Safeguarding Policy Statement

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk of harm is defined for the purposes of this policy as:

• protecting children and adults at risk of harm from maltreatment;
• preventing impairment of the mental or physical health or development of children and adults at risk of harm;
• ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care;
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

TLG is a Christian charity that helps churches to bring hope and a future for struggling children and their families.

TLG Education Centres offer a lifeline, giving young people the chance to catch up on missed qualifications, raise their aspirations and provide building blocks for a better life. As a Christian charity, our church-based education centres offer a safe and nurturing place for young people to learn; they’re places where young people are valued, cared for and their potential is championed. We’re passionate about seeing young people return to mainstream school, progress on to college or find work because of the support available at TLG. All of our Education Centres are registered Independent Schools.

TLG Early Intervention gives the church a practical solution to support children, families and schools in their community. Churches partner with TLG to deliver the EI programme in their community. Partnership enables trained volunteers from local churches to become coaches and volunteer in schools on a one-to-one basis with children to deliver the Early Intervention Programme, with the overall aim of reducing the child’s felt anxieties and increasing their confidence and aspirations. Our specialist training equips each coach to become a trusted support to the child, their teacher and their family.

TLG Make Lunch enables and equips churches to bring hope to struggling children through holiday lunch clubs. Through our partnership model, with training and support from TLG, churches are enabled to provide free, hot and healthy meals and activities to children and families who are struggling with food insecurity.

The purpose of our safeguarding policies is:

• to protect children and young people who receive TLG’s services from harm
• to provide staff and volunteers, as well as children and young people and their families, with the overarching principles that guide our approach to safeguarding.

Our policies apply to anyone working for or on behalf of TLG, including senior managers and the board of trustees, paid staff and volunteers.

Our commitment

The Convention on the Rights of the Child states that children should be able to develop their full potential, free from hunger and want, neglect and abuse – a statement which is very much in line with our mission to see the lives of struggling children transformed. 

As a Leadership we have therefore adopted the procedures set out in our safeguarding policies in accordance with statutory guidance.

As an organisation we are committed to creating a positive culture around safeguarding which ensures it is clearly communicated to all staff and volunteers that safeguarding is a joint responsibility for everyone to uphold. We will ensure that processes are clear and accessible to enable all volunteers and staff to do all they can to create a working environment that is as safe as possible and to respond and act appropriately should they ever have any concerns regarding the safety or wellbeing of a child or adult at risk or harm.

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

• valuing, listening to and respecting them
• appointing a nominated safeguarding coordinator, a deputy, a lead trustee for safeguarding across the organisation as well as safeguarding leads for and within each programme
• adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers
• developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related procedures
• providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures so that all staff and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures and behaviour codes confidently and competently
• recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made
• recording, storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance
• using our safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately
• using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately
• creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying or harassment that does arise
• ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place
• ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance
• building a safeguarding culture, which seeks to protect all from harm, where staff and volunteers, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.

Supporting documents

This policy statement should be read alongside our organisational policies, procedures, guidance and other related documents.

• Role description for the designated safeguarding lead and all other key safeguarding roles stated at the beginning of this document
• Dealing with disclosures and concerns about a child or young person
• Managing allegations against staff, volunteers and trustees
• Recording concerns and information sharing
•  Child protection records retention and storage
• Code of conduct for staff and volunteers
• Behaviour codes for children and young people
• Photography and sharing images guidance
• Digital Safety
• Safer recruitment
• Online safety
• Anti-bullying and harassment
• Managing complaints
• Whistleblowing
• Health and safety including fire safety and first aid procedures
• Induction, training, supervision and support
• Adult to child supervision ratios

Section 2 – Prevention

Safer recruitment

As an organisation, we recognise the importance of recruiting all staff and volunteers as safely as possible in order to do all we can to ensure that all provision is as safe and effective as possible.

The TLG Leadership will ensure all staff and volunteers will be appointed, trained, supported and supervised in accordance with government guidance on safer recruitment.  This includes ensuring that:

• There is a written job description / person specification for all staff and volunteer posts
• Those applying for a staff or volunteer role have completed an application form and a self-declaration form
• Those short listed have been interviewed
• Interview panels include at least one person who is safer recruitment trained
• Safeguarding has been discussed at interview where appropriate
• Written references have been obtained and followed up where appropriate
• A disclosure and barring check has been completed where necessary (we will comply with Code of Practice requirements concerning the fair treatment of applicants and the handling of information)
• Qualifications where relevant have been verified
• A suitable training programme is provided for the successful applicant
• The applicant has completed a probationary period
• The applicant has been given a copy of the organisation’s safeguarding policy and knows how to report concerns.

Further detail can be found in the TLG Safer Recruitment policy.

Details for the Safer Recruitment of TLG Education Centre staff can be found on the website for each Education Centre.

A safer recruitment policy is also in place for all volunteers and can be found in the Volunteer Programmes Safer Recruitment policies.

Child Protection

Each TLG Education Centre has a child protection policy and procedures in place that are in accordance with locally agreed inter-agency procedures. This includes having a Designated Safeguarding Lead and deputy, who undertakes training in inter-agency working and other matters as appropriate. The Child Protection Policy outlines the action staff should take if they are concerned that a child or young person is suffering significant harm or is likely to do so, and the action that should be taken to promote the welfare of a child in need of additional support, even if they are not suffering harm or are at immediate risk.

Each volunteer programme has a child protection policy and procedures in place which work in partnership with church or school safeguarding policies as appropriate.

Data sharing

Whilst the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 places duties on organisations and individuals to process personal information fairly and lawfully, it is not a barrier to sharing information where the failure to do so would result in a child being placed at risk of harm. Fears about sharing information cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the need to promote the welfare and protect the safety of children.

Safeguarding training

The Leadership is committed to on-going safeguarding training and development opportunities for all workers, developing a culture of awareness of safeguarding issues to help protect everyone.  The Trustee board, staff and volunteers at all levels will receive induction training and undertake recognised safeguarding training on a regular basis that is appropriate for their roles in order to regularly update their skills and knowledge.

All staff complete level 2 safeguarding training during induction. This will be refreshed every 2 years.

Make lunch volunteers complete level 2 safeguarding training as part of their initial training. This will be refreshed at least every 3 years.

Early Intervention volunteers complete level 2 safeguarding training as part of their initial training. This will be refreshed at least every 3 years but coaches agree to complete this annually where required by the school they are coaching in.

In addition, all DSLs will complete DSL training which will be refreshed every 2 years.

The lead trustee for safeguarding will complete a safeguarding for trustees training course every 2 years. In addition, all trustees will complete a safeguarding for trustees training course every 3 years.

Management of Workers – Codes of Conduct

As a Leadership we are committed to supporting all staff and volunteers and ensuring that they receive support and supervision. All appropriate staff and volunteershave been issued with a code of conduct towards children, young people and adults with care and support needs.

Section 3 - Practice Guidelines

As an organisation working with children, young people and adults with care and support needs we are committed to operating safely and well. Our operating methods prioritise enabling staff and volunteers to develop positive and supportive relationships well and create safe environments for the children and families they support in a way that minimises the risk of false or unfounded accusations. As well as a general code of conduct for staff we also have specific good practice guidelines in each of our Programmes. These draw on statutory guidance and good practice guidelines relevant for each context.

Working in Partnership

As an organisation, we work with many different organisations and partner churches and recognise the variation in practice that exists across them. As a result, we have guidelines in place which clearly outline our programme safeguarding expectations and operating processes for all partners. Compliance with these procedures is reviewed annually in each setting by Regional Leaders and the Education Centre Development Team.

Section 4 - Responding to allegations of abuse

As an organisation, we partner with local churches to equip and enable them to deliver 3 very different programmes.

Clear guidelines on responding to allegations of abuse for each programme can be found in the programme specific safeguarding policies.

Reporting to Trustees

Our Board of Trustees plays a key role in bringing governance, accountability and challenge to all safeguarding policies and processes within the organisation.

In Education Centres:

The EC safeguarding lead will meet quarterly with the trustee in charge of safeguarding for monitoring and accountability of safeguarding concerns

In addition to this, a safeguarding concern will be directly reported to trustees if:

1. It concerns a member of staff
2. It may have media coverage

In Volunteer Programmes:

The VP safeguarding lead will submit a quarterly report to the trustee in charge of safeguarding detailing any safeguarding concerns for that quarter.

In addition to this, a safeguarding concern would be reported to trustees if:

1. It concerned a member of staff
2. It required action by TLG
3. It may have media coverage

Section 5 - Supporting those affected by abuse

The TLG Leadership is committed to offering pastoral care, working with statutory agencies as appropriate, and offering support to all those who have been affected by abuse who have contact with or are part of the organisation.

Adoption of the policy: This policy was agreed by the TLG trustees in January 2022 and will be reviewed annually