Safeguarding & child protection policy

Introduction and Statement

The Abingdon Bridge recognises its duty of care to safeguard children as detailed under the Children Acts’ 1989 and 2004 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015.

The Abingdon Bridge is fully committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of all children and taking all reasonable steps to promote safe practice and protect children from harm, abuse and neglect.

The Abingdon Bridge acknowledges its duty to act appropriately with regards to any allegations towards anyone working on its behalf, or towards any disclosures or suspicion of abuse.

The Abingdon Bridge believes that:

The welfare of all children and young people is paramount.
All children, regardless of age, ability, gender, racial heritage, religious or spiritual beliefs, sexual orientation and /or identity, have the right to equal protection from harm or abuse.
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, their parents, carers, and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.

Legal Framework

This policy has been developed in accordance with the principles established by the following legislation and guidance:

Children Act 1989
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1991
Children Act 2004
Equality Act 2010
Children and Families Act 2014
Special educational needs and disability (SEND) code of practice: 0 to 25 years
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015
What to do if you are worried a Child is being Abused 2015
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2016
Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board guidelines

This policy applies to all staff, including manager, board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers and sessional workers, students or anyone in a position of trust.

A child is defined as a person under the age of 18 (The Children’s Act 1989).

Organisational Policies and Procedures

This policy should be read alongside the following organisational policies and guidance:

Data Protection
Confidentiality
Code of conduct for staff and volunteers
Guidelines for remote working
Health and safety
Acceptable Behaviour
Equality and Diversity
Volunteering
Whistleblowing
Safer Recruitment

The purpose of this policy is to:

protect children and young people who receive The Abingdon Bridge services.
provide all those in a position of trust with the overarching principles that guide our approach to safeguarding and child protection.

To keep children safe The Abingdon Bridge will:

provide a setting where children feel listened to, safe, secure, valued and respected.
appoint a Designated Safeguarding Lead for children and ensure a clear line of accountability with regards to safeguarding concerns
ensure all those in a position of trust have been provided with up to date and relevant information, training, support and supervision to enable them to fulfil their role and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and child protection.

provide a clear procedure to follow when safeguarding and child protection concerns arise.
ensure effective and appropriate communication between all individuals in a position of trust.

build strong partnerships with other agencies to promote effective and appropriate multi-agency working, information sharing and good practice.

Roles and Responsibilities

All individuals in a position of trust must:

Understand the different types of abuse and recognise the possible risks and indicators.
Understand their responsibility to report any concerns that a child is being, or is at risk of being, abused or neglected. This includes reporting any concern they may have regarding another person’s behaviour towards a child or children.
If appropriate; liaise with other agencies, contribute to safeguarding assessments and attend child protection meetings / core groups / conferences.
Record and store information legally, professionally, and securely in line with organisational policies and procedures.
Undertake the required level of training for their role in line with Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board standards, every 3 years for Generalist and Advanced Safeguarding and every 2 years for Designated Leads.
Understand the line of accountability for reporting safeguarding concerns and be fully aware of the organisation’s safeguarding lead and their role within the organisation.

Name of Designated Safeguarding Lead: Gary Hibbins 07585596302

Name of Deputy Safeguarding Lead: Melanie Richards 07757221538

Name of Trustee Safeguarding lead: Gill Dean 07804245279

All individuals working in a position of trust at The Abingdon Bridge will follow the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board Procedures/Local Authority guidance in all cases of abuse, or suspected abuse (these can be found at www.OSCB.org.uk).

The Management Committee is ultimately accountable for ensuring settings provided by The Abingdon Bridge are safe, including the implementation of effective safeguarding procedures.

This policy is available to all and can be accessed at The Abingdon Bridge (TAB) offices.

Safer Recruitment

Safe recruitment is central to the safeguarding of children and young people. All organisations which employ people to work with children in a position of trust have a duty to safeguard and promote their welfare. This includes ensuring that the organisation adopts safe recruitment and selection procedures which prevent unsuitable persons from gaining access to children.

All potential employees and volunteers will be DBS checked. If the DBS check reveals a past criminal record then the person will be asked to attend another interview to discuss this with the manager and a trustee.

All staff are asked to supply the names of 2 independent referees, previous experience, competencies, and any criminal convictions. All volunteers have to supply a character reference from someone who has known them for more than 4 years.

Protecting Staff from possible allegations

The Management Committee recognises the importance of protecting its staff from possible allegations of abuse and recommends the following guidelines:

Staff should not:

Transport young people in a car/minibus or other vehicle without another adult present.
Take young people to their homes.
Make inappropriate contact with young people, i.e. develop relationships outside the club setting, including via personal social media websites such as Facebook.
Leave young people unattended.
Leave young people in the presence of adults who are not suitably trained.
Leave young people in the presence of adults not known to staff or volunteers.
When using shared buildings, we advise all our clients to arrive and leave on time and arrange any transport required as waiting areas will not be staffed by TAB employees.
Leave young people in the presence of adults who have not had relevant DBS checks.
Show favouritism to young people.

Photography

Since young people may be photographed while participating in events and activities, written permission from parents/guardians will be obtained which will also allow photographic material to be used in the public domain.

Monitoring and Review

This policy will be reviewed annually. All individuals in a position of trust should have access to this policy.

TAB keep an up to date record of the safeguarding training that has been completed by all members of staff and volunteers.

Appendix A - Child Protection and Safeguarding Procedures

Introduction

All professionals have a responsibility to report concerns to Children’s social care under section 11 of the Children Act 2004, if they believe or suspect that the child

Has suffered significant harm;
Is likely to suffer significant harm;
Has a disability, developmental and welfare needs which are likely only to be met through provision of family support services (with agreement of the child’s parent) under the Children Act 1989;
Is a Child in Need whose development would be likely to be impaired without provision of service.

What to do if you are concerned about a child

Supporting children

If a child reports they are suffering or have suffered significant harm through abuse or neglect, or have caused or are causing physical or sexual harm to others, the initial response from all professionals should be to listen carefully to what the child says and to observe the child's behaviour and circumstances to:

Clarify the concerns;
Offer re-assurance about how the child will be kept safe;
Explain what action will be taken and within what timeframe.

The child must not be pressed for information, led or cross-examined or given false assurances of absolute confidentiality, as this could prejudice police investigations, especially in cases of sexual abuse.

If the child can understand the significance and consequences of making a referral to children's social care, they should be asked for their views.

It should be explained to the child that whilst their view will be taken into account, the professional has a responsibility to take whatever action is required to ensure the child's safety and the safety of other children

Confidentiality

Children have a right to confidentiality under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. It's important to respect the wishes of a child or any person who doesn't consent to share confidential information.

If you're not given consent to share information, you may still lawfully go ahead if the child is experiencing, or is at risk of, significant harm.

Child protection concerns, disclosures from children or safeguarding allegations made against a person in a position of trust must not be discussed across the workforce as a whole. This information should be shared solely with Designated Safeguarding Leads, Children’s Social Care and/or the Local Area Designated Officer (LADO) as appropriate.

Personal information which is shared by the child or young person on a 1:1 level, such as sexual orientation or gender identification, should not be disclosed to the workforce as a whole.

If staff and volunteers wish to discuss situations with colleagues to gain a wider perspective, this should be done on an anonymous basis with names and other identifying information relating to the child and their family remaining strictly confidential.

Eight golden rules for information sharing:

Remember that the Data Protection Act 1998 and human rights law are not barriers to justified information sharing but provide a framework to ensure that personal information about living individuals is shared appropriate.
Be open and honest with the individual (and/or their family where appropriate) from the outset about why, what, how and with whom information will, or could be shared, and seek their agreement, unless it is unsafe or inappropriate to do so.
Seek advice from other practitioners if you are in any doubt about sharing the information concerned, without disclosing the identity of the individual where possible.
Share with informed consent where appropriate and, where possible, respect the wishes of those who do not consent to share confidential information. You may still share information without consent if, in your judgement, there is good reason to do so, such as where safety may be at risk. You will need to base your judgement on the facts of the case. When you are sharing or requesting personal information from someone, be certain of the basis upon which you are doing so. Where you have consent, be mindful that an individual might not expect information to be shared.
Consider safety and well-being: Base your information sharing decisions on considerations of the safety and well-being of the individual and others who may be affected by their actions.
Necessary, proportionate, relevant, adequate, accurate, timely and secure: Ensure that the information you share is necessary for the purpose for which you are sharing it, is shared only with those individuals who need to have it, is accurate and up-to-date, is shared in a timely fashion, and is shared securely.
Keep a record of your decision and the reasons for it – whether it is to share information or not. If you decide to share, then record what you have shared, with whom and for what purpose.
The details of the safeguarding concern should be recorded on Views and the client’s record tagged appropriately to highlight this.

Supporting those working with children

The Abingdon Bridge recognises those in a position of trust emotionally “safe”. It is important that all staff supporting children are able to discuss safeguarding concerns with the Designated Safeguarding Lead’ and with their line manager in regular supervision.

Reporting concerns

The referrer should provide information about their concerns and any information they may have gathered prior to referral. They will be asked for the following:

Full names, dates of birth and gender of all child/ren in the household;
Family address and (where relevant) school/nursery attended;
Identity of those with parental responsibility and any other significant adults who may be involved in caring for the child such as grandparents;
Names and date of birth of all household members, if available;
Ethnicity, first language and religion of children and parents;
Any special needs of children or parents;
Any significant/important recent or historical events/incidents;
Cause for concern including details of any allegations, their sources, timing and location;
Child's current location and emotional and physical condition;
Whether the child needs immediate protection;
Details of alleged perpetrator, if relevant;
Referrer's relationship and knowledge of child and parents;
Known involvement of other agencies / professionals (e.g. GP);
Information regarding parental knowledge of, and agreement to, the referral;
The child's views and wishes, if known.

Other information may be relevant, and some information may not be available at the time of making the referral. However, the report should not be delayed, in order to collect information, if the delay may place the child at risk of significant harm.

Parents/carers must be informed about any referral unless to do so would place the child at an increased risk of harm.

To report a new concern

Emergency Medical Attention

If emergency attention is required, then either phone the emergency services or take the young person to the A and E department. If the young person is in immediate danger the police should be contacted as they alone have the power to remove the young person immediately if protection is necessary. The young person’s parents should be informed unless by doing so this would place the young person at an increased risk of harm.

Immediate concerns about a child

The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is the front door to Children’s Social Care for all child protection and immediate safeguarding concerns. If there is an immediate safeguarding concern, for example:

Allegations/concerns that the child has been sexually/physically abused
Concerns that the child is suffering from severe neglect or other severe health risks
Concern that a child is living in or will be returned to a situation that may place him/her at immediate risk
The child is frightened to return home
The child has been abandoned or parent is absent

You should call the MASH immediately Tel: 0333 014 3325 or 0345 050 7666 (The latter number will take you through to Customer Services who will ask a series of questions and triage into MASH where safeguarding concerns are raised).

If you think a child or young person is being sexually exploited contact the Kingfisher Team on 01865 309196. If you think a child is at immediate risk call 999.

The Oxfordshire MASH Referral Form (MASH Enquiry online referral form) may be used by professionals only to refer children to social services. Or you can email a report to MASH on the secure email on: mash-childrens@oxfordshire.gcsx.gov.uk

If you have a concern about a child/family but it is not an immediate safeguarding concern, you should refer to the Threshold of Needs matrix. This tool is designed to support professionals to make decisions as to whether contact should be made with Children's Social Care.

If after consulting the Threshold of Need, you still have concerns that do not require an immediate safeguarding response, you should contact the Locality and Community Support Service (LCSS) and request a ‘no names’ consultation (meaning you don’t give the child’s name). You can then discuss the situation with them, and they will advise you on what to do next. If a referral needs to be made they will advise you of this.

• LCSS South (including Abingdon, Faringdon, Wantage, Thame, Didcot and Henley): 0345 241 2608

If you have a concern out of office hours call Emergency Duty Team on 0800 833 408.

Referrals on open cases

If you want to speak to someone about an already open case contact the relevant Children’s Social Care Team. If you do not have the name and contact details for the relevant Social Worker, contact MASH on 0345 050 7666.

Allegations against others working with children

All allegations of abuse by those who work with children must be taken seriously, whether they are in a paid or unpaid capacity. This procedure should be applied when there is an allegation or concern that a person who works with children, has:

Behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child;
Possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child;
Behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates he or she may pose a risk of harm to children.

To report an allegation or concern about a person in a position of trust, please contact the LADO and Safeguarding Team on 01865 810603 or email: LADO.safeguardingchildren@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Whistleblowing

We recognise that children cannot be expected to raise concerns in an environment where those in a position of trust fail to do so. All those in a position of trust should be aware of their duty to raise concerns about dangerous or illegal activity, or any wrongdoing within their organisation.

See TAB Whistleblowing Policy.

Appendix B - Definitions and Indicators of Abuse

The table below outlines the main categories of abuse as defined by the Department of Health ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ document 2015. (Full definitions can be found in this document). All staff should be aware that the possible indicators are not definitive and that some children may present these behaviours for reasons other than abuse.

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. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to:

provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment);
protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger;
ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or
ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.

It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child's basic emotional needs.

Signs that may indicate a child is living in a neglectful situation:

excessive hunger

poor personal hygiene
frequent tiredness
inadequate clothing
frequent lateness or non-attendance at school
untreated medical problems
not brought
poor relationships with peers
compulsive stealing and scavenging
rocking, hair twisting and thumb sucking
running away
loss of weight or being constantly underweight (the same applies to weight gain, or being excessively overweight
low self esteem
poor dental hygiene

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.

Signs that may indicate physical abuse:

Physical signs that do not tally with the given account of occurrence,
conflicting or unrealistic explanations of causer
repeated injuries
delay in reporting or seeking medical advice.

Sexual Abuse

Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not, the child is aware of what is happening.

The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing.

They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet).

Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

Signs that may indicate sexual abuse:

Changes in:

Behaviour
Language
Social interaction
Physical wellbeing

It is almost important to recognise there may be no signs.

Emotional Abuse

The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child's emotional development.

It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or 'making fun' of what they say or how they communicate.

It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a child's developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction.

It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children.

Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.

Signs that may indicate emotional abuse:

Lack of self-confidence/esteem
Sudden speech disorders
Self-harming (including eating disorders)
Drug, alcohol, solvent abuse
Lack of empathy (including cruelty to animals)
Concerning interactions between parent/carer and the child (e.g. excessive criticism of the child or a lack of boundaries)

Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)

Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator.

The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.

Signs that may indicate CSE:

Going missing from school/home/care placement
Associating with older people/adults
Isolation from family/friends/peer group
Physical symptoms including bruising/STI’s
Substance misuse
Mental health
Unexplained possessions, goods and/or money

The indicators can be spotted when speaking to the young person themselves or family/friends

If a child or young person has made a disclosure regarding sexual exploitation, or if you think a child may be at risk of being sexually exploited please contact the Kingfisher Team on 01865 309196. Out of hours calls will divert to Thames Valley Police Referral Centre.

Other types of abuse you should be aware of:

Child Exploitation

Child exploitation describes how gangs from large urban areas supply drugs to suburban and rural locations, using vulnerable children and young people to courier drugs and money.

Typically, gangs use mobile phone lines to facilitate drug orders and supply to users. They also use local property as a base; these often belong to a vulnerable adult and are obtained through force or coercion (this exploitation is sometimes referred to as ‘cuckooing’).

It also finds that the age of those involved is getting younger, with children as young as 12 being targeted. Gangs ‘recruit’ through deception, intimidation, violence, debt bondage and/or grooming into drug use and/or child sexual exploitation.

While there has been an increased awareness of the use of children and young people in county line markets, more needs to be done as it cuts across a number of issues such as drug dealing, violence, gangs, child sexual exploitation, safeguarding, modern slavery and missing persons.

Signs that may indicate drug/criminal exploitation are similar to CSE, as follows:

• Going missing from school/home/care placement

• Associating with older people/adults

• Isolation from family/friends/peer group

• Physical symptoms including bruising

• Substance misuse

• Mental health

• Unexplained possessions, goods and/or money

Domestic Abuse

Defined as, “Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. This can encompass but is not limited to the following types of abuse: psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional”.

Forced Marriage

A forced marriage (FM) is a marriage conducted without the valid consent of one or both parties and where duress is a factor. Forced marriage is now a specific offence under s121 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 that came into force on 16 June 2014.

FM is very different to an arranged marriage where both parties give consent.

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking

Modern slavery can take many forms including the trafficking or people, forced labour, servitude and slavery. Victims can include adults and children and come from all walks of life and backgrounds. A quarter of all victims are children.

The Modern Slavery Act 2015 places a duty on specified public authorities to report details of suspected cases of modern slavery to the National Crime Agency.

Indicators of Modern Slavery can include:

Lack of access to legal documents (e.g. passports)
Appearance (malnourished, unkempt, etc)
Untreated or unexplained injuries
Attitude (withdrawn, frightened, unable to speak for themselves)
Indebtedness or in a situation of dependence
Frequent changes of location or restrictions on movement

Female Genital Mutilation

Female genital mutilation (FGM), sometimes referred to as female circumcision, refers to procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The practice is illegal in the UK.

There are no health benefits to FGM, it is carried out for cultural and social reasons within families and communities. The procedure is traditionally carried out by an older woman with no medical training. Anaesthetics and antiseptic treatment are not generally used and the practice is usually carried out using basic tools such as knives, scissors, scalpels, pieces of glass and razor blades.

The Oxford Rose Clinic is a specialised clinic run at the John Radcliffe Hospital to address the health and safeguarding issues associated with FGM. Women should be referred to this clinic by emailing oxfordrose.clinic@nhs.net or calling 01865 222969.

Healthcare professionals have a duty to safeguard any children who may be at risk of FGM. Information about how to identify children at risk of FGM, including a screening tool and pathways are available on the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board website.

Self-Harm

Deliberate self-harm is intentional self-poisoning or injury, irrespective of the apparent purpose of the act, (www.nice.org.uk). Self-harm is an expression of personal distress, not an illness.

Self-harm can involve:

Cutting, burning, biting
Substance misuse
Head banging and hitting
Taking personal risk
Picking and scratching
Self-neglect
Pulling out hair
Disordered eating
Overdosing and self-poisoning

Indicators of self-harm may include:

Changing in eating/sleeping habits
Lowering of academic grades
Changes in activity and mood
Abusing drugs or alcohol
Increased isolation from friends and family
Becoming socially withdrawn
Talking about self-harming or suicide
Giving away possessions
Expressing feelings of failure, uselessness or loss of hope

Bullying

Bullying is not always easy to recognise as it can take a number of forms. A child may encounter bullying attacks that are:

physical: pushing, kicking, hitting, pinching and other forms of violence or threats
verbal: name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, persistent teasing
emotional: excluding (sending to Coventry), tormenting, ridiculing, humiliating.

Persistent bullying can result in depression, low self-esteem, shyness, poor academic achievement, isolation, threatened or attempted suicide

Indicators a child is being bullied can be:

coming home with cuts and bruises

torn clothes
asking for stolen possessions to be replaced
losing dinner money
falling out with previously good friends
being moody and bad tempered
wanting to avoid leaving their home
aggression with younger brothers and sisters
doing less well at school
sleep problems
anxiety
becoming quiet and withdrawn

Peer on Peer Abuse

Peer-on-peer abuse is any form of physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse, and coercive control, exercised between children and within children's relationships (both intimate and

non-intimate).

Peer-on-peer abuse can take various forms, including: serious bullying (including cyber-bullying), relationship abuse, domestic violence, child sexual exploitation, youth and serious youth violence, harmful sexual behaviour, and/or gender-based violence.

Preventing Extremism

The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 places a safeguarding duty on settings to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”.

Settings subject to the Prevent Duty will be expected to demonstrate activity in the following areas:

Assessing the risk of children being drawn into terrorism.
Demonstrate that they are protecting children and young people from being drawn into terrorism by having robust safeguarding policies.
Ensure that their safeguarding arrangements take into account the policies and procedures of the Local Safeguarding Children Board.
Make sure that staff have training that gives them the knowledge and confidence to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism, and to challenge extremist ideas which can be used to legitimise terrorism.
Ensure children are safe from terrorist and extremist material when accessing the internet in the setting.

Preventing vulnerable adults and children from being drawn into extremism is a safeguarding concern. It is essential that frontline staff are able to spot the signs and make a safeguarding referral.

Indicators may include:

Withdrawing from usual activities.
Accessing extremist literature/websites.
Expressing ‘us and them’ thinking.
Expressing feelings of anger, grievance or injustice.

To report concerns about child radicalisation:

Make safe – If emergency services are required – call 999. Take reasonable steps to ensure that there is no immediate danger.
Refer concern identified by member of the public or professional
Call MASH on 0333 014 3325

Policy agreed by Staffing Committee September 2019.

Reviewed and amended by the Staffing Committee September 2019 and approved by The Management Committee.

Addendum April 2020

This addendum is in response to the crisis caused by Covid-19.

TAB is continuing to support and work with clients whilst following all government guidelines with regard to the coronavirus pandemic.

TAB staff are using either the phone or online social media platforms to communicate with their clients.

TAB has drawn up Guidelines for working remotely which includes safeguarding advice. This is to ensure that remote working is done safely.

Safeguarding procedure is followed if a member of staff has any concerns about a client. Staff raise their concerns to the designated safeguarding leads Gary Hibbins or Melanie Richards.

If a member of staff has any concerns about the behaviour of a parent or guardian of their client they will report this to the TAB designated safeguarding lead. If a staff member has concerns about their client and family experiencing domestic abuse they report this to the designated safeguarding lead.

Meetings between staff members are held regularly by online means. Staff are encouraged to share concerns with their clinical lead.

Parents are being supported by phone support from the TAB manager.

Recruitment of new staff is on hold until it is possible to meet short-listed applicants face to face. TAB will follow their safe recruitment guidelines when advertising and recruiting a new member of staff.

Addendum March 2021

TAB is continuing to follow the government guidelines and those of the National Youth Agency (NYA). During lockdown the very vulnerable clients are being seen face to face with all other clients being supported by online means or by phone.

Recruitment of new staff follows our Safer Recruitment Policy.

As the country comes out of lockdown the NYA guidelines (after consultation with the government) are being followed.

Both 3 Market Place and no 19 Bridge Street the TAB Centre and TAB Office have been risk assessed for Covid-19.

At all times the safety of clients, staff and volunteers are paramount.

Reviewed by the Governance Committee and approved March 2021.