This policy has been written specifically for The Feast and its related activities. The purpose of this policy is to: 

• Set boundaries of behaviour 
• Support and inform staff and volunteers 
• State procedures for action to be taken in cases of suspected abuse 
• Ensure safety of young people during activities 
• Protect all interested stakeholders 
• Deter unsuitable workers 
• Inform other agencies and individuals of our values
• Ensure clarity of accountability and to assist open communication 

Child abuse is a comprehensive term used to encapsulate ways in which a child‘s physical, sexual, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, or social development or well-being may be damaged by other people. 

Child abuse is, in the main, perpetrated by an adult either male or female, a member of the child’s family or by a stranger who has no prior connection with the child.

Child abuse can also be perpetrated by other children. 

Child abuse affects girls and boys, babies and all young people from 0 up to the age of 18 years (25 years if they have special needs) from any kind of family background. 

The following definitions apply to the statutory categories of abuse used by local authorities and voluntary sector organisations. 

Physical Injury 
Physical injury may involve hitting, smacking, shaking, throwing, burning/scalding, drowning, or suffocating. Fabricated illness syndrome can also be included under this heading and relates to deliberately causing a child’s ill health. 

Neglect 
Neglect is a persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, which is likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health and/or development. Neglect can occur from not being properly fed (under-nourished), poor personal hygiene and/or failure to ensure adequate medical care or treatment. Neglect includes failing to protect a child from physical harm or danger and is often expressed by the child in poor behaviour (not responding to set boundaries). 

Emotional Abuse 
Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional ill-treatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. A dysfunctional home where there is domestic violence for example can have a significant impact on the child. Such behaviour may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless, unloved or inadequate, or making them feel unnecessarily frightened or vulnerable. 

Sexual Abuse 
Sexual abuse occurs where a child has been forced or enticed into taking part in sexual activities whether the child is aware this is happening or not. This may involve personal contact, penetrative or non-penetrative acts. Sexual abuse may include the involvement of children in looking at, or in the production of pornographic material. 

The Children Act 1989 and 2004 introduced the concept of significant harm as a threshold justifying compulsory intervention into family life in the best interest of the child. The local authority has a duty to make enquiries or cause them to be made where it is felt that there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. 

Domestic abuse
Domestic abuse, or domestic violence, is defined across Government as any incident of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 used by one person to maintain control over another with whom they have, or have had, an intimate or family relationship. regardless of their gender or sexuality. It covers a range of types of abuse, including, but not limited to, psychological, physical, sexual, 
financial or emotional abuse.

Spiritual Abuse 
Spiritual abuse is not covered by the statutory definitions but is of concern within faith communities. Harm can be caused by the inappropriate use of religious belief or practice including the misuse of the authority of leadership, penitential discipline, or oppressive teaching any of which may result in children experiencing physical, emotional or sexual harm. 

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) 
FGM is illegal in the UK, and is a clear and severe form of child abuse and violence against women. Whilst it is perceived by parents not to be an act of hate, it is harmful, it is child abuse and it is unlawful. It has long lasting significant implications for those who have the procedure performed on them. 

Forced Marriage (FM) 
This is an entirely separate issue from arranged marriage. It is a human rights abuse and falls within the Crown Prosecution Service definition of domestic violence. Whistle-blowing may come from younger siblings. Other indicators may be detected by changes in adolescent behaviours. The Feast will never attempt to intervene directly or through a third party, but will liaise with the relevant agencies. 

It must be recognised how difficult it will be for a child to share what is happening to them and great sensitivity will be required. 

Should there be suspicions or a concern regarding a child but no disclosure has been made. A record of concern will be made of anything that has been said or observed and information passed on to the designated safeguarding officer whose duty it is to store such records in a confidential and secure location. 

In case of disclosure: 

• Any disclosure will be taken seriously
• The child/young person will be advised sensitively that the disclosure will be passed on to the designated safeguarding officer 
• The member of staff must make notes of the disclosure, within one hour of the disclosure being made 
• Report to the designated safeguarding officer as soon as possible following disclosure. (It is the responsibility of the designated safeguarding officer to make any statutory referrals – Social Services / Police). If the designated safeguarding officer is on leave, the National Director (or designated officer) or the trustee responsible for Child Protection will be informed instead. The Safeguarding Contacts document is regularly updated with the MASH numbers for each region.
• An accurate record of the disclosure and/or incident will be made, which can be passed on for investigation. The record will be factual (using child’s own words) and made as soon after the conversation as possible. Original notes will be destroyed once the disclosure is formally recorded. 
• Any injuries seen will also be recorded accurately (i.e. a bruise on the upper right arm). Never ask a child to reveal their injuries. 
• The designated safeguarding officer will pass the information on to the relevant agencies and the National Director (or designated officer) and trustee responsible for Child Protection. 
• If an allegation is made against the designated safeguarding officer, the National Director (or designated officer), or one of the trustees then they will be bypassed in these reporting procedures.

Allegations against staff, trustees or volunteers must be reported to the designated safeguarding officer.
If the allegation is against the DSO, it must be reported to the National Director (or designated officer).
In serious circumstances, the member of staff or volunteer will be suspended without prejudice by the National Director while investigations take place. This will need to be reported to the staffing committee as soon as possible. 

If the suspension concerns the National Director, the suspension will be actioned by the Chair of Trustees. 

If the suspension concerns the Chair of Trustees, the suspension will be actioned by the Staffing Committee. This is not a disciplinary action but ensures the safety of all parties.

Not all perpetrators will have committed sexual offences; some will have been guilty of neglect, physical or emotional abuse. 

How to Manage the Presence of Persons Potentially Posing a Risk to Children? 
Any such information will be reported to the designated safeguarding officer who will complete a risk assessment and take actions to minimise this risk. 

Confidentiality is an important principle in any dealings with people in abusive situations. However, where children’s safety may be compromised, confidentiality has to take second place to protecting children.  Any information regarding an offender will only be shared on a ‘need to know’ basis. Information which indicates that a child or children may be placed at risk must be shared with the designated safeguarding officer who will be responsible for ensuring that appropriate safeguards are put in place. When an allegation/suspicion arises a period of investigation will follow. Any situation will be reported to the designated safeguarding officer. 

The Children Act 1998 states that the welfare of the child is paramount and that, when considering a child’s needs, issues of race, religion, language and culture must be taken into consideration. 

Good working practice 

• Treat all children with respect 
• Be sensitive to others 
• Respect personal privacy
• Challenge unacceptable behaviour e.g. bullying 
• Be sensitive to a child’s wish to opt out of an activity 
• Provide access for children to talk to appropriate others about their problems 
• Follow accepted guidelines relating to contact with children
• Plan activities appropriately 
• Do not rely on your good name to protect you 
• Provide an example for others to follow 
• Do not show favouritism to any individual 
• Remember that your actions may be misinterpreted by others 
• Regularly review your work with others 
• Never exaggerate or trivialise child abuse issues 
• Seek support i.e.. do not try to deal with everything on your own
• Be aware of inappropriate physical contact 
• Provide a safe and secure environment 

Any child who seeks out an adult to confide in is showing their level of trust; this is both a privilege and a responsibility. 

NB: Be aware that some children may manipulate such a situation (but this is very uncommon). 

14. Video and Photographs of Children 

• Written permission must be obtained of all the people (children and adults) who will appear in a photograph, video or web cam image before the photograph is taken or footage recorded. 
• It must be made clear why that person's image is being used, what you will be using it for, and who might want to look at the pictures. 
• If images are being taken at an event attended by large numbers of people permission is not necessary, but attendees must be told that photographs are being taken and should be directed to a named person if they do not want their image used in a photograph or video.
• Children under the age of 18 will not be identified by surname or other personal details without written permission from parents or guardians. 
• Obtain written and specific consent from parents or carers before using photographs or videos on a website. 
• Where children and young people are taking pictures or films of each other at events supervised by The Feast leaders then those leaders will be attentive to assure that no cyber bullying takes place using those images. During online events via platforms such as Zoom, young people should be directed not to take screen shots.

15. Staffing Ratios 
For safety reasons it is recommended that at least the following number of appointed leaders / helpers are present at each face-to-face and online session. The Feast will aim to have 3 responsible adults present at every event. In every instance there must be a minimum of 2 staff or volunteers present. 

Age Group                                                    Ratio of Staffing : Young People
School years 6-12 (ages 11 – 17)                 1:10 

Anyone under eighteen years of age cannot be included in staff ratios and will not be solely in charge of a group. 

Judgements will be made on the basis of any varying circumstances e.g. if children meet in a site with separate rooms then open the doors and have a ‘floating’ adult. It is also advisable to have staff or volunteers of both genders if working with a mixed gender group. 

Staff and volunteer leaders will avoid being on their own in a space with children/young people. 

In Zoom meetings, where breakout rooms are used, one member of staff must be present in each room, with a floating member of staff to oversee and drop in to each breakout room.

16. Activities 
Any activity involving children must be approved by the relevant line manager. All activities will follow the instructions published in The Feast documents Running Safe Events and Safeguarding Instructions for online communication with young people.

No child can take part in any activity, either face-to-face or online, without a signed consent form. The information on the consent forms must be recorded on the CRM. Relevant information, such as medical and dietary information, must be included on the register and all staff and volunteers must be made aware of this information. The register must include the names of all the children and adults (staff, volunteers, parents) who are present at the activity.

A risk assessment must be completed and approved in advance of any activity, preferably at least one week in advance. Site visits are recommended when using a facility for the first time. Risk assessments should be requested from venues which offer a service (e.g. a trampoline park).

Outdoor Activities 
The Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations 2004 aim to give assurance that good safety management practice is implemented, so that young people continue to experience outdoor activities in safety, without being exposed to risks of disabling injury or death. 

Who needs to be licensed? 
The majority of The Feast activities fall under the heading of a ‘Legitimate Voluntary Outing’ which do not require licensing, but a risk assessment and signed parental consent form are mandatory. 

17. Health and Safety 
The trustees of The Feast must acknowledge that one of its functions is to ensure the health and safety and the protection of children. The Feast will maintain an accident book for recording any incidents, however minor, involving a child or adult. Risk assessments must be completed before every activity.

First Aid 
The Feast has properly equipped first aid kits – the contents will be regularly checked by a designated person. At least one leader in each group will hold a recognised and up to date first aid certificate. 

18. Transport 
Private cars
It is the responsibility of car owners to check that their vehicle is insured for the transportation of children and young people. While the transportation of passengers without reward (ie. for petrol money only) would normally be covered under ‘social/domestic use’, vehicle owners must check with their insurers. Additional cover can very often be included for a small charge. 

Children/young people will not be transported by an adult on their own unless specific permission is given by parents or to leave the child without a lift would pose a significantly greater risk to their safety. 

Minibuses 
Only Minibuses with fitted seat belts (both front and rear) may be used. If children under fourteen are carried without wearing an available seat belt, the driver is committing an offence; the driver is not responsible for passengers of fourteen years and over. However, the driver and staff must ensure all passengers wear a seatbelt.

19. Social Media 
With the proliferation of different forms of social media it is essential that children are protected as much as possible from cyber bullying/grooming.

•  Leaders will observe good data protection practice by keeping details of names, addresses, phone number, email address and social media account details safely using The Feast’s CRM. 
•  Leaders and volunteers should not communicate privately with young people over social media or share their personal social media accounts with them.

20. Safer Recruitment of Staff, Trustees and Volunteers 
In the Home Office guidelines, ‘Safe from Harm’, there is a Code of Practice which is to be used as a checklist for voluntary organisations in the process of recruitment. This is a useful checklist in the process of recruitment. Although this document has now been withdrawn, the advice remains the same.

We will adopt the following parts of that code: 

• At least one person involved in the recruitment of a new member of staff should have received Safer Recruitment Training
• Adopt a policy on the safeguarding the welfare of children Reviewed and approved June 2023
• Plan the work of the organisation so as to minimise the situations where abuse of children may occur 
• Apply agreed procedures for protecting children to all paid staff and volunteers involved and ensure all that all workers have read them and support them. 
• Give all paid staff and volunteers clear roles with a written job description. 
• Use supervision as a means of protecting children. 
• Treat all would-be paid staff and volunteers as job applicants for any position involving contact with children 
• Obtain independent and confidential references in addition to the Disclosure and Barring process, for staff, trustees and volunteers. 
• Interview with the staff member they are working with (this may take the form of a brief informal chat, space must be given for people to share anything from their past that might come up through Disclosure and Barring process). 
• Ask the individual to complete a confidential self-declaration. If there is anything which causes concern, contact the designated safeguarding officer for advice. 
• Find out whether an applicant has any conviction for criminal offences against children and young people by obtaining a Disclosure and Barring Service disclosure.
• Make paid appointments conditional on the successful completion of a probationary period. Such appointments are then ratified and approved by the trustees. 
• Make volunteer appointments conditional on the successful completion of a probationary period. Such appointments are then ratified and approved by the designated safeguarding officer. 
• Issue guidelines on how to deal with the disclosure / discovery of abuse. 
• Train paid staff and volunteers, their line managers and/or supervisors and policy makers in the prevention of the abuse of children, in child protection and in safeguarding on a yearly basis. 
• Keep all records securely and confidentially. 

21. Use of Disclosure and Barring Service 
All those in positions of leadership or authority in addition to those working with children as paid staff and volunteers, will be asked to complete an enhanced disclosure. 

Disclosure Results
Only the designated safeguarding officer is privy to positive or negative disclosure outcomes and will liaise with the National Director (or designated trustee) to carry out any risk assessment. 

22. Public Liability 
The Feast has Public Liability Insurance which provides protection from legal liability for accidental injury. However, it excludes the following: 

• Where a false allegation is made; 
• Where there is no actual injury; and 
• Where incidents took place prior to commencement of The Feast.

23. Safeguarding Records 
Incidents of abuse may only come to light after a long period of time, in some cases many years. The long term security of relevant documents and related is of crucial importance should allegations arise. Relevant documentation includes: 

• Employment/volunteer application forms, references, declarations and identity verification; 
• Records of DBS check reference numbers, applicant names and dates, for all relevant personnel; 
• A copy of this policy, and all revisions, together with records of safeguarding training delivered; 
• Records of abuse allegations or incidents including notifications to the appropriate authorities; 
• Copies of relevant information and accompanying correspondence relating to abuse, of or by young people whilst in The Feast’s care, or contained in their assessment, treatment and care plans; 
• A record of all historical public liability insurance policies. 

A written record of the event/conversation should be made as soon as is practicable (preferably within 1 hour) on The Feast Safeguarding Report Form. When recording incidents, allegations or disclosures it is important to record: 

• Who is it about? The names of all key people including any actual/potential witnesses. 
• What happened? Use exact quotes where possible, in quotation marks. 
• How did it happen? For example, if someone is alleged to have assaulted a young person did they use an implement? Or was it a kick? Or a hit? 
• Where did it take place? 
• When did it take place? 
• Why did it happen? This allows you to record any explanations offered to you by the people involved. It is not the place for your own analysis. 
• What should happen next? What action will follow, what are you going to do next, what is a particular person going to do next, making sure it is the diary in a specific amount of days’ time as a reminder. 
• Recording what did happen next and the checks made to ensure effective follow up. Did X do what they said they were going to do? 
• Include the views/perspective of the young person. 
• Analysis: the designated safeguarding officer should analyse all the information gathered to decide the nature and level of the child’s needs / vulnerable adult’s need and the level of risk, if any, they may be facing. 
• Records must always be dated and the author identified. 
• Indexing: the designated safeguarding officer should ensure that records are able to be searched or indexed so that previous names and concerns can be easily retrieved. 

Facts and professional judgements (analysis) should always be distinguished in the record. The record should not be disrespectful to the subjects. 

All such documentation should be securely retained for a minimum of 50 years. Records will be securely retained at The Feast’s National Office, until such a time as the office ceases to exist. Any transportation of records should be made securely.

24. Appendixes
Each of these appendixes exist as separate documents and are given to all staff and volunteers and will be given to interested parties on request.
1. Safeguarding Process (What to do if you have concerns about a child)
2. Running Safe Events
3. Safeguarding Contacts