Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults Policy

Key Definitions:

“AAHZ volunteers” is defined as all persons who are members of or who are assisting the Alpha Alpha Eta Zeta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated with implementing a Z-HOPE (Zetas Helping Other People Excel) service project. 

“Safeguarding” is defined as proactive measures put in place to ensure that all of the activities of the Alpha Alpha Eta Zeta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated help miminise the risk of harm to all children, young people, and vulnerable adults who we may come in contact with. 

“Child Protection” is defined as a reactive response to an individual child, young person, or vulnerable adult who may be suffering significant harm or has made a disclosure.

“Disclosure” is defined as information given by a child, young person, or vulnerable adult that they are being or have been harmed and/or abused.

Introduction:

The Alpha Alpha Eta Zeta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated believes that it is always unacceptable for a child, young person or vulnerable adult to experience abuse of any kind and we recognise our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children, young people and vulnerable adults that we come into contact with by a commitment to practice which protects them.

We recognise that:

• The welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults is paramount to any work that our chapter does with or for these groups.

• All children, young people, and vulnerable adults regardless of age, ability, gender, race or ethnic origin racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse.

• Working in partnership with children, young people, vulnerable adults, their parents, and their carers is essential in promoting children, young people, and vulnerable adults’ welfare.

• The abuse of children, young people or vulnerable adults can take any of the following forms: physical abuse; emotional abuse; sexual abuse; or neglect. These forms of abuse include organised practices such as forced marriage, trafficking, child sexual exploitation and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

The purpose of this policy is to:

• Protect the children, young people and vulnerable adults who come into contact with AAHZ volunteers

• To guide AAHZ volunteers on procedures they should adopt if they suspect a child, young person or vulnerable adult may be experiencing, or be at risk of, harm.

AAHZ volunteers will seek to safeguard children, young people and vulnerable adults by:

• Valuing them, listening to and respecting them

• Sharing information about child protection and good practice with children, young people, vulnerable adults, and communities

• Sharing information about concerns with the Local Authority (either Children’s Services or Adults Services), involving parents/carers and the person who has made a disclosure as appropriate

• Ensuring that a relevant DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) check has been completed before a volunteer is allowed to participate in service programming involving direct contact with children, young people, or vulnerable adults.

 

Safeguarding Procedures:

The following procedures apply to all AAHZ volunteers who come into contact with children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

They are to be followed if a concern that a child, young person, or vulnerable adult They are to be followed if a concern that a child, young person or vulnerable adult is at risk of significant harm or where disclosure or an allegation of abuse (physical, sexual, emotional or neglect) has been made by a child, young person or vulnerable adult against anyone at any time.

If an AAHZ Volunteer observes any behaviour of a child, young person or vulnerable adult which raises their concern about the safety of that person or another vulnerable person in their environment, the AAHZ volunteer is expected to take action as follows:

• If the child, young person or vulnerable adult seems at immediate risk of significant harm or someone they know is in immediate risk of significant harm - inform the local police and social services immediately

• If this occurs whilst AAHZ volunteers are serving alongside a partner agency, the Designated Safeguarding Lead of this agency in addition to informing the AAHZ Volunteers’ Designated Safeguarding Lead.

• As soon as possible record the incident in writing – by hand or computer and share it with the AAHZ Volunteers’ Designated Safeguarding Lead who will liaise with the relevant professionals and agencies.

• If there is no immediate risk of significant harm, or the disclosure refers to historic harm that is not currently a risk of harm to anybody, record the details of the disclosure or concern in writing – by hand or computer – and inform the relevant Designated Safeguarding Lead/s who will take next steps depending on what the child, young person or vulnerable adult wishes to do; the Designated Safeguarding Lead/s may also consult with the Local Safeguarding Board on next steps.

The following steps are recommended by the AAHZ Volunteers’ Safeguarding Lead in the event of a child, young person or vulnerable adult disclosing to staff working with them:

• Listen, stay calm, do not appear shocked or disgusted

• Accept what the child, young person, or vulnerable adult says without judgement

• Do not ask leading questions because this could interfere with police investigations

• Let the child, young person or vulnerable adult know that you will need to tell someone

• Record what has happened without interpretations; use quotation marks and direct words of the child, young person or vulnerable adult as much as possible.

• Reassure the child, young person, or vulnerable adult but be honest about your responsibility to report and don't make promises about the outcome of your reporting

• Give the child, young person or vulnerable adult as much information & choice as possible

• Stay with the child, young person or vulnerable adult if possible

In the case that the AAHZ Volunteers’ Safeguarding Lead needs to escalate a safeguarding concern and make a referral to the relevant local authority; the AAHZ Volunteers’ Safeguarding Lead is committed to providing the highest level of emotional and practical support to the child/young person or vulnerable adult concerned. This may include escorting them to interviews with the police or meetings with social workers and will be agreed on a case-by-case basis.

​

Recognition of Abuse or Neglect

Abuse or neglect of a child, young person or vulnerable adult is caused by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Abuse may occur in a family or an institutional or community setting: by those known to the victim or more rarely by a stranger.

​

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child, young person or vulnerable adult. Physical harm may also be caused when a person feigns the symptoms of, or deliberately causes ill health to a child, young person or vulnerable adult whom they are looking after. This situation is commonly described using terms such as fabricated illness by proxy or Munchausen Syndrome by proxy.

 

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional ill-treatment of a child, young person or vulnerable adult such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child, young person or vulnerable adult that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only in so far as they meet the needs of another person. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on the child, young person or vulnerable adult. It may involve causing the child, young person or vulnerable adult frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of a child, young person or vulnerable adult. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill-treatment of a child, young person or vulnerable adult though it may occur alone.

 

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child, young person or vulnerable adult to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child, young person or vulnerable adult is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative (eg rape) or non-penetrative acts. This may include non-penetrative acts. They may include non-contact activities, such as involving a child, young person or vulnerable adult in looking at, or in the production of, pornographic material, watching sexual activities or encouraging a child, young person or vulnerable adult to behave sexually inappropriately.

 

Neglect

Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child, young person or vulnerable adult’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the person’s health or development. It may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failing to protect a child, young person or vulnerable adult from physical harm or danger, or the failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child, young person or vulnerable adult’s basic emotional needs. It is good practice to be as open and honest as possible with parents/carers about any concerns. However, you must not discuss your concerns with parents/carers in the following circumstances:

• Where sexual abuse is suspected

• Where organised or multiple abuse is suspected

• Where fictitious illness by proxy (also known as Munchausen Syndrome by proxy) is suspected

• Where contacting parents/carers would place a child, yourself or others at immediate risk.

​

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): Victoria Ellison, QSW

It is the responsibility of the Designated Safeguarding Lead to:

• Coordinate any safeguarding action on behalf of AAHZ Volunteers

• Liaise with external agencies about child protection or safeguarding concerns and referrals, as required

• Offer support and advice to AAHZ volunteers who may have concerns about children, young people

• Ensure there is a cover for the role of the DSL is absent

• Attend & contribute to safeguarding/child protection conferences if invited to

• Ensure that all AAHZ volunteers as well as relevant partner agencies, children, young people, vulnerable adults, and their families can access and understand this safeguarding policy

• Ensuring that a relevant DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) check has been completed before an AAHZ volunteer is allowed to participate in service programming involving direct contact with children, young people, or vulnerable adults.

• Keep accurate, detailed & secure safeguarding concerns and child protection records

Contact details: alphaalphaetazeta@gmail.com