Safeguarding Policy

Cohesive Society CIC abides by the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare
of children and adults at risk and is committed to safeguarding practice that reflects
statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice
requirements.

We recognise the welfare of children/adults at risk is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take
All children/adults at risk, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation has an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse
Some children/adults at risk are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues
Working in partnership with children and adults at risk, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting people’s welfare.

Purpose:

Protect children/adults at risk who receive Cohesive Society CIC services
from harm. This includes the children/adult at risk of adults who use our
services
Provide staff and volunteers, as well as children and adults at risk and their
families, with the overarching principles that guide our approach to
safeguarding.

This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of Cohesive Society CIC, including
senior managers and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers,
agency staff and students. Failure to comply with the policy and related procedures
will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from
the organisation.

Definitions:

The Children Act 1989 definition of a child is: anyone who has not yet reached
their 18th birthday, even if they are living independently, are a member of the armed
forces or is in hospital.

Adult at Risk:

An adult who has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs),
is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, and
as a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.

Child and Adult Abuse: Children and adults may be vulnerable to neglect and
abuse or exploitation from within their family and from individuals they come across
in their daily lives. There are 4 main categories of abuse, which are: sexual, physical,
emotional abuse, and neglect. It is important to be aware of more specific types of
abuse that fall within these categories, they are:

Bullying and cyberbullying
Child sexual exploitation
Child Criminal exploitation
Child trafficking
Domestic abuse
Female genital mutilation
Grooming
Historical abuse
Online abuse

Safeguarding children/adult at risk: Safeguarding children and adults at risk is
defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 as:

protecting children/adults at risk from maltreatment.
preventing impairment of children/adult at risk’s health or development.
ensuring that children/adult at risk are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.
taking action to enable all children/adults at risk to have the best outcomes.

Legal Framework:

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that
seeks to protect children/adult at risk in England. A summary of the key legislation is
available from nspcc.org.uk/learning.

The Prevent duty

Some organisations in England, Scotland and Wales have a duty, as a specified
authority under section 26 of the Counterterrorism and Security Act 2015, to identify
vulnerable children/adult at risk and young people and prevent them from being
drawn into terrorism. This is known as the Prevent duty. These organisations include:

Schools
Registered childcare providers
Local authorities
Police
Prisons and probation services
NHS trusts and foundations.
Other organisations may also have Prevent duties if they perform delegated
local authority functions.

Children/adult at risk can be exposed to different views and receive information from
various sources. Some of these views may be considered radical or extreme.

Radicalisation is the process through which a person comes to support or be
involved in extremist ideologies. It can result in a person becoming drawn into
terrorism and is in itself a form of harm.

Extremism is vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including
democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of
different faiths and beliefs.

Training and Awareness:

Cohesive Society CIC will ensure an appropriate level of safeguarding training is
available to its Trustees, Employees, Volunteers and any relevant persons linked to
the organisation who requires it (e.g. contractors).

For all employees who are working or volunteering with children/adult at risk, this
requires them as a minimum to have awareness training that enables them to:

Understand what safeguarding is and their role in safeguarding children/adult
at risk.
Recognise a child/adult at risk potentially in need of safeguarding and take
action.
Understand how to report a safeguarding Alert.
Understand dignity and respect when working with children/adult at risk.
Have knowledge of the Safeguarding Children/adult at risk Policy.

Similarly, employees and volunteers may encounter concerns about the safety and
wellbeing of an adult at risk of abuse.

Confidentiality and Information Sharing:

Cohesive Society CIC expects all employees, volunteers and trustees to maintain
confidentiality. Information will only be shared in line with the General Data
Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection.

However, information should be shared with the Local Authority if a child is deemed
to be at risk of harm or contact the police if they are in immediate danger, or a
crime has been committed.

Recording and Record Keeping:

A written record must be kept about any concern regarding a child or adult with
safeguarding needs. This must include details of the person involved, the nature of
the concern and the actions taken, decision made and why they were made.

All records must be signed and dated. All records must be securely and confidentially
stored in line with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

Safe Recruitment & Selection:

Cohesive Society CIC is committed to safe employment and safe recruitment
practices, that reduce the risk of harm to children/adults at risk from people
unsuitable to work with them or have contact with them.

Cohesive Society CIC has policies and procedures that that cover the recruitment of
all Trustees, employees and volunteers.

Social Media:

All employees and volunteers should be aware of Cohesive Society CIC social media
policy and procedures and the code of conduct for behaviour towards the children/
adults at risk we support.

Use of Mobile Phones and other Digital Technology:

All employees, trustees and volunteers should be aware of Cohesive Society CIC
policy and procedures regarding the use of mobile phones and any digital technology
and understand that it is unlawful to photograph children/adults at risk a without the
explicit consent of the person concerned or with parental responsibilities.

Whistleblowing:

It is important that people within Cohesive Society CIC have the confidence to come
forward to speak or act if they are unhappy with anything. Whistle blowing occurs
when a person raises a concern about dangerous or illegal activity, or any wrongdoing within their organisation. This includes concerns about another employee or
volunteer. There is also a requirement by Cohesive Society CIC to protect
whistleblowers.

Important Contacts:

Senior Lead for Safeguarding
Name: Imran A. Chowdhury B.E.M
Email address: imranchowdhury@icloud.com

Telephone number: 07494489482

Deputy Senior Lead for Safeguarding
Name: Paul Motley
Email address : paulamotley@ntlworld.com
Telephone number : 07957512223

Trustee for Safeguarding
Name: Fatema Chowdhury
Email address: fatemachowdhury@hotmail.co.uk
Telephone number: 07880335211

Police
Emergency – 999
Non-emergency – 101

NSPCC Helpline
0808 800 5000

Issue No: v1.2
Issue Date: January 2024
Review Date: February 2025
No of pages: 5