Woolston Community Centre Committee

Safeguarding Policy

Statement of Intent.
The Woolston Community Centre Committee It’s Trustees and Volunteers have
a duty of care to safeguard everyone who comes into contact with our
premises, this includes young people and adults at risk involved as visitors or
participants in activities. It is committed to promoting wellbeing, harm
prevention and to respond effectively when matters for concern are raised.
We also have a duty to safeguard our Volunteers and Trustees.

Principles and Procedures

The welfare of the young person or vulnerable adult is paramount and is the
responsibility of everyone. All children and vulnerable adults without exception
have the right to protection from:

Abuse, whether physical, verbal, sexual.

Neglect.

Bullying: shouting, physical violence.

Sexism and racism towards children and vulnerable adults will not be
permitted or tolerated.

The responsibility for ensuring the safety of young people and vulnerable
adults whilst in the community centre rests with the individual or organisation
hiring the hall.

The safety of the Centre premises regarding children and vulnerable adults will
be checked on a regular basis.

No Trustee or Volunteer will have unsupervised access to children or

vulnerable adults.
All suspicions of abuse against a child or vulnerable adult will be taken
seriously and dealt with speedily and appropriately.

All Volunteers and Trustees must be aware of this policy. They must know
what to do in the event of a concern/disclosure. New trustees and volunteers
will be given an induction.

There can be no excuse for not taking all reasonable action to protect adults
and young people at risk. All citizens of the UK have their rights enshrined
within the Human Rights Act 1998. People who are eligible to receive health
and community care services may be additionally vulnerable to the violation of
these rights by reason of disability, impairment, age or illness.

Clear whistle blowing procedures are suitably referenced in Volunteer training.

A culture is maintained where everyone feels able to raise concerns and feel
supported in meeting their safeguarding role.

A designated Safeguarding Lead has been appointed. This person will have the
responsibility for Safeguarding matters and reporting concerns that arise as a
matter of urgency to the relevant safeguarding agency.

The named person is Mr. Neil Kelly

This Policy and related guidance will be monitored regularly for compliance
and reviewed annually.

Definitions
Children and Young People are defined as those persons under the age of 18
years old.
Vulnerable Adults for the purpose of the policy vulnerable adult refers to
persons over the age of 18 years who according to paragraph 42.1 of the Care
Act 2014:

 Has care and or support needs

 Is experiencing, or is at risk of abuse or neglect
 As a result of their care and support needs is unable to protect himself
or herself against the abuse or neglect, or the risk of it.
 If someone has care and support needs but is not currently receiving
care or support from health or care services, they may still be an adult at
risk.

Persons Affected
All Trustees and Volunteers

All service users

All visitors and contractors.

Appendix 1
A copy of the Safeguarding Policy will be displayed for the attention of all in
the Community Centre and made available to all hirers.

Organisations hiring the community centre for activities involving children will
be asked to confirm that they have suitable Child Protection policies in place
before booking commences. Individuals hiring the Centre for activities
involving young persons will be made aware of this policy.

Organisations hiring the hall for activities involving vulnerable adults will be
asked to confirm that they have a Vulnerable Adult protection policy in place
before hiring commences.

The Trustees/ Volunteers will endeavour to keep the premises safe for all. They
require all hirers to report any damage, breakages or safety issues needing
attention to the Booking Secretary who will inform the appropriate personnel.
These will be dealt with as soon as practicable, in light of the circumstances,
with provision to prevent access by children and vulnerable adults pending
repairs where appropriate.

Contractors engaged to carry out work at the premises must not be allowed
unsupervised access to young people or vulnerable adults

If the premises are used by more than one hirer, the attention of hirers will be
drawn to the need to ensure that young people and vulnerable adults are
supervised when using the toilets.

The supervision of all groups remains the responsibility of the personnel

who hire the hall and sign the terms and conditions of booking.
Appendix 2

The designated Safeguarding Lead will have responsibility for reporting any
concerns/disclosures that arise to the appropriate authorities as a matter of
urgency.

The designated Safeguarding Lead will ensure that all hirers of the centre will
have signed a hiring agreement. Any organisation or individuals hiring the hall
for the purposes of activities to include young people and vulnerable adults are
confirming by signing the terms and condition of hiring that they have
appropriate safeguarding policies in place. This does not include one off hire
for parties etc.

The Safeguarding Lead will ask all hirers who wish to use the centre for
activities which include children and adults at risk to produce a copy of their
Safeguarding Policy and evidence that relevant checks have been carried out
through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). This is to be carried out
before hiring commences.

The Safeguarding Lead must know all appropriate agencies that will require
notification in the event of a concern or disclosure.

They will ensure there is an environment in which a person may have the
opportunity to raise any child protection or vulnerable adult concerns.

Policy Adopted by The Trustees/Volunteers of the Woolston Community

Centre Committee

Date: 1st January 2023

Review Date: 1st January 2024