Inside Out Forest School

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Safeguarding Children Policy at Inside Out Forest School

Introduction

INSIDE OUT FOREST SCHOOL LTD (the Company) is a company run for the following purpose:

Forest School Education Provider

The Company is based at:

11 Gloucester Way,

Glossop,

SK13 8RZ

Company Number: 11582270

The Company has adopted this safeguarding children policy and expects every adult working or helping at Company to support it and comply with it. Consequently this policy shall apply to all staff, managers, trustees, directors, volunteers, students or anyone working on behalf of Company.

Purpose of Policy

This policy is intended to protect children who receive any service from us, including those who are the children of adults who may receive services from us. Under this policy, the term children shall mean any person who is under eighteen years of age.

The Company believes that no child or young person should experience abuse or harm and is committed to the protection of children and young people. This policy is intended to provide guidance and overarching principles to those who represent us as volunteers or staff, to guide our approach to child protection and safeguarding.

The Risks to Children

Children can be vulnerable to different forms of abuse and harm. It is important to recognise that abuse and harm of children can cover a wide range of circumstances and behaviours. For example, children can be at risk of:

physical or emotional abuse
neglect
sexual abuse
female genital mutilation (FGM)
grooming and exploitation
trafficking and modern slavery
exposure to or infliction of domestic abuse
bullying or cyber bullying
exposure to other inappropriate content or behaviour, such as violence or criminal behaviour
self-harm
physical harm when engaging with activities without adequate supervision

The causal factors of any such harm and/or abuse can also be wide-ranging. For example, children can be placed at risk by family members or by members of the community.

Safeguarding Principles

Safeguarding children from harm and abuse is an essential responsibility for our Company. We are committed to ensuring that any child who comes into contact with our services is properly safeguarded. Every person under this policy must ensure that they play an active role in ensuring that children are properly safeguarded.

Every person under this policy holds responsibility for:

remaining alert and aware of possible safeguarding risks to children
guarding children against harmful environments with appropriate actions (for example, adequate supervision or ensuring safe environments)
taking positive steps to maintain the safety and wellbeing of children engaging with us as a Company
reporting concerns expeditiously and appropriately, in line with child protection procedures
understanding the duty to report specific concerns (and understanding how this interplays with confidentiality)
challenging any inappropriate or harmful behaviour of any other adult and reporting this accordingly
acting appropriately in the presence of children
not taking any inappropriate risks
not smoking, drinking or taking any form of illicit substances in the presence of children

Safeguarding Officer

Any question, report or concern in relation to the safeguarding of children should be shared with our Safeguarding Officer:

Name: ESTHER BROCK

Email: estherbrammeld@hotmail.com

Telephone: 07979381833

Confidentiality and Data Protection

All personal information we may process relating to children, shall be processed and stored in accordance with our data protection privacy policy which can be located here.

Responding to a safeguarding conern

Where a child is at immediate risk of serious harm, any adult present should call 999. Thereafter, the Safeguarding Officer should be contacted as soon as is reasonably practicable.

Where there is a safeguarding concern but no immediate risk of serious harm, the adult who has heard or witnessed this concern should consult with the Safeguarding Officer as soon as practicable and by no later than the end of that same day.

Where any child makes a disclosure relating to harm or abuse to an adult, it is important for that adult to:

listen calmly and carefully, showing that their their views are taken seriously
provide an appropriate and honest level of reassurance
avoid interrogating children and asking probing, intrusive and/or leading questions
avoid making false promises regarding secrets and confidentiality with the child (because any concern of abuse/harm must be shared with the Safeguarding Officer and any subsequent safeguarding referral)
make a confidential written record of the discussion either during the discussion or immediately afterwards. The record should include the key details of the disclosure together with any relevant times, dates, places and people concerned. Audio and video recordings of children making disclosures should be avoided
refer all relevant information to the Safeguarding Officer as soon as practicable afterwards, and by no later than the end of the day

Upon receipt of any safeguarding concern, the Safeguarding Officer shall consult with any other relevant persons and will make any appropriate referrals to the relevant authorities, such as the applicable Local Authority Children's Services department.

Reporting concerns about other adults

Where any person has a concern regarding the conduct of an adult connected to the Company, which poses or may pose a safeguarding risk to children such as:

harming a child either physically or emotionally
exposing a child to behaviour which may cause physical or emotional harm
engaging in criminal activity concerning a child

this must be raised in the first instance with the Safeguarding Officer (or where this is not appropriate, a different senior member of the organisation) so that the next appropriate steps may be agreed and actioned. We recognise that there could be circumstances where a person may need to report a matter that has taken place in a setting outside of the person's engagement with the Company.

Usually, any appropriate steps following a safeguarding referral in respect of an individual connected to the Company will include either:

a referral to Ofsted
further initial enquiries
escalation to the applicable Local Authority Children's Services department for assessment and/or the police for investigation
instigation of any appropriate disciplinary, formal investigation processes and suspension of any person concerned within the Company
a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service, or any other relevant regulatory bodies

Any person within the Company who has allegations made against them shall be informed properly in a formal meeting of the particulars of the allegations and the relevant next steps which shall be taken. Such a meeting should ordinarily be held by the Safeguarding Officer. On certain occasions, such a meeting may not be convened until this has been approved by any authorities involved (such as the police or the relevant Local Authority).

Any person from within the Company who has allegations made against them shall be treated fairly. All enquires, investigations and decisions taken shall be just and fair, with the safety of any child concerned at the heart of the process.

Any person from within the Company who makes an allegation against another person from within the Company shall be listened to, taken seriously and shall be treated fairly and justly throughout the process of enquiries, investigations and decision making.

Disclosure and barring service (DBS checks and reporting

DBS checks under the appropriate legislation should be undertaken wherever required. The groups of people we will usually undertake DBS checks in relation to are:

All employers & volunteers who undertake activities with children in our care

Wherever we deem it is necessary and appropriate to remove any individual from a position of work in a activity which is regulated under the relevant legislation, we shall also be obliged to make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Safeguarding Children at Events & Activities

Responsibilities and Planning

Typically, we may arrange the following types of events and/or activities which could involve children:

Holiday camps, parties, School sessions, home Education groups, babies and toddler groups and after school clubs.

The Safeguarding Officer shall hold ultimate responsibility for the safety and appropriateness of the event. They may however appoint a delegate for some responsibilities the purpose of a specific event.

Although the Safeguarding Officer and any appointed delegates will hold ultimate responsibility for overseeing the safety for events and activities, all individuals under this policy must also play an active role in ensuring the safety of children at all times.

Appropriate background checking shall be undertaken for any adult engaged by us in connection with an event or activity involving children, wherever this is required by law (see the relevant section above).

For certain types of events or activities, we may issue an additional code of conduct, policy, or some specific other requirements which is specific to that occasion. Any such additional documentation will be made available to all those concerned (staff members, parents, guardians etc.) in advance. They should be read carefully and adhered to.

Venues

Any events or activities held by us will typically take place at:

Pickwood Woods, Leek
Gnat Hole Farm Woods, Glossop
The Roman Lakes, Marple

We have carried out a health and safety risk assessment of this location in reference to its safety and suitability for children. Where any events or activities are held at any other location we shall also carry out a risk assessment.

The fire safety procedure at this location can be found in the following on our Policies & Procedures page.

First Aid

We have the following first aid procedure within the Company on our Policies & Procedures page.

Any accident or injury concerning a child should be brought to the attention of the nearest first aider and should thereafter be formally reported to the Safeguarding Officer.

Consent Forms

We shall always obtain written consent from a parent or guardian for any event which takes place with children in attendance without their responsible parent or guardian present. Consent will be obtained via:

Via an online consent form or hard copy paper consent form either handed to staff or emailed back.

Consent forms will include emergency contact details and will set out any specific safety needs/requirements for children.

All consent forms will be kept secure and shall be stored in accordance with our data protection privacy policy.

Supervision

For most activities and events, our procedure for supervision of children is as follows:

Supervision ratios are as follows:

1:10 for children aged 4 and over but under 18.

N.B. Some activities may require higher ratios as designated by the session leader.

Where we hold any events or activities whereby a child attends alongside their parent or guardian, parents and guardians should ensure that children are properly supervised.

Managing Behaviour of Children Generally

Whenever any adult engaged by us is faced with challenging or inappropriate behaviour from a child or with conflict between children, they must:

treat each child fairly and equally
approach the situation in a calm and neutral manner
only ever use physical restraint/intervention in order to protect the immediate safety of aperson, for example to prevent an injury or harm either to the child or others
wherever it is justified to physically restrain a child or to physically intervene, the amount of force used should be kept to the absolute minimum taking into account the risk posed
make a written record of the incident and ensure this is reported appropriately to the Safeguarding Officer

Further details regarding our procedures for managing behaviour can be located in our behaviour policy on our Policies & Procedures page.

Managing Risks Posed by Other Children

It is important for all adults engaged by us to recognise that children can face harm from their peers. This can commonly take the form of bullying. Bullying can be defined as any behaviour which is:

repeated; and
has the intention of hurting somebody either physically or emotionally.
Bulling can sometimes be motivated by prejudices based on certain groups, for example gender, race, religion or sexual orientation. Bullying can often include:
physical harm perpetrated against another child
name calling and threats
cyberbullying (threats and abusive comments made via technology)

Any instance of bullying or concern relating to possible bullying between children at any event or activities arranged by us will usually be dealt with by us in the first instance as follows:

All children and any relevant staff shall be spoken to individually to ascertain the facts. Where appropriate, children will receive a first warning and relevant support/education.

Where any behaviour amounting to bullying continues following this, the following steps will be taken:

The child or children who have been found to be responsible for persistent behaviour which amounts to bullying of another child shall be banned from attending the premises.

All steps in relation to the prevention or management of bullying should be taken in consultation with the Safeguarding Officer.

Photography

Our Photographs

On some occasions, we may take photographs featuring children. We recognise that photography of children carries risks, such as:

the potential for images to be re-used, shared or adapted in a damaging or inappropriate manner
the general risk of sharing images and the impact this could have on child's public image as they grow older
In view of these risks, we will:
always ask for written permission from a child and their parent/guardian before taking and sharing any image of them
always ensure that a child and their parent/guardian are properly informed how an image will be used and shared
always ensure that a child's identity is protected as far as is possible within any published material
ask that parents, guardians, children and any other person connected to them who may wish to share any of our published images which features other children to refrain from doing so unless they have the permission of the other children and their parent/guardian
always store photos in accordance with our data protection policy.

Members of the public

We do also recognise that members of the public may take photographs when they are attending our premises, events or activities.

We ask that any parents, guardians and other members of the public take the following into consideration when taking photos at our premises, events or activities:

images of other children should not be shared on social media without the permission of any children who feature in the images (where ascertainable), together with the permission of the children's parent/guardian
images which are shared on social media should be shared cautiously, with the appropriate privacy and security settings in place.

Other Policies

We have referred within this document to the following other important policies which should be read in conjunction with this policy:

Our data protection policy
Our first aid policy
Our behaviour policy

This policy should also be read in conjunction with:

Health and Safety Policy

Child protection policy - both found on our Policies & Procedures page.

Legal Framework

This policy has been drawn up in accordance with all relevant and applicable legislation and guidance available to the Company in the jurisdictions it operates within.

This Policy is approved and robustly endorsed by INSIDE OUT FOREST SCHOOL LTD and is due for review every YEARLY REVIEW.

Signed ESTHER BROCK (Safeguarding Officer)

Date: 4th October 2022