Safeguarding Policy | London Writers Centre

Document management and control

Policy Owner:	Director
Author:	Ruth Harrison
Status:	Final
Approved by:	Gita Ralleigh, Trustee – Trustee for Safeguarding
Approval date:	October 2018
Reviewed:	December 2019; June 2020; March 2021, April 2023, April 2024, November 2025
Next Review date:	By April 2026
Replaces:	2017 Protection Policy

Key contacts

Urgent concerns

If dialling from outside of the organisation and you wish to report an urgent safeguarding concern please contact the London Writers Centre team who will connect you with the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

London Writers Centre [email protected] 0208 692 0231 x249

Designated Safeguarding Lead

Ruth Harrison [email protected] 0208 692 0231 x249

Director

Policy statement

London Writers Centre runs workshops, events and programmes for people of all ages and abilities in a variety of community settings including schools and libraries and online. In the course of its work writers, poets and artists are often in contact with children and vulnerable adults.

London Writers Centre believes that no child or vulnerable adult should experience abuse of any kind. We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and vulnerable adults and to keep them safe. We are committed to practise in a way that safeguards them and the people we work with.

London Writers Centre believes that:

The welfare and interests of children and vulnerable adults is paramount;
All children and vulnerable adults whatever their age, culture, ability, gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/ or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse and harm;
Children should be able to use the internet for education and personal development, but safeguards need to be in place to ensure they are kept safe at all times;
All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.

The aim of this Children and Vulnerable Adults policy is to promote good practice to:

Ensure children and vulnerable adults are protected during London Writers Centre activities;
All children and vulnerable adults have a positive and enjoyable experience of our programmes in a safe and person-centred environment;
Allow all staff/ freelance workers/ volunteers to make informed and confident responses to specific protection issues.

London Writers Centre acknowledges that some participants e.g. those with disabilities, those who are looked after by the local authority, those for whom English is not their first language or come from a challenging home environment, can be particularly vulnerable to abuse and we accept the responsibility to take reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure their welfare.

This policy applies to all staff, trustees, freelance workers and volunteers of London Writers Centre irrespective of their role or contract type and any person or organisation working on our behalf.

The policy and procedures will be widely promoted and are mandatory for everyone involved in London Writers Centre. Failure to comply with the policy and procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/ exclusion from the organisation.

If abuse occurs, we will respond to it by:

Having clear and robust safeguarding procedures in place for responding to abuse (including online abuse);
Providing support and training for all staff, trustees, freelance workers and volunteers on dealing with all forms of abuse, including bullying/cyberbullying, emotional abuse, sexting, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation;
Making sure our response takes the needs of the person experiencing abuse, any bystanders and our organisation as a whole into account;
Reviewing the plan developed to address abuse at regular intervals, in order to ensure that any problems have been resolved in the long term.

Digital

We believe that children, young people and vulnerable adults should be able to use the internet for education and personal development, but safeguards need to be in place to ensure they are kept safe at all times.

We recognise that, in addition to the above:

The online world provides everyone with many opportunities; however it can also present risks and challenges;
We have a duty to ensure that all children, young people and vulnerable adults involved in our organisation are protected from potential harm online;
We have a responsibility to help keep children, young people and vulnerable adults safe online, whether or not they are using London Writers Centre’s network and devices.

Legal and policy context

This policy is consistent with legislation and statutory guidance included in:

Children Act 1989, 2004
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act, 2006
Working Together to Safeguard Vulnerable Children Act, 2018
Keeping Children Safe in Education, 2023

aiming to ensure that the welfare and development needs of children are met.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Human Rights Act 1998
Equality Act 2010

aiming to secure the rights of children to survive, grow, participate and fulfil their potential.

Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and the Protection of Freedoms Bill
Care Act 2014

aiming to ensure the welfare of vulnerable adults.

This policy is supported by other London Writers Centre policies, including the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy and its commitment to anti-bullying, the Privacy Policy and the Disciplinary Procedure.

Definitions

Child/ Young person

A child is defined as anyone who has not reached the age of 18. This is enshrined in UK law and the UN Convention of Human Rights. For the purposes of this policy and relevant procedures the term ‘child’ and ‘young person’ are used to mean the same thing.

Safeguarding children is defined in ‘Working together to safeguard children’ 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.

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England. Summaries of the key legislation and guidance are available on:

online abuse nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/online-abuse
bullying nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/bullying
child protection nspcc.org.uk/child-protection-system

Vulnerable adults/ adults at risk

An adult at risk of abuse or neglect is defined as someone who has needs for care and support, who is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect and as a result of their care needs is unable to protect themselves.

Safeguarding vulnerable adults is defined in the Care and support and statutory guidance issued under the Care Act 2014 as:

Protecting the rights of adults to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect;
People and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse and neglect;
People and organisations making sure that the adult’s wellbeing is promoted including, where appropriate, taking fully into account their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in decision on any action;
Recognising that adults sometimes have complex interpersonal relationships and may be ambivalent, unclear or unrealistic about their personal circumstances and therefore potential risks to their safety or wellbeing.

For purposes of this policy London Writers Centre will apply similar standards and responses to young people as vulnerable adults.

Types of abuse:

Abuse is defined as: ‘a form of maltreatment of a child/ vulnerable adult. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child/ vulnerable adult by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children/ vulnerable adult may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or by others (e.g.: via the internet.’)

London Writers Centre recognises that abuse, neglect and safeguarding issues are rarely standalone events that can be covered by one definition or label. In most cases multiple issues will overlap with one another.

Abuse may be perpetrated by a range of people including family members, adult(s) known to the child/ vulnerable adult and other children/ vulnerable adults, and offences are committed by females as well as males.

London Writers Centre recognises that abuse may take many forms including, but not limited to:

Physical;
Emotional;
Sexual;
Domestic;
Discriminatory;
Financial

Recruitment of staff, freelance workers and volunteers

All staff and freelance workers and artists employed by London Writers Centre or volunteers who work in a situation that brings them into contact with children and vulnerable adults either online or in real life, will undergo an Enhanced Disclosure check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before they start work. London Writers Centre will ensure that all staff, freelance workers and volunteers who apply for a Disclosure receive a copy of this policy. Disclosures provide details of a person’s criminal record and will inform recruitment decisions.

Safeguarding forms part of London Writers Centre’s staff, freelance workers and volunteer induction process. London Writers Centre expects all staff and volunteers to behave in a professional manner when working with our participants. As part of their commitment to this we ask all staff, freelance workers and volunteers to sign a code of conduct.

Training

London Writers Centre assesses the need for continued training around issues relating to the protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults alongside other training needs on an annual basis.

We will provide supervision, support and training for staff, trustees, freelance staff and volunteers about online safety examining and risk assessing any social media platforms and new technologies before they are used within the organisation

Funds are currently available for this type of training.

Project planning

To ensure the safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults London Writers Centre undertakes a risk assessment at the outset of project planning and then monitors risk throughout the project. This involves considering the things that can go wrong in the project, likelihood of these things going wrong and the impact of these things going wrong.

For online work, developing an online safety agreement for use with children, young people and vulnerable adults and their parents/carers developing clear and robust procedures to enable us to respond appropriately to any incidents of inappropriate online behaviour, whether by an adult or a child/young person or vulnerable adult.

We will seek to keep children, young people and vulnerable adults safe online by:

Providing clear and specific directions to staff, freelance workers and volunteers on how to behave online through our behaviour code for adults;
Supporting and encouraging the children, young people and vulnerable adults using our service to use the internet, social media and mobile phones in a way that keeps them safe and shows respect for others;
Reviewing and updating the security of our information systems regularly;
Ensuring that user names, logins, email accounts and passwords are used effectively.

Privacy and consent

London Writers Centre requires written consent from a parent or guardian for children under the age of 16 attending or participating in any of our activities.

Images of children, young people and families, and vulnerable adults will be used only after their written permission has been obtained, and only for the purpose for which consent has been given.

If appropriate for the (online) activity, permission will be got from parents/ carers to allow children, young people or vulnerable adult to share pictures or videos of themselves.

Managing concerns and disclosures

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is responsible for ensuring accurate records are kept of incidents/ allegations and will classify all incidents / allegations based on the level of concern raised. If staff, trustees, freelance workers, volunteers are unsure, it should always be reported up.

Procedure

If a participant discloses that they have been a victim of abuse, or if you as a staff member, trustee, freelance worker or volunteer have concerns that a child or adult is at risk of harm or abuse, you should immediately:

Inform the child/ vulnerable adult that you might not be able to keep what they say confidential (if they are at risk of harm or someone else is);
If they continue, allow the child/ vulnerable adult to speak without interruption or asking them leading questions, and accept what is said. Reassure them that they have done the right thing whilst passing no judgement;
Ensure no situation arises that could cause any further concern;
Record the facts as you know them for your own records of what you witnessed and your response and make the person with legal responsibility for that child or vulnerable adult aware of the situation (i.e a teacher, youth or care worker);
If you suspect the person with legal responsibility is actually the source of the problem, you should make your concerns known to another member of staff employed at the site;
Escalate it to London Writers Centre’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (the Director) immediately.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead will take the following actions:

Seek advice from the NSPCC (with regard to children and young people);
Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection and Welfare concerns: Inform the local child protection services or duty social care team in the borough in which the child/ vulnerable adult lives;
Contact the local Safeguarding Board if the concern is not being taken seriously;
Criminal offence committed against a child, young person or vulnerable adult: inform the police in the borough in which the offence has occurred of if they believe that the child, young person or vulnerable adult is at immediate risk.

If agencies are informed by telephone, a follow-up written communication will be made within 48 hours of the initial concern being raised.

The above procedures are applicable to both in real life and online activity that staff members, trustees, freelance workers and volunteers may be involved in on behalf of the organisation.

Accidents and injuries

If a child or vulnerable adult is injured whilst involved in a London Writers Centre project you must make a record of the injury in the accident book kept at London Writers Centre’s office. You should also make sure that the event is recorded at the site in the school, youth or community centre accident book.

If a child or vulnerable adult arrives at London Writers Centre project with an obvious physical injury you should make the person with legal responsibility for that child or vulnerable adult at the site aware of the problem. You should also record the injury in the London Writers Centre’s accident book and note that the injury was not sustained during the project. If a child or vulnerable adult participating in a London Writers Centre online activity has an obvious physical injury, you should record the injury to London Writers Centre’s Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Online Sexual Abuse and Sexting:

If a child, young person or vulnerable adult tells a member of staff, trustee, freelance worker or volunteer they have been involved in sexting:

It is important to be understanding and non-judgemental;
Try to find out a bit more about what has happened;
If images and/ or videos are involved, try and find out who sent the image and who has seen it;
Never view or save explicit images;
Record the facts as you know them for your own records of what you witnessed and your response and make the person with legal responsibility for that child or vulnerable adult aware of the situation (i.e a teacher, youth or care worker);
If you suspect the person with legal responsibility is actually the source of the problem, you should make your concerns known to another member of staff employed at the organisation;
Escalate it to London Writers Centre’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (the Director) immediately.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead will take the following actions:

Image reported to the site or network hosting it;
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) will be contacted;
Children and Young people will be advised that they can use Childline’s Report Removal Tool;
Online Sexual abuse (children, young people): report made to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) command);

Online behaviour and codes of conduct

Staff, trustees and/ or adults working or volunteering online with children, young people and vulnerable adults will:

Use accounts that have been authorised by London Writers Centre to communicate with children and young people (never use personal accounts);
Turn on privacy settings on accounts that are used to interact with children, young people and vulnerable adults;
Use an organisational device to communicate with children, young people and vulnerable adults (if this isn’t possible, the Director will authorise individual staff and volunteers to use a personal device on a case-by-case basis and keep a record of this authorisation and who can see the communication);
Ensure all communications are relevant to the work of the project and organisation
Use age-appropriate language;
Not accept friend requests on their personal accounts from the children, young people, vulnerable adults or the families they work with.

Staff, trustees, freelance workers and volunteers should also be aware of their digital footprint. Children, young people, vulnerable adults and families may look up the personal social media accounts of people who are working with them so these should be free of inappropriate or harmful content and not provide any personal information such as personal email addresses or phone numbers.

Allegations

If a complaint or allegation is made against a member of London Writers Centre’s staff, trustee, freelance worker or volunteer, the Director and Chair of the Board are to be immediately informed of the allegation and respond appropriately, including checking safeguarding and children protection procedures are being followed, acting as a ‘critical friend’ to review what happened and reporting the incident to the necessary bodies and agencies. If a child, young personal or vulnerable adult is at immediate risk, the police will be informed. Any disciplinary process arising will be dealt with in confidence in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and London Writers Centre’s grievance and disciplinary policy.

Information sharing and confidentiality

Data protection legislation is not a barrier to sharing reasonable safeguarding concerns.

London Writers Centre will collect relevant information relating to medical and support needs prior to participation in order to assess and support participant needs. All personal information about the adults, children young people and vulnerable adults who are involved in our organisation is held securely and shared only as appropriate.

If it is necessary to share information concerns with the person with legal responsibility, Designated Safeguarding Lead, or in their absence social services, to prevent a child or adult at risk from suffering neglect or physical, mental or emotional harm, then you must share that information.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead will make the decision as to whether it is appropriate to contact the parents, guardians or designated carer of the child/ vulnerable adult. This decision may be taken with advice from external agencies.

Any disclosures or concerns should not be shared with people/ external agencies outside of the process articulated above.

Further advice and safeguarding information:

NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000 or by emailing [email protected]. Trained professionals will give expert advice and take action to protect the child as appropriate, which may include making a referral to the local authority.

Age UK: Safeguarding older people from abuse and neglect: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs78_safeguarding_older_people_from_abuse_fcs.pdf

The Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) online portal to help handle safeguarding allegations made against an employee or volunteer: https://safeguarding.culture.gov.uk/

Monitoring and review

London Writers Centre will review and evaluate its Safeguarding practice on an on-going basis. The Director will report to the trustee board annually, identifying any key areas for improvement.

The Director of London Writers Centre is accountable to the Board for ensuring the Policy is implemented by staff, freelance workers, trustees and volunteers.

NEXT REVIEW: by APRIL 2026