Safeguarding Policy

Introduction

The Marie Trust is committed in its duty to safeguard children, young people, and adults at risk of harm who may be at risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation, discrimination, or extremism.

Scope

This policy applies to all staff, students, stakeholders, volunteers, agency workers and any other contractor/consultant who may be engaged by The Marie Trust.  

PVG Scheme

The Marie Trust does not work directly with children or young people and therefore are not required to have PVG Scheme membership for this. If a new project were to be taken on where direct contact is part of their role PVG checks would be required. The Marie Trust staff team are however, required to have membership of the scheme when working directly with adults at risk of harm.

Definitions

• A child is anyone who has not yet reached the age of 18 years.
• A young person is anyone aged 16 or 17 years.
• An adult at risk of harm is someone aged 18 years or over who is, or may be for any reason, unable to take care of themself, or unable to protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation (e.g., physical harm, psychological harm causing fear, alarm or distress, self-harm, neglect, or behaviour which adversely affects property, rights, or interests)

Policy Statement

All children and young people have the right to be cared for and protected from harm, and to grow up in a safe environment in which their rights and needs are respected. The National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland, which was published in May 2014, provides a clear definition of what abuse and neglect is, as well as expectations for all those working with children and young people regarding identifying and responding to child protection concerns.

The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 seeks to protect and benefit adults at risk of being harmed. The Act requires councils and a range of public bodies to work together to support and protect adults who are unable to safeguard themselves, their property, and their rights.

Any intervention in an adult at risk of harm affairs must provide benefit to them and should restrict their freedom as little as possible. The local authority must consider the wishes and views of the adult at risk and efforts must be made to help them communicate their views.

Reporting Concerns

All cases of suspected or alleged abuse must be treated seriously and reported to Social Work immediately through an Adult Protection form (AP1) found on Glasgow City Councils website. The concerns should be articulated clearly and in as much detail as possible. If you are unhappy with the response from Social Work, you can contact the local Police Office.

Internally, all concerns must be recorded and alerts highlighted via AdvicePro, with cases being discussed amongst the team at the next diary meeting or full staff meeting.

Responsibilities

The Marie Trust board has overall responsibility for this policy, and for reviewing the effectiveness of actions taken in response to concerns raised under this policy. The Chief Officer has day-to-day operational responsibility for this policy and must ensure that all managers and staff who may deal with concerns or investigations under this policy receive regular and appropriate training. The Chief Officer in conjunction with the board should review this policy from a legal and operational perspective at least once a year.

The Marie Trust’s staff responsibilities for the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults at risk includes:

• Prevention
• Recognising symptoms and behaviours through support and training of staff
• Recording concerns
• Reporting concerns
• Promoting their interests
• Inter-agency working