Safeguarding & Child/Vulnerable Person Protection Policy

Safeguarding & Child/Vulnerable Person Protection Policy

Introduction

Dance Events Management Ltd abides by the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable people. We are committed to safeguarding practices that reflect statutory responsibilities, government guidance, and comply with best practice requirements.

This policy applies to all members of staff, volunteers, contractors, and any other individuals working for or on behalf of Dance Events Management Ltd. All staff & volunteers have received training on child safeguarding. Staff & volunteers who come in to contact with children & vulnerable people will be subject to safe recruitment procedures and will be asked to disclose any past convictions, cautions or any previous complaints of abuse.  We will also ask for an up-to-date enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check. We are committed to treating all children and vulnerable people equally, regardless of race, gender, religion, or disability.

Code of Conduct

Staff and volunteers are expected to adhere to a strict code of conduct, which includes treating all children and vulnerable people with respect, avoiding inappropriate relationships, and never being alone with a child or vulnerable person where they cannot be seen by others. Unacceptable behaviours that will lead to disciplinary action include but are not limited to any form of abuse, neglect, or inappropriate relationships.

Confidentiality

Sensitive information regarding disclosures and reports will be handled with utmost confidentiality, adhering to data protection laws such as GDPR, to protect privacy while ensuring safety.

Definitions and signs of abuse:

Abuse refers to any emotional, neglect, sexual or physical mistreatment by an adult in a role of responsibility toward someone who is under 18 years of age or is classed as a vulnerable person. Those who experience abuse may struggle to speak out, therefore it is important that staff & volunteers are able to recognise these signs.

Those experiencing abuse may suffer more than type of abuse over a period and may be afraid to tell anybody about the abuse especially if the abuser is parent, caregiver or a close family member/friend. Then may struggle with feelings of shame, guilt & confusion.

Many of the signs of being abused are the same regardless of the type of abuse.  Staff & volunteers should be able to recognise the signs which include:

• Having an unexplained fear of a particular place or particular people.
• Having knowledge of “adult issues” which are inappropriate for their age, for example sexual behaviour, drugs, or alcohol.
• Angry outbursts or aggressive behaviour towards children, adults, toys or even animals.
• Becoming withdrawn or appearing anxious, clingy, or depressed
• Self-harming or having thoughts about suicide
• Showing changes in eating habits or developing eating disorders
• Regularly experiencing nightmares or sleep problems
• Regularly wetting the bed or soiling their clothes
• Running away or regularly going missing from home or care
• Not receiving adequate medical attention after injuries.
• Avoiding the abuser – the child may dislike or seem afraid of a particular person and try to avoid spending time alone with them.
• Sexually inappropriate behaviour – children who have been abused may behave in sexually inappropriate ways or use sexually explicit language.
• Physical problems – the child may develop health problems, including soreness in the genital and anal areas or sexually transmitted infections, or they may become pregnant.
• Problems at school – an abused child may have difficulty concentrating and learning, and their grades may start to drop.
• Giving clues – children may also drop hints and clues that the abuse is happening without revealing it outright.

These signs do not necessarily mean that abuse is taking place and there may be other reasons for changes in behaviour.

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse is any type of abuse that involves the continual emotional mistreatment of a child. It is sometimes called psychological abuse. Emotional abuse can involve deliberately trying to scare, humiliate, isolate or ignore a child.

Emotional abuse is often a part of other kinds of abuse, which means it can be difficult to spot the signs or tell the difference, though it can also happen on its own.

Emotional abuse includes:

• Humiliating or constantly criticising a child
• Threatening, shouting at a child
• Making the child the subject of jokes, or using sarcasm to hurt a child
• Blaming and scapegoating
• Making a child perform degrading acts
• Manipulating and controlling a child.
• Pushing a child too hard or not recognising their limitations
• Exposing a child to upsetting events or situations, like domestic abuse or drug taking
• Failing to promote a child’s social development
• Not allowing them to have friends
• Persistently ignoring them
• Never showing any emotions in interactions with a child, also known as emotional neglect.
• Being emotionally or physically absent
• Making unreasonable demands

Neglect

Neglect is the ongoing failure to meet a child’s or vulnerable person’s basic needs. Neglect can be intentional or inadvertent and can happen for several reasons including but not limited to depression, substance abuse, poverty, lack of support or former abuse.

There are 4 types of neglect, emotional neglect, physical neglect, medical neglect & educational neglect.

• Emotional Neglect

  A child or vulnerable person has emotional needs and when these needs are not met it is known as emotional neglect.  This could mean that the child or vulnerable person is not getting the amount of stimulation, affection or attention they need.

  This could also include them being locked away without human interaction.  Emotional neglect can result in mental health problems and can lead to issues maintaining relationships with friends, partners or even their own children when they reach adulthood.

• Physical Neglect

  Parents & carers have a duty to take care of a child’s or vulnerable person’s basic needs which includes providing clothes, food, shelter & keeping the child or vulnerable person clean & hygienic.

  Not providing a child with food could lead to the child seeming thin or hungry and being malnourished, in young children this can cause lasting damage to brain damage which results in lower brain functioning.

  Physical neglect of a child or vulnerable person could lead to inadequate levels of hygiene, for example their clothes could be unwashed, may not fit or have holes in them.

  Physical neglect can also include failing to keep a child safe from danger, for example if they were to be left home along unsupervised.

• Medical Neglect

  Parents and carers are responsible for ensuring that a child receives the correct health and dental care, failure to do so is a form of neglect.

  This can include ignoring the recommendations of a medical professional or dentist or refusing to allow a child to be treated, including not taking them for routine appointments or vaccinations.

• Educational Neglect

  If a parent fails to send their child to school or fails to prevent truancy they could be guilty of educational neglect.  It is not illegal to take a child out of school if they are not being provided with an alternative education such as teaching them at home.  The parent or carer should inform the school of their intentions and inform the council if the child is in a special educational needs school.

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse is when a child or vulnerable person is forced or ticked into sexual activity and they might not fully understand that what is happening is abuse or even that it is wrong.  Sexual abuse can happen anywhere, either in person or online.

It is important to ensure the child or vulnerable person that it was not their fault.

The term now used to encompass sexual abuse are “contact & non-contact”.

Contact Abuse is where an abuser makes physical contact with a child or vulnerable person which can include:

• Intercourse of any kind, including, oral, anal, or vaginal.
• Penetration by an object.
• Sexually touching any part of the body (even through clothes) including kissing & rubbing.
• Making them touch themselves inappropriately or asking them to touch a sexual body part.

Non-contact abuse is where the abuser does not physically touch the child or vulnerable person which can include:

• Exposing or “flashing” a sexual body part or sexual acts.
• Making them masturbate, remove clothing, hear, or watch sexual activities.
• Directing sexual language towards a child or vulnerable person
• Distributing, viewing, or making child abuse images or videos.
• Encouraging a child or vulnerable person to behave in sexual ways.
• Not reporting or taking action to prevent a child or vulnerable person being exposed to sexual activity.
• Online Grooming: Abusers may use the internet to groom children and vulnerable people, building trust with the intention of sexual exploitation. This can include befriending them on social media, engaging in chat rooms, or playing online games with them.
• Sextortion: This involves coercing children or vulnerable people into sharing explicit images or videos of themselves online, often through threats or blackmail.
• Cyberstalking: Persistent and unwanted contact or monitoring of the child’s or vulnerable person’s online activities with the intention of sexual exploitation.

Children or vulnerable adults often will not talk about sexual abuse because they think it is their fault or have been convinced by their abuser that it is normal, that it is their secret or could even be threatened by their abuser.

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is when someone deliberately hurts or injures another person.  This could be hurting you with their hands, feet, or object.

Some examples or physical abuse can include:

• Hitting, punching, or kicking
• Scratching or biting
• Pulling hair
• Spitting or throwing objects at you
• Shaking or suffocating you
• Scalding or burning you

Physical abuse is intentionally causing physical harming to a child or vulnerable person.  Fabricated or induced illness (FII) is also a form of abuse and it happens when a parent/carer exaggerates or deliberately causes symptoms of illness.

Signs of physical abuse may include:

• Bruises or injuries that do not match with the story
• Burns, especially from cigarettes, which cannot be explained
• Injury marks with a pattern, for example from a hand, belt or other object
• Injuries which are at different stages or healing

Lost Child Procedure

The safety and security of children and vulnerable people are of utmost priority. In the rare event that a child goes missing while under our care, we will take immediate and appropriate action to locate the child and ensure their well-being.

This procedure outlines the steps to be followed to promptly find the child, notify relevant parties, and mitigate potential risks.

Procedure:

• Immediate Search: As soon as it is noticed that a child is missing, staff should immediately conduct a quick search of the surrounding area, ensuring not to leave other children unattended.
• Alert Management: Notify the designated safeguarding lead or senior staff member without delay. The safeguarding lead will take control of the situation and ensure all necessary steps are followed.
• Securing the Environment: Make sure all exits are monitored and secured to prevent further risk. Assign specific staff members to check entry/exit points and monitor all areas where the child could be.
• Contact the Parents/Guardians: Inform the child’s parents or guardians as soon as possible, providing them with updates on the situation.
• Contact Authorities: If the child is not found after the initial search (within 15 minutes), contact local authorities (police) for assistance in the search.
• Log Incident: Record the incident in the organisation’s safeguarding log, including detailed notes on the time the child was discovered missing, actions taken, and the outcome of the situation.
• Debrief and Review: Once the child is found, review the situation with staff to identify any improvements in procedure and ensure lessons are learned to prevent recurrence.

This procedure ensures a coordinated, effective response to ensure the child’s quick recovery and safety.

What to do if a child or vulnerable person discloses something?

There are many reasons why a child or vulnerable person might tell you that they are being abused and it can be hard for them to disclose what is happening to them.

If someone discloses to you then it is important to:

• Listen carefully, repeating back to the child or vulnerable person in their own words is an active listening technique which shows you are listening & checking you have heard correctly.
• Respond with care and urgency – remind them that you have a responsibility to ensure they are safe. This means you will have to pass on the information to someone who can do something to stop what is happening. Do not agree to keep secrets, passing on information about a potential safeguarding issue overrides confidentiality.
• Let the children or vulnerable person continue at their pace – do not rush them or shut them down, let them continue in whichever way they choose.
• Reassure them that they have done the right thing by telling you and that it is not their fault.
• Take them seriously & believe them.
• Be supportive and remain calm.
• Never confront the alleged abuser.
• Explain what the next steps are.
  • Report what you have been told as soon as possible.
  • Ensure the child or vulnerable person is prevented from any further abuse.
  • If necessary, explain again why you need to report this and make sure that you know who will be on hand to support the child once they have left you.

What not to do if someone discloses to you:

• Do not act shocked or disgusted
• Do not make promises you cannot be sure of
• Do not agree to keep what the child or young person has disclosed a secret
• Do not ask any questions to obtain information
• Do not guess or make any assumptions
• Do not make the child or young person feel as though you do not believe them.

It is also important to report any suspected child abuse to the correct authorities.  You do not need proof to report it, a child’s emotional & physical wellbeing could be at stake.

Monitoring and Review

This policy will be reviewed and updated annually. Feedback on the policy and its implementation can be provided through safeguarding@ukstreetdancechallenge.co.uk. The designated safeguarding officer will review and act upon feedback received

Contact Details

Role	Contact
Designated Safeguarding Officer	Mark Johnson-Burnham
E-Mail	safeguarding@ukstreetdancechallenge.co.uk
Telephone	0191 5438288
Emergency Services	999
Non-Emergency Police	101
NSPCC	help@nspcc.org.uk / 0808 8005000
Childline	0800 1111

 Additional Resources