Safeguarding

Safeguarding vulnerable children

It is everyone’s duty to safeguard our vulnerable children. If, as a member of staff, on on-site volunteer or other member of our community, you have any concerns at all you must report them immediately and confidentially to our Safeguarding Leads:

Paula Rankin, Head of Care (01483 222526 or via email [email protected])

or

Clare Colborne-Baber, COO (01483 222506 or via email [email protected])

or you can alternatively contact

Jane Hunnable, Head of Fundraising (01483 222507 or [email protected])

You can also speak to the local authority child protection/safeguarding team – even outside normal office hours – gov.uk/report-child-abuse.  Call them on 0300 470 9100 Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm. Outside of these hours, call 01483 517898 and ask for the emergency duty team.

In an emergency call the police on 999 or if it is not an emergency call 101.

Doing nothing is not an option.

We must all be aware of abuse, how it can happen and its implications. Abuse is defined as “A violation of an individual’s human rights by any other person or persons”. Abuse includes:

  • Neglect or acts of omission
  • Failing to prevent harm to someone
  • Physical abuse
  • Online abuse
  • Psychological abuse
  • Financial or material abuse
  • Sexual, institutional or discriminatory abuse

It may be a one-off or repeated occurrence; a day to day erosion of individual rights; spontaneous or planned. It can involve misuse of authority, intimidation, coercion or neglect.

Children may be abused by those known to them, by an adult, child, or other groups of children.

Signs of potential abuse might for example include suddenly having new clothes or an expensive phone, trainers - all potential signs of a child being groomed. It may be that a sibling is being groomed.  A child may also start to display overly sexualised behaviour.

If you suspect abuse and a child is able to communicate you should not ask the child leading questions. You must pass information on about your concerns and cannot make a promise to a child not to do so, however, persuasive the child or young person is.

If you see or hear anything that you feel uncomfortable about, whoever it involves, you must not ignore it and must alert Cherry Trees via the contact details given above, or directly to our CEO, Claire Bryant ([email protected]). 

Even if your concern or information is very small or seemingly inconsequential it is all part of the bigger picture, rather like a jigsaw. When all the pieces come together from different agencies/organisations involved with the family/child only then does the full picture emerge.

Our Trustee responsible for Safeguarding matters is Sue Walker.