NCS offers a range of different types of experiences designed to help young people grow their strengths, boost their confidence, learn new skills, build their resilience, and make new friends. NCS is committed to safeguarding and to ensuring that all children and young people have a positive, enjoyable and inclusive experience in a safe environment and are protected whilst participating in NCS activities.
This policy statement sets out our commitment to safeguarding children and young people and the overarching procedures and practices that guide our approach to safeguarding. It recognises that:
- The welfare and interests of children and young people are paramount in all the work we do and all the decisions we take.
- All children and young people have an equal right to protection from harm, regardless of age, gender, religion or beliefs, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or socioeconomic background.
- Some children in some contexts can be at a higher risk of abuse and we accept responsibility to take reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure their welfare.
The NCS safeguarding policy applies to anyone working on behalf of NCS, including senior managers and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff and students. Any failure to comply with safeguarding policy and procedures will be taken seriously, addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the organisation.
More detailed guidance is provided in our full safeguarding policy, which is available on request. The NCS safeguarding policy sets out a clear and consistent framework to ensure we meet our duty of care for children and young people, in line with UK legislation and statutory guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) and Keeping Children Safe in Education (2022). It is supported by other organisational policies, procedures and guidance, including Safer Recruitment Guidance, Drugs, Alcohol and Psychoactive Substance Policy, County Lines Guidance, Sexting and Peer-on-Peer Guidance, Child Sexual Exploitation Assessment Toolkit, Online Safety Guidance, Challenging Behaviour Policy and Low Level Concerns Policy.
NCS will seek to keep children and young people safe by:
- Promoting and prioritising the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in all areas of our work.
- Adopting safer recruitment procedures that help deter, reject or identify people who might pose a risk to children and young people.
- Promoting awareness of the NCS safeguarding policy and supporting procedures whenever anyone joins the organisation as part of the induction process.
- Ensuring everyone understands their roles and responsibilities in respect of safeguarding through the provision of supervision, training and learning opportunities.
- Ensuring that all team members are able recognise and respond to signs of abuse and understand their duty to report concerns, in line with NCS procedures.
- Appointing designated safeguarding leads to coordinate the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy and to act as the first point of contact for safeguarding concerns.
- Ensuring all safeguarding concerns are taken seriously and receive a timely response.
- Working in partnership with and referring concerns to the Local Authority or Designated Officer via the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
- Maintaining confidential, detailed and accurate records of all safeguarding concerns and ensuring these are securely stored.
- Ensuring that the organisations that work on our behalf have appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures in place and that they commit to protecting children and young people from harm.
- Reviewing our safeguarding policy annually and updating our policies and procedures in line with changes in legislation and/or government guidance.
- Ensuring oversight of the safeguarding policy and its application through corporate governance arrangement including the Board of Directors
If you would like more information about the NCS approach to safeguarding or if you have a safeguarding concern in relation to our work, please email us at safeguardingteam@ncstrust.org.uk. Our full Safeguarding Policy and Procedures is available on request.