As an organisation our intention is to be at the heart of safeguarding excellence. We do this in two ways: through our experience based specialist safeguarding consulting to the public sector, charities and private enterprises and in our work to raise the voices and lived experiences of children to ensure their international rights are upheld and ensure they are at the heart of the design and development of services upon which they rely.
We believe that the safeguarding and welfare of children and vulnerable adults is central to our mission. We respect the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 44/25 1989 and the rights of all vulnerable adults. We are committed to delivering safeguarding excellence, recognising that children, young people and adults with a vulnerability may engage with us in many ways.
We will respond appropriately and professionally to all notifications of abuse and be cognisant of unmet need and risk to children and vulnerable adults. Our those who work with or for Nib Shared Vision will be equipped and able to respond professionally concerning safeguarding.
Nib Shared Vision is by design a specialist safeguarding organisation which advises safeguarding professionals and others concerning the protection of both children and vulnerable adults. It has provided policy advice and guidance on a range of connected matters to numerous organisations including H.M Government.
The Partners of Nib Shared Vision are safeguarding professionals in their own right with longstanding professional backgrounds in the police (Nigel Boulton) and Social work (Marisa de Jager HCP 44478).
The Partners within Nib Shared Vision will always act as the Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) for the organisation holding the strategic responsibility for safeguarding standards for the organisation as well as when individual issues of safeguarding require to be addressed.
Nib Shared Vision accepts that safeguarding the vulnerable in society is everyone’s business and views safeguarding as central to its core activities. It will ensure it follows the requirements of the 2006 Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and works to the definition of safeguarding children within Working Together 2018, the Care Act 2014 and the Care and Support Statutory Guidance 2018 for vulnerable adults. This policy applies to all who work with or for Nib Shared Vision and all should be aware of it and its content.
This policy document is designed to support those working with or for Nib Shared Vision in their response to any safeguarding event, notification or consideration. It underpins all interactions with external bodies through contract, memorandums of understanding or other agreement and all external organisations working in partnership with Nib Shared Vision must accept to operate to the same standards of safeguarding excellence as laid out in this policy and aspired to by the organisation.
Nib Shared Vision will provide clear procedures, guidance and training for all working for or with the organisation. We will ensure a clear procedure is in place for all to report issues of need, harm and risk concerning a child or vulnerable adult and that support is always available through one of the Partners.
Nib Shared Vision will follow appropriate safer recruitment and selection procedures to ensure the suitability of individuals working for or with Nib Shared Vision who may interact directly with children and vulnerable adults. This includes an identity check, checking references and an appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) check (according to policy guidance Nib Shared Vision decision making) prior to employment or engagement with the organisation.
Safeguarding children is defined in Working together 2018:
The document defines a child as any child or young person not having reached their 18th birthday and states: ‘everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play.’
The Children Act 2004 (as amended by The Children and Social Work Act 2017) identifies a duty to ‘Safeguard and promote the welfare’ of children and defines organisations who have a duty to co-operate with the local authority. Private companies and partnerships (such as Nib Shared Vision and its partner Limited Companies) are not listed.
An adult who may require an enquiry by the local authority to determine their safeguarding needs is defined within the Care Act 2014 as an adult who:
Abuse includes financial abuse.
The principles that underpin our approach to safeguarding are:
We will always use the safeguarding expertise and experience within Nib Shared Vision to ensure any safeguarding issue is dealt with to the highest standards by the organisation or any organisation we may at any given time be engaged or associated with.
The following guidance sets out clear expectations of the standards of behaviour expected from all those working for or with Nib Shared Vision regardless of their position or status. The principles underlying the guidance aim to encourage all to achieve the highest possible standards of conduct and to minimise the risk of inappropriate conduct occurring.
Breach or failure to observe this policy or highest standards of conduct will result in action being taken by the organisation in line with its disciplinary procedures including, but not limited to, dismissal. If deemed appropriate by a Partner of Nib Shared Vision it may result in referral to the Police.
Nib Shared Vision does not recognise the need for an exhaustive list of acceptable and unacceptable standards of behaviour. In situations where guidance does not exist in this policy individuals are expected to exercise their professional judgement and act in the best interests of children, young people and vulnerable adults as well as Nib Shared Vision. Nib Shared Vision will always consider the actions of an individual against the test of ‘the man on the Clapham omnibus’. In other words was the behaviour acceptable and rational in the eyes of a normal member of society.
It is your responsibility to:
Individuals working for or with Nib Shared Vision may have abuse or neglect disclosed to them by a child, young person or vulnerable adult. They may also develop concerns about their health, wellbeing and exposure to risk.
The actions for handling a disclosure or notifying a concern are similar for both children and vulnerable adults. It is important to respect the rights of vulnerable adults to take decisions in respect of their own safety and wellbeing. If it is felt there is a doubt concerning the individual’s capacity to make informed or appropriate decisions, then individuals working for or with Nib Shared Vision should make it clear they intend to advise another and appropriate person.
When a disclosure is made by a child or vulnerable adult revealing or describing abuse or harm they have experienced or are continuing to the following advice should be followed:
It is essential Nib Shared Vision keep a clear and comprehensive record of any concern or allegation made against an individual, including details of how each allegation is followed-up and resolved, and details of the decisions reached and any action taken. The purpose of the record is to:
Effective information sharing between professionals and local agencies is essential for effective identification, assessment and service provision. Keeping children or adults safe requires information about them to be shared with relevant agencies in order to piece together information to obtain a full picture of the child/adult and his/her circumstance. Individual pieces of information can reveal a very different picture when combined together.
In the event of a concern, disclosure or allegation, the DSO for Nib Shared Vision will share relevant information with the appropriate agencies.
Photographs can be used to identify and trace children particularly if there are accompanying details. Images can be digitally manipulated for use on internet sites.
Nib Shared Vision will always ensure that children’s names do not appear next to photographs in publicity available material and that school badges on uniforms/other items are not visible in the photographs or are removed through photo editing software if necessary.
If Nib Shared Vision or a partner organisation wishes to take photographs of children during any event written consent must be sought from the parent/guardian. By signing for photography or videography consent the parent/guardian gives permission for the photograph or video to be used for publicity material, including events leaflets, social media and websites. The photographer or videographer must ensure that the child is aware they are being photographed.
Escalation is the course of action that should be taken where there are concerns that the safety of a child or vulnerable adult is compromised and the current action of either Nib Shared Vision or other organisation does not, in the opinion of the individual support effective action to safeguarding.
Individuals working for or with Nib Shared Vision has the right and duty to escalate to the Partners of Nib Shared Vision if they feel the actions of anyone connected with the organisation or a partner organisation is not supporting of or achieving effective action to safeguard.
It is your duty to report any concerns that you may have about the behaviour of anyone connected with the organisation or a partner organisation whether in connection with safeguarding or otherwise. You will be expected to whistle-blow if of anyone connected with the organisation or a partner organisation breaches the highest standards of conduct required by Nib Shared Vision or if you have concerns about any other actions regarding their behaviour towards children or a vulnerable adult.
You are also expected to whistle-blow if you have concerns about the management of child protection and safeguarding within Nib Shared Vision, which may include the attitude or actions of colleagues, poor or unsafe practice and potential failures in Nib Shared Vision’s safeguarding arrangements.
There are two ways in which to report a concern:
If you whistle-blow your confidentiality will be protected, and you will not be penalised if you are acting in good faith.
The safety and welfare of every child and vulnerable adult is the primary concern of Nib Shared Vision.
Nigel I Boulton MA
Marisa de Jager
Partners
Nib Shared Vision