• Ensure that all workers understand their legal and moral obligations to protect children and young people from harm, abuse and exploitation.
• Develop best practice in relation to the recruitment of all workers.
• Ensure that all workers understand their responsibility to work to the standards and procedures detailed in the ssf Code of Conduct and the Child Protection Procedures.
• Ensure that all workers understand their obligations to report care or protection concerns about a child or young person, or a worker’s conduct towards a child or young person, to the relevant person as outlined in the ssf Child Protection Procedures.
• Ensure that all ssf procedures relating to the conduct of workers are implemented in a consistent and equitable manner.
• Provide opportunities for all workers to develop their skills and knowledge particularly in relation to the care and protection of children and young people.
• Ensure that children and young people are enabled to express their ideas and views on a wide range of issues.
• Ensure that the ssf Complaints Procedure is available from all user groups or by contacting the Project Office.  Address: 106 Church Street, Inverness IV1 1ZU. Telephone: 01463 712669. E-mail:  info@ssf-project.org.uk
• Ensure that parents and carers are encouraged to be involved in the work of ssf and, when requested, have access to all ssf guidelines and procedures.
• Endeavour to keep up-to-date with national developments relating to the care and protection of children and young people.

Section 1: Introduction

The purpose of these procedures is to ensure that all concerns about the care and protection of children are effectively managed.

All persons involved in the Safe Strong and Free Project (ssf) are required to implement the procedures. This includes all workers, whether paid or voluntary, directors and advisors. All those involved in ssf have a duty to do what is reasonable to safeguard children’s health, development and welfare. All those involved in ssf are committed to children’s rights, especially the right to be protected from harm, abuse and exploitation.

Any reference to staff in this policy includes volunteers

Selection:

• All applicants to ssf will complete an application form. This will go on file as a personal profile if their application is successful.
• All applicants will complete a Self-Declaration Form when they apply for a post requiring a PVG Scheme membership.
• All applicants will provide the names of three referees who will be prepared to give them a reference.
• The referees named by successful applicants will be contacted. Any employment offer will be dependent on satisfactory references. These will be followed up with a phone call or personal contact and discussion will take place with the referees on the applicants suitability to work with children.
• All short listed applicants will be interviewed.
• All successful applicants appointed to 'childcare' positions [as defined in schedule 2 of the Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003] will be required to become a protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme member. If the person is an existing PVG Scheme member they will be required to complete an "Existing PVG Scheme Member Application" so that we can have their Scheme membership verified by Disclosure Scotland.
• All workers will have a probationary period of at least 3 months. The probationary period will be extended until all elements of induction have been completed.

An individual who is appointed and at a later date is found to be named on the ‘Disqualified from Working with Children List’ (other than provisionally) will be removed from a position which involves contact with children. An individual is referred to the ‘Disqualified from Working with Children List’ where the grounds for referral under the Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003 are met.

Training:- The successful applicant will recieve induction training, which will give an overview of ssf and ensure they know its purpose, values, services and structure. Regular training and support will be provided on an ongoing basis and will cover information about their role and opportunities for practicing skills needed for work. Training on specific areas such as health and safety procedures, identifying and responding to abuse, and confidentiality will be given as a priority to new staff and will be regularly reviewed.

Supervision:- All staff will have a line manager who will provide regular feedback and support. All staff will attend an Annual Appraisal where their performance, skills, morivation and expectations will be discussed. A record of the meeting will be kept and signed by the line manager and staff member. One copy will be kept in the staff member's personnel file and the other will be given to the member of staff.

Notes:- It is an offence for an individual who is "barred" to undertake the type of work from which they are "barred". It is an offence for an organisation to offer regulated work to someone who is "barred" or fail to remove a person from regulated work if the organisation is notified that the person is "barred". It is an offence for an organisation not to refer an individual to Disclosure Scotland where the grounds for a referral have been met.

Section 3: Types of harm

The following definitions may be useful but it should be noted that children's experiences of harm are complex and may have elements from several categories.

Physical injury:- Actual or attempted physical injury to a child, under the age of 16 years, including administration of toxic substances, where there is knowledge, or reasonable suspicion, that the injury was inflicted, or knowingly not prevented.

Sexual abuse:- Any child below the age of 16 may be deemed to have been sexually abused when any person/s, by design or neglect, exploits a child, directly or indirectly, in any activity intended to lead to the sexual arousal or other forms of gratification of that person or any other person/s including organised networks. This definition holds whether or not there has been genital contact and whether or not the child is said to have initiated the behaviour.

Emotional abuse:- Failure to provide for the child’s basic emotional needs such as to have a severe effect  on the behaviour and development of the child.

Physical neglect:- This occurs when a child’s essential needs are not met and this is likely to cause impairment to physical health and development. Such needs include food, clothing, cleanliness, shelter and warmth. A lack of appropriate care results in persistent or severe exposure, through negligence, to circumstances which endanger the child. Physical neglect may include a failure to secure appropriate medical treatment for the child, or when an adult carer persistently pursues, or allows the child to follow, a lifestyle inappropriate to the child's developmental needs or which jeapardises the child's health. This category covers children who are left on their own for long periods and do not receive enough stimulation or suffer sensory deprivation, especially in infancy. They may not experience enough nurturing, nor have many caregivers.

Non-organic failure to thrive:- Children who significantly fail to reach normal growth and development milestones (i.e. physical growth, weight, motor, social and intellectual development), where physical and genetic reasons have been medically eliminated and diagnosis of non-organic failure to thrive has been established.

• Inform the Project Worker if they have concerns for the safety or well-being of a child in the course of their work with ssf.
• If they do not feel the Project Worker treated their concerns appropriately they should pass on the concerns to the Project Co-ordinator.

• Complete a ssf ‘Record of Concern / Incident Report’.
• Give a copy of the ssf ‘Record of Concern / Incident Report’ to the Designated Person with responsibility for child protection in the school or the Designated Senior Staff Member with responsibility for child protection (DSSM) in the playgroup or day-care centre.
• Retain a copy of the ssf ‘Record of Concern / Incident Report’ and send it in a double envelope to the Project Co-ordinator on the day of the concern / incident.
• Contact the Project Co-ordinator by phone on the day of the concern / incident to give a verbal report.

• Advise the ssf Board Chairman that there has been an incident but will not give details.
• Store the ssf ‘Record of Concern / Incident Report’ securely in the Project Office.
• Have contact with the Designated Person for Child Protection in the school or the Designated Senior Staff Person in the playgroup or day care centre where the concern / incident arose within 7 days to ascertain what action was taken.
• Shred the ‘Record of Concern/Incident Report’ when the issue has been resolved satisfactorily.

• A child alleges that they have been harmed by a worker.
• A parent or carer or other individual from out-with ssf alleges that their child, or another child has been harmed by a worker.
• Other workers may have witnessed or have concerns about a worker’s behaviour towards a child.

• ssf respects the rights of children to confidentiality unless workers consider that a child or children may be at risk of abuse or harm.
• ssf will store confidential information securely at the Project Office and manage confidential information responsibly.
• Confidential information will only be kept for as long as is absolutely necessary and will be disposed of by shredding.
• Confidential records about a child or children will not be kept electronically by ssf.

The Child Protection Procedures and Policy Statement, and other care and protection policies, procedures and guidelines will be reviewed annually or according to need to take account of new legislation or recommendations, whichever comes first. It is the responsibility of the Advisors to indicate when it is necessary to review the policy and procedures out-with the annual cycle.

Complaints:

Click here to download a copy of our Complaints Procedures