Safeguarding Policy

The vision of the Rose Castle Foundation (RCF) is to be outstanding in our safeguarding practices for children, young people, and vulnerable adults across our diverse services. 

This policy is designed to be read in conjunction with our Online Engagement (for safeguarding issues arising in digital contexts) and Donations Policies.

Contents

1. Scope. 2
2. Statement of Intent 2
3. Safeguarding Standards.
4. Definitions/Terms. 3
5. Core Safeguarding Principles & Practice. 6
6. Programme Safeguarding Risk Assessment (SRA) 7
7. Safe Recruitment 8
8. Communications: Use of Images and Videography. 8
9. Information Sharing. 8
10. Responsibilities. 9
11. Reporting / Responding to Concerns. 10
12. Rose Castle Foundation Safeguarding Report Form.. 13

    1.         Scope

This policy applies to all staff and associates.

Staff includes:

• all staff, national and international.
• all volunteers and interns.
• all trustees.

Associates includes:

• all contractors, e.g., consultants / external speakers.
• all partners, especially partners who engage in RCF programmes.
• guests and visitors.

   2.         Statement of Intent

Safeguarding involves a range of activities aimed at upholding the right of a child, young person, or adult to be safe and free from harm. It incorporates the concepts of prevention, empowerment and protection and involves all agencies taking all appropriate actions to address potential concerns, working to agreed local policies and procedures in full partnership with other local agencies. All vulnerable people should have the right to choose and be able to control their lives, free from discrimination, radicalisation, harassment, violence, and abuse.

This policy has been developed to ensure that Staff and Associates working for/with RCF will meet the fundamental requirements for effective safeguarding in their engagement with RCF. The policy has also been developed for the safety of RCF Staff and Associates, to protect them against unfair allegations and from situations that lead to avoidable risks.

Staff and Associates will:

• Clearly understand the expectation of their role and responsibilities for keeping children, young people, and vulnerable adults safe from harm.
• Be outstanding in safeguarding practices for children, young people and vulnerable adults across all services provided by RCF.
• Promote good practice and work in a way that reduces the risk of harm, abuse and coercion occurring, through the provision of high-quality service, with dignity as a core requisite.
• Ensure that any allegations of abuse or suspicions are responded to and reported appropriately; and that the person experiencing abuse is supported and every action possible is taken to prevent reoccurrence.
• Ensure that all concerns are acted upon and investigated.

All Staff and Associates that encounter children, young people and vulnerable adults have a responsibility to safeguard and promote their welfare and should know what to do if they have concerns about safeguarding issues.

    3.         Safeguarding Standards

This Safeguarding Policy is based on Keeping Children Safe International Safeguarding Standards; the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) and its related UN conventions; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989 (and its optional protocols); the UN Statement for the Elimination of Sexual Abuse and Exploitation and all child-related UN conventions; the national child protection and vulnerable adults legislation of England and Wales including Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018, and international good practice. These bodies uphold the following standards which RCF strives to meet through this safeguarding policy and procedure: -

• All children, young people and vulnerable adults have equal rights to protection from harm.
• Everybody has a responsibility to safeguard children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
• Organisations have a duty of care to children, young people, and vulnerable adults with whom they work, are in contact with, or who are affected by their work and operations.
• If organisations work with partners, religious groups, institutions, and Civic Society Organisations they have a responsibility to help them meet the minimum requirements on safeguarding.
• The best interests of the child, young person or vulnerable adult are paramount when safeguarding actions are taken.

4. Definitions/Terms

Safeguarding is:

• The responsibility that organisations hold to ensure their Staff, Associates, operations and programmes do no harm to children, young people, and vulnerable adults.      
• The responsibility to not expose children, young people, and vulnerable adults to the risk of harm and abuse.
• The responsibility to raise concerns the organisation has about the safety of children, young people, or vulnerable adults within the communities in which they work, are reported to the appropriate authorities or handled appropriately.
  
  

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): A DSL is the designated person within an organisation with primary responsibility for managing, reporting, and handling safeguarding concerns and for ensuring compliance with the safeguarding policy and procedure. The duties and responsibilities of the DSL are outlined in the DSL job description, attached below. The DSL receives formal safeguarding training on a biannual basis, combined with refreshing knowledge and skills at least annually, to keep their knowledge and expertise in safeguarding at an excellent standard. The annual refresher can be via e-bulletins, meeting other safeguarding officers, or taking time to read and digest contemporary policy and procedure development 

Child: Any person below the age of 18, regardless of national laws or cultural practices which may stipulate a younger age.

Young Person: In the UK a young person is someone aged 14 years but under 18 years old.

Vulnerable Adult/Adult at risk: Any person aged 18 or over, and if: -

• The adult has particular care, support, or special needs and as a result abuse occurs when a vulnerable adult/adult at risk is mistreated, neglected, or harmed by another person who holds a position of trust e.g., they may be in custody or secure accommodation, or she is an expectant or nursing mother.
• The adult is in a relationship (work or social) or in contact with another adult who seeks to misuse their position of authority or trust to control, coerce, manipulate, or dominate them.

Physical abuse: Actual or potential physical harm perpetrated by another person, child, young person, or adult. It may involve hitting, shaking, poisoning, drowning, and burning. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child, young person, or vulnerable adult.

Sexual abuse: Forcing or enticing a child, young person, or vulnerable adult to take part in sexual activities that he or she does not fully understand and has little choice in consenting to. This may include, but is not limited to, rape, oral sex, penetration, or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing, and touching. It may also include involving children, young people, or vulnerable adults in looking at, or producing sexual images, watching sexual activities, and encouraging children, young people, or vulnerable adults to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.

Sexual exploitation: A form of sexual abuse that involves children, young people or vulnerable adults being engaged in any sexual activity in exchange for money, gifts, food, accommodation, affection, status, or anything else that they or their family needs. It usually involves a child, young person or vulnerable adult being manipulated or coerced, which may involve befriending children, young people or vulnerable adults or any person, gaining their trust, and subjecting them to drugs and alcohol. The abusive relationship between victim and perpetrator involves an imbalance of power where the victim’s options are limited. It is a form of abuse that can be misunderstood by children, young people, and adults as consensual. Sexual exploitation manifests in different ways. It can involve an older perpetrator exercising financial, emotional, or physical control over a child, young person, or vulnerable adult. It can involve peers manipulating or forcing victims into sexual activity, sometimes within gangs and in gang-affected neighbourhoods. It may also involve opportunistic or organised networks of perpetrators who profit financially from trafficking young or vulnerable victims between different locations to engage in sexual activity with multiple men or women.

Sexual Harassment: Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that tends to create a hostile or offensive work environment. While such conduct can be harassment of women by men, many laws around the world which prohibit sexual harassment recognise that both men and women may be harassers or victims of sexual harassment.

Neglect and negligent treatment: Allowing for context, resources and circumstances, neglect and negligent treatment refers to a persistent failure to meet a child’s, young person’s, or vulnerable adult’s basic physical and / or psychological needs, which is likely to result in serious impairment of a child’s, young person’s, or vulnerable adult’s healthy physical, spiritual, moral and mental development. It includes the failure to properly supervise and protect children, young people or vulnerable adults from harm and provide for nutrition, shelter and safe living/working conditions. It may also involve maternal neglect during pregnancy as a result of drug or alcohol misuse and the neglect and ill treatment of a disabled person.

Emotional abuse: Persistent emotional maltreatment that has an impact on mental wellbeing and mental health. Emotionally abusive acts include restriction of movement, degrading, humiliating, bullying (including cyber bullying), threatening, scaring, discriminating, ridiculing or other non-physical forms of hostile or rejecting treatment.

Commercial exploitation: Exploiting a child, young person, or a vulnerable adult in work or other activities for the benefit of others and to the detriment of the child’s, young person’s or vulnerable adult’s physical or mental health, education, moral or social-emotional development. It includes, but is not limited to, forced labour.

    5.         Core Safeguarding Principles & Practice

The following sets out RCF’s core safeguarding principles and practice. These principles and practice are designed to be simple and easy to understand and effective at preventing most safeguarding risks or allegations of breach of safeguarding misconduct. RCF Staff must sign that they will adhere to the principles and practice of this statement during their induction. These items are to be strictly adhered to by all Staff and Associates of RCF (where applicable):

• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are carried out on all new staff before employment commences (and always before attendance on RCF digital/residential programmes, supervision will be necessary is a DBS check is not in place). DBS checks are carried out on all current staff on an annual basis. Disclosure of unspent criminal convictions must also be provided before taking up a role within RCF. CRB checks will be carried out as a part of DBS checks. All volunteers, interns, trustees, and Associates of RCF will be required to produce a valid DBS certificate (or appropriate alternative) if they are attending an RCF programme that includes children, young people, or vulnerable adults – the only exception to this is if the period of engagement is minimal and where the individual in question will be supervised by another vetted RCF Staff member for the entire duration of their engagement on the programme. The exact type of DBS check carried out may differ. DBS checks will be renewed every 3 years.
• All Staff will receive training in safeguarding from the DSL within three months of the first day of employment (or before attendance on RCF digital/residential programmes, whichever is soonest). All Staff will also receive annual safeguarding refresher training from the DSL.
• RCF will never ask Staff or Associates to be in a situation where you are required to engage with a child, young person, or vulnerable adult on a one-to-one basis. This includes face-to-face interaction as well as digital forms of communication (email, WhatsApp, Zoom etc.).
• Private, secluded, one-to-one meetings and/or communications with a child, young person, or vulnerable adult are strictly prohibited. If such activity is brought to light without a disclosure involving the implicated individual/s, and even when there is no report of a breach of safeguarding, the implicated person’s behaviour could be treated as grounds for gross misconduct (if RCF Staff) or equivalent sanction (if an Associate).
• It is the responsibility of all Staff and Associates of RCF to pro-actively anticipate and remedy situations where you may engage with a child, young person, or vulnerable adult where a potential safeguarding concern may arise.
• If at any time you feel a situation is likely to occur where you may be caught in an incidental position of engaging in a private, secluded one-to-one interaction with a child, young person, or vulnerable adult (both in-person or via digital forms of communication) you should discuss this with your line manager (if RCF Staff) or main liaison with RCF (if Associate of RCF) in advance, and implement suitable precautions to ensure this does not happen.
• If unforeseeable circumstances land you in a position where you are alone or interacting with a child, young person, or vulnerable adult, you should seek to remove yourself from the situation as soon as possible, if it is safe to do so. Such incidents should be reported to the DSL as a matter of immediacy. During a residential programme, there may be very rare situations where, for a brief amount of time, RCF staff find themselves one-to-one with a child. This could include walking a child between buildings/workshop locations. In such situation, it is the responsibility of the adult to inform another team member that they are accompanying a child to another location. The most public route should be taken, and the journey should be as brief as reasonably possible.
• If a child requests a one-to-one meeting with an RCF team member, this should take place in a room with an open door, or where another staff member is within hearing/seeing distance. This situation should be avoided whenever possible, and ideally a staff member from the partner organisation would be present.
• It is unlikely you will be working with a vulnerable adult according to the definition provided above, however you should discuss this with your line manager (if RCF Staff) or main liaison with RCF (for Associates of RCF), should the need arise.
• The content of RCF programmes may result in temporary emotional distress for some participants which can increase their vulnerability. In such circumstances, staff are encouraged to use their discretion as to how appropriate it is to continue the work either on a temporary or permanent basis, and to consider signposting the participant to other appropriate agencies. Support from the DSL is available to support you in these instances.
• Regardless of the claims made, all claims of breaches of safeguarding must be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly.

    6.         Programme Safeguarding Risk Assessment (SRA)

RCF runs residential programmes with children and young persons (13–18-year-olds). Safeguarding risk assessments (SRA) apply to both digital and in-person programmes. When a programme is organised that involves any persons present in the proposed programme itinerary to be less than 18-years-old, or, in the event that there are vulnerable adults, then the DSL will conduct a full SRA as part of the general programme risk assessment. An SRA must: -

• Be considered throughout various stages of programme design to ensure safeguarding compliance and be reviewed against any major changes made to the programme (e.g., change in venue, number of chaperones etc.).
• Outline in suitable detail the potential safeguarding risks and mitigating action taken to minimise those risks.
• Where children and young persons are present, ensure that adult/chaperone ratios to children and young persons are at compliant standards throughout the duration of the programme.[1]
• Formally recognise that the DSL considers risk to safeguarding to be an acceptable minimal standard in order to proceed with programme delivery.
• Describe the method for ensuring at-risk persons are made aware of the designated method for reporting incidents of safeguarding breaches. This should be covered in the introduction to all residential programmes with children and vulnerable adults.
• Ensure that all Staff and relevant Associates engaging with the programme are aware of and sign a statement agreeing to RCF’s Core Safeguarding Principles and Practice (See: Section 4).
• Ensure that the various and differing responsibilities between RCF Staff and the main Partner liaison are suitably outlined in the Programme Contract/Agreement describing this relationship. This is to be signed by the DSL and the main Partner liaison (who should be primarily responsible for partner chaperones). Associates (especially chaperones) must understand their responsibilities for safeguarding on programmes.
• Describe the method for briefing and ensuring compliance of relevant Staff and Associates in attendance on the programme of their varying responsibilities to the SRA and particular risks and mitigating actions that they need to be aware of.

    7.         Safe Recruitment

Rose Castle Foundation will ensure that it applies the highest standards in its recruitment and vetting policies across the organisation. Candidates are checked for their suitability for working with children, young people and vulnerable adults and their understanding of safeguarding.

CRB checks are carried out within DBS checks. All staff at RCF will have a DBS check prior to appointment within the organisation. This includes all international applicants, regardless of how long they have been resident within the UK. In such instances where a prospective staff member is a national of another country (or has spent more than 5 years resident in another country) then RCF will seek police checks from said country. RCF will, as appropriate, check evidence of identity and the authenticity of relevant qualifications, request self-declarations about previous convictions and require a minimum of at least two references are carried out in all cases.

   8.         Communications: Use of Images and Videography

In our use of information and visual images, both photographic stills and video, our overriding principle is to maintain respect and dignity in our portrayal of children, young people, families, and communities. Our communications guidelines detail our procedures on capturing media in relation to children and young persons and the consents that must be in place in order to do this.

    9.         Information Sharing

Information sharing is vital to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults. A key factor in many serious case reviews has been a failure to record information, to share it, to understand its significance and then take appropriate action.

Good practice requires that concerns and proposed action are sensitively shared, especially where this is likely to place the children, young people or adults at risk of greater danger e.g., in the case of fabricated or induced illness, or in the case of sexual abuse where criminal evidence may be tampered with or destroyed. Staff must confer with the DSL in such a situation.

10.         Responsibilities

This section provides an overview of the duties and responsibilities of staff, volunteers, and trustees in relation to safeguarding children and young people and vulnerable adults.

Trustees

The safeguarding policy must be rigorously and critically reviewed by the RCF Trustee Board on an annual basis. The trustees hold final accountability for overseeing the development and delivery of this safeguarding policy and procedure. Primarily, this is done by delegating day-to-day responsibility for the safeguarding policy and procedure to the DSL and reviewing this policy annually. Trustees will take on additional responsibilities if a breach of safeguarding is reported, particularly in the instance of a safeguarding allegation against either the Founding Director or Operations Director, where the DSL does not have the authority to suspend these roleholder’s, should that be required. 

Executive Director and Directors

Directors at RCF must provide strategic leadership that integrates, supports, and promotes the values, principles, and practice of this safeguarding policy within the organisation and in engagement with associate and external entities.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

The DSL is the day-to-day responsible person for ensuring this safeguarding policy is implemented within the organisation. Their role is to champion and maintain focus on safeguarding whilst providing independent scrutiny and holding Directors and the Trustee Board to account for their varying responsibilities.

Line Managers

Line managers must ensure all staff managed by them are aware of this policy and the process to be followed in the event of suspected abuse of a child, young person or vulnerable adult. They must be proactive to assist those they manage when safeguarding concerns are raised.

Staff / Volunteers

All staff and volunteers are responsible for recognising and responding to allegations of abuse by ensuring that they discuss their concerns with the DSL. All staff and volunteers should contribute to whatever actions are needed to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults at risk.

Partners

Programme Partners[2] working with RCF on programmes with at-risk participants must provide their own safeguarding policy and procedure as a part of the Programme Risk Assessment. Partners’ safeguarding policy and procedure must be assessed by the DSL. Programme Partners must adhere to any statements they sign regarding their responsibilities for safeguarding on programmes and to ensure adherence by all those in their charge.

11.         Reporting / Responding to Concerns

RCF will receive disclosures from children, young people and vulnerable adults with sensitivity and will strive not to re-traumatise children, young people, or vulnerable adults in their handling of complaints. If a child, young person or vulnerable adult tells you they are being, or have been, abused:

• Listen and accept what the child, young person or vulnerable adult says but do not press for information.
• Let the child, young person or vulnerable adult know what you are going to do next and that you will let them know what happens. You must explain that you have a duty to disclose what they have told you to the appropriate authority but that where possible, you will keep their disclosure confidential.
• Do not investigate and do not inform, question, or confront the alleged abuser.
• Take the alleged abuse seriously.
• Record carefully what you have heard.
• If you believe the individual to be in immediate danger, call 999 immediately.
• If the individual is not in immediate danger, report the disclosure to the DSL as soon as possible.
• If you suspect abuse is occurring, but there is no disclosure or immediate danger, talk to the DSL who will advise on further action to be taken. If you have good reason to suspect that there is immediate danger to an individual that requires an immediate police response, call 999 and report to the DSL.

Identifying information about children, young people or vulnerable adults will be shared on a ‘need to know’ basis only. Any staff who raise concerns of serious malpractice will be protected as far as possible from victimisation or any other detrimental treatment if they come forward with serious concerns, if concerns are raised in good faith. Deliberate false allegations are a serious disciplinary offence and will be investigated.

The subject of the allegation (alleged perpetrator) and all witnesses must cooperate fully and openly with internal and statutory investigations and hearings. Their confidentiality will be protected and information which could identify them will be shared on a ‘need to know’ basis only.

In the first instance the reporting person should inform the DSL and then complete the Rose Castle Safeguarding Report Form and pass to the DSL immediately.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead will then do the following:

For a Child or young person:

If the DSL is concerned that a child or young person is in an emergency situation, they should contact the police urgently on 999. 

Any other concerns about a child should be referred to the Cumbria Safeguarding Hub on 0333 240 1727. Further details can be found on the Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership (CSCP) website. A report should also be made to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) where the individual normally resides.

For a vulnerable Adult:

To report a crime about abuse, the DSL will telephone the police:

• In an emergency telephone 999
• If the person is not in immediate danger telephone 101

To report a safeguarding concern:

• The DSL will contact the appropriate adult social care office based on where the individual normally resides.

For any queries about what action should be taken, advise should be sought from the NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000

1. Follow Up

The Designated Safeguarding Lead may wish to follow up any referral to the Safeguarding Hub or Adult social care to check if other professionals like social workers or GPs or teachers if appropriate, have been informed of the Rose Castle Foundation referral.

2. Monitoring and Review

Safeguarding is incorporated into the organisation’s risk register and quarterly and annual reporting processes. Senior management and the Board of Trustees will regularly review the risk register and organisation reports to ensure that safeguarding measures are in place and effective.

This policy will be reviewed annually, or when it is shown necessary that additional issues need to be identified and addressed through this policy, whichever occurs soonest.

3. Staff support

Staff reporting safeguarding concerns will be offered support from the DSL and their line manager to help them through the incident, make sure that they are not distressed and that the experience has not triggered trauma in relation to any past or present personal circumstances.

12.         Role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead

This role description is adapted from Keeping Children Safe in Education (2019), and from NSPCC training materials 2021.

Rose Castle Foundation should appoint an appropriate member of staff to the role of designated safeguarding lead (DSL). The DSL should take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection. This should be explicit in the roleholder’s job description. This person should have the appropriate status and authority within the organisation to carry out the duties of the post. They should be given the time, funding, training, resources and support to provide advice and support to other staff on child welfare and child protection matters, to take part in strategy discussions and interagency meetings – and/or to support other staff to do so – and to contribute to the assessment of children.

Deputy DSLs

It is a matter for individual organisations as to whether they choose to have a deputy DSL. At its current size, it is not necessary for RCF to appoint a deputy safeguarding lead, but should the organisation grow to a size where it is running multiple parallel residential programmes with children and vulnerable adults, this may become necessary. Any deputies should be trained to the same standard as the DSL. Whilst the activities of the DSL can be delegated to appropriately trained deputies, the ultimate lead responsibility for child protection, as set out above, remains with the DSL; this lead responsibility should not be delegated.

Role of the DSL

Manage Referrals

• Refer cases of suspected abuse to the local authority children’s social care as required
• Support staff who make referral to local authority children’s social care
• Refer cases to the Channel programme where there is a concern about potential radicalisation
• Refer cases to the Disclosure and Barring Service where a person is dismissed or left your organisation due to risk/harm to a child
• Refer cases where a crime may have been committed to the police as required

Work with Others

• Liaise with the Founding Director, Operations Director and the named Trustee to inform them of issues especially ongoing enquiries under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 and police investigations
• As required, liaise with the designated officer at the local authority (LADO) for child protection concerns in cases which concern a staff member or volunteer
• Liaise with staff on matters of safety and safeguarding and when deciding whether to make a referral by liaising with relevant agencies
• Act as a source of support, advice and expertise regarding safeguarding for all staff and volunteers

Undertake Training

• The DSL should undergo training to provide them with the knowledge and skills required to carry out the role. This training should be updated at least every two years
• Undertake Prevent awareness training
• In addition to the formal training set out above, their knowledge and skills should be refreshed (this might be via e-bulletins, meeting other DSLs, or simply taking time to read and digest safeguarding developments) at regular intervals, as required, but at least annually, to allow them to understand and keep up with any developments relevant to their role so they
• Understand the assessment process for providing early help and statutory intervention, including local criteria for action and local authority children’s social care referral arrangements
• Have a working knowledge of how local authorities conduct a child protection case conference and a child protection review conference and be able to attend and contribute to these effectively when required to do so
• Ensure each member of staff has access to and understands the organisation’s child protection policy and procedures, especially new and part time staff
• Are alert to the specific needs of children in need, those with special educational needs and young carers
• Keep detailed, accurate, secure written records of concerns and referrals
• Understand relevant data protection legislation and the implications for sharing information about child protection concerns
• Able to understand the risks associated with online safety and be confident about keeping children safe online
• Encourage a culture of listening to children and taking account of their wishes and feelings, among all staff, in any measures the organisation may put in place to protect them

Raise Awareness

• The DSL should ensure the organisation’s child protection policies are known, understood and used appropriately
• Ensure the organisation’s child protection policy is reviewed annually (as a minimum) and the procedures and implementation are updated and reviewed regularly, and work with governing bodies or proprietors regarding this
• Ensure the child protection policy is available publicly and parents/carers are aware of the fact that referrals about suspected abuse or neglect may be made and the role of the organisation in this
• Link with the local children safeguarding partnership to make sure staff are aware of training opportunities and the latest local policies on safeguarding.

Availability

• During programme delivery hours, the DSL should be available for staff in the organisation to discuss any safeguarding concerns. Whilst generally speaking the DSL would be expected to be available in person. In exceptional circumstances, availability via phone or other such mediums is acceptable.
• It is a matter for individual organisations and the DSL to arrange adequate and appropriate cover arrangements for programmes where the DSL is not present.

13.         Rose Castle Foundation Safeguarding Report Form

This form should be used to record safeguarding concerns relating to Children, Young People and/or Vulnerable Persons.

In an emergency please do not delay in informing the police or social services.

All the information must be treated as confidential and reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) within one working day or the next working day if it is a weekend. If the DSL is unavailable the following working day, then this must be reported to the Operations Director in the interim.

The form should be completed at the time or immediately following disclosure, but after all necessary emergency actions have been taken.

Please complete the form as fully as possible.

1 Your details – the person completing the form:

2 Details of the person affected:

3. Degree of danger:

4. Details of the incident or disclosure (please describe in detail using only the facts):

5. Other witnesses present or potential witnesses:

(Complete on another sheet if more are needed and attach)

6. Additional relevant information

(please detail anything else that you believe to be helpful or important)

Declaration: I have completed this form and provided information that is factual, or as it was related to me by the affected person, and does not contain my own views or opinions on the matter.

Please submit this completed form to the Designated Safeguarding Lead within one working day or the next working day if at a weekend.

[1] https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/briefings/recommended-adult-child-ratios-working-with-children#article-top (accessed 18 March 2021)

[2] Programme Partners are defined as organisational entities who receive or co-deliver RCF programmatic services. Programme Partners are responsible for bringing delegates to RCF programmes and thus are characterised by their having responsibilities for the welfare and well-being of said delegates whilst on RCF programmes. This would mean, for example, that an external speaker is not considered a Programme Partner.

[3] Please see Section 31(9) Children Act 1989, as amended by the Adoption and Children Act 2002 if you are unsure of what is meant by ‘significant harm’: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/section/31