Safeguarding Policy​​

1. Introduction
This policy sets out the 3D Families approach to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. It applies to all aspects of our work and to everyone working within the organisation, including permanent and temporary employees, contractors and self-employed.

This document does not form part of a contract of employment and may be changed from time to time in line with current best practice and statutory requirements, and to ensure business needs are met. Staff will be consulted and advised of any changes as far in advance as possible of the change being made, unless the change is required by law.

2. Policy Aims
● To put children and vulnerable persons first
● To ensure, support and maintain independence
● To ensure accountability and transparency at all times

3. Responsibilities
Everyone working for the organisation has a responsibility to familiarise themselves with this safeguarding policy and the procedures that go with it. Staff must maintain a proper focus on the safety and welfare of children and vulnerable adults in all aspects of their work.

Staff inform their manager if they or any adult living in their household become(s) the subject of an allegation involving a safeguarding concern or abuse against a child or vulnerable adult.

If any member of staff is in doubt whether the situation or allegation is relevant they should:

● Refer to the definitions of safeguarding and protection of vulnerable adults
● Seek advice from their manager

Any allegations of misconduct towards children and/or vulnerable adults by any member of staff will be fully investigated with consideration of up to and including gross misconduct dismissal.

4. Definitions
Safeguarding children is defined as:
● Protecting children from maltreatment
● Preventing impairment of children’s health or development
● Ensuring children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
● Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes
Safeguarding vulnerable adults is defined as:
● Protecting the rights of adults to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect
● People and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect
● People and organisations ensuring adult’s wellbeing is promoted including, where appropriate, taking fully into account their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding on any action
● Recognising adults sometimes have complex interpersonal relationships and may be ambivalent, unclear or unrealistic about their personal circumstances and therefore potential risks to their safety or wellbeing

5. Recruitment
The organisation will carry out safe recruitment checks on everyone successfully recruited. All roles require a Disclosure Scotland check and references before the individual joins the organisation. Some staff may be subject to an enhanced disclosure check and a check of social media if their role may bring them into regular contact with children and vulnerable adults.

Candidates interviewed for a post, either internally or from outside the organisation, will need to show an understanding of safeguarding which is relevant to the role they are applying for.

6. Safeguarding Training
The organisation is committed to ensuring all staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and keeps their knowledge up to date. All staff must complete safeguarding training which will be arranged by the organisation. There will also be regular refresher training on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, including on specific areas of risk and safeguarding practice.

7. Acting on Safeguarding Concerns
If any member of staff has any concerns about children or vulnerable adults, they must inform their line manager or another manager immediately and the Child Protection Lead.
If concerned a child or vulnerable adult is at risk of being abused or neglected, they should not ignore their suspicions and should not assume someone else will take action.

Concerns about children should be referred to the children’s social care department of the local authority where the child lives. Concerns about vulnerable adults should be referred to local authority adult services.

8. Data Protection Act 2018
The organisation will treat all personal data in line with obligations under the current data protection regulations.

Child Protection Policy

1. Introduction
All children and young people are entitled to an enjoyable and safe environment. 3D Families has a moral and legal obligation to ensure when given responsibility for children and young people, we will provide the highest possible standard of care.

3D Families fully accepts its legal and moral obligation to provide a duty of care to protect all children and young people. It is the policy of 3D Families to ensure all participants in all our training courses and all other organisational activities are safeguarded from physical, sexual and emotional harm whilst taking part in the these activities.

This document does not form part of a contract of employment and may be changed from time to time in line with current best practice and statutory requirements.

Staff will be advised of any changes as far in advance as possible of the change being made, unless the change is required by law.

2. Policy Aims
• The aim of the policy is to promote good practice, providing children and young people with appropriate safety/protection whilst in the care of the organisation and to allow staff and volunteers to make informed and confident responses to specific child protection issues. A child is defined as a person under the age of 18 (Children’s Act 2004).
• The organisation will provide a safe, comfortable environment where all participants’ welfare will be safeguarded at all times.

3. Legal and Procedural Framework
The practices and procedures within this policy are based on principles contained within UK and International legislation and Government guidance.
• The Children Act 2004
• The Protection of Children Act 1999
• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Human Rights Act (1998)
• Data Protection Act (2018)
• Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups 2006
• National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland Updated 2023
• PVG scheme

4. Protection of Vulnerable Groups
All those acting on behalf of 3D Families who work with children will be recruited with regard to their suitability for this responsibility and will be provided with guidance and training in good practice and child protection procedures.

In order to achieve these safeguards, 3D Families requires all staff and volunteers working with children and young people undergo Disclosure Scotland PVG scheme registration. All
staff must complete Child Protection training, and designated persons should complete Child Protection Lead Officer training. Training should be repeated every 2 years.

5. The Welfare of the Child is Paramount
• All children regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion/belief, sex or sexual orientation should be able to participate in activities in a safe environment.
• All reasonable steps will be taken to protect children from harm, discrimination and degrading treatment and to respect their rights, wishes and feelings.
• All suspicions and allegations of poor practice or abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.

6. Code of Good Practice
To provide children with the best possible experience and opportunities everyone must operate within an accepted ethical framework.

As an adult working with children and/or young people with 3D Families, staff and volunteers will
• Treat children and young people with dignity and respect at all times.
• Provide a good example of acceptable behaviour.
• Ensure that where parents won’t be present, all sessions will be facilitated and supervised by at least one member of staff and at least one other staff member and/or volunteer.
• Respect everyone’s right to personal privacy.
• Be available to listen to the concerns of young participants and refer them to other sources of support where appropriate
• Do their best to avoid actions or comments which might lead to misunderstanding or cause offence.
• Encourage young participants to point out attitudes and behaviour they are not comfortable with.
• Show understanding when dealing with sensitive issues.
• Be aware even caring physical contact with a children or young person may be misinterpreted.

As an adult working with children and/or young people with the organisation, staff and volunteers will not:
• Permit abusive behaviour such as bullying, taunting, racist behaviour, harassment or otherwise.
• Have inappropriate physical or verbal contact with children or young people.
• Have any contact or accept friend requests on social networking sites from children or young people associated with the organisation.
• Jump to conclusions without getting a clear picture.
• Allow themselves to be drawn into inappropriate attention – such as crushes or tantrums.
• Show favouritism to any individual.
• Exaggerate or trivialise any child abuse issues.
• Make suggestive remarks or actions, even in jest.
• Deliberately place themselves or others in a potentially compromising situation.

7. Defining Child Abuse
Defining child abuse is difficult and complex. A person may abuse a child by inflicting harm or by failing to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family, institution or community setting, by those known and trusted to them or by a stranger. Child abuse is any form of
physical, emotional or sexual mistreatment or lack of care which leads to injury or harm. Abuse can happen to a child regardless of their age, gender, race or ability.

There are four categories of abuse in general use:
• Physical injury: may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child.
• 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.
• Emotional abuse: persistent or emotional ill treatment of a child which adversely affects their development.
• Sexual abuse: involves forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening.

8. Procedure
If there is any reason to suspect a child or young person is being abused:
• If a child is in immediate danger call the police on 999 immediately.
• Inform the Child Protection Lead Officer immediately.
• Make a detailed written record of information shared with you and give a copy to the Child Protection Lead Officer.

If a child or young person tells you about abuse by someone else:
• Remain calm, do not act shocked, try to act in a reasonable manner.
• Allow the individual to speak freely without interruption, do not question them or attempt to investigate yourself.
• Offer support and reassurance; assure them you believe what they are saying.
• Explain you cannot keep it a secret and must will speak to appropriate persons.
• Make a written record of information shared with you (as above) and give a copy to the Child protection Lead Officer.

If you become aware of an allegation of abuse about any other member of staff or yourself:
• Any concern of this nature should be reported to the Child Protection Lead Officer immediately. Volunteers should report any concerns to the Volunteer Co-ordinator or the session staff leader who should then report to the Child Protection Lead Officer. If the Child Protection Lead Officer is unavailable or the allegation involves the named Child Protection Lead Officer, the delegated Board Member, should be immediately contacted. It is the responsibility of the Child Protection Lead Officer or the delegated Board member to then contact the child protection agency as appropriate (i.e. local area police and/or social work). If the Child Protection Lead Officer and the delegated Board Member are unobtainable and the concern is of an urgent nature, the volunteer or staff member should contact the Social Work Services Children And Families directly.
• Make a written record of information shared with you and give a copy to Child protection Lead Officer.

The NSPCC Child Protection Helpline (0808 800 5000) can also be contacted in situations where some external advice or guidance is needed.

If a child discloses information to a staff member or volunteer they should –
- listen – and keep on listening
- don’t ask questions
- don’t promise confidentiality
- accept what they hear without passing judgement
- tell the child what they are going to do
- make careful notes (the circumstances, what the child said, what you said etc) as soon as possible. Include dates and times of incident/recording and keep safely
- contact the person responsible for child protection concerns or in their absence take action themselves.
- don’t talk to others
- report any concern immediately to the appropriate line manager as detailed above
3D Families must never attempt to investigate any child protection concern.

It is not appropriate to discuss child protection concerns with a child/young person’s parent/carer when sexual abuse is suspected or in the case of deliberate injury or if the child’s safety is at risk or the child is afraid to return home. 3D Families should seek advice on the involvement of parent/carers from the child protection agencies when they report a child protection concern to them.

9. Use of Social Networking & Child Protection
The organisation acknowledges the impact and involvement of social networking sites have on the lives of young people and the way they interact. There is significant potential for these tools to be used by youth workers to enhance communication.
The organisation also acknowledges the dangers and potential risks which these sites can pose to both young people and youth workers and have the potential to be abused as ways of interacting with young people. All staff using social networking as part of work with young people must abide by the following guidelines to safeguard both workers and young people involved.

Guidelines for Using Social Networking with Young People
Do not use any personal social media accounts to communicate with young people and do not accept any requests by them to do so. Only authorised accounts created by the organisation may be used for this purpose.

All social networking sites have the potential to allow staff to communicate with young people on a 1:1 basis however, communication using a social networking site must remain in the public forum to safeguard both young people and staff.

In all communication with young people using social networking sites, it is advisable to not use abbreviations (for example: lol) as these can often be misinterpreted by parents. The use of instant chat on Facebook is inadvisable as it provides no log of conversations and could potentially leave staff open to allegations. If a public wall post is not appropriate for responding to a young person then staff should arrange a public 1:1 meeting, and take notes or seek further advice from the Child Protection advocate depending on the level of information a young person has disclosed using a social networking site.

Communication via email should be encouraged for good practice, ease of recording and supporting the development of communication skills for work.

Guidance for staff with mobile phones –
• Only use the organisation office or mobile numbers for communicating with young people.
• Do not give out personal mobile numbers.
• Keep log of all text messages, WhatsApp, messenger etc.

10. Data Protection Act 2018
The organisation will treat all personal data in line with obligations under the current data protection regulations.