Safeguarding

Youthscape is committed to putting safeguarding at the heart of how e work as an organisation. Our commitment applies not only to the children and young people we work alongside, but also to adults with care and support needs, and to our staff, our volunteers and everyone who is involved in our work.

Safeguarding children (including young people) is defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) 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
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

Our Safeguarding Policy is the key document that defines how we do this. It sets out our legal responsibilities and how we will fulfil them. It also lays out the procedures we will follow. You can download the policy on this page.

We have appointed a Safeguarding Team to oversee safeguarding at Youthscape, comprising a Safeguarding Lead and two Deputies. The team review any safeguarding concerns on receiving them, and act as the contact if referrals are made to the Police or to Children's Services.

Our Board of Trustees have overall responsibility for safeguarding at Youthscape. They ensure our policy meets legal requirements and good practice, and that our policy is fully implemented in our day-to-day work.

We carry out all the appropriate checks on staff and volunteers, including taking references and carrying out checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Any allegation or complaint against a member of Youthscape's staff or a volunteer will be taken seriously. Complaints should be made to the Safeguarding Team using the contact on this page.

We train staff to recognise the signs of abuse and follow our policy for reporting any concerns. Like many schools and other organisations, we use CPOMS online service to record information and enable secure referrals to be made. In Luton, where the Youthscape office is based, we look to The Luton Safeguarding Children Board, which lays out requirements and best practice for local agencies to follow.

Safeguarding is fundamental to good work with children and young people. It requires clear policies that are rigorously implemented and upheld. Ongoing training and transparency is crucial. We want Youthscape to be an example of the very best practice in this area for the sake of the young people we serve.