Little Green Pig
Safeguarding and Child Protection
Policy and Procedures
2024-2025
This policy was first adopted on 17 September 2020 and is reviewed annually
This policy is due for annual review on 30 November 2025.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i Introduction
ii Recruitment Procedures
iii Roles and responsibilities
iv Defining Child Abuse and Signs and Symptoms
v Code of Conduct Including Expectations
vi Complaints
vii Allegations and Safeguarding Concerns
viii Guidance for Disclosures
ix In the Case of an Emergency
x Online Safety Policy
INTRODUCTION
This document contains the Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and Procedures for Little Green Pig, which will be followed by all the staff, trustees, volunteers and freelance workers connected to the organisation and followed and promoted by those in a position of leadership within the organisation.
Little Green Pig is a charity that works with children and young people in and out of schools to inspire and empower them to be writers. The welfare of the children and young people with whom we work is our paramount concern. The staff and board will ensure that Little Green Pig will safeguard and promote the welfare of children and work together with other agencies to ensure that Little Green Pig has adequate arrangements to identify, assess and support those children who are suffering or likely to suffer harm. A child or young person is defined here are anyone under the age of 18 years and also includes any young volunteers such as our youth board.
We believe that Little Green Pig should provide a positive, safe, stimulating and nurturing environment that promotes our values and mission. We recognise the importance of enabling children to talk and write openly, and to feel confident that they will be listened to.
We recognise that all adults within Little Green Pig, including permanent and temporary staff, volunteers and trustees, have a full and active part to play in protecting children and young people from harm.
All children and young people will have the same protection regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity. We are committed to anti-discriminatory practice.
This policy covers all trustees, staff, anyone working on behalf of Little Green Pig, volunteers, and young people. The key requirements of the policy are that all staff and others are clear about their responsibilities to prevent harm and abuse and safeguard children and young people. This policy aims to outline the procedures which are to be followed in the event of concerns and to provide access to a detailed process by which they can raise concerns.
We will endeavour to promote a culture of professional curiosity and to ensure that staff are well trained to have the confidence to challenge and tackle sensitive issues and cultural differences.
The Legal Framework
This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England, namely:
Children Act 1989
United Nation’s Convention of the Rights of the Child 1992
Data Protection Act 1998
Human Rights Act 1998 and 2000
Sexual Offences Act 2003
Children Act 2004
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
Children and Young Persons Act (2008 and 2014)
Equality Act 2019
Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
Children and Families Act 2014
Education Act (2002 and 2011)
Children and Social Work Act (2017)
Keeping Children Safe in Education (2021)
Munro Report (2011)
Female Genital Mutilation Act (2014)
Working Together to Safeguard Children , Department for Education (2018)
Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB’s)
Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees, The Charity
Commission (2017)
‘Revised Guidance for Safer Working Practices for Adults who Work with
Children and Young People in Education’ (2019), plus April 2020
‘Coronavirus Outbreak’
Charity law summary, NCVO
Special educational needs and disability (SEND) code of practice: 0 to 25 years – Statutory guidance for organisation which work with and support children and young people who have special educational needs of disabilities; HM Government 2014
Information sharing: Advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children young people, parents and carers; HM Government 2015
Working together to safeguard children: a guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; HM Government 2015
Pan-Sussex Child Protection and Safeguarding Procedures
This policy will be reviewed on an annual basis (or more frequently, should that be required) by trustees, the Designated Safeguarding Lead and all other necessary persons.
RECRUITMENT PROCEDURES
We are committed to carrying out safe recruitment, selection and vetting processes when recruiting both paid staff, freelancers and unpaid volunteers to work within the organisation, thus ensuring their eligibility and suitability to work with children and young people:
All employees and trustees of Little Green Pig and freelance staff who work regularly with our children and young people will undergo an enhanced DBS check or be registered with the online update service.
All volunteer mentors will undergo an enhanced DBS check or be registered with the update service. They will not be able to volunteer until their DBS check is completed. They will also be informally interviewed and have to provide two references (one professional, one personal) before volunteering.
Freelance staff and artists who work with the children for ‘one-off’ sessions (for example ambassadors or film makers) will not be required to undergo a DBS check but will not be left unsupervised with any child or young person. Freelance staff and artists working with us for more than one session will be required to have a DBS check in place.
Little Green Pig will process all DBS checks as quickly as possible (and ideally within two weeks) of a volunteer training session and recognize the validity of the online update service. We ask all story mentors to register on the online update service upon receiving their DBS certificate. We will check the status of each DBS check once it reaches its three-year limit (for volunteers) and two year limit (for staff and workshop leaders).
Previous Convictions
Should a DBS be returned with evidence of previous criminal convictions, Little Green Pig reserves the right to assess the suitability for mentoring, employment or joining our Board. For unspent convictions, we as an organisation will assess whether the conviction has any bearing on a person’s ability to become an effective volunteer, trustee or staff member without putting anyone at risk. We are at liberty to deny a person's suitability to volunteer or be employed. We recognise the validity of spent convictions. For spent convictions which are a direct violation of the rights of children, we are at liberty to deny a person’s suitability to mentor, join the Board or staff.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Little Green Pig’s lead person with overall responsibility for child protection and safeguarding is the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). This role is taken by Nicky Crabb, the Director.
Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) The person who supports the DSL in their role, to ensure that safeguarding processes and procedures are followed and who can be delegated to in absence, or if the DSL is unavailable. This role is taken by Nikki Shaill, the Learning and Engagement Manager.
Little Green Pig has a Trustee Safeguarding Lead (TSL), Lizzie Mullarky, responsible for safeguarding and to champion good practice and external responsibilities, who will liaise with the Director.
The case manager for dealing with allegations of abuse made against Little Green Pig staff members is the Director with the support of the TSL. The case manager for dealing with allegations against the Director is the Chair of trustees, Pete Lawson.
The Director will ensure that the policies and procedures adopted by the staff, Board and volunteers are fully implemented and sufficient resources and time are allocated to enable staff members to carry out their safeguarding responsibilities.
All staff members and volunteers know how to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse, how to respond to children who disclose abuse and what to do if they are concerned about a child or young person.
Working within a school environment
When working in schools, we will ensure that we work within the school’s safeguarding framework and report any concerns or disclosures directly to the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) as well as keeping our own records.
Working outside of a school environment
When working independently outside of a school environment (for example in libraries, galleries, or independent venues which we have hired), we will adhere to the safeguarding policy of the host organisation if applicable. If no host safeguarding policy/lead officer is available, we will adhere to that of Little Green Pig, and pass on any safeguarding concerns to the host organisation as well as making a record at Little Green Pig.
Volunteer and staff induction, training and development
All new members of staff and volunteer will be given an induction which includes safeguarding training on how to recognise signs of abuse, how to respond to any concerns and familiarisation with our Safeguarding Policy, Little Green Pig/s staff behaviour/code of conduct and the role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead. We will ensure that staff and volunteers understand the difference between a safeguarding concern and a child in immediate danger or at risk of significant harm.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead will undergo safeguarding lead training when appointed to post then refreshed every two years.
All staff members at Little Green Pig who have regular direct contact with children and volunteers will undergo safeguarding training which is refreshed every two years. The Trustee Safeguarding Lead will be invited to join the training. All other trustees will have a copy of the Safeguarding policy and be required to be familiar with it. Little Green Pig will maintain accurate records of staff and volunteer induction and training to ensure relevance.
Working with younger volunteers
We recognise that a small proportion of our volunteers are aged under 18 and may therefore be at risk from other adults, including volunteers and staff at Little Green Pig. We recognise our duty of care to protect them. Volunteers aged under 18 are not permitted to have any sexual relationships with other LGP staff members or volunteers aged 18 or over.
Confidentiality, consent and information sharing
We recognise that all matters relating to safeguarding are confidential.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead will disclose information about a child to other members of staff on a need-to-know basis only, and in the best interests of the child.
All staff members and volunteers must be aware that they cannot promise a child to keep secrets which might compromise the child’s safety or well-being.
All staff members and volunteers have a professional responsibility to share information with other agencies in order to safeguard children.
The DSL and DSO with keep clear records and report to Trustees any safeguarding concerns raised, investigations or ongoing cases, policy amendments and training needs, reviewing them annually with the TSL, and make sure any amendments are clearly communicated to staff and made available as appropriate.
All our staff members and volunteers who come into contact with children will be given appropriate training to understand the purpose of information sharing in order to safeguard and promote children’s welfare.
We will ensure that staff members and volunteers are confident about what they can and should do under the law, including how to obtain consent to share information and when information can be shared without consent.
Single Central Record
Little Green Pig will record all relevant safeguarding information for purposes of checking and vetting of all potential staff (paid and voluntary) on a Single Central Record, stored in one place, preferably on a spreadsheet rather thana variety of files and folders. The SCR will include staff personal details (full name, DOB, address), their role, professional qualifications, ID seen, references, DBS checks, proof of right to work. It might also be helpful to list training needed and dates the training was undertaken. The SCR must record which member of staff has made the check alongside the date the check was made. Leavers can be stored in a separate ‘archived’ spreadsheet to avoid an unnecessarily long list of staff.
Managing risk
Little Green Pig's governance has since 2020 included a specific Risk Group, comprising two trustees and the charity's director, which meets twice each year to review the charity's Risk Management Plan and the management of specific risks identified in the Plan, and to consider other risks affecting or potentially affecting the charity and whether these should be added to the Plan.
Little Green Pig take a proactive and thorough approach to risk management; we risk assess people before working with them, premises before using them and projects before starting them. Risk assessments highlight the risks, which we reduce and monitor through risk management plans. In addition to formal risk assessments, we also dynamically risk assess situations to ensure the safety of staff and children and young people.
Staff will try to obtain all appropriate information about children and young people before we start working with them and we manage projects in properties that have areas that are accessed by the public such as libraries. Whilst staff cannot control the behaviour of the public, children and young people in our care are never left unsupervised in public spaces and these spaces require close supervision.
When working with children and young people who have been looked after or who are care leavers, staff should pay close attention to when to liaise with the relevant statutory professionals because these children and young people have rights and duties that are specific to their circumstances.
DEFINING CHILD ABUSE AND SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Abuse or neglect of a child is caused by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting: by those known to them or more rarely by a stranger (e.g. via the internet). They may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm can also be caused when a parent or carer feigns the symptoms of, or deliberately causes ill health to a child whom they are looking after. This situation is commonly described using terms such as fabricated illness by proxy or Munchausen Syndrome by proxy.
Signs and Symptoms
• Bruising commonly on the head or on soft areas (such as inner arm, stomach, thighs)
• Burns or scalds
• Bite marks
• Fractures or broken bones; unhealed or poorly healed broken bones
• Scarring
• Withdrawn or quiet behavior
• Extreme anxiety, nervousness and a jumpy disposition
• Self-harm
• Aggressive behaviour
Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional ill treatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may feature developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. It may involve causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill treatment of a child though it may occur alone.
Signs and Symptoms
• Lack of self-esteem or self-confidence
• Speech disorders/mutism
• Self-harming
• Drug, alcohol and/or solvent misuse
• Lack of empathy
• Fear of confrontation
• Feeling unloved and/or worthless
• Lacking social skills
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative (e.g. rape or buggery) or non-penetrative acts. They may include non-contact activities such as involving children looking at, or in the production of, pornographic material, or watching sexual activities, or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.
Signs and Symptoms
Bruising, bleeding, soreness or itching in genital area
Discomfort when walking or sitting down
UTIs (urinary tract infections) or STIs (sexually transmitted infections)
Becoming sexually active or pregnant at a young age
Changes in mood or behaviour
Inappropriate sexual behaviour for their age such as sexual language
Neglect
Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. It may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failing to protect a child from physical harm or danger, or the failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.
Signs and Symptoms
• Excessive hunger
• Poor personal hygiene
• Frequent tiredness
• Inadequate clothing
• Untreated medical problems
• Rocking, hair twisting, thumb sucking
• Low self-esteem
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
Sexual exploitation is where a young person under 18 years receives ‘something’ (e.g. money, food, shelter, drugs, gifts etc.) as a result of performing, and/or, others performing on them, sexual activities. CSE can occur through the use of technology, for example the persuasion to post sexual images on the internet or on mobile phones. Violence, coercion and intimidation are common in CSE cases. The exploitative relationship is characterised by the young person’s limited availability of choice resulting from their social, economic and/or emotional vulnerability.
Signs and Symptoms
Frequently absconding from school/college/home/care placement
Associating with older young people/adults or have older girlfriends/boyfriends
Isolation from family and friends
Unexplained new possessions, goods and/or money eg mobile phones
Substance misuse
Involved in gangs or anti-social groups
Involved in petty crime such as shoplifting
Physical symptoms including those aforementioned in ‘Sexual Abuse - Signs and Symptoms.’
Domestic Abuse
Domestic abuse is any type of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between people who are, or who have been in a relationship, regardless of gender or sexuality. It can include physical, sexual, psychological, emotional or financial abuse. Exposure to domestic abuse is child abuse. Children can be directly involved in incidents of domestic abuse or they may be harmed by seeing or hearing abuse happening. Children in homes where there is domestic abuse are also at risk of other types of abuse or neglect.
Signs and symptoms
It can be difficult to tell if domestic abuse is happening, because abusers can act very differently when other people are around. Children who witness domestic abuse may:
• become aggressive
• display anti-social behaviour
• suffer from depression or anxiety
• not do as well at school - due to difficulties at home or disruption of moving to and from refuges.
Bullying and Cyber-bullying
Bullying is when individuals or groups seek to harm, intimidate or coerce someone who is perceived to be vulnerable. Bullying includes verbal abuse, such as name calling, non-verbal abuse, such as hand signs and emotional abuse, such as threatening, intimidating or humiliating someone; exclusion, such as ignoring or isolating someone; undermining, by constant criticism or spreading rumours, controlling or manipulating someone, racial, sexual or homophobic bullying; physical assaults and making silent, hoax or abusive calls. Bullying can happen anywhere – at school, at home or online. When bullying happens online it can involve social networks, games and mobile devices. Online bullying can also be known as cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying includes sending threatening or abusive text messages, creating and sharing embarrassing images or videos, 'trolling' - sending menacing or upsetting messages on social networks, chat rooms or online games; excluding children from online games, activities or friendship groups, setting up hate sites or groups about a particular child, encouraging young people to self-harm, voting for or against someone in an abusive poll, creating fake accounts, hijacking or stealing online identities to embarrass a young person or cause trouble using their name.
Signs and symptoms
It can be hard to know whether or not a child is being bullied. They might not tell anyone because they're scared the bullying will get worse. They might also think that the bullying is their fault. No one sign indicates for certain that a child’s being bullied, but you should look out for:
Belongings getting lost or damaged
Physical injuries such as unexplained bruises
Being afraid to go to school or being mysteriously ‘ill’ in the morning/missing school
Not doing as well as they were at school
Asking for or stealing money (to give to a bully)
Being nervous, loss of confidence, distressed or withdrawn
Difficulty eating or sleeping
Bullying others
Child trafficking or modern slavery
Child trafficking is child abuse. It involves recruiting and moving children who are then exploited. Many children are trafficked into the UK from overseas, but children can also be trafficked from one part of the UK to another. Children may be trafficked for child sexual exploitation, benefit fraud, forced marriage, domestic servitude such as cleaning, childcare, cooking, forced labour in factories or agriculture, criminal exploitation such as cannabis cultivation, pickpocketing, begging, transporting, drugs, selling pirated DVDs and bag theft. Children who are trafficked experience many forms of abuse and neglect. Physical, sexual and emotional abuse is often used to control them and they’re also likely to suffer physical and emotional neglect. Child trafficking can also be organised by individuals and the children’s own families. Traffickers trick, force or persuade children to leave their homes. They use grooming techniques to gain the trust of a child, family or community.
Signs and symptoms
Signs that a child has been trafficked may not be obvious but you might notice unusual behaviour or events. Children who have been trafficked may:
• have to do excessive housework chores
• rarely leave the house and have limited freedom of movement
• not have any documents (or have falsified documents)
• give a prepared story which is very similar to stories given by other children
• be unable or reluctant to give details of accommodation or personal details
• not be registered with a school or a GP practice
• have a history with missing links and unexplained moves
• be cared for by adults who are not their parents or carers
• not have a good quality relationship with their adult carers
• be one among a number of unrelated children found at one address
• receive unexplained or unidentified phone calls whilst in a care placement or temporary accommodation
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
FGM is the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It's also known as female circumcision or cutting. The age at which FGM is carried out varies. It may be carried out when a child is new-born, during childhood or adolescence, just before marriage or during pregnancy (Home Office et al, 2016). FGM is child abuse. There are no medical reasons to carry out FGM. It's dangerous and a criminal offence.
Signs and symptoms
A child at risk of FGM may not know what's going to happen. But they might talk about or you may become aware of:
• a long holiday abroad or going 'home' to visit family
• relative or cutter visiting from abroad
• a special occasion or ceremony to 'become a woman' or get ready for marriage
• a female relative being cut – a sister, cousin or an older female relative such as a mother or aunt
• missing school repeatedly or running away from home.
A child who has had FGM may:
• have difficulty walking, standing or sitting
• spend longer in the bathroom or toilet
• appear withdrawn, anxious or depressed
• have unusual behaviour after an absence from school or college
• be particularly reluctant to undergo normal medical examinations
• ask for help, but may not be explicit about the problem due to embarrassment or fear.
Reporting requirements Regulated health and social care professionals and teachers in England and Wales must report ‘known’ cases of FGM in under-18s to the police (Home Office, 2016).
LITTLE GREEN PIG CODE OF CONDUCT (including expectations)
The trustees, staff and volunteers will all follow the basic care guidelines set out in this policy and will adhere to the expectations outlined by Little Green Pig as stated in this policy.
In recognition that our main participants are children and young people who could live in vulnerable situations, the following outlines the behaviour expected of all those in association with Little Green Pig. This applies to trustees, staff and volunteers.
All those in association with Little Green Pig must:
✓ Treat all people, including young people, with respect
✓ Treat all information and data (including photographs and video footage) pertaining to a child or young person with sensitivity
✓ Be sensitive to the needs of others including the needs of children and young people
✓ Respect people’s right to personal privacy
✓ Encourage children, young people and adults to feel comfortable and be willing to challenge behaviours and attitudes which are inappropriate in a caring and supportive way
✓ Remember that someone else may misinterpret your actions, no matter how well intentioned
✓ Ensure that all physical contact with children is child-initiated and be aware that physical contact can be misinterpreted and is therefore to be avoided.
✓ Recognise that special caution is required when discussing sensitive issues with young people
✓ Challenge unacceptable behaviour and report all allegations/suspicions of abuse to the relevant Designated Safeguarding Lead
✓ Operate with the guidelines and procedures outlined in this policy in the event of a disclosure or safeguarding concern
All those in association with Little Green Pig must not:
✗ Act in a manner that excludes those that you are working with
✗ Make suggestive or derogatory remarks towards or in front of young people
✗ Have inappropriate physical or verbal contact with a child or young person
✗ Be under the influence of alcohol or other substances when working or volunteering with Little Green Pig
✗ Take photographs of young people without permission from the relevant people (eg parent/carer)
✗ Allow your own priorities to compromise the care, happiness or well-being of young people
✗ Jump to conclusions about others without first checking the facts
✗ Either exaggerate or trivialise abuse
WHISTLEBLOWING and COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE (see also separate policy)
We will ensure that all staff members, trustees and volunteers are aware of their duty to raise concerns, where they exist, about the management of safeguarding and child protection, which may include actions of colleagues. In the instance of a breach of the LGP code of conduct, this should be reported to the Director of Little Green Pig, Nicky Crabb, or the Chair of the Board, Pete Lawson. Should staff feel unable to raise concerns with the Director or Chair, they can contact the Local Authority Designated Officer or the NSPCC Whistleblowing helpline on 0800 028 0285.
Little Green Pig is committed to creating a safe and comfortable place of work where every staff member, volunteer or trustee feels able to report any complaints or safeguarding concerns regarding their colleagues. This policy outlines that whistleblowing will remain confidential and promises that any allegations will be taken seriously and will be investigated.
If a young person or child makes an allegation of abuse from a member of staff (this includes freelance artists), trustee or volunteer at Little Green Pig, the adult in question will not be allowed any contact with young people at LGP while the allegation is investigated. We will pass on the allegation to be carried out by an external agency, under advice from Front Door for Families (or the LADO), whilst also conducting our own investigation.
Little Green Pig recognises that we have a duty to protect our staff and volunteers as well as the children and young people we work with. If a complaint is made against a volunteer or member of staff by a young person that proves through investigation to be malicious or unfounded, we will keep confidential detailed records and offer the staff member or volunteer appropriate support.
ALLEGATIONS AND SAFEGUARDING CONCERNS
Trustees, staff and volunteers should be aware of the signs of abuse as set out in Part IV and should deal with any allegation of abuse, concerns about a child’s safety or welfare or concerns about the actions of a trustee, staff member or volunteer in accordance with this safeguarding policy and the whistleblowing policy.
1. Listen to the child or young person
When a young person wants to talk about abuse, it is imperative that you listen carefully to what the young person is saying without asking prompting or leading questions. Remember to listen and focus on them, slow down and listen, and reflect back what they have told you. (see Part VIII for more guidance)
2. Listen to concerns or allegations made by a third party
Within Little Green Pig, a third-party person is likely to be a volunteer, member of staff at a school or partner organisation. It may also be a friend of the child or young person.
It is important to gather as much information as possible from this person, including their personal details (unless they wish to remain anonymous) and as much factual detail as possible about what led to their concerns. They should be advised that the information they have shared will be passed on to the school/college contact and that there is the potential that the information be passed onto Social Services.
3. Keeping notes and records
Notes should be made as soon as possible, preferably within one hour of the conversation with the child or third party, by completing a Record of Concern Form that will be available at all workshops. These notes should include exactly what was said, when, and by whom without paraphrasing or embellishment. It should also include the date and time of the conversation with any key observations noted. All records and reports – handwritten or electronic – should be emailed to the Designated Safeguarding Lead where they will be securely and confidentially kept for an indefinite period of time. Any handwritten notes should then be destroyed.
4. Immediate contact
Any reports of allegations or child safeguarding concerns should be passed immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, or, in their absence, the Designated Safeguarding Officer In the event of an emergency where the Designated Safeguarding Lead or Officer cannot be contacted, the workshop leader (Safeguarding Officer) should contact Front Door for Families or appropriate service or the Emergency Duty Service.
5. Continuing responsibilities
Any reports, allegations or concerns raised should not be discussed with anyone other than the Designated Safeguarding Lead and/or points of direct contact. Volunteers and staff are not permitted to share the safeguarding concerns with anyone (within the briefing/debriefing sessions) other than the Designated Safeguarding Lead or Officer.
All reports are to be kept securely and are not permitted to be shown or shared with any party unless it would aid in protecting the child from further harm.
Little Green Pig recognises that sharing stories of safeguarding issues and discussing live case studies only serves to further the harm experienced by the child and thus promises to ensure that sensitive information is only shared between necessary parties.
GUIDANCE FOR DISCLOSURES
Little Green Pig recognises that a young person may seek another person out to share information regarding their experience of abuse or neglect. It is recognised that workshop leaders and volunteer mentors are the most likely to hear disclosures given their direct work with children and young people. It is also possible that children and young people may talk spontaneously either individually or in groups while you are present and you may overhear information that makes you concerned for their welfare.
It is imperative that certain formations of conversation are adhered to should such a situation arise.
The listener must:
✓ Listen carefully to the child, offering support
✓ Give the child time and attention
✓ Stay calm
✓ Allow the child to give a spontaneous account, allowing silence
✓ Make an accurate record of the information you have heard, taking care to record the timing, setting and the names of people present as well as what was said in the exact words used
✓ Reassure the child that they have not done anything wrong
✓ Outline to the young person what is going to happen next: that you will be passing this information on to the Designated Safeguarding Lead to ensure that they can get the best help and support
✓ Explain that you will need to pass this information on in order to help keep the child safe
✓ Seek pastoral support/supervision following the disclosure if you feel you need to talk about it .
It is good practice to ask a child why they are upset or how a bruise/cut was caused. Make sure to say “how did that happen?” as opposed to “How did you hurt your arm?”
The listener must not:
✗ Ask the young person any questions while they are disclosing
✗ Interrupt the child or ask them to stop talking
✗ Make any promises or keep any secrets
✗ Throw away the record sheet on which was noted the time, date and contents of the disclosure
✗ Express extreme shock or extreme emotion in response to the disclosure while the child is talking
✗ Ask the child to repeat their account to anyone
✗ Pass judgement on what has been said
✗ Treat the child any differently following a disclosure
✗ Never push for information even if a child decides to stop talking.
In the event that a young person discloses abuse to an employee of Little Green Pig or a volunteer mentor:
Employees, volunteers and freelance staff of Little Green Pig shall:
1. Allow the young person to speak without interruption, supporting them in telling you only what they wish to share. Be accepting and non-judgmental. Do not ask any leading questions or investigate anything further.
2. Advise the young person that you will offer support but that you must pass on the information they tell you and that you cannot keep anything secret or confidential
3. If the young person refuses to speak with you unless you keep it a secret, inform them that you want to help but that in order to help you will need to tell someone else who can help them. If the child decides not to speak, respect that decision and then email/phone the Designated Safeguarding Lead to flag the conversation up.
4. Ensure that the young person is not at immediate risk of further abuse
5. Immediately after a disclosure contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) at Little Green Pig. It is important to note the date, time and contents of the conversation using the words used without embellishment or paraphrasing as far as you remember. Email this to the DSL and then phone them to talk about the disclosure.
In the event that a volunteer/staff member suspects abuse, but it has not been disclosed by the young person:
Staff, volunteers and trustees of Little Green Pig shall report the facts as they know and understand them to the Designated Safeguarding Lead immediately, including as much detail as possible.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead will always respond to safeguarding concerns quickly and efficiently ensuring that the information is passed on to the relevant people.
Little Green Pig are committed to supporting any volunteer or staff member who manages a disclosure.
IN AN EMERGENCY
An emergency is if you think it is unsafe for a child to return home as they are at risk of immediate or significant harm.
If this is not the case, then please adhere to the policies and procedures outlined in “Guidance for Disclosures.”
In the case of a safeguarding or child protection emergency, all those working with and in association of Little Green Pig are advised to call either Front Door for Families (or the relevant local Child Protection Agency) or to call the police directly. It is a requirement that should an emergency number be called, there is a follow up email sent to the Designated Safeguarding Lead to identify the reasons for the emergency call out and with attached reports on the disclosure.
Where a child has a physical injury, it is imperative that the necessary medical help is sought by dialing 999. An ambulance must be called should a child need urgent medical attention.
Should Little Green Pig be approached by child protection services requiring relevant documents and information, Little Green Pig agrees that it shall provide any information necessary in order to help safeguard young people.
ONLINE SAFETY POLICY
Online or offline, effective safeguarding requires a people-centred approach. Planning for online learning activities will involve Little Green Pig’s safeguarding team as part of the planning process.
Little Green Pig will ensure online activities follow best practice and are in-line with its Safeguarding Policy. By reminding staff of safeguarding obligations and reporting any incidents or potential concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead: Nicky Crabb (LGP Director).
BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES
Due to the ever-changing nature of digital technologies, it is best practice that this Online Safety Policy is reviewed annually and, if necessary, more frequently in response to any significant new developments in the use of the technologies, new threats to online safety or incidents that have taken place. This can be self-reviewed through the 360 Safe Website.
GUIDANCE FOR STAFF/VOLUNTEERS/FREELANCE ARTISTS
Let every participant know to:
dress properly before joining a video chat (e.g. a zoom call)
keep themselves safe by not sharing personal information on the chat
switch their location settings off
not show anything personal in their background
be aware of what will be shown on screen (e.g. siblings) and safeguard them too
If there is an immediate cause for concern a staff member or volunteer will contact the parent/carer of the child e.g. if dressed inappropriately.
GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS/CARERS
children should only be identifiable by their first name (and in the case of duplicates plus the initial letter of their surname eg. Jane B)
dress properly before joining a video chat/zoom workshop
make sure to be mindful of what is shown on video – avoid including siblings, other family members or personal information in the background such as certificates with names on
workshop leaders will retain the role of host and retain an appropriate amount of control on interactivity.
Ensure no photography/screenshots are taken during a workshop
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This policy statement came into force on 17th September 2020.
We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually.
This policy statement and accompanying procedures were last reviewed on 28 November 2024.
Date: 28/11/2024
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I acknowledge receipt of the policy. I confirm that I have read and understood the policy and will comply with it during my time working/volunteering for or representing Little Green Pig.
Name ___________________________________ Date_________________________
Signature_________________________________