Overarching Safeguarding Policy

Children’s and Adults at Risk Overarching Safeguarding Policy for The Centre for Armenian Information and Advice (CAIA)

In pursuance of its mission to support the diverse needs of the Armenian community in London through the provision of welfare, educational and cultural services, CAIA works directly with children, young people and adults on a range of projects and programmes.

CAIA recognizes its responsibility to promote the wellbeing and safety of all people it comes into contact with. CAIA believes that it is always unacceptable for a person to experience abuse or neglect of any kind.

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

  • We recognise that the welfare of children and adults at risk is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take
  • All children and adults at risk, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse
  • Some children and adults 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 is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.

Purpose:
CAIA will:

  • Follow practice which protects children, young people and adults at risk who receive CAIA’s services from harm. “Children” includes the children of adults who use our services
  • Provide staff and volunteers, as well as children and young people and their families, with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.

This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of CAIA, including the board of trustees, paid staff and volunteers. 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 18th birthday, even if they are living independently, are a member of the armed forces or are in hospital.

An adult may be at risk if:

  • He/she 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 four 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 and adult criminal exploitation
  • Child trafficking
  • Domestic abuse
  • Socio-cultural malpractices
  • Radicalisation
  • Grooming
  • Historical abuse
  • Online abuse
  • Self-neglect

Safeguarding children: Safeguarding children is broadly defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 (published on www.gov.uk, last updated 23 Feb 2024) as:

  • providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge
  • protecting children from maltreatment.
  • preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical 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.

Adult safeguarding is defined by the care and support statutory guidance issued under the Care Act 2014 as protecting a person’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect.

Legal Framework:

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seek to protect children and adults at risk in England.

In terms of safeguarding children CAIA acts within the framework set by the Children Act 1989, the Children Act 2004 and the Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 guidance.

In the case of adults CAIA acts within the framework provided by the Care Act 2014 and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

CAIA should have in place arrangements that reflect the importance of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

Training and Awareness:

CAIA will ensure that an appropriate level of safeguarding training is available to its trustees, employees and volunteers and any relevant persons linked to the organisation who require it (e.g. contractors).

For all employees and volunteers who are working 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
  • Be competent to take the appropriate immediate or emergency action
  • Understand how to report a safeguarding alert
  • Understand dignity and respect when working with children.
  • Have knowledge of CAIA’s Child Protection Policy and its children and youth policies and procedures generally.

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

  • Have enough knowledge to recognise an abusive or potentially abusive event or set of circumstances
  • Be competent to take the appropriate immediate or emergency action
  • Know who in the organisation to raise concerns with
  • Have knowledge of CAIA’s Adults Safeguarding Policy, including reporting requirements.

Role of Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL):

The DSL is responsible for ensuring that safeguarding is given a high priority within CAIA, that policies and procedures are implemented throughout the organization, and that these are reviewed on a regular basis, working with the Board for these purposes. The DSL is also the first point of contact for reports of concerns.

Confidentiality and Information Sharing:

CAIA 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 and the police should be contacted if they are in immediate danger, or a crime has been committed.

For further guidance on information sharing and safeguarding see the relevant sections of CAIA’s Adult Safeguarding and Child Protection policies and of its Confidentiality Policy.

Recording and Record Keeping:

A log must be maintained of concerns or incidents regarding the safeguarding of children. This includes details of the child involved, the nature of the issue and actions taken/recommendations for future action.

A written record must also be kept of any concern regarding an adult with safeguarding needs. This includes details of the person involved, the nature of the concern and the actions taken.

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

Appropriate forms are incorporated in CAIA’s Adult Safeguarding and Child Protection policies.

Safe Recruitment & Selection:

CAIA 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.

CAIA has policies and procedures that cover the recruitment of all trustees, employees and volunteers (including CAIA’s Staff Recruitment Policy, Code of Conduct and Protocol, and it’s Volunteers Policy and Code of Conduct).

CAIA ensures that all employees, volunteers and Board members who will be working with children and adults at risk consent to vetting through the Disclosure and Barring Scheme where applicable, and that professional references are obtained for all permanent staff.

Social Media:

All employees, trustees and volunteers should be aware of CAIA’S social media policy and procedures (see CAIA’s Use of Social Media and E-Safety policies).

Whistleblowing:

It is important that people within CAIA have the confidence to come forward to speak or act if they are unhappy with anything. Whistleblowing occurs when a person raises a concern about dangerous or illegal activity, or any wrong-doing within their organisation. This includes concerns about another employee or volunteer. There is also a requirement by CAIA to protect whistleblowers (see CAIA’s Whistleblowing policy).

Important Contacts:

Designated Lead for Safeguarding
Name: Misak Ohanian
Email address: hayashen@caia.org.uk
Telephone number: 07947 586226

Deputy Lead for Safeguarding
Name: Armine Sargsyan
Email address: acpg@caia.org
Telephone number: 07969 323249

Trustee for Safeguarding
Name: Alexandra Sarkis
Email address: alex.sarkis@talk21.com
Telephone number: 07740 932602

(Policy approved and adopted by CAIA Board on 15th July 2023; reviewed and adopted 9th July 2024)