J and U Services Limited fully recognises its responsibilities in safeguarding it’s employees, contractors and visitors from harm, abuse, and neglect. This policy is relevant to employees, agencies and visitors who have access to our contacts. This policy has been developed in accordance with the principles established by the Children Acts 1989 and 2004.
Our statement;
“We are committed to protecting the welfare, health, safety, and wellbeing of all employees, apprentices, contractors, and visitors and will act promptly on any safeguarding concerns.”
J and U Services Limited has a duty of care to all of its contacts, but has particular responsibilities to those under 18 years, and those who are vulnerable adults. This policy seeks to ensure the safety and welfare of all those contacts under 18 years and those who are vulnerable adults. Specifically, J & U Services will seek to provide a safe environment for those suffering or likely to suffer significant harm and to take appropriate action to ensure that these contacts are kept safe.
J and U Services Limited will:
Ensure that a senior member of staff is appropriately trained and has designated duties to act as the Designated Senior Lead for Safeguarding. This is the Safeguarding Officer. The Safeguarding Officer will ensure that Safeguarding policies and procedures are fully implemented and followed by all staff.
Ensure that the Safeguarding Officer will co-ordinate action on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all staff, volunteers and visitors to J and U Services Limited know who the Safeguarding Officer is understands their role and who acts in their absence.
Ensure that staff are aware of their responsibilities in being alert to the signs of abuse and neglect and of their responsibility to report and record any concerns to the Safeguarding Officer and that they may raise concerns if they believe their concerns have not been listened to or acted upon.
Ensure that the duty of care towards contacts is promoted by raising awareness of illegal, unsafe and risky behaviour and assist staff to monitor their own standards and practice.
Ensure that employers understand safeguarding by publishing an overview of the policy on J and U Services Limited website.
Ensure that partner organisations are aware of and understand the need for compliance with our safeguarding guidelines and procedures.
Be aware of and follow procedures set out by this Policy where an allegation is made against a member of staff , including making a referral to the DBS and/or dismissed or removed due to safeguarding concerns, or would have been had they not resigned.
Ensure that the Safeguarding policy and procedures are reviewed annually.
The Directors will ensure that:
Safeguarding policies are in place, are accessible via the website and are reviewed annually
Any weaknesses brought to its attention relating to safeguarding are remedied without delay. The directors will ensure that the safeguarding policies and procedures are fully implemented and followed by all staff and that sufficient resources are allocated to enable the other staff to discharge their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding.
The Director is responsible for:
Organising mandatory safeguarding training for all newly appointed staff and regular refresher training sessions to enable staff to update;
Undertaking an annual audit of safeguarding procedures
Keeping written records of concerns about vulnerable staff, agency staff and visitors even where there is no need to refer the matter immediately.
The Process
All employees have a responsibility to report any safeguarding concern, allegation, disclosure or suspicion of abuse, neglect, exploitation or harm as soon as possible. Employees should not assume that someone else will report the concern.
Who Staff Should Report Concerns To
All safeguarding concerns should be reported immediately to the Safeguarding Officer, Geoff Gibbins.
Where the Safeguarding Officer is unavailable, or where it would be inappropriate to report the concern to them, the concern should be reported to the HR Managers, Emma Elsmore, or directly to the Directors.
If the concern relates to the Safeguarding Officer, employees must report the concern directly to Emma Elsmore (HR Manager) or the Directors.
If the concern relates to a member of the HR team, the concern should be reported directly to a Director.
In an emergency, where there is an immediate risk of serious harm, employees should contact the appropriate emergency service by calling 999 before notifying the Safeguarding Officer or a member of the management team.
What Information Should Be Provided
When reporting a safeguarding concern, employees should provide as much relevant information as possible, including:
- The name of the person at risk, where known.
- The nature of the concern or allegation.
- What has been seen, heard or disclosed.
- The date, time and location of the incident or concern.
- The names of any other individuals involved or who may have witnessed the incident.
- Any immediate risks to the individual or others.
- Any action already taken in response to the concern.
Employees should record facts accurately and objectively. They should distinguish clearly between information they have directly observed, information disclosed to them, and their own concerns or opinions.
Employees should not attempt to investigate the concern themselves or ask leading questions. If an individual makes a disclosure, employees should listen calmly, take the concern seriously, avoid making promises of confidentiality, and explain that the information may need to be shared with appropriate people to protect them or others.
Recording Safeguarding Concerns
All safeguarding concerns must be recorded as soon as reasonably practicable following the concern being identified or disclosed.
The Safeguarding Officer will ensure that safeguarding concerns are documented securely and accurately. Records should include:
- The date and time the concern was reported.
- The name and role of the person reporting the concern.
- Details of the individual(s) involved.
- A clear factual description of the concern or disclosure.
- Details of any immediate action taken.
- Details of any advice sought or referrals made.
- The outcome of any action taken and any ongoing actions required.
Safeguarding records must be stored securely and separately from general personnel or operational records, with access restricted to authorised individuals who have a legitimate need to access the information.
Where appropriate, written records should be made as close to the time of the incident or disclosure as possible. Records must be factual, objective, dated and signed or otherwise attributable to the person making the record.
Escalation Procedures
The Safeguarding Officer will assess each concern and determine the appropriate course of action. This may include seeking advice from relevant external safeguarding professionals or making a referral to the appropriate statutory agency.
Where there is an immediate risk of harm, urgent action must be taken to protect the individual concerned. This may include contacting the police, emergency services or other relevant statutory agencies.
If the Safeguarding Officer considers that the concern requires escalation, they will inform the Directors and/or the HR Manager, Emma Elsmore, as appropriate, while maintaining confidentiality and sharing information only on a need-to-know basis.
If the Safeguarding Officer is unavailable, unable to act, or has a conflict of interest, responsibility for managing the concern will be escalated to the Directors, or an appropriate HR Manager.
If an employee believes that a safeguarding concern has not been appropriately addressed, they should escalate the matter to the Directors or, where appropriate, report the concern directly to the relevant external safeguarding authority.
Confidentiality and Information Sharing
Safeguarding concerns will be treated sensitively and confidentially. Information will only be shared with individuals who have a legitimate need to know and where sharing the information is necessary to safeguard an individual or comply with legal or regulatory requirements.
Employees must not discuss safeguarding concerns with colleagues, friends, family members or other third parties unless authorised to do so or where disclosure is necessary to protect someone from harm.
Confidentiality does not mean that information can never be shared. Where there is a safeguarding concern, information may need to be shared with appropriate internal staff or external agencies to protect an individual from harm. Information will be shared in accordance with applicable data protection legislation and safeguarding requirements.
Employees must not promise an individual that information disclosed to them will remain completely confidential. Instead, they should explain that information will be handled sensitively and only shared with those who need to know in order to provide appropriate support or protection.
What Happens After a Concern Is Reported
Once a safeguarding concern has been reported, the Safeguarding Officer will:
- Acknowledge receipt of the concern and ensure that any immediate safety risks are addressed.
- Review the information provided and determine whether further information is required.
- Record the concern securely and accurately.
- Consider whether the concern should be escalated internally or referred to an appropriate external agency.
- Seek specialist safeguarding advice where necessary.
- Make any required referral to the appropriate statutory or safeguarding authority.
- Maintain appropriate records of actions taken and decisions made.
- Monitor any ongoing safeguarding actions and ensure that appropriate follow-up takes place.
Employees who report a safeguarding concern will be informed, where appropriate and legally permissible, that their concern has been received and is being dealt with. However, due to confidentiality and data protection requirements, employees may not be able to receive detailed information about the outcome of any investigation or referral.
All employees are expected to cooperate fully with safeguarding procedures and to provide any further information or assistance that may reasonably be required.