Version	Reviewer Name	Date	Next Review	Comments
1.0		June 2023	June 2024	First Draft
2.0	Wesley Longden	May 2024	June 2025	Updated for Alive

Introduction

Imagine the Day Limited (“The Lions”, “ITD”, “We”, “Us”, “Our”) are a Charity dedicated to promoting and advancing the Christian religion, worship of God, and spreading the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ both in the UK and overseas.

Policy Statement

We are committed to protecting all children and adults against all forms of abuse and we expect everyone who works in our organisation to share this commitment.

This policy sets out how the organisation will manage recruitment for job roles that involve working with vulnerable groups and how it will manage matters arising during employment where it is believed that vulnerable groups could be, or have been, placed at risk.

The policy also explains the responsibilities of staff in relation to the safeguarding of vulnerable groups and the procedure that should be followed when reporting an allegation of abuse.

This policy does not form part of any employee’s contract of employment, and we may amend it at any time.

A copy of this policy will be displayed on our website. Each member of staff, volunteer or person working on behalf of ITD is duty bound to abide by it.

Who is covered by this policy?

This policy applies to those working at all levels and grades, including managers, officers, trustees, employees, consultants, contractors, trainees, tutors, homeworkers, part-time and fixed-term employees, casual and agency staff, and volunteers (collectively referred to as staff in this policy).

The policy specifically covers all who work in a regulated activity with children and/or adults, and this policy defines a child as anyone under the age of 18 years.

Personnel responsible for implementation of this policy.

The Trustees have overall responsibility for the operation of this policy. They will ensure that adequate resources are available for the effective implementation of this Policy. The Trustee with the Designated Safeguarding responsibility will manage the role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

It is the responsibility of everyone working for or on behalf of the organisation to report any allegations of abuse. Their Line Manager/Designated Safeguarding Officer* will be the first point of contact within the organization for any member of staff/volunteer who may have concerns or queries, unless the concern is about their Line Manager, which would require them contacting a more senior Manager.

*Designated Safeguarding Officers are those who have been given specific safeguarding responsibility for a project/activity or event.

Recruitment

We will make it clear to candidates when advertising a job role if the work involved is regarded as a regulated activity (work that involves unsupervised contact with children or vulnerable adults) and will determine this in accordance with the provisions of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

Before we can employ a candidate in a regulated activity, we will require the candidate to provide a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure with a relevant barred list check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps us make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups. We will ensure that the correct level of DBS certificate is sought. The purpose of this check is to confirm that the candidate is suitable to perform this work and is not barred from doing so.

We will make any offer of employment in a regulated activity conditional upon satisfactory background checks, including satisfactory criminal record and barred list checks. We reserve the right not to employ a candidate where these conditions are not satisfied.

A record of all DBS checks will be securely maintained, and it is the responsibility of every member of staff, volunteer or person working on the organisation’s behalf to provide a copy of their most recent DBS check and to inform their Line Manager of any incidents or matters that may affect their ability to continue to work with children and vulnerable groups.

These checks will be renewed on a regular basis, not being more than 3 years from the previous check.

Training

Training will be provided as required for all stakeholders to enable them to perform the safeguarding aspects of their role effectively. Safeguarding training will occur every two years from the initial safeguarding training.

Work that becomes regulated

If work either becomes a regulated activity, or if you are asked to perform work that is a regulated activity, we will require you to provide a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure with a relevant barred list check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. The purpose of this check is to confirm that you are suitable to perform this work and are not barred from doing so.

If you refuse to undertake these checks, or if a disclosure confirms that you have a relevant criminal conviction or have been placed on a relevant barred list, we will investigate the circumstances further and will fully consider the effect of this on continued employment.

If you are added to the barred list

If you are added to a barred list during employment, we cannot legally allow you to continue to engage in a regulated activity.

Where you are not permitted to perform a regulated activity, we may investigate if there are any other non-regulated activities in which you can be employed.

We reserve the right to dismiss you where continued employment cannot be supported.

Responsibility of all staff, volunteers and those working on behalf of ITD

Staff, volunteers, and those working on behalf of ITD are required to:

Ensure they provide a safe environment for the children and young people and adults with whom they may work.
Understand the signs of possible abuse of children and young people and adults and report it to the appropriate authority/officer.
Make themselves aware of this policy and the “Designated Safeguarding Officer” in any activity/event/organization they are working at.

Dealing with disclosure of abuse and procedure for reporting concerns for a child

If a child tells you about possible abuse, it is not your responsibility to investigate further or make any enquiries. You will:

Listen carefully and stay calm
Not interview the child, and only ask questions in order to be sure that you understand what the child is telling you
Not put words into the child’s mouth
Reassure the child that by telling you what has happened, they have done the right thing
Never promise confidentiality but inform the child that the information must be passed on, but that only those that need to know about it will be told. Inform them who the matter will be reported to
Note the main points carefully
Make a detailed note of the date, time, place, what the child said, did and questions asked preferably within one hour of the discussion with the child. You may feel it appropriate to draw a basic body outline and indicate on that any injuries that you can see. These notes will be passed on to the Line Manager/Designated Safeguarding Officer where you are based, to assist should the matter need to be referred further
Do not investigate concerns or allegations yourself but report them immediately to the Line Manager/Designated Safeguarding Officer whereupon they will be responsible for any further investigation.
Assess if the child or young person is at immediate risk and contact the appropriate statutory service to ensure safety.

Dealing with disclosure of abuse and procedure for reporting concerns for an adult

Follow the above guidance and do not investigate or make enquiries. With an adult who has mental capacity it is important to understand they have the right to make decisions and unless they are at immediate risk of harm you will need to gain consent before reporting to external agencies.

Reporting concerns and allegations of abuse

It is the duty of each member of staff, volunteer or person working on behalf of ITD to ensure that, when working with children, young people or vulnerable adults, they do everything to ensure that those persons are not subject to abuse, and to report any concerns they may have, whether disclosed, discovered or suspected. The report must be made to the Designated Safeguarding Officer at the location where they are working.
All staff engaged on behalf of the Charity/Company, must be vigilant at all times to risks of abuse towards children and/or adults. This may include behaviour from relatives, other service users, health and social care practitioners, volunteers, and members of staff.
Abuse is a violation of an individual’s civil or human rights by another person. This can be a single act, or multiple acts and it may occur in a variety of ways. Abuse of an individual may be verbal, physical, or psychological. It may occur from a deliberate act or a failure to act.
Abuse may also occur when an individual is persuaded to do something that he or she has not consented to, or is unable to consent to, or where the individual is exploited by another person.
If you believe or suspect that a child and /or adult has been subjected to abuse, you must refer the matter to your Line Manager, Designated Safeguarding Officer, immediately. We will consider all allegations of abuse seriously.
When reporting an allegation of abuse, it is important to provide as much detail as possible, including the name of the person who has been subjected to abuse, the nature of the abuse, the dates and times of any specific incidents and details of any evidence or other witnesses that may be available.

Reporting and dealing with allegations of abuse against members of staff

The procedures apply to all staff, whether trustees, administrative, management or support, as well as to volunteers.
In rare instances, staff/volunteers of Christian organisations have been found responsible for abuse. Because of their frequent contact with children and young people or vulnerable groups, staff/volunteers may have allegations of abuse made against them. ITD recognises that an allegation of abuse made against a member of staff/volunteer may be made for a variety of reasons and that the facts of the allegation may or may not be true. Where an allegation is made against a member of staff/volunteer, the Safeguarding Trustee and Designated Safeguarding Lead must be informed. They will ensure that the relevant authorities are made aware and will ensure that every assistance is given to the investigating authorities.
ITD recognises that the welfare of the child or adult at risk is the paramount concern. It is also recognised that hasty or ill-informed decisions in connection with a member of staff/volunteer can irreparably damage an individual’s reputation, confidence, and career. However, it may be that the staff member/volunteer needs to be withdrawn from their role for a period of time. This does not indicate an admission of guilt but is to safeguard all involved including the member of staff/volunteer whilst the relevant authorities investigate. Therefore, those responsible for Safeguarding within the organisation will manage the situation with sensitivity and will act in a careful, measured way.
ITD is a member of Thirtyone:eight (formerly known as CCPAS). Thirtyone:eight are an independent Christian safeguarding charity. They provide us with all of the help, advice and support we need when it comes to safeguarding.
Our Designated Safeguarding Officers, Designated Safeguarding Lead and Safeguarding Trustee will follow the advised procedures by Thirtyone:eight and deal with each matter thoroughly, sensitively, and as confidentially as possible until the matter is resolved or passed on to Social Services or the Police for further investigation.

Investigation

We will investigate all complaints of alleged or suspected abuse fully, in accordance with the disciplinary procedure.

We may be required to refer information to the Disclosure and Barring Service and may also consider it necessary to inform the Police of allegations under investigation.

Suspension

We reserve the right to suspend you on full pay pending investigation into an allegation of abuse and pending any resulting disciplinary proceedings.

Disciplinary action

If we have reason to believe that an allegation of abuse has foundation, we will arrange a disciplinary meeting with the individual. This could result in a decision to take disciplinary action against the employee, up to and including dismissal.

Duty to refer information

The Charity/Company will discuss any safeguarding concerns with the local safeguarding team and would encourage any staff member with concerns to do the same.

Please remember that it is not for you to decide a child or vulnerable adult is or may be at risk of harm or abuse, but it is for you to refer that information to the professional bodies that can assess risk and act as required.

The relevant bodies are:

Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
The Local Safeguarding Children’s Board
The Local Safeguarding Adults Board

We are legally required to refer certain information about an individual to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

This duty applies where:

you are dismissed because you have harmed or may harm a child or adult.
we have suspended you and have reason to believe that you have engaged in relevant conduct or have harmed or may harm a child or adult or have received a caution or a conviction for a relevant criminal offence.
you resign in circumstances where there is a suspicion that you harmed, or may harm, a child or vulnerable adult. This may, for example, arise where an employee resigns before disciplinary action is taken by the organisation.

Definitions of abuse

Children

The following is a guide regarding definitions of child abuse, but this is not an exclusive list:

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse causes harm to a child’s person. It may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning, or suffocating. It may be done deliberately or recklessly or be the result of a deliberate failure to prevent injury occurring.

Neglect

Neglect is the persistent or severe failure to meet a child or young person’s basic physical and/or psychological needs. It will result in serious impairment of the child’s health or development.

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse involves a child or young person being forced or coerced into participating in or watching sexual activity. It is not necessary for the child to be aware that the activity is sexual, and the apparent consent of the child is irrelevant.

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse occurs where there is persistent emotional ill treatment or rejection. It causes severe and adverse effects on the child’s or young person’s behaviour and emotional development, resulting in low self-worth. Some level of emotional abuse is present in all forms of abuse.

Adults

Protecting Adults from harm is underpinned by the fundamental principles of the Care Act 2014.

This Act sets out a clear framework for how people with care and support needs or who are at risk of abuse or neglect should be protected.

Key Principles

Empowerment
Prevention
Proportionality
Protection
Partnership
Accountability

The Wellbeing Principle

The Care Act 2014 introduced a duty to promote wellbeing when carrying out any care and support functions in respect of a person.

Wellbeing relates to:

Personal Dignity
Physical and mental health and emotional wellbeing
Protection from abuse and neglect
Control by the individual over their day-to-day life
Participation in work, education, training, or recreation
Social and economic wellbeing
Domestic, family, and personal relationships
Suitability of living accommodation
The individual’s contribution to society

Definitions of Abuse and Neglect for Adults:

Physical: This includes hitting, slapping, kicking, misuse of medication, restraint and force feeding.
Domestic violence – including psychological, physical, sexual, financial, emotional abuse; so called ‘honour’ based violence.
Financial or material: This includes theft, fraud or using a person’s money, possessions, or property without consent.
Psychological/emotional: This includes threats of harm or abandonment, isolation, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, harassment, verbal abuse, threats, or bribes.
Sexual: This includes sexual assault, rape, or sexual acts to which the vulnerable adult has not consented, could not consent, or was pressurised into consenting.
Neglect or acts of omission: A failure to provide appropriate care (such as. food, clothing, medication, heating, cleanliness, hygiene) and denying religious or cultural needs.
Discriminatory abuse: This includes racism, sexism, ageism, and discrimination based on a person’s disability or sexual orientation. Some abuse in this category might also be classed as a hate crime.
Modern slavery – encompasses slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude. Traffickers and slave masters use whatever means they have at their disposal to coerce, deceive, and force individuals into a life of abuse, servitude, and inhumane treatment.
Self-neglect – this covers a wide range of behaviour around neglecting to care for personal hygiene, health or surroundings and includes behaviour such as hoarding.

Reporting process including names and functions of those to whom safeguarding concerns are to be reported

The Safeguarding Trustee for ITD is Gary Spicer gary@thelions.org.uk – 07968 110 239

The Designated Safeguarding Lead for ITD is Wesley Longden wesllongden@yahoo.co.uk 07957741489

All safeguarding concerns should be reported to Wesley Longden the Designated Safeguarding Lead unless the safeguarding concern involves the DSL, in which case it should be reported to Gary Spicer the Safeguarding Trustee.

Where someone is at immediate risk the appropriate statutory authority should be contacted, as detailed in the policy.

ITD has responsibility for two initiatives which come under ITD’s legal safeguarding duty. These are: Big Sing Soul and Alive.

Big Sing Soul

Designated Safeguarding Officer – Emma Smith

emma@bigsingsoul.org.uk – 07598 402658

Big Sing Soul run choirs for children and adults with additional needs and Emma Smith is the Charity Manager and is responsible for ensuring this policy is implemented in terms of the safeguarding requirements for recruitment and communication of safeguarding processes for tutors and to work with the DSL to arrange training, as necessary. Where a safeguarding concern is raised at a choir the tutor will inform Emma Smith and complete a Safeguarding Alert Form to be password protected and sent to safeguarding@thelions.org.uk. The DSL will then take responsibility for dealing with the safeguarding concern in consultation with the DSO and Safeguarding Trustee.

Alive

Designated Safeguarding Officer – Shell Perris

shell@thelions.org.uk – 07595 451 003

Alive run events and activities for children and young people and Shell is responsible for ensuring this policy is implemented in terms of the safeguarding requirements for recruitment and communication of safeguarding processes to all staff and volunteers and to work with the DSL to arrange training, as necessary. For each Alive event/activity there will be a clearly identified person to initially manage the recording and reporting of any safeguarding concerns in line with the policy. They will inform Shell Perris and the DSL of the safeguarding concern. A Safeguarding Alert Form will be completed, password protected and sent to safeguarding@thelions.org.uk. The DSL will then take responsibility for dealing with the safeguarding concern in consultation with the DSO and Safeguarding Trustee.

Children and Adult Safeguarding Form

Date of Concern:

Time of Concern:

Location of Concern:

Name of Person/s at Risk:

Date of Birth:

Address:

Reasons for Completion

What you are worried about:

Actions Completed:

Professionals/Others Contacted:

Outstanding Actions:

Provide a factual account of what happened or what was said. Include the actual words spoken by the child or adult where possible. Detail any other people involved e.g. as witnesses.

Name of Person Completing the Form:

Date:

Signed by:

Ensure document is password protected.

Email Safeguarding Alert to: safeguarding@thelions.org.uk

Contact the DSO and DSL to inform them of the Alert.

The BIG Sing SOUL is a project administered by the charity Imagine the Day who along with the BIG Sing have Christian values.
They have a board of trustees dedicated to ensuring the charity is regulated in line with the charity commission.

Imagine the Day Limited: Registered Limited Company in England and Wales 04942225
Registered Head Office: The Rock, International Drive, Solihull, West Midlands B90 4WA
Registered Charity: 1100673

Safeguarding Statement / Safeguarding Policy / Privacy Notice

BIG Sing SOUL & ITD Safeguarding Policy

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