Updated 01.09.2025

HemingfordHub Safeguarding of Children and Young People Policy 30.08.2025

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Hemingford Hub will follow this policy in all its work with children (all under 18 years) or around children to safe- guard them against abuse and harm. It guides our approach to Children’s protection.

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It is the responsibility of every member of Hemingford Hub’s Trustees and volunteers to safeguard the welfare of all those they contact. This document assists all volunteers to understand their role in safeguarding all under 18s with whom we come into contact.

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This policy includes references to the Children’s Act 1989 and 2004 and the Working Together Statutory Guidance.

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Definition of 'Child Abuse.'

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Child abuse is when an adult or another child intentionally harms a child – it can be over a while but can also be a one-off action. It can be physical, sexual or emotional, and it can happen in person or online. It can also be a lack of love, care and attention – this is neglect.

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There are a number of 'types' of child abuse. These tend to fall under the following headings;

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• Bullying and cyberbullying

• Child sexual exploitation

• Child Trafficking

• Criminal exploitation and gangs Domestic abuse

• Emotional abuse

• Female genital mutilation (FGM)

• Grooming

• Neglect

• Non-recent abuse

• Online abuse

• Physical abuse

• Sexual abuse

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Hub Responsibilities for Safeguarding of Children

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Hemingford Hub is commiPed to ensuring that all volunteers are sufficiently vigilant about safeguarding those they encounter.
This means that all volunteers:

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• know about different types of abuse and neglect, and their signs

• attend appropriate training relevant to the level of engagement with children at risk

• know who to tell about suspected abuse or neglect​

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All Trustees must:

 

• review policies at least annually to check they are still relevant and up to date

• monitor contact with children to ensure that the frequency and intensity of the contact are consistent with

       the DBS threshold levels for volunteers.

• Ensure that the concerns of children at risk are heard and acted upon

• Act responsibly in reporAng incidents or concerns to appropriate authorities

• Ensure volunteers have access to further appropriate information

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Identifying Safeguarding concerns

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If a volunteer has a concern, or a disclosure has been made by a child or young person, the following decisions need to be made:

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• Is the young person at immediate risk or harm? The Police or ambulance must be called straight away on 999 if they are.

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• If they are not at immediate risk then a record of the disclosure/concern must be recorded using the Child Incident form to be found at the end of this policy document (see PDF file at top of page). Make sure only facts are recorded and that it is completed as soon after the event/concern.

 

 

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DOs and DON’Ts for volunteers in the event of a safeguarding issue THE Volunteer SHOULD:—

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✓  Ensure the safety of the child and others including themselves

✓  Call 999 straight away if there is imminent danger or if a crime is being committed or has clearly been committed

✓  Remain calm and respeccul and listen carefully to what is being said

✓  Acknowledge that the child may be upset and may need appropriate support

✓  Take concerns seriously

✓  Reassure the child that they have done the right thing by talking to you

✓  Ask the child what they would like to do now (for example do they want to contact a relative or friend for support)

✓  As soon as possible make a detailed record of what has been said and done ideally using the child’s own words 

     and forward to the Hub as soon as possible

✓  Ensure that you have informed everyone who needs to know — the Designated Safeguarding person via the Hub.

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THE Volunteer SHOULD NOT:—

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x  Discuss the issue with anyone other than those who need to know • Interfere with anything that could be used as        evidence
x  Ask detailed or probing questions
x  Ignore the issue and hope it will go away

x  Contact the alleged abuser
x  Get the alleged abuser to contact the victim • Investigate the matter yourself
x  Make promises that you cannot keep

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Making a referral

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When a disclosure is made to a volunteer, or where a volunteer feels a child is at risk, it is the responsibility of the volunteer to make sure that all informaAon is collected from a non-biased or subjecAve point of view and entered on the Child Incident form.

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• The completed form is then used to discuss the concern, and if the Designated Safeguarding Person feels it is appropriate or is unsure, then the advice is gained from the assessment tools found on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Safeguarding Partnership Board website.

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• The Designated Safeguarding Person must contact MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs) using the online referral form or telephone. If an online referral is made, a copy must be kept as a record with a time and date stamp.

 

You must keep in mind that:

 

• All basic details are completed on the referral form (correct names and spellings, family members, date of birth, addresses, ethnicity, first language, disabilities etc).

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• Consent should always be sought from the family before passing informaAon about them to Social Care, unless seeking consent would place them at increased risk of immediate and significant harm or may lead to the loss of evidence for example destroying evidence of a crime or influencing about a disclosure made. If someone is at immediate risk of significant harm, a referral to Social Care should not be delayed whilst consent is sought.

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• The referral must clearly identify the concerns and the impact on the child at risk as well as what support has been provided previously to help address these concerns and what strengths/resilience is within the family.

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• Referrals should set out what the referrer wants to see happen as a result of the referral and should include the views of the family and, where appropriate, the child or young person.

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• The more information that is provided, the easier it is for the MASH to make a decision about the best course of action to take.

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Cambridgeshire Local Safeguarding Children Board Phone Number: 0345 045 5203

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Out of Hours Emergency Duty Team (EDT): 01733 234724

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Confidentiality and GDPR

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• It is a requirement for all staff to treat all information confidentially and use it solely for lawful purposes following acts of legislation and national guidance, specifically the Data ProtecAon Act 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Care Act 2014 and the Caldicott Principles.

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• There is a common law, "Duty of Confidence", where a person has a right to expect information given in confidence to be kept confidential by the person receiving the information i.e. doctor and patient, solicitor and client.

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Allegations against a volunteer

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• If a safeguarding allegation involving a person in a position of trust (staff or volunteer), it must be reported immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Person (DSP). The DSP must refer the allegation to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) within one working day, and before any internal investigation begins. For further information and contact details, refer to the: Procedure for Managing Allegations against People in Positions of Trust (PiPoT) – Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Safeguarding Partnership Board.

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• Where it is needed, referrals or support can be sought from other parAes, including MASH or the Police.

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The Designated Safeguarding Persons shall:

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• Provide a single point of contact for volunteers on child protection issue

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• Provide internal consultation to volunteers

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• Ensure that good working practice is followed by all volunteers

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• Ensure that all trustees and volunteers are made aware, and have read, the Definitions and signs of child abuse, guidance for professionals who work with children on how to recognize the signs of child abuse document (NSPCC learning document 2020) attached as an addition to this policy.

 

 

 

The Designated Safeguarding Persons for HemingfordHub are Riva Elliott and Christine Batter. They can be contacted at hemingfordhub@icloud.com or call the Hub dedicated phone line 07308 035416.

 

 

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This policy and procedure will be reviewed in September 2026 or before if there are any changes in legislaAon, changes within HemingfordHub or concerns raised. Any changes to the policy will then be shared and read by all trustees and volunteers.

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The HemingfordHub Trustees will review this policy and related good practice every two years or sooner if change in legislation.
Next review due September 2026.

 

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Chairman’s Signature:                                                                                                                   Riva Elliott

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                                                                                                                                                          Christine Batter