UK Youth Safeguarding Policy
UK Youth seeks to provide an environment where everyone can work safely, and children, young people and adults at risk can engage with the charities activities and enjoy programmes provided through the work of the Charity or in partnership with other agencies and/or community voluntary sector organisations.
It is the policy of UK Youth to safeguard the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk involved in the work we do by protecting them from neglect, physical, sexual or emotional abuse, harassment and discrimination. It is also UK Youth’s policy to provide those working for or with the charity with a framework to operate within to keep everyone who is engaged in the Charity’s activities safe.
It is therefore UK Youth’s policy to:
- ensure that all staff, apprentices, trustees, consultants and volunteers (legally responsible adults) working with children, young people or adults at risk: are carefully selected, are checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service (“DBS” – see 4.1 below), have two appropriate references and understand and accept their responsibility for the safety of children, young people and adults at risk in their care.
- for all our direct delivery work we will in addition to this policy document, meet the Department for Education’s (DfE) guidance for safeguarding children in out-of-school settings.
- raise awareness of safeguarding amongst community voluntary groups, clubs and organisations within our Movement networks and encourage them all to work towards Department for Education’s (DfE) guidance for safeguarding children in out-of-school settings
- ensure that the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk is of paramount importance, regardless of age, gender reassignment, ability, sex or sexual orientation, religion or belief, or race, when planning, organising, advising on and delivering our work.
- recognise that some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of discrimination, previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues.
- respond swiftly and appropriately to all suspicions or allegations of safeguarding concerns, and to ensure confidential information is restricted to the appropriate internal and external agencies.
- raise the awareness of relevant staff, partner organisations and volunteers of safeguarding issues through the provision of training and regular updates to risk assessments.
- monitor and review the effectiveness of this policy on a regular basis.
- ensure that the principles of this policy are adopted by all organisations or individuals with whom UK Youth works and by members of the UK Youth Movement Network, through the adoption of a policy, which meets the same level of determination with regard to children, young people and adults at risk safety. The Child Protection and the Protection of Adults at Risk policy and procedure, also seeks to manage effectively the risks associated with activities and events involving children, young people and adults at risk through our work by:
- Completing a risk assessment process which involves identifying risks and means of reducing or eliminating these;
- Implementing the required actions identified by the risk assessment process and reviewing the effectiveness of these on a regular basis;
- Requiring new employees and individuals involved in working with children, young people and adults at risk to familiarise themselves with the content of this policy, the associated code of behaviour, any associated policies or risk assessments and that they receive appropriate training. We are committed to being transparent in our safeguarding work and strive for the highest standards of safeguarding.