CHILD SAFEGUARDING POLICY

child safeguarding policy

Professor Bubbleworks believes children have the right to be safe and secure and free from threat, regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality or beliefs.

We at Professor Bubbleworks have an explicit duty to safeguard and protect children from abuse as defined in the Children Act 2004 and the Education Act 2002.

CHILD PROTECTION OFFICER

Director of Instilling Inspiration (also referred to as Teamii): Paul White
Telephone: 0203 637 8224
Email: paul@teamii.org

The person responsible at our school for managing child protection and safeguarding. They are the person to report to at any time.

Keeping children safe

Everyone in our organisation shares an objective to help keep children, young people and vulnerable adults safe by five main elements:

Ensure we practice safe recruitment in checking the suitability of staff and volunteers to work with children.
Raise awareness of child protection issues and equip children with the skills needed to keep them safe.
Develop and implement procedures for identifying and reporting cases, or suspected cases, of abuse.
Support pupils who have been abused in accordance with the agreed child protection plan.
Establish a safe environment in which children can learn and develop.

We recognise that, because of their day-to-day contact with children, our staff are well placed to observe the outward signs of abuse. The representatives of our company will:

Establish and maintain an environment where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk, and are listened to.
Ensure children know that there are adults in the school whom they can approach if they are worried.
Ensure we have a designated senior person for child protection who has received appropriate training and support for this role (Paul White).
Ensure every member of staff (including temporary staff and volunteers) knows the name of the designated senior person responsible for child protection and their role.
Ensure all staff and volunteers understand their responsibilities in being alert to the signs of abuse and responsibility for referring any concerns to the designated senior person responsible for child protection.
Keep written records of concerns about children, even where there is no need to refer the matter immediately. Ensure all these records are kept securely.
Develop and then follow procedures where an allegation is made against a member of staff or volunteer.

Requirements for staff and contractors

In regard to the safety and welfare of children and similarly vulnerable people all staff members are required to:

Undergo an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check (DBS formerly CRB) through the Disclosure and Barring Service;
Take all reasonable steps to protect children from hazards;
Strictly observe the code of behavior in this document;
Take appropriate action if an accident occurs.
Take all reasonable steps to prevent abuse of children in contact with anyone within the organisation;
Report any incident or suspicion of abuse.

Roles and responsibilities for staff and contractors

Record all accidents in an accident report via email immediately or as soon as practicably possible;
Familiarise themselves with building/facility safety issues, such as, fire procedures, location of emergency exits, location of emergency telephones and first aid equipment;
Report suspected cases of child abuse to the named responsible person and/or agencies
(Appropriate staff) have access to any parent/carer consent/emergency consent forms for all children taking part in any activities [this information should be confidential];
Ensure that their activities start and end on time;
Promote, demonstrate and incorporate the values of fair play, trust and ethics throughout their activities;
Ensure they have adequate insurance to protect against claims of negligence, through their organisation or their own personal insurance if acting as self-employed.

Code of conduct

People working at our organisation must always observe the following requirements where children, young people or similarly vulnerable people are concerned:

Behave professionally
Listen to children
Treat everyone with respect
Communicate at an appropriate level
Be aware of policy and procedures
Report any suspicions within our guidelines
Be aware, approachable and understanding

DO NOT

Harm a child or frighten a child
Touch inappropriately
Use inappropriate language
Threaten, shout or be aggressive
Force a child to do something they do not want to do
Mistreat, demean, ignore, or make fun of
Show favouritism to any one individual or groups of individuals
Let a child expose him/herself to danger
Make racist, sexist or any other remark which upset or humiliate

PHOTOGRAPHING AND FILMING CHILDREN

Professor Bubbleworks policy states that photographs and filming of students might be taken and reproduced for class aids and general marketing purposes as the default position. If a parent or carer does not want their child to be photographed under any circumstances they must advise the team in writing by opting out on the registration form.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Professor Bubbleworks may use pictures of students on social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram), this is our default position and is utilised for general marketing purposes. A parent/carer can opt out of this by contacting us in advance. Any pictures taken by staff members will be done so by prior permission, both from the parent/carer on the registration form and by verbal consent with the student at the time; we will also endeavour to speak with relevant parents/carers at the time. These pictures will only be used as teaching aids or for marketing purposes officially through Professor Bubbleworks. No staff member will keep photographs of students on their phones.

CHILD ABUSE GUIDELINES

The NSPCC has a written document which outlines the requirements for professionals reporting child abuse in the United Kingdom. To read this information, please follow the link below:
https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/recognising-and-responding-to-abuse

Further information and contact

If you have any questions regarding this policy or to discuss this further in confidence please contact us:

Paul White (Child Protection Officer) – paul@teamii.org

If you feel as if there is a conflict of interest by talking to the child protection officer then please speak to a member of our office team:

Company landline: 0203 637 8224
Company email: hi@teamii.org
Company address: Instilling Inspiration Limited, 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE