Safeguarding

Last updated 10 January 2025.

Our Commitment

This policy outlines Sterts' commitment to protecting children and adults at risk from harm. Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, and all staff, volunteers, trustees and contractors are expected to comply with it. It's developed in accordance with Working Together to Safeguard Children, the statutory guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote children's welfare.

Safeguarding is the process of protecting children and adults from maltreatment, both inside and outside the home and online, including preventing abuse, neglect, exploitation and discrimination, and promoting well-being so everyone can fulfil their potential.

Sterts is committed to:

• Preventing abuse, neglect and exploitation: taking all reasonable steps to protect children and adults at risk from harm
• Promoting well-being: providing appropriate support and opportunities for everyone we work with
• Responding effectively to concerns: acting on any concern about the safety or well-being of a child or adult at risk
• Collaborating with partners: working with other agencies to safeguard children and adults at risk

Roles & Responsibilities

All staff, volunteers, employees and contractors are responsible for recognising the signs of abuse, neglect and exploitation; reporting any concerns to our Designated Safeguarding Lead; cooperating fully with any investigation; and keeping their knowledge of safeguarding matters up to date.

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) role is held by the CEO, with the Deputy DSL role held by the General Manager, and a Lead Safeguarding Trustee providing board-level oversight. Between them they create a culture of safeguarding at Sterts: raising awareness, responding to concerns, making referrals where needed, holding a relationship with the local multi-agency safeguarding partnerships, ensuring safer recruitment practice, and keeping this policy accessible and up to date.

Training

All members of staff read this policy and its procedures on joining Sterts. Public-facing staff and volunteers receive safeguarding training as part of their induction, covering how to recognise abuse and respond to concerns, repeated every 3 years. Staff working directly with children, young people or adults at risk receive Level 2 Safeguarding Training within their first year, delivered by an external safeguarding professional and renewed every 3 years.

Code of Conduct

Everyone working or volunteering with children, young people and adults at risk at Sterts is in a position of trust, and is expected to act as a role model. This means treating everyone fairly and without prejudice, promoting relationships built on openness and respect, ensuring more than one adult is present during activities with children and young people wherever possible, and reporting all allegations or suspicions of abuse through our reporting procedures.

Our staff and volunteers must never develop inappropriate relationships with children, young people or adults at risk; engage in any form of abusive behaviour; share personal contact details or connect on personal social media; or be the only adult present with a child. Anyone who breaches this code is subject to our disciplinary procedures.

Confidentiality & Information Sharing

All matters relating to child protection and safeguarding are treated as confidential, and shared only on a need-to-know basis, in the best interests of the individual concerned. No member of staff can promise a child or adult at risk that they'll keep something secret if it might compromise their safety or well-being.

Site Security & Off-Site Activity

We check the identity of all visitors to back-of-house areas (this doesn't include audiences), audit our safeguarding record-keeping annually, and review this policy every year. This policy applies equally to activity we deliver off-site or online, including risk assessments for off-site work and a separate Digital Safeguarding Policy for remote and online sessions.

Whistleblowing & Complaints

Any member of staff or volunteer who isn't happy with how a safeguarding matter is being handled can raise it with our CEO or Board of Trustees. If they don't feel able to raise a concern internally, the NSPCC whistleblowing helpline is available on 0808 800 5000.

If You Have a Concern

If you have a safeguarding concern about a child or adult at risk at Sterts, whether about their welfare or the conduct of a member of staff, volunteer or visiting company, please contact us as soon as possible on 01579 362382 or hello@stertsarts.org Email Copied , and ask to speak to our Designated Safeguarding Lead. In an emergency, or if a child or adult is in immediate danger, please contact the police on 999.

This page summarises Sterts' Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy. For the full policy and procedures, contact us at hello@stertsarts.org Email Copied .