Safeguarding Policy & Procedures for Children, Young Adults, Vulnerable Adults for the BSSN International.

BSSN International abides by the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people and is committed to safeguarding practice that reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice requirements.

We recognise the welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the

decisions we take.

• All children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation has an equal right to protection from all types of 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, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies are essential in promoting young people’s welfare.

Purpose:

BSSN International will:

• Protect children and young people who receive BSSN International services from harm. This includes the children of adults who use our services.
• Provide staff and volunteers to look after children and young people in our environment with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.

This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of BSSN International, including senior managers and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff and students. Failure to comply with the policy and related procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal / exclusion from the organisation.

Definitions

The Children Act 1989 definition of a child is: anyone who has not yet reached their 18^th birthday, even if they are living independently, are a member of the armed forces or is in hospital.

Adult at Risk:

• An adult who has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs), is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, and as a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.

Child and Adult Abuse:

Children and adults may be vulnerable to neglect and abuse or exploitation from within their family and from individuals they come across in their daily lives.

There are 4 main categories of abuse, which are: sexual, physical, emotional abuse, and neglect. It is important to be aware of more specific types of abuse that fall within these categories, they are:

• Bullying and cyberbullying
• Child sexual exploitation
• Child Criminal exploitation
• Child trafficking
• Domestic abuse
• Female genital mutilation
• Grooming
• Historical abuse*
• Online abuse

1. Safeguarding children:

Safeguarding children is defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 as:

• Protecting children from maltreatment.
• Protecting impairment of children’s health or development.
• Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.
• Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
• In safeguarding children, BSSN International is committed to the principles as contained in the local area authority  policy statements regarding Safeguarding of Children and Adults Corporate policy statement.

Legal Framework:

This policy has been drawn up based on legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England. A summary of the key legislation is available from

nspcc.org.uk/learning.

BSSN International should have in place arrangements that reflect the importance of

safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people as well as vulnerable

adults.

The Prevent duty.

Some organisations in England, Scotland and Wales have a duty, as a specified authority under section 26 of the Counter terrorism and Security Act 2015, to identify vulnerable children and young people and prevent them from being drawn into terrorism. This is known as the Prevent duty. These organisations include:

• Schools
• Registered childcare providers.
• Local authorities
• Police
• Prisons and probation services
• NHS trusts and foundations.
• Other organisations may also have Prevent duties if they perform delegated local authority functions.

Children can be exposed to different views and receive information from various sources. Some of these views may be considered radical or extreme.

Radicalisation is the process through which a person comes to support or be involved in extremist ideologies. It can result in a person becoming drawn into terrorism and it is a form of harm.

Extremism is vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

2. Training and Awareness:

BSSN International will ensure an appropriate level of safeguarding training is available to its Trustees, Employees, Volunteers, and any relevant persons linked to the organisation who requires it (e.g., contractors). For all employees who are working or volunteering with children, this requires them as a minimum to have awareness training that enables them to:

• Understand what safeguarding is and their role in safeguarding children.
• Recognize a child potentially in need of safeguarding and take action.
• Understand how to report a safeguarding Alert.
• Understand dignity and respect when working with children.
• Have knowledge of the Safeguarding Children Policy.

Similarly, employees and volunteers may encounter concerns about the safety and wellbeing of an adult at risk of abuse.

For more information about adults safeguarding, refer to BSSN International Adults Safeguarding Policy.

3. Confidentiality and Information Sharing:

BSSN International expects all employees, volunteers, and trustees to maintain confidentiality.

Information will only be shared in line with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection.

However, information should be shared with the Local Authority if a child is deemed to be at risk of harm or contact the police if they are in immediate danger, or a crime has been committed.

For further guidance on information sharing and safeguarding see BSSN rules

on Confidentiality and Information Sharing policies.

4. Recording and Record Keeping:

A written record must be kept about any concern regarding an adult with safeguarding needs.

 This must include details of the person involved, the nature of the concern and the actions taken, decision made and why they were made.

All records must be signed and dated. All records must be securely and confidentially stored in line with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

For further information, see BSSN Foundation’s policy and procedures on record keeping.

 Safe Recruitment & Selection:

BSSN International is committed to safe employment and safe recruitment practices, that reduce the risk of harm to children from people unsuitable to work with them or have contact with them.

BSSN International has policies and procedures that that cover the recruitment of all Trustees, employees, and volunteers. BSSN safe recruitment and selection procedures and code of conduct.

5. Social Media:

All employees and volunteers should be aware of BSSN International, social media policy and procedures (BSSN social media policy and procedures and the code of conduct for behaviour towards the vulnerable adults we support).

Use of Mobile Phones and other Digital Technology:

All employees, trustees and volunteers should be aware of BSSN International policy and procedures regarding the use of mobile phones and any digital technology and understand that it is unlawful to photograph children and young people without the explicit consent of the person with parental responsibilities. BSSN International policy/ procedures on the use of mobile phones and other digital technology

Whistleblowing:

It is important that people within BSSN International have the confidence to come forward to speak or act if they are unhappy with anything. Whistle blowing occurs when a person raises a concern about dangerous or illegal activity, or any wrong- doing within BSSN International.

This includes concerns about another employee or volunteer. There is also a requirement by BSSN International to protect whistle-blowers. (BSSN whistleblowing policy).

1. BSSN International Spiritual Governance, Guidance on Health, Safeguarding Policy, and Procedures.

BSSN International is fully committed to uphold and preserve the principles of the

sacred life of regenerated members as contained in the Holy Writ. This policy is essentially to encourage genuine and acceptable bond between members on the one part and the BSSN International as a regulated organisation.

This policy is also, about encouraging genuine relationship of trust and confidence, building spiritual and social support system aimed at maintaining the relationship of trust and confidence with members. In addition, to keep up with the enormous duty and responsibilities associated with how the foundation is run and how the services are provided to the beneficiaries.

This prevent -policy mechanism is based on the following principles:

• Love your neighbour as yourself.
• In everything, then do to others as you would have them do to you in love.
• Get to know your neighbour and be your brother’s keeper.
• Bear one another’s burden.
• Confession, Repentance, and Reconciliation.
• Prevent Abuse.
• Be quick to hear, be slow to speak.
• Prove everything.
• Love strangers

 Important Contacts:

Senior Lead for Safeguarding

Name: Peter Thompson

Email address: peter@bssninternational.com

Telephone number: +441908467994

Should have any query or questions please, contact any of the Directors of BSSN International regading Safeguarding.

Email address: Enquiries@bssninternational.com

Police

Emergency – 999

Non-emergency – 101

NSPCC Helpline

0808 800 5000