SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN POLICY OF BEDLINGTON CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Charity Number 1128046 Address Bedlington Christian Fellowship, Vulcan Place Bedlington Northumberland. NE Named Person Responsible for Child Protection Christine Ruddick
As Trustees and congregation of Bedlington Christian Fellowship we aim to help and improve the capacity of children through the activities that are held in the church. This includes Mums and Toddlers, Sunday services, The Matthew Project, Craft Group and Coffee Morning as well as any other activities that take place within the church or outside. When working in this environment we may come across situations that give cause for concern regarding a child’s wellbeing and it will be the responsibility of that person to report their concerns to the named person for Safeguarding Children. This policy outlines the response they are expected to take and the procedures that are needed to keep the child safe from any further form of harm or abuse. This policy covers the four main categories as recognised in dealing with child protection issues, these are
Physical harm
Sexual abuse
Neglect
Emotional abuse
Referrals for safeguarding occur widely across society and isn’t restricted to any particular class, creed, nationality or sexual orientation and during the course of our work we may come into contact with both victims and perpetrators of ill treatment not just as users of services, but also as staff, volunteers and members a of BCF and whenever an allegation is made it must be taken seriously. It is recognised that anyone can ill-treat a child and children cannot always protect themselves from harm or abuse. As they grow and develop they need to learn appropriate strategies for self-protection and this responsibility should always lie with adults. Where concerns are identified appropriate referrals should be made to statuary agencies responsible for the care and protection of children. Parents/carers will be informed of any action that takes place including referral to Children’s Social Services/Police and informed of information to be shared. Any concerns expressed by a child or young person or observed by a member of BCF over their care will be taken seriously and acted upon promptly. Any action taken should, where possible, take into account the wishes and feelings of the child or young person as appropriate to age and understanding. BCF will aim to act in accordance with Government policy relating to the care and protection of children. The named person for safeguarding is Christine Ruddick and in the event of this person not being available, concerns should be addressed to the Trustees. Child Abuse ‘Child abuse consists of anything which individuals, institutions or processes do or fail to do which directly or indirectly harms or damages their prospects of safe and healthy development into adulthood’ Physical Abuse Physical abuse 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. Neglect Neglect is the persistent failure to meet the child’s basic physical and psychological needs, likely to result in serious impairment of the child’s health and development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy due to maternal substance abuse. Once born, neglect may involve a parent or carer not providing adequate feeding, clothing or shelter, failing to protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger, failure to provide adequate supervision, failure to appropriate medical care/treatment s well as failure to neglect their emotional needs. Indicators of Possible Physical Injury or Neglect
Any injuries not consistent with the explanation given
Injuries to areas of the body not normally exposed to falls or rough games.
Injuries that haven’t received medical attention
Under nourishment, failure to grow, always hungry stealing/gorging food,
Children who are kept away from school/groups
Reluctance to change for games/swimming
Bruises, burns, bites, fractures which do not have an accidental explanation
Repeated UTIs tummy pains
Cutes/scratches substance abuse.
Emotional Abuse Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional ill treatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. Conveying to a child that they are worthless, unloved, inadequate, not valued, unrealistic expectations of children i.e not age appropriate. Also includes overprotection and limitation of exploring and learning, prevention of taking part in normal social events.. May include bullying causing them to feel frightened or in danger. Indications of Possible Emotional Abuse
Changes or regression in mood or behaviour, depression aggression extreme anxiety
Nervousness frozen watchfulness
Obsessions or phobias
Under achievement/lack of concentration
Inappropriate relationships with peers/adults
Attention-seeking behaviour
Running away stealing/lying
Sexual Abuse This involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activity including prostitution whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities involve physical contact including penetrative or non-penetrative acts rape, buggery, and oral sex. May involve non-contact activities such as involving children at looking at pornographic material, watch sexual activities encouraging children to act in inappropriate sexual ways. Indicators of Possible Sexual Abuse
Any allegations made by the child concerning sexual abuse
Child with excessive preoccupation of sexual matters and detailed information on adult sexual matters
Sexual activity through play, words, drawing
A child that shows sexual activity towards an adult.
Inappropriate bed sharing at home
Severe sleep disturbances fears, phobias, vivid dreams nightmares
Eating disorders anorexia/bulimia
Children in Need Children in need are defined as being ‘in need’ under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 are those whose vulnerability is such that they are unlikely to reach or maintain a satisfactory level of health and development, or their health and development will be significantly impaired without the provision of services (section 17 (10) of Children Act 1989) plus those who are disabled. Local Authorities have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need. Significant Harm Some children are in need because they are suffering or are at risk of suffering significant harm and local authorities have the right to intervene where there are concerns. It may become apparent through observation or verbal concerns that there is a cause for concern in relation to the wellbeing of a child/children. This may be because of an incident including disclosure or the deterioration of a child’s emotional or physical health or noticing unusual behaviour over a period of time.
All concerns/discussions will be recorded at once, dated and time recorded and who was present
Appropriate referral to CSS and or Police and parents/carers informed
There are times when parents/carers do not agree with the level of concern identified and the referral but this should not deter the referral being made
All discussions should be recorded
All information regarding information of the child and parent/carer is password protected as per the Privacy Policy of BCF or kept in a locked cabinet.
Following the referral, further involvement will be determined by the aims and objectives of the professionals dealing with the case.
In the event of a member of BCF working with children or young people who might act in such a way as to compromise the health and well-being of a child or young person, the person making the observation must report concerns to the Trustees. This would then be investigated in accordance with the rules and regulations of BCF.
Mums and Toddlers BCF’s Mums and Toddler group is for pre-school babies and toddlers and meet on Wednesdays 9.30-11am during term time. It aims to provide a safe secure environment using toys, art materials and music and provides a small snack. The children are accompanied by parents/carers who are responsible for their care and toileting. We aim to help them develop their skills mentally, physically, socially and emotionally The group is run by volunteers who are all DBS checked. References ‘Working together to safeguard children: a guide to interagency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children’ (2010) ‘What To Do if You’re Worried A Child Is Being Abused’ Children Act 1989