About us:
Children’s Safeguarding Policy
Children’s Safeguarding Policy for Chance 4 Children z.s.
Seat: 145 Hlavni, 251 66 Senohraby, Czechia
Phone +420 774 999 444
www.c4c.cz
Chance 4 Children z.s. abides by the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people and is committed to safeguarding practice that reflects statutory responsibilities, Czech government and EU guidance and complies with best practice requirements.
- We recognize the welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take
- All children, regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse
- Some children 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:
Chance 4 Children will:
- Protect children and young people who receive Chance 4 Children’s services from harm. This 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 Chance 4 Children, including senior managers and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff and students. 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 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 is in hospital.
Adult at Risk:
- An adult who 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 4 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 Criminal exploitation
- Child trafficking
- Domestic abuse
- Historical abuse
- Online abuse
Safeguarding children: Safeguarding children is defined as:
- protecting children from maltreatment.
- preventing impairment of children’s 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.
Training and Awareness:
Chance 4 Children will ensure an appropriate level of safeguarding training is available to its Trustees, Employees, Volunteers and any relevant persons linked to the organisation who requires it (e.g. contractors).
For all employees who are working or volunteering 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 and take action.
- Understand how to report a safeguarding Alert.
- Understand dignity and respect when working with children.
- Have knowledge of the Safeguarding Children Policy.
Similarly, employees and volunteers may encounter concerns about the safety and wellbeing of an adult at risk of abuse. For more information about adults safeguarding, refer to Chance 4 Children Adults Safeguarding Policy.
Confidentiality and Information Sharing:
Chance 4 Children 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 or contact the police if they are in immediate danger, or a crime has been committed.
Recording and Record Keeping:
A written record must be kept about any concern regarding an adult or child with safeguarding needs. This must include details of the person involved, the nature of the concern and the actions taken, decision made and why they were made.
All records must be signed and dated. All records must be securely and confidentially stored in line with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
Safe Recruitment & Selection:
Chance 4 Children 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.
Chance 4 Children has policies and procedures that that cover the recruitment of all Trustees, employees, contractors and volunteers.
Use of Mobile Phones and other Digital Technology:
All employees, trustees and volunteers should be aware of Chance 4 Children policy and procedures regarding the use of mobile phones and any digital technology and understand that it is unlawful to photograph children and young people without the explicit consent of the person with parental responsibilities
Whistleblowing:
It is important that people within Chance 4 Children have the confidence to come forward to speak or act if they are unhappy with anything. Whistle blowing 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.
Important Contacts:
Chance 4 Children Senior Lead and Officer for Safeguarding
Name: Marketa Franke
Email address: m.s.franke@c4c.cz
Telephone number: +420 725 583 424
Acknowledgements:
The above, whole and in part, constitutes Chance 4 Children´s z.s. Children´s Safeguarding Policy. It is based on relevant EU and International child protection guidelines and in line with all relevant criteria governing the protection of children from any harm, abuse or exploitation.
Chance 4 Children z.s. adopted the above policy January 1st 2017 and it has been since this date forward the official Chance 4 Children Children´s Safeguarding Policy. Chance 4 Children z.s. is compliant to and governed by all relevant Czech and EU laws and directives.
