Introducing Safeguarding

Transcription

1 Introducing Safeguarding Session aims: To clarify what is meant by safeguarding and child protection To ensure all Woodcraft Folk members are aware of the principles of the Woodcraft Folk Safeguarding Policy To support all Woodcraft Folk members to explore how practice supports safeguarding of children and young people at group nights, on camp and other Woodcraft Folk events To inform all Woodcraft Folk members how they should raise concerns or safeguarding worries To signpost all Woodcraft Folk members to sources of further information, training and support Time Activity (mins) 0-5 mins Introduction Introduce yourself and your role as District Safeguarding Officer Introduce session aims & format (informal and largely group work) 5-20 mins Safeguarding As a whole group record members responses to Safeguarding, what is it? Share with the group the agreed sector/legislative definition Again, as a whole group record members responses to child protection, what is it? Share with the group the agreed sector/legislative definition (If time allows) Host an open discussion as to why members think safeguarding is important, recording key points onto flipchart mins How does Woodcraft Folk safeguard children and young people? In small groups of 3 or 4 members, take 5 minutes to list what Woodcraft Folk already does the safeguard children and young people? Responses might include: 1. Member screening e.g. CRB checks, references and Independent Safeguarding Authority registration 2. Collection of health and consent forms from all children, young people and helpers 3. Appropriate Volunteer:Children Equipment Flipchart, paper & pens or chalk/white board Agreed definitions of safeguarding and child protection Safeguarding Policy handout Paper and pen to record discussion

2 ratios 4. Programme planning 5. Safeguarding training 6. Competent & experienced members 7. Risk assessments 8. Avoid 121 contact 9. Keep parents informed 10. Actively engage children and young people 11. Safeguarding Policy & Procedure documents 12. Whistle-blowing policy Still in small groups, take 5 minutes to list what additional action Woodcraft Folk could take to safeguarding children and young people? Small groups to feedback mins Scenarios In small groups of 3 or 4 ask members to take 10 minutes to consider one of the presented scenarios. 1. What are the issues? 2. How should they respond? 3. What could be done to reduce risk of harm? Feedback mins Reporting concerns Present to the whole group the process for reporting concerns e.g. Group Leader, District Safeguarding Officer, national Lead Safeguarding Officer Make all members aware of the Incident & Disclosure form, designed to assist record keeping and in making a formal referral to a Local Safeguarding Children Board or Child Protection team Make all members aware of the Woodcraft Folk Whistle-blowing policy, designed to support those wishing to raise concerns of internal practice mins What is abuse? Present to the whole group that there are 4 kinds of abuse: 1. Emotional 2. Physical 3. Neglect 4. Sexual Circulate What is abuse? handout Explain to the group that this information Scenarios Paper and pen to record discussion Making a referral handout, with the addition of your contact details What is abuse? handout

3 is shared in response to requests from the membership, but is not the focus of this training, which is as an Introduction to Safeguarding mins Sources of support District Safeguarding Officer WcF lead Safeguarding Officer (Debs McCahon) Local Safeguarding Children Board Sources of support handout 75 mins Close Definitions Safeguarding is the broader preventative and precautionary approach to planning and procedures that need to be in place to protect children and young people from any potential harm or damage. It is more than child protection, although child protection is one important aspect of safeguarding. Safeguarding involves keeping children and young people safe from a much wider range of potential harm and looks at preventative action, not just reaction. Child protection involves recognising signs of physical, sexual or emotional abuse or neglect and acting on it.

4 Staying Safe Scenarios: Facilitator s notes The scenarios are all actual situations experienced or witnessed by leaders or young people. Once prompted, young people will probably come up with their own examples. They are intended to start a discussion around the issues raised, rather than produce right answers, although the facilitator should be ready to give clear information about WF policies and procedures, and the law. A good way in with several of the scenarios is to read it and then say so what? or does/ should anything worry you about this? The discussion might then start with It all depends. If so-and-so, then it would be OK, but not if so-and-so.... In order to do this successfully however, the facilitator needs to be clear in their own mind about the issues and what is appropriate behaviour within the WF policies and procedures.* It s also useful to explore the role of the witness or friend and discuss how conflicting or misplaced loyalties could fail a young person in danger. At the end of the discussions, each participant should come away with a clearer idea of what to do if they are worried or uncomfortable about a situation. *When time permits I will try to write notes for each scenario, but for the time being, if anyone reads one of these scenarios and thinks Blimey, I haven t a clue how I d handle this, I d be happy to discuss by telephone/ . Marie Rice andypiercy@phonecoop.coop

5 Staying Safe Case Studies Choose one of these scenarios and discuss. What choices could the people involved make? What might be the result of their choices? What advice would you give to the people involved? 1. Polly is 15. She has a crush on David, who is one of the group leaders. David is 18, and finds Polly very attractive. 2. Rosie is 6, and missing her mum at camp. She needs lots of hugs. She is sitting on George s knee; George is an adult leader. There are loads of other people around doing their clan duties. Suddenly everyone has disappeared and George and Rosie are alone. 3. Nick is 17 and his girlfriend is 16. They ask if they can share a tent at camp. 4. Jamie tells an adult leader that Kevin is being rude. They are both Elfins. 5. Stephanie, a Venturer leader, likes to put his arm round young people in his group. Stephanie is Ben is an Elfin leader. He is 17. Ginny is six and asks Ben to help her wash her hair. 7. Freddie is an Elfin. He tells a leader that Father Christmas touched him when he came to their school. 8. Sally is a Venturer leader. She is 19. Ian, one of her group, starts to text her and at first she replies, but before long he is texting her several times a day. She gets a bit worried. 9. Sam, a volunteer aged 25, joins the organisation and during the induction process it is clearly explained it is not appropriate for volunteers to invite children to their home. A few months into Sam s time with the organisation a parent of one of the children tells the leader that her son and another boy (who is not involved in the Organisation) had really enjoyed their weekend camping at Sam s house. The parent goes on to say that since her son had got to know Sam he has blossomed. Her son is 12 years of age. 10. A parent tells you that her child who has recently joined the organisation, no longer wants to attend because she does not like one of the volunteers, Irene. The mother says that there are rumours going around about Irene which are that she drinks heavily and beats up her kids. The mother goes on to say that she and a number of other parents believe that she is a risk to kids and that she harms her own children. As far as you are concerned, Irene s conduct has always been exemplary. She works to the aims and principles and generally seems to be a good role model to the children and the other adult workers in terms of her relationships with children. /over

6 Online Scenarios: 11. In an instant messenger conversation a 14 year old young person reveals they are planning to go out later and get drunk 12. A young person replies to a blog/forum post and includes their mobile phone number 13. The profile picture of a 16 year old female on an instant messenger shows her naked 14. A young person comments on photos they have seen on one of the youth workers social network profiles in which the youth worker is pissed out of their face 15. One of the young people in your friends list appears in the news feed requesting that a photo another young person has put up is removed because it shows her underwear - the person who posted the photo refuses and the photo is highlighted on your feed 16. A young person contacts you because they are in an online conversation with another young person who is threatening to commit suicide imminently and they don t know what to do 17. A parent complains that a youth worker has been having conversations with their child very late at night online