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Safeguarding (Child Protection) Policy

The Man In The Moon is committed to building a "culture of safety" in which the children in our care are protected from abuse, harm, and radicalisation.

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We will respond promptly and appropriately to all incidents or concerns regarding the safety of a child that may occur. Our child protection procedures comply with all relevant legislation and with guidance issued by the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB).

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There will be a Child Protection Officer (CPO) available at all times during our sessions. The CPO coordinates child protection issues and liaises with external agencies (eg Social Care, the LSCB and Ofsted).

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The Man In The Moon's designated Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Paul Branch.

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Child abuse and neglect

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Child abuse is any form of physical, emotional or sexual mistreatment or lack of care that leads to injury or harm. An individual may abuse or neglect a child directly, or by failing to protect them from harm. Some forms of child abuse and neglect are listed below.

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  • Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child so as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child's emotional development. It may involve making the child feel that they are worthless, unloved, or inadequate. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.

  • Physical abuse can involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may be also caused when a parent or carer feigns the symptoms of, or deliberately causes, ill health to a child.

  • Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. This can involve physical contact or non-contact activities such as showing children sexual activities or encouraging them to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.

  • Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and emotional needs. It can involve a failure to provide adequate food, clothing and shelter, protect a child from physical and emotional harm, ensure adequate supervision or allow access to medical treatment.

  • After attending specialist safeguarding training we are all aware of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Forced Marriage.

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Signs of child abuse and neglect

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Signs of possible abuse and neglect may include:

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  • Significant changes in a child's behaviour.

  • Deterioration in a child's general well-being.

  • Unexplained bruising or marks.

  • Comments made by a child, that give cause for concern.

  • Inappropriate behaviour displayed by a crew member, or any other person. For example, inappropriate sexual comments, excessive one-to-one attention beyond the requirements of their role, or inappropriate sharing of images.

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If abuse is suspected or disclosed

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When a child makes a disclosure to a crew member, that crew member will:

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  • Reassure the child that they were not to blame and were right to speak out.

  • Listen to the child, but not question them.

  • Give reassurance that the staff member will take action.

  • Record the incident as soon as possible (see Logging an incident, below).

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If a crew member witnesses or suspects abuse, they will record the matter straight away using the Logging a Concern Form. If a third party expresses concern that a child is being abused, we will encourage them to contact MASH directly. If they will not do so, we will explain that we are obliged to and the incident will be logged accordingly.

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Peer-on-peer abuse

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Children are vulnerable to abuse by their peers. Peer-on-peer abuse is taken seriously by crew members and will be subject to the same child protection procedures as other forms of abuse. Crew members are aware of the potential uses of information technology for bullying and abusive behaviour among young people.

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Crew members will not dismiss abusive behaviour as normal between young people. The presence of one or more of the following relationships between children should always trigger concern about the possibility of peer-on-peer abuse:

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  • Sexual activity (in primary school-aged children) of any kind, including sexting.

  • One of the children is significantly more dominant than the other (e.g. much older).

  • One of the children is significantly more vulnerable than the other (e.g. in terms of disability, confidence, or physical strength).

  • There has been some use of threats, bribes or coercion to ensure compliance or secrecy.

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If peer-on-peer abuse is suspected or disclosed

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We will follow the same procedures as set out above for responding to child abuse.

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Extremism and radicalisation

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All childcare settings have a legal duty to protect children from the risk of radicalisation and being drawn into extremism. There are many reasons why a child might be vulnerable to radicalisation, e.g.:

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  • Feeling alienated or alone.

  • Seeking a sense of identity or individuality.

  • Suffering from mental health issues such as depression.

  • Desire for adventure or wanting to be part of a larger cause.

  • Associating with others who hold extremist beliefs.

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Signs of radicalisation

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Signs that a child might be at risk of radicalisation include:

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  • Changes in behaviour, for example, becoming withdrawn or aggressive.

  • Claiming that terrorist attacks and violence are justified.

  • Viewing violent extremist material online.

  • Possessing or sharing violent extremist material.

  • If a member of staff suspects that a child is at risk of becoming radicalised, they will record any relevant information or observations on a Logging a Concern Form, and refer the matter to the CPO.

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Logging a concern

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All information about the suspected abuse or disclosure, or concern about radicalisation, will be recorded on the Logging a Concern Form as soon as possible after the event. The record should include:

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  • Date of the disclosure, or the incident, or the observation causing concern.

  • Date and time at which the record was made.

  • Name and date of birth of the child involved.

  • A factual report of what happened. If recording a disclosure, you must use the child's own words.

  • Name, signature and job title of the person making the record.

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The record will be given to our CPO who will decide on the appropriate course of action.

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For concerns about child abuse, the CPO will contact MASH. The CPO will follow up all referrals to MASH in writing within 48 hours. If a crew member thinks that the incident has not been dealt with properly, they may contact MASH directly.

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For minor concerns regarding radicalisation, the CPO will contact the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB). For more serious concerns the CPO will contact the Police on the non-emergency number (101), or the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321. For urgent concerns, the CPO will contact the Police using 999.

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Allegations against crew members

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If anyone makes an allegation of child abuse against a crew member:

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  • The allegation will be recorded on an Incident Log. Any witnesses to the incident should sign and date the entry to confirm it.

  • The allegation must be reported to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and to Ofsted. The LADO will advise if other agencies (e.g. police) should be informed, and we will act upon their advice. Any telephone reports to the LADO will be followed up in writing within 48 hours.

  • Following advice from the LADO, it may be necessary to suspend the crew member pending a full investigation of the allegation.

  • If appropriate, we will make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

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Promoting awareness among crew members

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The Man In The Moon promotes awareness of child abuse and the risk of radicalisation through its training. We will ensure that:​

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  • The designated CPO has relevant experience and receives appropriate training in safeguarding and the Prevent Duty, and is aware of the Channel Programme and how to access it

  • The designated person's training is refreshed e.g. every two years.

  • Safe recruitment practices are followed for all new crew members.

  • All crew members have a copy of this Safeguarding (Child Protection) policy, understand its contents and​ are vigilant to signs of abuse, neglect or radicalisation.

  • All crew members are aware of their statutory duties with regard to the disclosure or discovery of child​ abuse, and concerns about radicalisation.

  • All crew members receive basic safeguarding training.

  • All staff receive basic training in Prevent Duty.

  • Our procedures are in line with the guidance in 'Working Together to Safeguard Children (2015)' and staff are familiar with the guidance in 'What To Do If You're Worried A Child Is Being Abused (2015)'.

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Use of mobile phones and cameras

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Photographs will only be taken of children with their parent's permission. Neither crew members nor children may use their mobile phones to take photographs of our activities.

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Contact numbers and emails

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West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership: 01403 229900

Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership 0300 470 9100

LADO for West Sussex: 0330 222 6450

LADO for Surrey: 0300 123 1650​

Anti-terrorist hotline: 0800 789 321

NSPCC: 0808 800 5000

Childline 0800 1111

Ofsted: 0300 123 1231​

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Related policies: Mobile Phone, Gender Identity

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​Reviewed: 11 May 2022

Review Period: 12 months​

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