Foreword |
Abuse can occur within many situations including the home, school and leisure/cultural environments. It is known that some individuals will actively seek employment, participation in activities or voluntary work in an environment where access to children, young people and adults at risk is possible in order to harm them. Everyone providing services for these vulnerable groups, whether paid or voluntarily, has a role to play in safeguarding their welfare and preventing potential abuse.
This policy manual is recognised and adopted by the District Councils, Boroughs and our partners. The principles of this policy apply equally to children and young people and Adults at Risk. An Adult at Risk is a person aged 18 years or over who may be unable to take care of themselves, or protect themselves from harm or from being exploited. This may be because they have a health problem, a disability, a sensory impairment, are old and frail, or have some form of illness either mental or physical.
Officers, contractors and volunteers supporting the District Councils, Boroughs and our partners should therefore recognise their responsibility to protect children, young people and Adults at Risk from all types of abuse. This can be achieved through maintaining a sound basis for recruitment, training and development, monitoring and adequate supervision which enables them to work together with parents/carers and other organisations in making sure that the needs and welfare of these groups remain paramount.
The District Councils, Boroughs and our partners is a registered body with the Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) and requires enhanced DBS disclosures for all staff working in Regulated Activity and work with children deemed to have unsupervised access to children, young people and Adults at Risk as part of their delegated working duties.
This policy document will be reviewed annually and revised as necessary to take into consideration changes in policy, operational requirements and responsibilities as deemed appropriate in order to ensure its safeguarding responsibilities are appropriately satisfied.
In accordance with the Children Act 1989 and 2004, a child is defined as 'any person who has not yet reached their 18th Birthday'. The District Councils, Boroughs and our partners are responsible for ensuring staff competencies and confidence in carrying out responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and Adults at Risk. This includes ensuring staff awareness of how to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns, including signs of possible maltreatment. The District Councils, Boroughs and our partners are therefore committed to ensuring the availability of adequate resources and support for staff training and development.
Where the policy refers to employees this also applies to volunteers and contractors working or supporting the District Councils, Boroughs and our partners in an official capacity.
(Note: This District Councils, Boroughs and their partners include Ashfield District Council, Broxtowe, Borough Council, Bassetlaw District Council, Gedling Borough Council, Mansfield District Council, Newark and Sherwood District Council, and Southwell Leisure Trust and Rushcliffe Borough Council).
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