Safeguarding Policy

Last update: September 2024

The purpose of this policy is to:

• Afford protection for the students while under Mother Nature Science’s care.
• Enable staff and volunteers to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
• Promote a culture which makes this company a safer place to learn.
• Safeguard and promote the welfare of early intervention, protection from harm, online and offline, and promoting the best outcomes for all children.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. ‘Children’ includes everyone under the age of 18. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all practitioners should make sure their approach is child centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.

No single practitioner can have a full picture of a child’s needs and circumstances. If children and families are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action.

This policy applies to all staff, volunteers, or anyone working on behalf of Mother Nature Science.

This policy is available on the Mother Nature Science website.

Every Child has right to:

• Be safe from accidental injury
• Be protected from maltreatment, neglect, violence, and sexual exploitation
• Be safeguarded from bullying, discrimination, and anti-social behaviour
• Be able to enjoy and achieve

At Mother Nature Science:

• All staff will have references checked during the recruitment process
• All staff having contact with children will be fully Enhanced DBS checked
• All staff will receive training in the Mother Nature Science Child Protection & Safeguarding policy
• All staff have a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn

The Department for Education’s Working Together to Safeguard Children defines safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children as:

• protecting children from maltreatment
• preventing impairment of children’s health or development
• ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
• and undertaking that role to enable those children to have optimum life chances and enter adulthood successfully
• protecting children from maltreatment at home, whether that’s within or outside the home, including online
• providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge

Child protection is a part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. This refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or at risk of suffering significant harm.

This document applies to children and young people below the age of eighteen. The term ‘children’ will be used throughout the policy to apply to children and young people below the age of eighteen.

Mother Nature Science is fully committed to this policy for safeguarding the welfare of all children and young people, by taking all reasonable steps to protect them from physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect.

This document outlines child protection policy and procedures. It is not a comprehensive ‘how to’ guide in child protection practice but relates specifically to the role of all those involved in working directly or indirectly with children in child protection practice, i.e. activity undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering or are at risk of suffering significant harm.

Mother Nature Science has a responsibility to work with others to safeguard and promote children’s welfare. We are a service-providing organisation and staff may have varying degrees of contact with children and young people. It is essential that staff in contact with children, young people and their families have the requisite knowledge and skills to carry out their jobs safely and effectively. All staff have a responsibility to ensure the safety of children with whom they work.

This document outlines our commitment to the protection of children and aims to:

• Raise awareness of the need to protect children and young people and reduce risks to them
• Ensure that when abuse is suspected or disclosed, it is clear what action must be taken

We ensure that all staff are aware of the requirements within this policy. We believe that:

• All children have the right to be protected
• All children should be listened to, and their views taken seriously
• Children’s needs should be looked at holistically and should not be defined solely in terms of their abuse
• All interventions must be child-centred
• To effectively protect children, professionals must identify and work with safe and protective adults within children’s families and communities
• Professionals need to be aware of how issues of race, gender, disability, culture, sexuality, and age impact on an individual’s life experiences
• Professionals need to be aware of how issues of race, gender, disability, culture, sexuality, and age impact on their understanding of and response to keeping children safe
• All staff should be aware that children may not feel ready or know how to tell someone that they are being abused, exploited, or neglected, and/or they may not recognise their experiences as harmful
• Joint working between agencies and disciplines is essential for the protection of children
• Any member of staff employed by Mother Nature Science will be required to read and sign this policy prior to undertaking any work or role relating to Mother Nature Science

Definitions of abuse

Abuse, neglect and exploitation are forms of maltreatment of a child. An individual may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm or failing to act to prevent harm. Neglect, abuse or exploitation, physically, emotionally, or sexually, can have major long-term effects on all aspects of a child’s health, development, and wellbeing. Sustained abuse is likely to have a deep impact on the child’s self-image and self-esteem, and on his or her future life. Harm may occur intentionally or unintentionally.

All staff should be aware that children can abuse other children (often referred to as child-on-child abuse), and that it can happen both inside and outside of school or college and online.

Domestic abuse can encompass a wide range of behaviours and may be a single incident or a pattern of incidents. That abuse can be, but is not limited to, psychological, physical, sexual, financial, or emotional. Children can be victims of domestic abuse. They may see, hear, or experience the effects of abuse at home and/or suffer domestic abuse in their own intimate relationships (teenage relationship abuse). All of which can have a detrimental and long-term impact on their health, well-being, development, and ability to learn.

The definitions of harm outlined below are used to determine whether a child needs a child protection plan.

Physical abuse

Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or caregiver fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

Including where they see, hear or experience the effects of domestic violence.

Emotional abuse

Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child so as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone. Parents/caregivers of children with multiple needs may find it difficult to ensure that the full range of their needs, including their emotional needs, is met. It may be hard to include such children in everyday activities alongside other family members, but not to include them may be harmful.

Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person into sexual activities, including prostitution, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. They may include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of sexual online or printed images, watching sexual activities, or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.

This may also include child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment.

Neglect

Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy because of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or caregiver failing to:

• provide adequate food, clothing or shelter including exclusion from home or abandonment
• protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger
• ensure adequate supervision including the use of inadequate care-givers
• ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment

It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

Abuse and Children with a Disability

Evidence available in the UK on the extent of abuse among children with a disability suggests that they are at increased risk of abuse, and that the presence of multiple disabilities appears to increase the risk of both abuse and neglect. Children with a disability may be especially vulnerable to abuse for many reasons.

Where there are concerns about the welfare of a disabled child, they should be acted upon in accordance with these procedures in the same way as with any other child. The same thresholds for action and the same timescales apply. It would be unacceptable if poor standards of care were tolerated for disabled children that would not be tolerated for nondisabled children.

Preventing Radicalisation

Children may be susceptible to radicalisation into terrorism. Similar to protecting children from other forms of harms and abuse, protecting children from this risk should be a part of a schools or colleges safeguarding approach.

Extremism is the vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. This also includes calling for the death of members of the armed forces.

Radicalisation is the process of a person legitimising support for, or use of, terrorist violence.

Terrorism is an action that endangers or causes serious violence to a person/people; causes serious damage to property; or seriously interferes or disrupts an electronic system. The use or threat must be designed to influence the government or to intimidate the public and is made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause.

The Prevent Duty

All schools and colleges are subject to a duty under section 26 of the Counter- Terrorism and Security Act 2015, in the exercise of their functions, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism”. This duty is known as the Prevent duty.

The Prevent duty is part of our wider safeguarding obligations.

Mother nature Science designated safeguarding lead (and any deputies) should be aware of local procedures for making a Prevent referral.

Confidentiality

In any work with children and young people it is important to be clear about confidentiality. While personal information held by professionals and agencies is subject to a legal duty of confidence and should not normally be disclosed without the subject’s consent, when there are concerns that a child is or may be at risk of significant harm, then the over-riding objective must be to safeguard that child and disclosure of information is imperative.

Confidentiality and child protection should be discussed with children and young people at the beginning of any piece of work, and reminders and information given from time to time, to ensure that they understand the processes and what responsibilities the staff members have. It is absolutely essential to be clear about the limits of confidentiality well before any such matter arises.

If, in the process of your work, a child discloses to you that they are being abused you will need to tell them that you must report it.

It is important to remember that an allegation of child abuse or neglect may lead to a criminal investigation, so any concerns must be properly recorded and shared with a line manager.

In the event of a situation in which you consider a child is at risk, you should contact the designated Safeguarding Officer on 0208 863 8832.

If you think a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 999.

Mother Nature Science recognises that the welfare of the child is paramount and takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children and young people in its care.

1. The Key Principles of the MNS Safeguarding Children (Child Protection) Policy are that:

• The welfare of the child is, and must always be, paramount to any other considerations.

• All participants regardless of age, gender, ability or disability, race, faith, culture, size, shape, language, or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse or harm.

• All allegations or suspicions of abuse, neglect, harm, and poor practice will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly, fairly, and appropriately.

• Working in partnership with schools, other organisations, statutory agencies, parents, carers, children, and young people is essential for the welfare of children and young people.

• Children have a right to expect support from, and activities delivered by an appropriately recruited, vetted, and managed staff in relation to their participation in an MNS programme, whether they are teaching, assisting, training, or volunteering.

• We will endeavour to safeguard children and young people by valuing them, listening to and respecting them and involving them in decisions which affect them.

• We will recruit staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made and making sure all staff and volunteers are aware of and committed to the safeguarding policy and child protection procedures.

• We will provide effective management through induction, support, training and ensuring staff and volunteers understand about ‘whistle blowing’.

• We will deal appropriately with allegations/concerns about staff or volunteers, in accordance with partner school’s policy and Government guidance.

• All staffs at MNS who have contact with children or a management responsibility for those working with children must undertake an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau disclosure and complete safeguarding training.

• MNS will ensure that all its staffs will comply with the Best Practice Guidance, in summary, the following are NOT acceptable and will be treated seriously by the company and may result in disciplinary action being taken by MNS and may result in a referral to LADO:

• Inappropriate or unnecessary physical contact with a child.
• Consuming alcohol before or during their care for children.
• Providing alcohol to children or allowing its supply.
• Smoking in the presence of children.
• Being under the influence or consuming drugs including medication that may have an adverse effect on the individual’s ability to provide childcare.
• Humiliating children or vulnerable adults.
• Participating in, or allowing, contact or physical games with children. Staff should not involve themselves in activities that can cause deliberate physical contact.
• Having an intimate relationship with any child developed as a result of being in a ‘position of trust.’
• Making sexually explicit comments or sharing sexually explicit material.

• MNS will ensure that its instructors, and supporting staffs, will receive the support and training considered appropriate to their position and role. The MNS “Behaviour Management” Policy has been adopted and circulated amongst the club workforce both, voluntary and paid.

• MNS will ensure that the childcare is accessible and inclusive by taking all reasonable steps to ensure children with disabilities have access to the premises. We will not refuse to provide childcare or treat any child less favourably than another child by reason of the child’s disability or learning difficulty. We will ensure that the parents of the children in questions are aware of our ratios and are aware that one to one care cannot be provided at all times. We will ensure that parents are aware that children, who have severe learning difficulties and receive one to one help at school, will need to be provided help during our services. We will ensure we carefully monitor the behaviour of all children and report back to parents as necessary to ensure the safety and welfare of the other children are protected always.

• We will ensure that our in-house training summarises key points as set out in the document ‘common core of skills and knowledge for the children’s workforce’

• The designated safeguarding lead should take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection (including online safety and understanding the filtering and monitoring systems and processes in place).

• The Designated Safeguarding Officer can be contacted on 0208 863 8832. If you witness or are aware of an incident where the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult has been put at risk, you must in the first instance inform the Designated Safeguarding Officer. They will then inform the MNS Regional Manager. If an incident involves the Designated Safeguarding Officer, you should inform the MNS Regional Manager or the MNS Regional Director.

• Any Safeguarding allegations regarding an adult who works with children will be reported further to LADO by the Mother Nature Science Designated Safeguarding Officer.

1. We have a duty to refer to the Disclosure and Barring Service anyone who has harmed, or poses a risk of harm, to a child, or if there is reason to believe the member of staff has committed one of a number of listed offences, and who has been removed from working (paid or unpaid) in regulated activity, or would have been removed had they not left. If these circumstances arise in relation to a member of staff, a referral will be made as soon as possible after the resignation or removal of the individual in accordance with advice from the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and/or HR. 
2. What is LADO?

The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is a person who works within Children’s Services to oversee the investigation of allegations made against adults who work with children.

The LADO should be notified immediately (within one working day) when it has been alleged that a professional or volunteer who works with children has:

•  behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child
• possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child
• behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children
• behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicated they may not be suitable to work with children

What should practitioners do?

• Anybody who has concerns or allegations about a member of staff working or volunteering with children should contact their line manager (who will refer them to the Designated Safeguarding Officer) and/ or directly to the Designated Safeguarding Officer.
• The Mother Nature Science Designated Safeguarding Officer will contact the LADO immediately for further advice or to make a report.
• Each council borough has a LADO, and each borough has a different reporting process. A report is often, in the first instance, made through a multi-agency team. Search for the borough and LADO to find the correct reporting pathway.

There may be up to three strands in the consideration of an allegation:

• a police investigation of a possible criminal offence
• enquiries and assessment by children’s social care about whether a child is in need of protection or in need of services
• consideration by an employer of disciplinary action in respect of the individual.

The LADO is responsible for:

• Providing advice, information and guidance to employers and voluntary organisations around allegations and concerns regarding paid and unpaid workers.
• Managing and overseeing individual cases from all partner agencies.
• Ensuring the child’s voice is heard and that they are safeguarded.
• Ensuring there is a consistent, fair and thorough process for all adults working with children and young people against whom an allegation is made.
• Monitoring the progress of cases to ensure they are dealt with as quickly as possible.
• Recommending a referral and chairing the strategy meeting in cases where the allegation requires investigation by police and/or social care.

• The Regional Safeguarding Officer is Ambika Patel.  If you witness or are aware of an incident where the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult has been put at risk you must in the first instance inform the Regional Safeguarding Officer.  They will then inform the MNS Regional Manager.  If an incident involves the Regional Safeguarding Officer, you should inform the MNS Regional Manager or the MNS Regional Director.