Child Protection Policy and Guidelines

What this policy covers

This policy sets out ASSIST’s (Including Guiding Young Minds) guidelines on child protection.

Policy Statement

ASSIST Trauma Care recognises that every child has a right to protection from any kind of abuse be it physical, emotional or sexual. It is the responsibility of all employees, committee members and volunteers working in this organisation to be aware of the correct procedures for dealing with any suggested incidents of abuse. 

The protection of children from abuse is not an issue that can be dealt with in isolation and we will work in partnership with other organisations as necessary to ensure that children within our organisation are protected and that our policy and procedures are up to date and consistent with current legislation and the guidelines issued by the Warwickshire, Coventry and Northamptonshire Child Protection Committees. 

All committee members, employees and volunteers working with ASSIST Trauma Care or Guiding Young Minds are aware that it is not their responsibility to investigate concerns about abuse but to refer suspicions or allegations of abuse to the designated Child Protection Officer (named below) whose responsibility it is to to review the concerns and then refer to the local Social Services Department or to the Police as appropriate. 

 

Designated Child Protection Officers

Barbara Goodfellow:   07831 845442        clinical@assisttraumacare.org.uk

Reserve Officers in the Absence of the Above

Lynn Kirk:                    01788 551919             lynn@poppytherapy.co.uk

Corina Ciui:                 07508 375431            corina@assisttraumacare.org.uk

In those instances where the Child Protection Officer would prefer to have more guidance, Dr. Karen Maclauchlan at Walsgrave Hospital has agreed to be a point of reference.  Her details are:

Dr. Karen Maclauchlan

Consultant Paediatrician

Trust Child Protection Officer

University Hospitals

Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust

Clifford Bridge Road

Coventry

CV2 2DX

Tel: 024 7696 7233

Email: karen.mclachlan@uhcw.nhs.uk

 

ASSIST Trauma Care and Guiding Young Minds are both committed to providing a safe environment for children and young people in which:

• • The child’s welfare is paramount

• • All children whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious belief and/or sexual identity, have the right to protection from abuse

• • All suspicions and allegations of inappropriate behaviour will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately

• • Anyone under the age of 18 years should be considered as a child for the purposes of this document.

To achieve the above, the organisation will adhere to the following guidelines for:

 

• • Recruitment and Selection of Thrapists, Mentors, Youth Workers, Staff and Volunteers – ASSIST Trauma Care and GYM will ensure that all volunteers and tutors with regular access to children will be subjected to an enhanced DBS check

• • Issue this Policy and Guidance document and the Code of Conduct: Good Practice Guide (appendix 2) to all committee members, employees and volunteers.

• • • To ensure that Enhanced DBS checks are undertaken on any employee or volunteer who is in regular contact with children and young people Appoint at least two Child Protection Officers, named in this document, who are persons with a working knowledge about child protection issues. Their responsibilities are as follows:
      • To ensure that this policy is up to date and reviewed annually by the Trustee Management Committee.
      • That it is clearly displayed and committee members, employees and volunteers are aware of its contents and have read and understood it.  
      • To be a point of contact for any person in the organisation who is concerned about the welfare of a child or young person in the organisation.  
      • To refer suspicions or allegations of abuse to the Police and/or Social Services Department 
      • To ensure that there is a record of all children/young people in contact with the organisation and that this includes an emergency contact number

The designated Child Protection Officer should be contacted by anyone who has concerns about a child’s welfare or about a person’s behaviour towards a child

Responding to Concerns

What should I do if a child tells me s/he is being abused?

Often children or young people who are experiencing abuse seek out a trusted adult or friend in whom to confide. Adults maybe approached directly by the child or young person or by a friend who is concerned about them or the adult may have their concerns raised in other ways, for example they may observe behaviour which they feel is inappropriate.

If approached by a child or young person, the following steps should be taken:

Always

• • Stay calm and listen carefully to the child

• • Inform them that if they continue to tell you information that you may need to pass this on to others who can help.

• • Show and tell the child that you are taking what s/he says seriously

• • Reassure them that they are doing the right thing by telling you and stress that s/he is not to blame

• • Allow them the time they need to speak – it may be very difficult for them to tell you some things and you must let them say it in their own words – remember, they must trust you very much at this moment. 

• • As soon as you possibly can write down accurately everything that was said or seen and what action you took. Include date, time and place.

• • Treat everything said as confidential between you, the child and the designated person and tell the child this, but never promise confidentiality.

• • Pass on all information to the designated person and let them deal with this.

Remember that the information shared by the child or young person is confidential and should be discussed with as few people as possible, apart from the designated Child Protection Officer or appropriate authorities.  The Trustee Management Committee does not have to be notified, although any committee member can be approached if support is needed

Never

• • Rush into actions that may be inappropriate

• • Stop a child who is freely recalling significant events. The child should not be asked to repeat their story to a colleague or asked to write it down

• • Make promises you cannot keep

• • Confront the alleged perpetrator

• • Probe or question the child about the alleged abuse. This could jeopardise any subsequent police investigation.  However, in circumstances where a child has an injury, but no explanation is volunteered, it is acceptable to enquire how the injury was sustained.

• • Take sole responsibility – consult another member of the Committee if you are unable to get in touch with one of the designated Child Protection Officers 

What if the situation is urgent and I can’t get hold of a designated Child Protection Officer?

If the situation is clearly urgent, the child is too frightened to go home or you have serious doubts about the child’s safety, then contact the Duty Social Worker at Social Services Department on:

01926 410410

01604 626 938

02476 832222

or the Police Child Protection Unit. Outside office hours contact the Police or Emergency Social Services Duty Team on:

01926 886922

01604 626 938

02476 964000

 

Complaints of abuse against another service user, employee or volunteer

• • If an allegation is made against another service user, employee or volunteer it must be taken seriously, however unlikely it may appear.  Follow the guidelines above if a child or young person wants to talk to you.

• • Consult the designated Child Protection Officer if you are concerned about anyone helping or offering to help with the organisation.

• • Although the matter should be discussed with as few people as possible, the committee should be notified if it is necessary to stop a staff member or helper working within the organisation.

 

Child Protection Code of Conduct

Good Practice Guide for Employees and Volunteers

This guide is intended to create safety for children and young people and protect employees and volunteers by promoting good practice.

• • When providing therapy, use an area with safe access and where there are other people about. 

• • Do not take children alone on car journeys unless permission has been granted from a parent or guardian. 

• • Do not take children to your home.

• • Where any of these are unavoidable, ensure they only occur with the full knowledge and consent of the child’s parents. 

• • Involve parents as much as possible with the supervision of the child outside of the therapy session.

• • Avoid physical contact.

• • Try to ensure the presence of two adults if first aid is required.

You should never:

• • Engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games including horseplay

• • Allow or engage in inappropriate touching of any form 

• • Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun

• • Ignore or not record any allegations a child makes

• • Do things of a personal nature that a child can do for themselves  

 

Recognising and Responding to abuse Recognising Abuse

This section explains what child abuse is, how to recognise it and what to do if you have concerns.

What do we mean by child abuse?

Child abuse is a term used to describe ways in which children are harmed, usually by adults and often by people they know and trust. It refers to damage done to a child’s physical or mental health. Children can be abused within or outside their family, at school and in a sports or community environment.  Recent research into the experiences of young people also highlighted the issue of abuse perpetrated on them by other children or young people.  Child Abuse can take many forms:

Physical abuse, where adults or other children:

• • Physically hurt or injure children (e.g. by hitting, shaking, squeezing, biting or burning)

• • Give children alcohol, inappropriate drugs or poison

• • Attempt to suffocate or drown children

Neglect includes situations in which adults:

• • Fail to meet a child’s basic physical needs (e.g. for food, warm clothing, essential medication)

• • Consistently leave children alone and unsupervised

• • Fail or refuse to give children love, affection or attention

• • Neglect might also occur if an employee or volunteer fails to ensure that children are safe or exposes them to undue cold or risk of injury

Sexual abuse

Children are sexually abused when adults (male or female) or other young people use them to meet their own sexual needs. This could include:

• • Penetration, fondling, masturbation

• • Showing pornographic books, photographs, videos or taking pictures/videos for pornographic purposes

Those who subject children to abuse may seek employment either in paid or unpaid work or roles which bring them into contact with children and young people.

Emotional abuse can occur in a number of ways. For example, where:

• • There is persistent lack of love or affection

• • There is constant over-protection which prevents children from socialising

• • Children are frequently shouted at or taunted

• • There is neglect, physical or sexual abuse

• • Emotional abuse might include situations where parents, staff or volunteers’ subject children to constant criticism, bullying or unrealistic pressure to perform to high expectations 

Bullying

Bullying maybe seen as deliberately hurtful behaviour, usually repeated over a period of time, where it is difficult for those bullied to defend themselves. 

The bully may often be another young person.

Children may be singled out for physical reasons-being overweight, physically small, having a disability or belonging to a different race, faith or culture.

How would I recognise if a child was being abused?

It is not always easy to spot when children have been abused even for the most experienced carers. However, some of the more typical indicators, which may trigger your suspicions would include:

• • Unexplained or suspicious injuries such as bruising, cuts or burns, particularly if situated on a part of the body not normally prone to such injuries

• • Sexually explicit language or behaviour, particularly that which is inappropriate considering the child’s age/stage of development.

• • Sudden changes in behaviour (e.g. the child becoming very quiet, withdrawn or displaying sudden outbursts of temper)

• • The child describes what appears to be an abusive act involving him/her

• • A change observed over a longer period of time (e.g. the child losing weight or becoming increasingly dirty or unkempt)

• • A general distrust and avoidance of adults, especially those with whom a close relationship would be expected

• • Extreme reactions to normal physical contact

• • Difficulty in making friends or abnormal restrictions on socialising with others

However, even when a child is displaying all or some of these signs or behaving in a way that is worrying it does not necessarily mean that the child is being abused. Similarly, there may not be any signs, you may just feel something is wrong.    

 

If you are worried, it is NOT your responsibility to decide if it is abuse BUT it IS your responsibility to act on your concerns and do something about it. Discuss your concerns with the Child Protection Officer. 

 

Reviewed: 20 February 2025

Next Review: February 2026

Barbara Goodfellow      Clinical Director Guiding Young Minds

                                              Clinical Consultant  ASSIST Trauma Care