Safeguarding Policy for Brain Health Breakthrough

Brain Health Breakthrough CIC is dedicated to supporting the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector. We provide essential services to both adults and children, focusing on those who are vulnerable. This policy aims to guide our staff, freelance associates, and volunteers at Brain Health Breakthrough in understanding their roles and responsibilities related to adult safeguarding and child protection. Everyone in the organization is expected to adhere to this policy. It is not your responsibility to determine whether abuse has occurred; instead, you must report any concerns. We have a duty of care to address any issues that may arise, even if they do not involve our direct services.

All children and adults at risk, regardless of their age, culture, disability, gender, language, ethnicity, socio-economic status, religious belief, or sexual orientation, have the right to protection from abuse. This commitment to adult safeguarding and child protection is crucial for everyone involved. It is not our role to determine whether abuse is occurring; rather, it is everyone's responsibility to report any concerns regarding the welfare of children, young people, or adults at risk. This includes recognizing signs of abuse, identifying poor practices by elected members or employees, and managing allegations made by the public.

At Brain Health Breakthrough CIC, we prioritize the rights, wishes, and feelings of children and adults at risk. We have established and adhere to appropriate procedures to safeguard their well-being and protect them from harm. Our dedication to safe employment practices includes comprehensive measures such as Disclosure and Barring checks, as well as robust recruitment, training, and support for staff, elected members, and volunteers to uphold best practices in safeguarding. We are also committed to addressing any allegations of misconduct or abuse of children and adults at risk while processing personal data in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998, ensuring confidentiality and sharing information strictly on a need-to-know basis.

All suspicions, concerns, and disclosures related to adult safeguarding or child protection must be reported immediately to a Designated Safeguarding Lead. 

At Brain Health Breakthrough CIC, the Designated Safeguarding Lead responsible for safeguarding duties is Karen Haworth, who can be reached at mobile: 01254 480515. 

All staff, freelancers, and volunteers should contact Karen Haworth for any concerns or queries they have regarding adult safeguarding and child protection. 

If you believe the situation is urgent and none of the above contacts are available, please do not delay. Reach out to:  

Hyndburn and Lancashire  

- Lancashire County Council Adult Social Care: 0300 123 6721  

- Lancashire County Council Children’s Customer Care: 0300 123 6720 (available from 8am to 8pm).  

- Lancashire Police: 0845 125 3545 or dial 999 in an emergency.  

Blackburn with Darwen  

Adults:  

- Contact Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Adult Social Care Duty Team at 01254 587547, available from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.  

- For emergencies outside of normal office hours, contact the Emergency Duty Team at 01254 587547.  

Children:  

- For confidential advice and consultation regarding child protection, please call Blackburn with Darwen Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) at 01254 666400, available Monday to Friday from 08.45 to 17.00. If you are calling outside these hours, please reach out to our Emergency Duty Team at 01254 587547, or contact the Police at 01254 51212 or dial 999.

Staff freelancers and volunteers at Brain Health Breakthrough CIC who have any adult safeguarding or child protection concerns should follow these guidelines and principles.

Stay calm. 

If a child or adult at risk is present, reassure him or her. 

Take the report seriously. 

Don’t make promises of confidentiality or outcomes. 

Keep questions to a minimum – clarify your understanding but leave detailed questioning to police or social care professionals. 

Explain to them that you will have to share your concerns with your line manager and/or the designated Safeguarding Lead, who will decide what to do next.

1. Respond - Take emergency action if someone is at immediate risk of harm or needs urgent medical attention. Dial 999 for emergency services. Get brief details about what has happened and what the adult involved or parent/guardian would like done about it, but do not probe or conduct a mini investigation. For a child, first seek consent from their parent/guardian, or in an emergency, check whether the parent/guardian has given consent for emergency response in the activity consent form.

2. Report - Report safeguarding concerns to the designated Safeguarding Lead.

3. Record - Brain Health Breakthrough CIC requires all staff and volunteers to record details of any safeguarding incidents in the Brain Health Breakthrough Safeguarding Incident Form found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fcs6-Ru46gmZLL4Fi6Stc5mITfwbitLO2ZJy2dNue1U/edit?usp=sharing. 

Information should be provided as soon as possible and no later than 12 hours after the incident occurs.

4. Refer - Making a decision whether to refer or not is the responsibility of the designated Safeguarding Lead.

To refer: The Safeguarding Lead will make a referral to the appropriate County Council or Police for information, advice, or action, and will consider any further action by Brain Health Breakthrough CIC.

If no further action is required, the decision should be recorded, and the Incident Report Form securely stored.

Karen Haworth, designated Safeguarding Officer, will be responsible for making decisions about notifying adult social services if required, as well as considering alternative actions when necessary to uphold adult safeguarding. 

Karen Haworth will also ensure that the policies and procedures for safeguarding adults and child protection are current and effective. She will promote a safe environment for staff, volunteers, and adults accessing the service, while also ensuring that everyone is up to date with their safeguarding adults training. 

In certain situations, it may be essential to talk to parents or carers to clarify any concerns regarding child protection and the well-being of individuals involved.

The designated Safeguarding Adults Lead should be responsible for acknowledging the referral and providing brief feedback to the individual who raised the original concern. This feedback must be delivered in a manner that respects the principles of adult safeguarding and does not exacerbate the situation or violate the Data Protection Act. 

Addressing safeguarding matters can be challenging, and it is important to offer support following any incidents. Karen Haworth will check in with team members involved in or reporting an incident to assess their feelings and identify any lessons that can be learned or shared, especially in relation to child protection and promoting overall mental well-being, fitting into the wider context of initiatives like the Brain Health Breakthrough.

Child, or young person: Anyone under the age of 18 years.  

Adult at risk: A person aged 18 years or over, who is, or may be in need of community care services due to mental or other disabilities, age, or illness; and who is, or may be, unable to take care of themselves or protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation. Adult safeguarding is crucial in ensuring their safety and well-being.  

Parent: This term refers to a parent, carer, or guardian.  

Staff: This includes elected members and volunteers working on behalf of, delivering a service for, or representing Brain Health Breakthrough CIC.  

Abuse: Any form of physical, emotional, or sexual mistreatment, or lack of care, that leads to injury or harm.  

Physical Abuse: Refers to actual or likely deliberate physical injury, or neglectful failure to prevent such injury or suffering, to a child or adult at risk. This could include broken limbs, head injuries, hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm.  

Emotional Abuse: This entails actual or likely severe adverse effects on the emotional and behavioral development of a child or adult at risk, caused by persistent or severe ill-treatment or rejection. It can lead to feelings of worthlessness, unlovability, or inadequacy, and may involve inappropriate age or developmentally-based expectations imposed on children, including causing fear or danger.  

Sexual Abuse and Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE): This involves actual or likely sexual exploitation of a child or adult at risk, who may be dependent and/or developmentally immature. Sexual abuse includes forcing or enticing another person into sexual activities, regardless of their awareness. It encompasses both physical contact and non-contact activities. Child Sexual Exploitation is a serious crime impacting any child, anywhere, regardless of their social or ethnic background, often involving offenders grooming young people for abuse.  

Neglect: Refers to the persistent failure to meet essential physical and/or psychological needs, which can seriously impair health or development. This may occur when a parent or carer fails to provide adequate food, shelter, clothing, or medical care, or is unresponsive to a child or adult at risk’s emotional needs.  

Financial Abuse: This includes fraud, exploitation, pressure related to wills, property or inheritance, or the misuse of possessions or benefits.  

Domestic Abuse: Defined as the abuse of power or control over one individual by another, domestic abuse can take various forms, including physical, psychological, sexual, emotional, verbal, and financial abuse, particularly between intimate partners or family members.  

Prevent: Radicalization and extremism among adults who may seem vulnerable or have additional needs represent a form of emotional and psychological exploitation. Radicalization can occur through direct contact or indirectly via social media. If staff recognize that an adult at risk is in danger of being radicalized, they should address it as they would any safeguarding concern. For further details, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent  

Useful contacts:  

Brain Health Breakthrough CIC offers projects in Hyndburn and Blackburn with Darwen, supporting a UK-wide initiative. Depending on the service area, the following contacts may be beneficial.  

Safeguarding Partnership Boards:  

The Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen Safeguarding Children Boards play an essential role in keeping children and young people safe, ensuring all agencies work to promote their welfare.  

Lancashire Safeguarding Children Board:  

The LSCB offers policy and guidance documents available at: http://www.lancashiresafeguarding.org.uk/resources/key-guidance-policydocuments.aspx  

The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for Lancashire is Tim Booth, reachable at 01772 536694.  

Blackburn with Darwen Safeguarding Children Board:  

Access guidance documents at http://www.lscb.org.uk/  

Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Lancashire: 01254 585 184, 01253 477558, 01772 536 694, Megan.dumpleton@blackburn.gov.uk  

A separate Safeguarding Adults Board is available as follows:  

Lancashire: lancashiresafeguarding.org.uk/lancashire-safeguarding-adults.aspx  

Blackburn with Darwen: http://www.lsab.org.uk/