Safeguarding policy

1. The purpose and scope of this policy statement

Make (Good) Trouble C.I.C. works with children and parents as part of its activities. These include: film making, audio recording, digital content creation, and creative workshops and online forums such as our Raising Teens in Lockdown Facebook Group. 

The purpose of this policy statement is: 

  • to ensure the protection of children and young people who work with and receive Make (Good) Trouble’s services.
  • to provide parents, staff and volunteers with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection. 

This policy statement applies to anyone working on behalf of Make (Good) Trouble, including paid staff, volunteers and students. 

2. Legal framework 

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England. A summary of the key legislation and guidance is available from nspcc.org.uk/childprotection. 

We believe that: 

  • children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind 
  • we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them. 

We recognise that: 

  • the welfare of the child is paramount 
  • all children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have a right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse 
  • some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues 
  • working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare. 

3. What do we as Make (Good) Trouble do to keep the children and young people we work with safe?

We seek to keep children and young people safe by: 

  • valuing, listening to and respecting them 
  • appointing nominated child protection/safeguarding leads. They are Jane Keating and Tayler Cresswell
  • ensure we share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately 
  • creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment 
  • recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made, including DBS checks which are updated yearly 
  • providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support and training 
  • ensuring all staff have undertaken safeguarding training, and the Safeguarding Leads have undertaken Safeguarding Lead (Children) training  
  • using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately 
  • ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance, , including making sure that all equipment used is checked regularly and, where applicable, PAT-tested 
  • recording and storing information professionally and securely in accordance with our Data Protection Policy and Privacy Policy
  • ensuring that each project we commence has a robust risk assessment carried out in accordance with this safeguarding policy

If you have concerns about the wellbeing of a child or young person:

  • Talk to one of Make (Good) Trouble’s Safeguarding Leads, Jane Keating or Tayler Cresswell 
  • If a Youth Worker is present, the Safeguarding Lead will discuss the concerns with them to decide what steps to take
  • The Safeguarding Lead or Youth Worker will discuss concerns with parents/carers of the child and explain what steps they will take next (if this does not put the child at further risk or affect a police investigation)
  • Where there are urgent concerns, the Safeguarding Lead will contact the police or relevant local authority personnel.

Section four: Online delivery procedure

  • All online delivery must be done on a trusted source/platform, such as Zoom or Teams, and set up by Make (Good) Trouble staff with security in place, and which has been agreed upon by both Make (Good) Trouble, the young person and the parent/carer of the young person (and school if applicable)  
  • The parent/carer must be aware that the online delivery is happening
  • There must be at least two adults present during the online delivery.
    this can be any worker for Make (Good) Trouble, a school worker or a parent/carer (or representative of). This is to ensure the safety of the young person and worker(s)
  • The online login details/links for the online platform must only be given to the people attending
  • No unconsented recording can take place during the online delivery
  • The young person must be made aware of their rights and of any rules of the online delivery at the beginning. 
  • If any unpermitted or inappropriate behaviour take places throughout the meeting the worker must take the following steps of health and safety:
    • 1: explain to those involved that “The video call has to end immediately due to an incident that has just taken place, everyone involved on this video will be contacted soon. If you have any questions, contact Make (Good) Trouble.
    • 2: make notes and get in contact with one of our Safeguarding Leads (Jane Keating or Tayler Cresswell)

Section five: Coronavirus additions to this statement

  • During the coronavirus pandemic, we moved to working remotely and our team held weekly meetings and catch-ups over video conferencing, messaging services and telephone. We are now working in person. Should we need to work remotely in similar circumstances in future, the following will apply:
  • The wellbeing of our team and the young people we work with is paramount. We ensure that lines of communication are kept open with staff and young people are able to contact us via text, telephone, email and video conferencing
  • We have a support plans for team members, including regular time off and time away from screens
  • Our film and digital content will be created and edited remotely. If face-to-face interviews are deemed necessary, a risk assessment is carried out, social distancing is adhered to and all equipment is kept clean and sanitised to reduce the risk of spread of infections. 

Policy review

Make (Good) Trouble’s Management Team met and agreed this policy on 31 July 2020

This policy was last reviewed in November 2023
This policy will be reviewed: November 2024

Each person who works with Make (Good) Trouble will agree to abide by this Safeguarding Policy. It is made available on our website.

See our other Policies including our Privacy Policy and Data Protection Policies