Safeguarding is an action taken to promote the welfare and protection of children. It is defined as “Working together to safeguard children 2013’. Everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play in the safeguarding of children.
Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 places a specific duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children on schools and colleges, early years and childcare, health services, police, adult social care services, housing authorities, British Transport Police, Prison Service, Probation Service, secure estate for children, Youth Offending Teams, United Kingdom Border Agency, CAFCASS, armed services, voluntary and private sectors and faith organisations.
Trustees of charities, which work with vulnerable groups, including children must act in their best in their best interest to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to prevent harm to them.
Having these safeguards in place within your organisation protects and promotes the welfare of children and enhances the confidence of trustees, staff, volunteers, parents/carers and the general public.
For more comprehensive information on Safeguarding Children, please visit ‘Working_Together_to_Safeguard_Children-2018‘.
This guidance covers:
The legislative requirements placed on individual services
A framework for the three local safeguarding partners (the local authority; a clinical commissioning group for an area, any part of which falls within the local authority; and the chief officer of police for a police area, any part of which falls within the local authority area).
The framework for the two child death review partners (the local authority and any clinical commissioning group for an area, any part of which falls within the local authority)
This document replaces Working Together to Safeguard Children (2015).
For more information to help you develop a comprehensive approach to safeguarding in your organisations, please download: ncvo safeguarding for volunteer involving organisations