INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CARE FOUNDATION

CHILD PROTECTION POLICY: STATEMENT OF INTENT

Prepared by ICCF Management Committee, September 2006

A.  Introduction

International Christian Care Foundation  [ICCF]: wants children and vulnerable young people to enjoy their involvement in all aspect of developing and running their own programmes and activities within ICCF youth department set up.

ICCF consider it a matter of importance to inform, educate, train and enthuse children and young people, including those with various disabilities about the work it does, and therefore make appropriate referral links with partners.

Through this Policy we aim to:

1.1. Protection Policy Statement

The international Christian Care Foundation youth club (thereafter referred to as the drop in centre) complies with the procedures approved by the management committee of the organisation.

We intend to create an environment in which children and young people are safe from abuse and in which any suspicion of abuse is promptly and appropriately responded to. In order to achieve this: The organisation is committed to practices that protection of children and vulnerable young people from harm is an important issue.

1.2. Summary

All ICCF employees, member’s volunteers, and all those working on behalf of the organisation, whether paid or unpaid, must accept and recognise their responsibilities to develop awareness of the issues that cause children and vulnerable young people harm. 

Duties

All members of ICCF team are expected to:

Respect the wishes of a child as would be with an adult. They must not impose themselves on them, but take all reasonable steps to ensure the health, safety and welfare of any child in contact with the organisation.

Principles to observe

  • Remember that children regard adults as role models and ensure your behaviour, language, gestures etc. are appropriate and above reproach.
  • Be aware of Child Protection issues in relation to the work you do and do not become complacent and believe ‘it could never happen to me’.
  • Prevent any other member of staff or volunteer from putting any child in a situation in which there is a significant risk to their health and safety.
  • Take appropriate action if you become aware of anyone physically, emotionally or sexually abusing a child.
  • Report any evidence or reasonable suspicion that a child has been physically, emotionally or sexually abused whether by an adult or another child to the Child Protection designated supervisor or line manager.

Abuse:

Physically, emotionally or sexually abuse any child or young or vulnerable person for the purpose of this policy “a child” means anyone under 18 years of age. Young people “means” anyone under 25 years.

This policy acknowledges the importance of child and vulnerable young people’s protection, both as individually and corporately as organisation.

ICCF will ensure that all employees’ part time or full time, members, partners, and volunteers refer to these policy statements and its governing procedures therein.

Adopt the highest possible standards and taking all reasonable steps in relation to the safety and welfare of the children with whom we come into contact in relation to our work. It is impossible to ensure that no child or young person ever comes to any harm while in contact with ICCF.

However implementing this policy and following the guidelines will enable everyone working in close contact with children and young people to undertake all reasonable precautions to prevent harm occurring while being prepared to deal with an incident should it occur.

The organisation expects everyone working in close contact with children to apply these principles and similar safeguards when dealing with vulnerable people of all ages.  All references to child or children throughout this Policy and Guidelines should be taken to refer to those referred to above.

2.2. Staff and Volunteers

It is important to remember that as member of ICCF staff and volunteer team you may come into contact with children in a wide range of situations.

In addition to organised visits and children events, these will include:

  • Children using recreation and holiday facilities
  • Children attending shows or events
  • Children coming ICCF drop in centre for various reasons
  • Children attending various training or indoor activities

Children with disabilities

It should be remembered that children with disabilities are children first and foremost,

and have the same rights to protection as any other child. People caring for and working with children with disabilities need to be alert to the signs and symptoms of abuse. Children with disabilities must be responded to as individuals with their own specific needs, feelings, thoughts and opinions. The Children Act 1989 invokes a duty to take into consideration their wishes and feelings.

Children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable and at greater risk of all forms of abuse including abuse whilst being care for in institutions.

ICCF works with many children and young people every year in a variety of funded programmes and activities and has developed this Child Protection Policy to support its staff and volunteers in putting into practice the organisation’s commitment to it.

This policy reflect roles and responsibilities of everyone who works or volunteers in ICCF in relation to the protection of children and young people with whom task work brings them into contact. In the context of child protection, children and young persons refers to anyone less than 18 years of age.

3.0. Confidentiality    

The legal principle that “the welfare of the child is paramount” means that the considerations of confidentiality that might apply to other situations within the organization should not be allowed to override the right of the child to be protected from harm. However every effort should be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned both when an allegation is made and whilst it is being investigated.  (See the ICCF’s confidential policy.)

This policy is based on, and reflects of the principles of both UK legislation guidelines and other relevant ICCF policies and procedures. The approach has been developed in such a way to be consistent with 'Best Practice' within the field of Child protection.

3.1 Key Principles are:

  • The welfare of the child or young person is the paramount consideration.
  • All children and young people, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial or ethnic origin, religious belief and sexual identity have a right to Protection from harm or abuse.

It is everyone in he organisation’s responsibility to promote the protection of children and young people. All staff and volunteers are always expected to maintain a sense of proportion, apply common sense to situations and protect the child’s welfare as priority.

It is also ICCF’s duty to ensure that staff and volunteers are never placed in situations where abuse might be alleged. It is not intended that the policy should restrict staff and volunteers from their normal ways of working, but staff always need to consider how an action or activity may be perceived as opposed to how it is intended.

3.2. Good Practice

The International Christian Care Foundation undertakes to:

  • Treat children and young people with care, respect and dignity.
  • Recognise that those working or volunteering with ICCF will be perceived by children and young people as trusted representatives of the ICCF charitable organisation
  • Ensure communication with children and young people is open and clear.
  • Assess the risks to children of its activities,
  • Ensure staff and volunteers avoid physical contact with children and young people except for reasons of health and safety, or under supervision.

4.0. Recruitment and disclosure

New appointments

ICCF is registered with the Barking and Dagenham Volunteer Bureau who are the designated Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) representatives in the borough providing disclosure service for the voluntary sector organisations whose staff and volunteers tasks involve regular contact with children, and enables the organisation to make more thorough recruitment and selection checks for positions which involve working with children and young people.

As part of the ICCF recruitment and selection process, offers of employment and volunteering opportunities to positions and assignments where working with children and young people is an expected part of the job, will all be subject to compulsory CRB disclosure. This applies to persons engaged on part-time basis or session freelance contracts.

ICCF staff and volunteers engaged in positions which do not usually entail working with children will, on occasions where an assignment involves supervised contact with children, be required to complete an internal ICCF Child Protection Personal

Disclosure Form.

Staff and volunteers who disclose that they have been convicted of any offence relating to children or young people, and/or subject to any disciplinary action or sanction relating to children, will not be permitted to work on any project which involves contact with children. In exceptional cases, where the position is going to entail unsupervised work, i.e. regularly caring for, training, supervising or being in sole charge with children and young people, a disclosure from the CRB will be required before the role may be undertaken.

4.1. Responsibilities

In those areas of the project where staff or volunteers work with children as part of their roles, a supervising line manager will be nominated by ICCF Board of trustees to have special responsibility for the Child Protection Policy in that very specific task.

The nominated supervising line manager will decide which positions require CRB disclosure and be the focal point for all child protection questions within their designated duties and will have responsibility to provide advice and guidance to staff and volunteers who:

  • During the duration of their assigned task, believe that a child may be at risk of harm, and/or are told by a child or young person of a child welfare issue.

4.2 Children participations and involvement

Children and young people interested in attending ICCF Programmes can be involved in a range of activities in a number of ways ranging from peer mentoring, fundraising bid writing, paintings, foot-ball, music dance and drama, filming and photography community outreach, trips etc.

This child protection policy complements and supports the ‘Children programmes and activities of their own choices that adds value to them. It is ICCF policy to assign one volunteer to every four children groups.

Computer Internet

International Christian Care Foundation [ICCF] recognises that the Internet plays an important part of children’s lives for both the purposes of education communication and fun. The child protection policy complements and supports strict internal monitoring and supervision procedures to safeguard children and young people using our ICT Internet computer facilities.

5.0. Referrals

ICCF offers referral opportunities to other service providers and similarly welcome referrals from elsewhere.

We have primarily designed a referral form that complies with IAG matrix standards to help young people become familiar with other activities and programmes offered elsewhere. ICCF has established close ties and working links with child safety agencies, such as:

  • Safer Neighbourhoods tea
  • Local Metropolitan Police
  • Local CVS
  • Local authority
  • Local Schools
  • Local faith groups
  • Local MP’s
  • Local residents, parents and carers as a gesture of building trust and partnership working relationships to safeguard, assessment and take account particularly to vulnerabilities which will include child protection.

  • Trust International Christian care Foundation has acquired the government matrix standards

Through recommendations and service users satisfactions after being interviewed by the Matrix an assessor. The risk assessment set out what arrangements are in place for care and support of all those who use or are in demand of ICCF services as a method of Good Practice.’

Parent / Guardian Consent

Written parental/guardian consent is always sought before any child or children are considered to join ICCF group or activities.

To support this policy, a guide for project management: staff /volunteer are provided with practical training in child protection as well as heath and safety policy procedures before they are fully entrusted responsibility to run programmes working with children and young persons.

All those covered by the policy have a duty to do everything reasonable in their power to ensure the safety and welfare of children while they are in contact with the FC and to act in accordance with the Guidelines at Appendices 1-6.

A copy of this policy is available for you at your request.

   

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