Safeguarding Policy
and Procedure

Safeguarding Policy & Procedure - Conscious Clarity

01/02/24, V1.1

Policy Purpose

Conscious Clarity provides a range of neurodiversity coaching and training services. At times our activities include working with vulnerable people, though every effort is made before working with these individuals to ensure that they receive the appropriate support and/or treatment prior to commencing any work together.

The purpose of this policy is to demonstrate our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, as well as our staff and partners carrying out their work with vulnerable people.

This policy is to ensure that everyone involved in Conscious Clarity is aware of

• The policy and procedures for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults
• Their role and responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults
• What to do or whom to speak to if they have any concern relating to the welfare or wellbeing of a coachee, a client or a member of staff

Safeguarding Principles

We believe that:

• Nobody who is involved in our work should ever experience abuse, harm, neglect or exploitation
• We all have a responsibility to promote the welfare of our coachees, clients, staff and partners, to keep them safe and work in a way that protects them
• We all have a collective responsibility for creating a culture in which people not only feel safe, but also able to speak up, if they have any concerns

Definitions

For the purpose of this policy:

• Child is a person who is under the age of 18
• Vulnerable adult is a person over the age of 18 who may have a mental or other disability or illness and lacks the capacity to take care of themself and/ or who may be unable to keep themself safe from the risk of harm, abuse or exploitation, including the risk of radicalisation or being drawn into terrorism
• Staff is anyone who works for or is contracted by Conscious Clarity whether full time, part time or voluntary
• Abuse Children and vulnerable adults may be subject to neglect and abuse or exploitation from within their family and from individuals they come across in their daily lives. There are 4 main categories of abuse, which are: sexual, physical, emotional abuse and neglect, including:
  • Sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation
  • Grooming
  • Criminal exploitation
  • Self-neglect
  • Human trafficking
  • Modern slavery
  • Domestic abuse
  • Female genital mutilation
  • Bullying and harassment
  • Online abuse and cyberbullying
  • Extremism and radicalisation
  • Discrimination on any of the grounds in the Equality Act 2010

Safeguarding Policy

All Conscious Clarity staff and directors are required to undertake safeguarding training every two years, or more frequently if required by law in order to:

• Understand what safeguarding is and their role in safeguarding children and vulnerable adults
• Recognise a vulnerable person potentially in need of safeguarding and take action
• Understand how to respond to, report and record a safeguarding concern
• Act with dignity and respect when working with vulnerable people

Conscious Clarity will:

• Ensure all staff and partners who are likely to come into contact with vulnerable people, have a DBS check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (standard or enhanced as appropriate)
• Carry out appropriate checks on potential new staff/ partners and that employment is refused to any individual who may pose a threat to vulnerable people
• Provide safeguarding induction training for all newly appointed staff and partners

All company IT equipment must have strong filters on to prevent access to websites or social media that could contain harmful or abusive material

All staff should understand that it is unlawful to photograph children without the explicit consent of the person with parental responsibilities.

Some sessions or services provided by Conscious Clarity may take place virtually using digital tools such as Zoom, Google Meets or other similar software. Some sessions may be recorded to ensure the safety and protection of all parties. Consent will be requested before taking any such recordings. Such recordings will be stored offline in ‘cold’ storage and otherwise in accordance with the accompanying Privacy Policy.

Conscious Clarity vets any external agencies, consultants or individuals we engage to provide neurodiversity coaching and training activities to ensure that they are fully compliant with this safeguarding policy.

All staff should:

• Make themselves familiar with this Safeguarding Policy
• Remain observant and vigilant in noticing any signs of abuse as defined above
• Immediately report any concerns or suspicions about abuse to the Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO)
• Raise concerns about poor or unsafe practice to the DSO

The Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) will:

• Ensure that this safeguarding policy is implemented and adhered to throughout the company
• Act as the main point of contact for all matters concerning safeguarding, and as a source of support and advice to staff
• Ensure that all staff and external parties know how to contact the DSO
• Ensure that appropriate procedures are in place for recording, investigating and reporting concerns
• When a concern of abuse or neglect is reported, the DSO will follow the procedure detailed below under ‘Procedure In the Event of a Safeguarding Concern’
• Ensure that all records regarding safeguarding of a coachee, client or member of staff are kept securely in line with Data Protection legislation, and separately from any other files relating to that individual
• Regularly review all safeguarding policies and procedures

Key Contact

The Owner and Director of Conscious Clarity is the Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) responsible for ensuring that this policy is adhered to.

The Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) can be contacted on
[email protected]

Procedure In the Event of a Safeguarding Concern

Staff should flag up any concerns, however small, they have around safeguarding, whether it is related to a coachee, client, member of staff, service provider or anyone else involved in the work of Conscious Clarity.

Confidentiality is assured for the person reporting a concern.

All concerns, allegations or suspicions will be taken seriously and be dealt with sensitively and carefully.

This procedure must be followed whenever there is a concern, allegation or suspicion.

An accurate account shall be made as soon as possible of the nature of the concern, allegation or suspicion using the ‘Safeguarding and Vulnerable Person Concern Form’ in Appendix A.

All relevant details should be collated including:

• Name, position and contact details of the person reporting the incident
• Name of the person of concern
• If appropriate, Parent/ Guardian/ Carer contact details
• Date and time of what has occurred and the time the disclosure was made
• Full details of the incident, allegation or suspicion

The completed Safeguarding Concern Form should be immediately sent to the Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO).

The DSO will follow the ‘Safeguarding Risk Assessment & Management Response Plan’ in Appendix B to evaluate any report, seeking legal advice where necessary. The DSO will take risk based proportionate corrective or preventative action which may involve referral of the incident to the appropriate people or authorities (e.g. parents, school, police, DBS, social services) within 24 hours.

The DSO will also log the report on the company’s risk register.

All those involved must ensure all records regarding safeguarding of a coachee, client or member of staff are kept securely in line with Data Protection legislation, and separately from any other files relating to that individual.