Safeguarding Policy 

Issue Date; July 2022

Purpose

This policy sets out how Gloucestershire Nightstop and all of our staff, volunteers, trustees and partners will commit to ensuring that the safety and well-being of the young people we serve remains at the heart of what we do, and what we will do if we have a concern, disclosure or allegation in relation to a young person.

What you should know as a Young Person on Nightstop

• We are committed to ensuring that you are safe and that your voice is heard. You have a right to feel safe, and for your well-being to be a priority.
• All of the people who work for us and work with us are vetted for safer recruitment. This means we have completed checks with the DBS Service as well as carried out full references on our staff, volunteers, and trustees.
• Our staff and volunteers will have Safeguarding Training. This means they will be mindful of what you’re saying to them and may have to share something you tell them or something they notice, with other people in order to keep you safe and safeguarded in line with this policy and the law. We will always involve you in this process and talk to you about what’s making us worried. (See our Confidentiality Policy, available upon request)
• If you are worried about something, please tell us as soon as you can. Here’s how:
o Here is the number for STAFF 01452 331330
o Here is the number for MANAGER 07392992056
• As young people, you will be treated with dignity and respect at all times. Gloucestershire Nightstop will support you to understand and tackle behaviour that is characterised by discrimination, bullying, aggression, intimidation or verbal or physical abuse.
• We are working in partnership with other key organisations to support you and keep you safe. Any information we share will be with your permission or because we have a duty to keep you and other people safe.
• We will come back to you to let you know what we are doing about things you tell us.
• We will seek your views and experiences and review this policy.

What you should know as a person Volunteering or Working for Nightstop

• As someone working with young people, and vulnerable young adults, you need to be aware of Safeguarding and signs of abuse. (See Appendix 1 for full list of types of Abuse)
o We will be carrying out DBS checks and full references.
o As a part of your induction, you will need to complete Safeguarding Training through the Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children’s Partnership and regularly refresh this.
o You are required to tell someone if you have a concern about a child, young person or young adult. We work with people both under and over the age of 18, which means we work with both children (Children’s Act 1989 definition of a child is someone under the age of 18), and young adults who we still need to be kept safe from harm.
• If a young person shares something with you please respond calmly, listening carefully to what is being said and provide reassurance where possible.
• Keep a record of what was said to you and when. We will need to keep these someone else, or is putting another person at risk of harm please call 999 or 101 immediately, records safe and may need to refer to them in the future. (See Data Protection Policy)
• If a young person is at risk of immediate harm, either from themselves or then phone the Gloucestershire Nightstop either on the Duty number or On-Call number.
o Staff will immediately inform the Designated Safeguarding Lead for Gloucestershire Nightstop and will support you to follow procedures.
• If a person under the age of 18 has told you about harm that has come to them from someone else, we will discuss this with you and help you to put in a referral to the Children’s Helpdesk (01452 426565).
o Wherever possible, consent should be gathered from the young person to make this referral, however we may need to make the referral and share information anyway if it is order to protect them from harm or abuse.
o We will inform parents/guardians of the referral being made with exception of this putting a young person at further risk.
• Where a person is over the age of 18, we have a role as a part of the Care Act 2014 to ensure that we are Safeguarding them as well, as all adults have a ‘right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect.’
o ‘Vulnerable’ adults are those people over the age of 18, who have needs for care or support, experiencing or at risk of, abuse or neglect – and as a result of those needs are unable to protect themselves from either the risk of or the experience of abuse or neglect (Care Act, 2014, section 42).
o If you are concerned about the immediate safety of a vulnerable adult, please contact the Police on 999 or 101, then inform Gloucestershire Nightstop on our Duty or on-call telephone numbers.
o When you are worried that a young person, over the age of 18 may be suffering from or at risk of any kind of abuse please discuss this with Gloucestershire Nightstop staff who will support you and the young person in line with the core principles of the Mental Capacity Act and its core principles. We will likely engage with the young person in a way to help them understand more fully what abuse or coercion is and find a way to help them keep themselves safe as well.
• We always ask our young people for feedback about how they felt staying in your home, and we will support you in thinking about ways you can help them feel more comfortable if needed.
• We will take any concern raised about you by a young person seriously. This means if a young person tells us that they experienced any kind of harm or abuse within your home we will need to:
o Find that young person immediate alternative accommodation.
o Report what they are saying to the Local Authority Designated Officer, as per the GSCP Guidelines and follow protocols for anyone who works with children and vulnerable adults where an allegation of harm has been made.
▪ The Director for Gloucestershire Nightstop will be responsible for all LADO referrals and taking lead on any safeguarding concerns around our hosts, employees or volunteers.
o Until the Allegations Management Process is concluded, you will not be able to host vulnerable young people.
o If it has been found that you have harmed or allowed harm to come to a child or young person, you will no longer be a volunteer or employee; we will also have a duty to report your conduct to the Disclosure and Barring Service. (DBS)

Appendix 1

Definitions

Safeguarding: means protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of children and adults to enable them to live free from, abuse, harm, and neglect. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

Categories of harm and abuse –

• Physical; includes assault, hitting, slapping, pushing, kicking, misuse of medication, being locked in a room, inappropriate sanctions or force-feeding, inappropriate methods of restraint, and unlawfully depriving a person of their liberty.

• Psychological or emotional; threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, rejection, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, indifference, harassment, verbal abuse (including shouting or swearing), cyber bullying, isolation or withdrawal from services or support networks.

• Financial or economic; theft, fraud, internet scamming, coercion in relation to financial affairs or arrangements, including in connection with wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions, or the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions, or benefits. Acquire, use, or maintain money, obtain goods or services.

• Sexual; rape, indecent exposure, sexual harassment, inappropriate looking or touching, sexual teasing or innuendo, sexual photography, subjection to pornography or witnessing sexual acts, sexual exploitation, sexual assault, or sexual acts to which the adult has not consented or was pressured into consenting.

• Neglect or Acts of Omission; ignoring medical, emotional, or physical care needs, failure to provide access to appropriate health, social care or educational services, and the withholding of the necessities of life such as medication, adequate nutrition, and heating.

• Organisational; neglect or poor professional practice by taking advantage, ill treatment, or overstepping professional boundaries, which can deny, restrict, or curtail the dignity, privacy, choice, independence, or fulfilment of adults.

• Self-Neglect; neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings and includes behaviour such as hoarding. It is also defined as the inability (intentional or unintentional) to maintain a socially and culturally accepted standard of self-care with the potential for serious consequences to the health and wellbeing of the individual and sometimes to their community.

• Domestic Abuse; An incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence, or abuse, by someone who is personally connected. Includes psychological, physical, sexual, financial, economic, emotional abuse; so-called ‘honourbased’ violence; Female Genital Mutilation; forced marriage.

• Modern Slavery: slavery, human trafficking, forced and compulsory labour and domestic servitude. Traffickers and slave masters use whatever means they have at their disposal to coerce, deceive, and force individuals into a life of abuse, servitude, and inhumane treatment.

• Discriminatory; discrimination on the grounds of race, faith or religion, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, and political views, along with racist, sexist, homophobic or ageist comments or jokes, or comments and jokes based on a person’s disability or any other form of harassment, slur, or similar treatment, which could be viewed as Hate crime.

• Radicalisation, Terrorism, and Extremism; We have a duty to support the government’s strategy ‘Prevent’ to deter terrorism by reducing the possibility of radicalisation by working in partnership with the police and other specialist agencies, ensure appropriate training is available to frontline colleagues, and sharing information in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Human Rights Act 1998.