Statement of Purpose
- ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’ (the Organisation, we, our or us) is committed to preventing and
responding to risks of harm to and promoting the welfare of all children that we work with (i.e. as ‘Vibrant Health
Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s service users). These individuals are referred to as the ‘Beneficiaries’ of this
Safeguarding Policy. - We recognise the importance of this commitment to safety and welfare and, further, are committed to
safeguarding all Beneficiaries without discrimination due to an individual’s age, disability, race, religion or belief,
sex, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity leave status, marriage or civil partnership status, or sexual
orientation. - This Safeguarding Policy is based on the safeguarding laws of England, Wales, and Scotland, including related
guidance issued by the UK Government and relevant governmental departments, agencies, and public bodies. If this
Policy is at any time inconsistent with this body of law, ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’ will act to meet
the requirements of up-to-date safeguarding laws in priority to the requirements set out in this Policy. - ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’ has implemented this Safeguarding Policy in order to meet its
obligations as a charity regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales and as a childcare provider. - Any questions in relation to this Policy should be referred to Miriam Boet in the first instance,
by emailing boet_docere@outlook.com.
Scope of this Safeguarding Policy
- This Policy explains key aspects of how ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’ prevents harm in relation to
its Beneficiaries via its practices and its Staff Members’ conduct. - This Safeguarding Policy covers the organisation and operation of all of ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE
CIC’’s activities involving children (i.e. our Relevant Activities). These primarily include:
a. Providing academic wellbeing content to schools and young persons - This Policy’s guidelines and obligations apply to all individuals working for or acting on behalf of ‘Vibrant Health
Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’ in the UK at all levels, including senior managers, officers, employees, consultants,
trainees, homeworkers, part-time and fixed-term workers, casual workers, agency workers, volunteers, and interns
(collectively ‘Staff Members’). - This Policy does not form part of any contract of employment or similar and ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’,
‘VHE CIC’ may amend it at any time at our absolute discretion.
Defining Safeguarding
- ‘Safeguarding’ is an umbrella term that refers to work (e.g. practices and procedures) aimed at preventing or
responding to harm or risks of harm posed to vulnerable individuals, and at promoting these individuals’ wider
welfare. Safeguarding is particularly important for children and adults at risk. Most safeguarding legal obligations
relate to the care of these groups. This Safeguarding Policy specifically deals with safeguarding children. For
safeguarding purposes, children are individuals younger than 18 years old. - The commitments and practices contained in this Safeguarding Policy apply to the safeguarding of ‘Vibrant
Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s Beneficiaries from harm caused by either:
a. The activities and practices of ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’ and any conduct of its Staff
Members, or
b. People and situations outside of ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s and its Staff Members’ control,
where ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s Staff Members are aware of, ought to be aware of, or
reasonably suspect the risks posed by a situation. - For the purposes of this Policy, a ‘Safeguarding Concern’ is any conduct or situation that is known or
reasonably suspected by a Staff Member or another party that risks violating the safeguarding commitments set out
above.
Key Measures that ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’ is Committed to
Implementing and Maintaining to Safeguard its Beneficiaries
- Following applicable local safeguarding arrangements when safeguarding children. These arrangements include
leadership and guidance issued by the safeguarding partners for a local area (i.e. the local authority, chief officers of
police, and a clinical commissioning group). - Complying with specific safeguarding obligations for childcare providers, including:
a. Complying with relevant statutory regulations, for example, the Statutory Framework for the Early Years
Foundation Stage (when caring for children up to 5 years of age) and The Childcare (General Childcare
Register) Regulations 2008 (when caring for children under 8 years old).
b. Making appropriate registrations with Ofstead.
c. Ensuring that Staff Members are aware of potential signs of child abuse and neglect and understand what
actions to take to protect children in situations of suspected abuse or neglect.
d. Having due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism (i.e. meeting the ‘Prevent’
duty imposed by the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015) by, for example, providing Staff Members with
training on recognising signs of radicalisation and on responding to these. - Ensuring that Staff Members are trained to, and encouraged to, report any Safeguarding Concerns that they
identify. Staff Members will be encouraged to follow ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s safeguarding
reporting procedures as closely as possible when reporting concerns (set out below under the heading ‘Procedures:
Reporting’). - Ensuring that all Staff Members listen to all safeguarding-related queries and concerns raised by other Staff
Members, Beneficiaries, or relevant other parties, with respect and professionalism. Staff Members should be trained
how to, and encouraged to, then assist with reporting any such concerns via ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE
CIC’’s regular reporting procedures. - Ensuring that all reported Safeguarding Concerns are dealt with by appropriate individuals and teams and in
accordance with ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s relevant procedures (set out below under the heading
‘Procedures: Investigation and Response’). - Implementing and maintaining comprehensive, accessible, fair, and efficient procedures for Staff Members to
use when reporting and dealing with Safeguarding Concerns. These procedures will be made known and easily
accessible to all Staff Members.
a. Procedures will be designed to ensure all safeguarding issues are dealt with fairly and objectively even when
allegations are made against one of ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s Staff Members. Any such
allegations will be treated in a manner that takes into account the gravity of the accusations, but which does not
vilify or presume the guilt of an accused individual without a fair investigation.
b. Any reports that qualify as protected disclosures under whistleblowing law will be treated securely and in a
protected manner in line with whistleblowing law. - Appointing Miriam Boet to hold responsibility for managing safeguarding policies and procedures
within ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’. - Following appropriate recruitment processes when recruiting new Staff Members, including volunteers. This
includes:
a. Conducting all appropriate pre-employment checks (e.g. Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) criminal record
checks).
b. Ensuring new Staff Members take part in, and understand the content of, all necessary safeguarding training
before having any contact with ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s Beneficiaries.
c. Following ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s Recruitment Policy. - Providing appropriate safeguarding training for all relevant Staff Members. Every Staff Member should be
provided with, and required to undertake, training that is appropriate to their role, responsibilities, and degree and
type of contact with Beneficiaries. This should, where appropriate, include training on:
a. How to define and identify potential signs of different types of abuse, including physical abuse, emotional
abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation, neglect, and others.
b. How to listen to and respond to concerns or disclosures about safeguarding issues during an initial conversation
(e.g. how to explain when information can and cannot be kept confidential).
c. How to use ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s safeguarding reporting procedures and when doing so
is appropriate.
d. Which additional resources (e.g. policies, other supporting documents, or external educational resources) are
available to ensure Staff Members remain informed about safeguarding.
e. Identifying potential safeguarding concerns (eg by understanding and knowing the potential signs of different
types of abuse).
f. Responding to safeguarding concerns that are disclosed to them.
g. Reporting safeguarding concerns.
h. Accessing additional resources on safeguarding. - Ensuring that all information related to Safeguarding Concerns, including the content of reported concerns as
well as the personal data of anybody involved, is handled safely and securely. This involves:
a. Following the requirements set out by the UK’s data protection laws, including The UK General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
b. Following ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s data protection policies and procedures.
c. Providing Staff Members with training on data protection and privacy, where appropriate.
d. Ensuring Staff Members always have an identifiable point of contact for questions or concerns about data
protection and privacy. This is currently Ms. Miriam Boet, who can be contacted by
emailing boet_docere@outlook.com.
e. Only sharing information about a Safeguarding Concern internally as far as is necessary to manage the concern
for the relevant Beneficiary’s benefit. - Ensuring transparency and awareness regarding safeguarding information and procedures. For example, by:
a. Providing information to Beneficiaries about our safeguarding procedures so that they are aware of how to raise
any concerns.
b. Ensuring all Staff Members are aware of safeguarding laws, ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s
safeguarding commitments and procedures, and Staff Members’ responsibilities in relation to these. - Regularly reviewing all safeguarding policies and procedures to ensure that they are up-to-date with
safeguarding law and that they remain suitable for ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s Relevant Activities
and workforce, and meeting any review and evaluation requirements specific to ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’,
‘VHE CIC’’s industry and organisation type.
Staff Members’ Responsibilities
- All Staff Members have a responsibility to promote the safety and wellbeing of all of ‘Vibrant Health Education
CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s Beneficiaries. This means that all of ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s policies and
procedures relevant to safeguarding and all UK laws relevant to safeguarding must be followed at all times.
Specifically: - All Staff Members must contribute to upholding the key measures that ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE
CIC’ has committed to taking to safeguard its Beneficiaries (set out above) to an extent that is appropriate for their
role, responsibilities, and degree and type of contact with Beneficiaries. Specific ways that Staff Members should do
this will be clarified during training. If a Staff Member is uncertain as to their responsibilities, it is their
responsibility to raise this with Ms. Miriam Boet. - Staff Members must actively participate in all safeguarding training they are assigned and, if they do not
understand any aspects of their training, must raise this with Ms. Miriam Boet. - Staff Members must never do anything to actively risk the safety or wellbeing of any of ‘Vibrant Health
Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s Beneficiaries. This includes, but is not limited to:
a. Subjecting them to or facilitating abuse of any sort.
b. Engaging in any sexual activity with children (i.e. anybody under the age of 18).
c. Participating in or facilitating any activities that may commercially exploit Beneficiaries. For example, failing
to report suspected child labour or trafficking. - Staff Members must report all Safeguarding Concerns that they have regarding Beneficiaries, regardless of
whether the concerns relate to potential wrongdoing of other Staff Members, other Beneficiaries, or external parties
(e.g. parents, teachers, other organisations, or members of the public).
Staff Members’ Responsibilities
- Staff Members will receive safeguarding training that should enable them to identify Safeguarding Concerns
(e.g. suspected abuse, neglect, or threats to wellbeing) relevant to ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s
Beneficiaries. - If a Staff Member identifies a Safeguarding Concern, to report it they should:
a. Recognise the Concern – If a staff member identifies a safeguarding issue or has reasonable suspicion, they
must document the details immediately.
b. Report to the DSL – Contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) as soon as possible, providing all
necessary details. If the DSL is unavailable, escalate to the Deputy DSL or senior management.
c. Complete a Safeguarding Report – Fill out an official safeguarding report form, ensuring all details are accurate
and factual.
d. DSL Review and Action – The DSL will assess the concern and decide on appropriate action, which may
include contacting relevant safeguarding authorities, social services, or the police if necessary.
e. Confidentiality and Record-Keeping – All safeguarding reports will be securely stored, and access will be
restricted to authorized personnel only.
f. Follow-up and Support – The DSL will ensure appropriate follow-up, including support for the individual at
risk and any necessary internal reviews.
g. Escalation if Necessary – If concerns are not adequately addressed, staff can escalate the matter to external
safeguarding bodies such as the NSPCC or local safeguarding authorities. - If a Staff Member feels unable to follow the above steps, they should report their Safeguarding Concern in a
reasonable alternative manner. This may the case if, for example:
a. Following the above procedure would require disclosing the concern to somebody who is implicated in the
Safeguarding Concern or who the Staff Member is otherwise uncomfortable contacting about this concern, or
b. The matter is time sensitive and involves a risk of serious harm to somebody, in which case contacting an
external agency (e.g. the police, the ambulance service, or a mental health crisis line) or a more senior member
of ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s staff first may be more appropriate.
Procedures: Investigation and Response
- Reported Safeguarding Concerns will be dealt with promptly by appropriate individuals within ‘Vibrant Health
Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’, in accordance with our safeguarding response procedures and safeguarding laws.
Details of these procedures are available on request from Miriam Boet. - Staff Members who report a Safeguarding Concern will be kept informed about the progression of the matter
they reported to an appropriate degree. Note that, depending on the nature of the concern and consequent
investigations, some information about matters may be kept confidential and not shared with the reporter. - If a Staff Member is found to be in breach of this Safeguarding Policy or safeguarding law in general, they will
be treated fairly and will only be dismissed if appropriate in the circumstances and in accordance with employment
law. - Referrals or notifications to external organisations (e.g. police services, local authorities, or regulatory bodies)
will be made when, and only when, this is appropriate, and will always be made in accordance with the law (e.g.
data protection law).
Supporting Documents and Other Protections
- ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’ has various other documents in place that support this Safeguarding
Policy. These include:
a. Documents setting out specific safeguarding considerations and rules that must be used during recruitment. - This Safeguarding Policy does not cover all of ‘Vibrant Health Education CIC’, ‘VHE CIC’’s commitments
relevant to protecting its Beneficiaries. We also have other policies in place that protect our Beneficiaries, Staff
Members, and/or others. These include:
a. An Anti-Harassment and Bullying Policy.
b. A Health and Safety Policy.
c. A Recruitment Policy. - All of the policies, procedures, and other documents set out above are available on request from the person
within the Organisation responsible for HR matters or via Staff Members’ line managers.
Attribution
40. This Safeguarding Policy was created using a document from Rocket Lawyer