Safeguarding
Keeping children, young people and adults safe is everyone's responsibility.
Report a concern
To raise any other safeguarding concern about our work, email our Safeguarding Lead at malka@our-kids.org.uk with "Safeguarding concern" in the subject line. Concerns are handled confidentially.
You can also get advice from the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000, or report a concern about a child directly to your local council's children's services.
Our commitment
Our Kids seeks to provide a safe and trusted environment that safeguards anyone who comes into contact with the organisation, including staff, Trustees, beneficiaries and volunteers. We are committed to making sure our policies, procedures and actions reflect this responsibility.
We will not tolerate the abuse of children or adults, and we are committed to promoting their welfare and protecting them from abuse and neglect. We aim to be transparent and accountable in everything we do to keep people safe.
Our principles
We will:
- provide a safe and trusted environment for everyone who comes into contact with us, including beneficiaries, staff and volunteers;
- build a culture that puts safeguarding first, so it is safe for people to come forward and report incidents and concerns, knowing they will be handled sensitively and appropriately;
- keep proper safeguarding policies, procedures and training in place, including safeguarding induction for everyone who works directly with children, young people, their families or carers, and appropriate DBS checks for those working with children or vulnerable adults; and
- be clear about how incidents and allegations are handled, including reporting them to the relevant authorities, such as the police and the Charity Commission.
Everyone has the right to protection from abuse regardless of age, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy or maternity, or gender reassignment.
Who our policy applies to
Our Safeguarding Policy applies to all of the Charity's staff, Trustees and volunteers, who must comply with it. Breaches of the policy may lead to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, and, where relevant, legal action.
Nobody who raises a genuine concern about suspected abuse will face any action, even if the concern turns out to be unfounded.
What happens when a concern is raised
Concerns are recorded confidentially and passed to our Safeguarding Lead. In deciding what to do next, the Safeguarding Lead considers the wishes of the person affected, their safety and the safety of others, whether someone in a position of trust is involved, and whether a crime may have been committed.
Where appropriate, concerns are referred to the police, to relevant regulators such as Ofsted or the Charity Commission, or to social services. Serious safeguarding incidents are reported to the Charity Commission in line with our Serious Incident Policy.
Working with partners
When we fund or work with organisations that support children or vulnerable adults, our Trustees check that those organisations take safeguarding seriously. Where it is proportionate to the size and frequency of a grant, we ask to see their safeguarding policy and how they review it.
Oversight
Our Trustees review our safeguarding arrangements every year and report on safeguarding in our Annual Report and Accounts.
Our policy follows the law and guidance designed to protect children and vulnerable adults, including the Children Acts 1989 and 2004, the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, the Care Act 2014, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.