our child safeguarding policy

This policy applies to all staff, students on placement, volunteers and sessional workers and anyone else working on behalf of The Elijah Centre.
Purpose and aim of the policy

• To protect children and young people who receive services from the centre.
• To provide staff and volunteers with the overarching principles that guide our approach to safeguarding and child protection.

The Elijah Centre believes that young people should never experience abuse of any kind. We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people and to keep them safe. We are committed to practice in a way that protects them.
The Elijah Centre will work with children, parents, external agencies and the community to ensure the welfare and safety of children and to give them the very best start in life. Children have the right to be treated with respect and to be safe from any abuse in whatever form.
Legal framework
This policy has been drawn up on the basis of law and guidance that seeks to protect children, namely:

• Children Act 1989 and 2004
• United Convention of the Rights of the Child 1991
• Data Protection Act 1998
• Human Rights Act 1998
• Sexual Offences Act 2003
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
• Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
• Children and Families Act 2014
• Special education needs and disability (SEND) code of practice

Safeguarding is a much wider subject than the elements covered within this single child protection policy, therefore this document should be used in conjunction with our Care Charter, other policies and procedures.
We recognise that:

• The welfare of the child is paramount, as enshrined in the Children Act 1989: all children regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion/belief or sexual orientation.
• 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.​
• Valuing them, listening to and respecting them.
• Appointing at least one Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) for children and young people.
• Developing and implementing effective, IT and social media policy as well as guidelines (among other policy and procedures aimed at promoting a safe environment, see Care Charter).
• Providing effective management for staff, students on placement, volunteers etc. through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures.
• Recruiting staff and volunteers via leaflets, posters and one to one discussions.
• 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 take 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.

We support the children within our care, protect them from maltreatment and have robust procedures in place to prevent the impairment of children’s health and development.
To promote the children’s welfare, we will:

• Create an environment to encourage children to develop a positive self-image.
• Encourage children to develop a sense of independence and autonomy in a way that is appropriate to their age and stage of development.
• Provide a safe and secure environment for all children.
• Always listen to children.
• Share information with other agencies as appropriate.

The Elijah Centre has a clear commitment to protecting children and promoting welfare. Should anyone believe that this policy is not being upheld, it is their duty to report the matter to the attention of Dr Deborah Elijah, Nivin Jaber or any other relevant member of staff at the earliest opportunity.
Practitioners have a duty to protect and promote the welfare of children. Due to the many hours of care we are providing, staff will often be the first people to sense that there is a problem. They may well be the first people in whom children confide about abuse. The centre has a duty to be aware that abuse does occur in our community. 
This statement lays out the procedures that will be followed if we have any reason to believe that a child in our care is subject to welfare issues including physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect.
Our prime responsibility is the welfare and well-being of all children in our care. As such we believe we have a duty to the children, parents and staff to act quickly and responsibly in any instance that may come to our attention. All staff will work as part of a multi-agency team where needed in the best interests of the child.