SAFEGUARDING – NOTICE FOR VOLUNTEERS
Safeguarding is the action taken to protect children and vulnerable adults from abuse and neglect. As a Centre safeguarding is extremely important to us. Below we explain a bit more about Safeguarding and urge that all of our volunteers completed the online training course as detailed in this newsletter.
Definitions
Children – a young person under the age of 18
Vulnerable Adult – Someone 18 years or over who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of disability, age or illness; and is or may be unable to take care of and protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation.
What is Abuse
Abuse is mistreatment by any other person or persons that violates a person’s human and civil rights. The abuse can vary, from treating someone with disrespect in a way that significantly affects the person’s quality of life, to causing actual physical or mental suffering. Types of abuse are:
- Physical Abuse: hurting or injuring by hitting, pushing, restraint, poisoning, etc.
- Sexual Abuse: director or indirect sexual exploitation by involvement in or exposure to inappropriate sexual activity or pornography
- Psychological or Emotional Abuse: treats, intimidation, coercion, harassment, bullying, belittling or inappropriate parent/carer expectations
- Neglect: Persistent lack of appropriate care, ignoring medical, physical or emotional needs, depriving of medication, adequate nutrition and heating.
- Financial Abuse: theft, or undue pressure in connection with money or possessions.
- Discriminatory Abuse: inappropriate treatment based on a person’s disability, ethnic origin, gender or sexuality.
- Institutional Abuse: repeated instances of poor care, ill treatment or unsatisfactory professional practice.
- Grooming: attempting to befriend or win favour with a child, vulnerable adult or their carer. The ‘grooming’ as it is called enables the offender to gain access to the child or vulnerable adult or to be in private proximity to them for an ulterior motive such as sexual or financial abuse.
What must I do if I am concerned?
- If the person has choosen to speak to you directly about the issue, advise them that you are there to listen without judgement but the information they tell you will need to be shared. If the person decides not to share at this point, do not coax them into speaking.
- Allow them to speak without interruption and write down the conversation as you go, using the actual words they are using where possible, do not ask leading questions.
- Reassure them that you will pass this information on for investigation, do not promise that you can stop the situation immediately.
- Report the concern immediately to one of the Centre’s Safeguarding Officers – Yvette Whiffen, Andrew Manning or Gill Edwards. Information should be kept confidential. Only share by exception.
How can I learn more?
We advise that all of our volunteers complete the online RDA safeguarding training course if they have not already attended the course. Details of how to do this can be found at http://www.rda.org.uk/e-learning/.
If you are not a volunteer and have a concern about someone who attends the Centre, please contact Yvette Whiffen, Safeguarding Officer.
Our full safeguarding Policy can be found here: