The Mill Arts Centre Trust 

Safeguarding Policy: Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults

Reviewed by Andrew Lister, Chief Executive
21st February 2024

Approved by Barbara Basely Smith
Chair of Board of Trustees

Date of next review: February 2025

Introduction

The Mill Arts Centre Trust makes a positive contribution to a strong and safe community and recognises the right of every individual to stay safe.

The Mill Arts Centre Trust comes into contact with children and vulnerable adults through the following activities:

  • Classes and workshops
  • Performances and events
  • Drop in sessions and social activities

This policy seeks to ensure that The Mill Arts Centre Trust undertakes its responsibilities with regard to the protection of children and vulnerable adults and will respond to concerns appropriately. The policy establishes a framework to support paid and unpaid staff in their practices and clarifies the organisation’s expectations.

1. Legislation

This policy has been developed in accordance with the principles established by the Children Act 1989; and in line with the following:

  • “Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015”
  • “Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families” 2000
  • “What to do if you are worried a Child or vulnerable adult is being Abused” 2015
  • Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board guidelines
  • Equality Act (2010)
2. Definitions

Safeguarding is about embedding practices throughout the organisation to ensure the protection of children and vulnerable adults wherever possible. In contrast, child and adult protection is about responding to circumstances that arise.

Abuse is an act of oppression and injustice, exploitation and manipulation of power by those in a position of authority. This can be caused by those inflicting harm or those who fail to act to prevent harm. Abuse is not restricted to any socio-economic group, gender or culture.

It can take a number of forms, including the following:

  • Physical abuse
  • Sexual abuse
  • Emotional abuse
  • Bullying
  • Neglect
  • Domestic Abuse
  • Harmful Practices
  • Contextual Safeguarding
  • Financial (or material abuse)
  • Radicalisation
  • Human trafficking/modern slavery
  • Forced marriage
  • Fabricated or induced illness
  • Female genital mutilation
  • Child exploitation

Definition of a child: a child is under the age of 18 (as defined in the United Nations convention of the rights of a Child)

Definition of a vulnerable adult: a vulnerable adult is a person aged 18 years or over who may be unable to take care of themselves or protect themselves from harm or from being exploited. This may include, but is not limited to, a person who:

  • Is elderly or frail
  • Has a mental illness including dementia
  • Has a physical or sensory disability
  • Has a learning disability
  • Has a severe physical illness
  • Is a substance misuser
  • Is homeless
3. Responsibilities

All staff (paid or unpaid) have responsibility to follow the guidance laid out in this policy and to pass on any welfare concerns using the required procedures.

We expect all staff (paid or unpaid) to participate in identified training, promote good practice by being an excellent role model, contribute to discussions about safeguarding and to positively involve people in developing safe practices.

Additional specific responsibilities:

The Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees have the responsibility to ensure that:

  • the policy is in place and is appropriate
  • sufficient resources (time and money) are allocated to ensure that the policy can be effectively implemented
The Designated Lead Officer/s

The designated lead officers are the Chief Executive (Andrew Lister) and Creative Learning Officer (Laura Walker).

The designated lead officers have the responsibility to ensure that:

  • • The policy is accessible
    • The policy is monitored and reviewed annually
    • The welfare of children and vulnerable adults is promoted within the organisations culture
    • Staff have access to appropriate training/information and this is recorded
    • They receive staff concerns about safeguarding and respond to all seriously, swiftly and appropriately making onward referrals as necessary to the police and or appropriate social services
    • They keep up to date with local arrangements for safeguarding and CRB
    • They develop and maintain effective links with the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Board
    • They take forward concerns about responses
    • They keep records of concerns and actions
    • They ensure effective exchange of policies and information with all partners and third-party users of building and ensure that organisations have appropriate safeguarding policies in place
4. Implementation

The scope of this Safeguarding Policy is broad ranging and in practice, it will be implemented via a range of policies and procedures within the organisation. These include:

  • Grievance and disciplinary procedures- to address breaches of procedures/policies
  • Health and Safety policy, including lone working procedures, mitigating risk to staff and customers
  • Equal opportunities policy-ensuring safeguarding procedures are in line with this policy, in particular around discriminatory abuse and ensuring that the safeguarding policy and procedures are not discriminatory
  • Data protection ( how records are stored and access to those records)
  • Staff induction
  • Staff training

Safe Recruitment

The Mill Arts Centre Trust ensures safe recruitment through the following processes:

  • • Job or role descriptions for all roles involving contact with children and vulnerable adults will contain references to safeguarding responsibilities
  • Safeguarding statement on all recruitment adverts
  • Shortlisting is based on formal application processes
  • Interviews are conducted according to equal opportunity principles and interview questions are based on the relevant job description and person specification
  • Enhanced DBS checks will be conducted for identified roles which involve regular unsupervised access with children and vulnerable adults.
  • Enhanced DBS checks will be conducted for any staff with line-management responsibility for roles which have unsupervised access with children and vulnerable adults even if they themselves do not have such access.

Disclosure and Barring Service Checks

The Mill Arts Centre Trust maintains and reviews a list of roles across the organisation which involve contact with children and vulnerable adults. This will be reviewed annually by the Executive Director.

The Mill Arts Centre Trust will ensure that the established staff and roles are regularly reviewed through:

  • A three year rolling programme of re-checking DBS’s is in place for holders of all identified posts
  • Existing staff (paid or unpaid) who transfer from a role which does not require a DBS check to one which involves contact with children and vulnerable adults will be subject to a DBS check

Service delivery contracting or sub-contracting

There will be systematic checking of safeguarding arrangements of partner organisations and contracts and memorandums of agreement for partnership delivery work will include clear minimum requirements, arrangements for safeguarding and non-compliance procedures.

5. Communications training and support for staff

The Mill Arts Centre Trust commits resources for induction, training of staff (paid and unpaid), effective communications and support mechanisms in relation to safeguarding.

Induction will include:

  • Discussion of the safeguarding policy (and confirmation of understanding)
  • Discussion of other relevant policies
  • Familiarisation with reporting processes and the role of the Designated Safeguarding Leads

Training

In addition to induction, staff, volunteers and Trustees who, if designated as part of their role, may be in unsupervised contact with children and vulnerable adults will be will be required to complete safeguarding training to an appropriate level as detailed below.

  • Adult tutors – Generalist training (level 2) – OSAB/HST every 2 years
  • Youth tutors – Generalist training (level 1) – OSAB/HST every 2 years
  • PREVENT (Home Office)
  • CHANNEL (Home Office)

Any staff with line-management responsibility for an employee who has contact with children and vulnerable adults but do not themselves have such contact will nonetheless be required to complete training to the same minimum standard as anyone they line manage.

In addition to the training outlined above, Designated Safeguarding Leads with be required to maintain Designated Lead (level 3) training provided by OSCB every 3 years.

Restraint: It is not our policy to provide staff with industry recognised training in restraint, therefore no member of staff should carry out any form restraint. If a situation occurs where these measures may be necessary staff should contact a Duty Manager who will in turn contact the emergency services.

Communications and discussions of safeguarding issues

Commitment to the following communication methods will ensure effective communication of safeguarding issues and practice:

  • Trustee Meetings
  • Health and Safety Committee Meetings
  • Team Meetings
  • Staff 121 Meetings (formal or informal)
  • Tutor team meetings

In all meetings open discussions will be encouraged to identify any barriers to reporting so that they can be addressed.

All staff will be reminded of policies and procedures on an annual basis and informed when any changes or alterations are made.

Support

The Mill Arts Centre Trust recognises that involvement in situations where there is risk or actual harm can be stressful for staff concerned. The mechanisms in place to support staff include:

  • Debriefing support for paid and unpaid staff so that they can reflect on the issues that they have dealt with
  • Staff who have initiated protection concerns will be contacted one of the Designated Leads within one week
  • Signposting to support services such as counselling

The following policies also contain guidance on staff conduct:

  • Disciplinary and Grievance Policy

If professional boundaries are breached this could result in disciplinary procedures including dismissal

6. Reporting

The process outlined below details the stages involved in raising and reporting safeguarding concerns at The Mill Arts Centre.

Step One

Staff should report their concerns to their Line Manager, who will inform the Designated Safeguarding Lead (if these are different)

Step Two

The Designated Safeguarding lead will contact Oxfordshire County Council for advice via the LADO or Safeguarding Officer

Step Three

The Designated Safeguarding lead will then follow the advice provided

The full Local Authority process can be found at oscb.org.uk

7. Allegations Management

The Mill Arts Centre Trust recognises its duty to report concerns or allegations against its staff (paid or unpaid) within the organisation or by a professional from another organisation.

The process for raising and dealing with allegations is as follows:

  1. Any member of staff (paid or unpaid) is required to report any concerns in the first instance to one of the Safeguarding Leads. A written record of the concern will be made by the Safeguarding Lead
  2. The Safeguarding lead will contact the Local Authority Designate Officer for Child Protection within one working day
  3. The Safeguarding Lead will then follow advice provided
8. Monitoring

The Mill Arts Centre Trust will monitor the following safeguarding aspects:

  • • Safe recruitment practices
  • DBS checks undertaken
  • References applied for new staff
  • Records made and kept of supervision sessions
  • Training- a training record of staff who have undertaken relevant training
  • Monitoring whether concerns are being reported and actioned
  • Checking that policies are up to date and relevant
  • Reviewing the current procedure in place
  • Two Designated Safeguarding leads are in post
9. Managing Information

Information will be gathered, recorded and stored in accordance with the data protection policy.

All staff must be aware that they have a professional duty to share information with other agencies in order to safeguard children and vulnerable adults. The public interest in safeguarding children and vulnerable adults may override confidentiality interests. However, information will be shared on a need to know basis only, as judged by the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

All staff must be aware that they cannot promise participants that or their families/carers that they will keep secrets.

10. Communicating and reviewing the policy

The Mill Arts Centre Trust will make participants and customers aware of the Safeguarding Policy by the following means:

  • A link on the organisation website
  • A copy of the policy clearly displayed in the staff room
  • A hard copy of the policy will be kept at Box Office
  • All long term hirers and freelance staff will be issued a copy of the policy electronically

This policy will be reviewed by the Arts Centre Director annually and when there are changes in circumstance or legal requirements.

Contacts

Designated Safeguarding Lead – Andrew Lister, Executive Director/Joint CEO
Tel: 01295 227175
Email: Andrew.lister@themillartscentre.co.uk

Designation Safeguarding Lead – Laura Walker, Creative Learning Officer
Tel: 01295 227177
Email: laura.walker@themillartscsentre.co.uk

LADO – Jo Lloyd
Tel: 01865 810603
Email: safeguardingchildren@oxfordshire.gov.uk

LCSS – No Names Consultation
Tel: 0345 050 7666

Training Providers:
Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board (OSCB)
oscb@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Tel: 01865 815843

Oxfordshire Safeguarding Adults Borad (OSAB)
osab@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Tel: 0345 050 7666 (0800 833 408 out of hours)

High-Speed Training (level 1 & 2)
support@highspeedtraining.co.uk
Tel: 0333 006 7000

DBS Provider:
Warwickshire County Council
dbs@warwickshire.ogv.uk

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