It is a key principle for the Coram Group that children or adults at risk are kept safe and prevented from suffering harm. All Coram Group staff members and volunteers have a responsibility to do all they can to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults at risk with whom they come into professional contact. The Coram Group approach to safeguarding children or adults is based on the principles recognised in the Children Act 1989, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Human Rights Act 1998, the Care Act 2014, and the Equality Act 2010.
Effective safeguarding of children should aim to meet the following two key principles:
- Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility: for services to be effective each individual and organisation should play their full part; and
- A child centred approach: for services to be effective they should be based on a clear understanding of the needs and views of children.
Coram’s safeguarding procedures recognise that:
- The welfare of the child is paramount
- All children, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation, or identity have the right to protection from all types of potential or actual harm.
- Working in partnership (whenever this is possible) with children, their parents, carers and other agencies is key to promoting children’s welfare.
The Coram Safeguarding Policy & Procedures document is available here.
Tutors and support staff / volunteers have an Enhanced DBS disclosure check, and are never left unsupervised with a child. In order to protect the health and physical safety of children and young people attending a workshop, all parents are sent a questionnaire in advance of the workshop seeking information as to whether the child or young person has any health issues of which we should be aware and whether there are any dietary issues about which we should know. We also require the parent/guardian/carers contact details throughout the day and the name of the person who will be collecting the child from the workshop. If someone other than a parent/guardian/carer will be doing so, then we request the parent/guardian/carer’s explicit permission and the nominated person’s full name and contact number.
No child or young person is allowed to leave on his or her own, unless the parent has notified us in writing on the form that this has the parent’s agreement. Copies of the questionnaire are given both to the workshop leader and the venue where the workshop takes place.