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Safeguarding
How we protect and promote the welfare of the young people who live with us, and what we do when something goes wrong.
Our safeguarding position
Safeguarding is not a department or a document. In a residential setting it is the cumulative effect of how staff are recruited, trained, supervised and supported, and how quickly a concern becomes a recorded action. Our arrangements are built so that a young person does not have to be articulate, persistent or lucky for something to be noticed and acted on.
We follow UK safeguarding practice for children in residential care. Our policy sets out thresholds, roles, recording requirements and escalation routes. Where we are unsure whether something meets a threshold, we record it and take advice rather than deciding quietly that it is not our business.
- Written safeguarding policy, reviewed on a fixed cycle
- A named safeguarding lead plus a clear deputy arrangement
- Out-of-hours escalation route that is genuinely reachable
- Every concern recorded, with the outcome and the reasoning
Policy-led practiceStaff
How the people who work here are recruited and supported
The strongest safeguarding control in any residential setting is the staff team. We treat recruitment, induction and supervision as safeguarding activity.
Safer recruitment
Roles are advertised with the safeguarding responsibilities stated. Candidates are interviewed against the requirements of the role, references are taken and verified, and employment history is checked for consistency.
Induction before unsupervised work
No member of staff works unsupervised with a young person before completing safeguarding induction, including recording expectations, reporting routes and boundaries of the role.
Supervision and reflective practice
Staff who work with distressed young people need somewhere to think. Structured supervision and reflective sessions are scheduled, not squeezed in when things collapse.
Response
What happens when something goes wrong
The test of a safeguarding system is not whether incidents occur. It is what happens in the hour afterwards.
Immediate safety
Whatever is needed for the young person’s immediate safety is done first. Support, medical attention and separation where required.
Record and inform
The event is written up the same day, in the young person’s own words where possible, and the safeguarding lead is informed.
Escalate
Where statutory thresholds are met, the placing authority and relevant agencies are informed promptly, in line with the agreed protocol.
Review and change
Every significant event feeds a review that asks what should change: staffing, routine, environment or training.
What we ask of referrers
A safeguarding system only works with the information it has. We ask placing teams to share what they know at the point of referral — including information that is uncomfortable or incomplete — and to keep us updated when circumstances change.
- Known risk and vulnerability information at referral
- Contact details for out-of-hours duty arrangements
- Changes in care planning that affect the placement
- Clarity on who decides what, particularly for contact arrangements
Raising a concern about our service
Anyone — a young person, a family member, a professional or a neighbour — can raise a concern directly with us. Concerns are logged, acknowledged and investigated, and the person raising it is told the outcome together with the reasons for it.
Where a matter is serious, we will say plainly that it has been referred onwards. We do not ask anyone to keep a safeguarding concern inside the company.
- Written complaints and concerns policy available on request
- Independent advocacy signposted to every young person
- Outcomes recorded and reported to placing teams
- Regulatory bodies and placing authorities informed where required
Safeguarding enquiry
Need to discuss a safeguarding matter?
Contact the office and ask for the safeguarding lead. If the matter is urgent, state that in the subject line of your email or at the start of the call.