO. If this person is not available, then you should seek advice from one of the other staff members of Regeneration Brainery.
If there is any doubt, you must report the incident, as it may be just one of a series of other incidents which together cause concern.
Confidentiality:
Every effort should be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for everyone that is concerned with any allegations. Information should be handled on a need-to-know basis only.
All information should be stored in a secure place with limited access to designated people, in line with data protection laws.
The legal framework
Regeneration Brainery’s safeguarding policy and procedures are based on legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children and young people in the United Kingdom. Below is an overview of relevant legislation and guidance. We all have a legal and moral obligation and responsibility to contribute to making Regeneration Brainery a safe and friendly place to be.
Our policies and procedures consider the following:
• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023
• Children Act 1989 & 2004
• Children and Social Work Act 2017
• Education Act 2002
• Education and Skills Act 2008
• Childcare Act 2006
• Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishing of Offenders Act 2012
• Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011
• Crime and Disorder Act 1998
• Housing Act 1996
• Homelessness Reduction Act 2017
• Domestic Abuse Act 2021
• Data Protection Act 2018 and UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
• Keeping Children Safe in Education: This statutory guidance outlines the legal duties of schools and colleges to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
• Working Together to Safeguard Children: This guidance sets out how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Safeguarding Team Contacts:
All concerns to be sent in strict confidence to:
• Regeneration Brainery Designated Safeguarding Lead:
CEO: Michele Steel
email: ms@regenerationbrainery.co.uk Tel: 07884 202 948
• Regeneration Brainery Designated Safeguarding Deputies:
North Operations Director: Laura Stott
email: ls@regenerationbrainery.co.uk Tel: 07796 951 388
South and Midlands Operations Director: Joanne Dennis-Jones
email: jdj@regenerationbrainery.co.uk Tel: 07353 960893
• NSPCC Report Abuse – 0808 800 5000
We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually.
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Last updated: December 2025