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Makers United C.I.C. Safeguarding Policy and Procedures

1.Who we are and what we do

Makers United is a social enterprise which was established in 2019 that delivers support and advice to local craft makers and artisans of Richmond and the surrounding area. It comprises of a small group of experts and associates offering their services to support these makers.

Our vision is to create a backup support team for these local artisans.

Specifically, we offer

  • General advice on how to run a micro business

  • Creative services, such as photography, web design, social media, financial and business planning

  • One to one mentoring

  • Regular craft tutorials at Ham Youth Centre where people can learn how to improve their craft skills in a classroom setting.

More recently, we have also arranged, managed, and run craft fairs at Richmond Adult College where makers have been able to display and sell their products to the public. This will be an ongoing activity of Makers United in the future.

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2. Membership

Makers United employs a membership scheme whereby creative makers pay an annual fee to join and thereby can receive several benefits. These range from an opportunity to connect to local buyers, monthly newsletters, reduced rates at craft fairs and preferential rates for services from our team of ‘experts’. We also run craft tutorials at Ham youth Centre, where we often engage with young people under the age of 18. As a membership scheme whereby we either as volunteers or ‘paid’ experts have direct, face to face dealings with young craft makers, recognise that this requires a set of responsibilities and safeguarding measures that help to protect children and young people as well as the volunteers themselves, from harm.

 

3. Safeguarding Children Policy Statement

Safeguarding young people under 18 years of age is the responsibility of everyone connected either directly or indirectly with Makers United.

  3.1. Child

A child as defined by the Children’s Act 1989 and 2004 is anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday. Children therefore means children and young people throughout.

  3.2 Abuse

Abuse is defined as ‘a violation of an individual’s human and civil right by any other person or persons’

  3.3 Staff

For the purposes of this document where we use the term “staff” this applies to paid, and unpaid volunteer staff including directors and any contractors. 

  3.4 Key Principles *:

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:

  • Protecting children from maltreatment

  • Preventing impairment of children’s health or development

  • Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

(*Taken from: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018)

 

4.Statement of commitment

At Makers United, we aim to create a learning environment that is safe, and we are committed to doing everything we can to protect young people, to promote their welfare and support them in their craft learning. We are all committed to providing safe and supportive environments for everyone involved at Makers United – a place where people want to work, individuals want to engage, and organisations want to work with us to give young people the inspiration, motivation, knowledge, skills, and opportunities they need to help them achieve their potential.  

We believe that everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity, courtesy, and respect regardless of their age, race, gender, or ability. Abuse is unacceptable in all circumstances. We understand that if there is a concern about the risk of significant harm to the child then our overriding duty is to protect the child.

To facilitate a safe environment for the delivery of our activities we will ensure

  • Staff are aware of indicators of abuse and know how to share their concerns appropriately

  • All paid and unpaid staff are subject to a thorough recruitment procedure

  • All paid and unpaid staff are given appropriate support and training

  • All allegations and suspicions of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately

 All staff have a crucial role in helping to identify welfare concerns and indicators of possible abuse or neglect at an early stage. Makers United is committed to referring these concerns via the Nominated Safeguarding Person (NSP) to the Richmond Single Point of Access (SPA)

If you have concerns about a child, contact the specialist team at Richmond SPA

0208 547 5008 8-6pm Monday to Friday

0208 770 5000 Out of Hours

****ALWAYS PHONE 999 IF THE CHILD IS IN IMMEDIATE DANGER ****

The Nominated Safeguarding Person for Makers United is Cornelia Costeanu.

 

5.Purpose of this policy

The purpose of this policy is within the scope of Makers United activity to:

  • Effectively safeguard children and promote their rights and welfare

  • Provide all volunteers with clear rules to follow

  • Make all tutors and volunteers aware of what is expected of them in terms of their approach, behaviour, and actions

  • Provide evidence to all stakeholders in Makers United (i.e., Local makers, the local community, partner organisations, the Local Authority and funding and commissioning bodies) that Makers United is committed to safeguarding and providing the best policies in support of our activities.

  Scope of this policy

This policy applies to all Makers United tutors and volunteers, including trustees, advisers, directors, students on work placements and anyone working for or on behalf of Makers United.

  Definitions

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of under 18-year-olds is the process of,

  • Protecting them from maltreatment.

  • Protecting and supporting the mental wellbeing of our young membership

  • Ensuring that young people are tutored in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.

  • Taking action to enable children and young people involved in Makers United activity have the best opportunity to learn and develop new skills in a safe and well managed environment

Child Protection is the process of protecting individual children identified as vulnerable or at risk of suffering harm because of abuse, neglect, or mental illness.

  Legislative framework

At Makers United we recognise our legal responsibility to safeguard the young people we teach in a classroom setting and to promote their wellbeing. It means ensuring that we teach them in an environment that is safe and secure and one that minimises any risk to their welfare.

We will therefore act within the framework set by

  • The Children Act 1989

  • Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998

  • The Children Act 2004

  • The Children and Families Act 2014

  • Child and Social Work Act 2017

  • The London Child Protection Procedures (2018)

 and the principles and practice set out in the 2018 Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance.

At Makers United we will endeavour to safeguard children by

  • Listening to young people and always respecting and valuing them

  •  Challenging discrimination and promoting the right to equal protection regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, religion, faith, gender, sexual orientation, disability, social or immigration status or any other element of diversity

  • Providing effective management to staff and volunteers through support, supervision, and training.

  • Recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring that all necessary checks are made, and safe recruitment good practice guidelines are followed 

  • Responding to child protection concerns immediately

  •  In cases of doubt, questions or need for guidance, we will seek advice by contacting the Single Point of Access (SPA, for both Kingston & Richmond: 020 8547 5008)

  • When an allegation is made about a staff or volunteer we are legally obliged to refer to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) via Single Point of Access (SPA) This is known as the duty to refer.

  •  Working in partnership with young makers, members of the local community and other local statutory and voluntary organisations

 

5. Volunteer Recruitment and Training

Makers United takes great care in the selection, recruitment, and welfare of our ‘expert’ volunteers. We ensure we seek the appropriate references and DBS checks (usually via Richmond Aid) prior to recruitment. All staff and volunteers will complete level 1 online safeguarding training provided by the Kingston and Richmond Safeguarding Partnership. The NSP will complete Level 2Safeguarding training, and training will be renewed every 3 years.

https://kingstonandrichmondsafeguardingchildrenpartnership.org.uk/training.php

We therefore take great care in ensuring that our volunteers are aware of the risks as well as the benefits of working in 1.1 situations so that they can take any precautions they feel might be necessary to deliver the help and support that our makers need.

We therefore ask all our volunteers to keep themselves and others with whom we come into contact, safe. This is achieved by maintaining a respectful, caring, and professional approach and by conducting themselves in a way that demonstrates integrity, maturity, and good judgement).   

 

6.Code of Conduct in a class environment

At Makers United, we have a specific code of behaviour designed to protect young people. Our key focus is ensuring that vulnerable groups are always kept safe. We require our volunteers to

  • Be a good role model with behaviours that are in line with our values and ethos. 

  • Be friendly, courteous, and kind always. 

  • Treat everyone with dignity and respect in accordance with our Equality and Diversity Policy.  

  • Respect other people’s privacy and boundaries. 

  • Communicate with others in an open and respectful way. 

  • Be responsible and accountable in the way you carry out your role. 

  • Ensure that social media/personal phone numbers are not to be shared, and photography is only allowed with the written consent of the parent, and then only used for the express purposes detailed in that consent.

  • When volunteering at an external venue (e.g., Ham Youth Centre, Richmond Adult College) adhere to that venue’s appropriate policies, procedures, and rules. 

  • Not act fraudulently or dishonestly or do anything that brings or is likely to bring Makers United and its’ membership into disrepute. 

 

7.Responding to allegations or suspicions

It is not the responsibility of anyone working for Makers United to decide whether child abuse has taken place. However, we recognize it is as our responsibility to act on any concerns through contact with the appropriate authorities.

Any concerns will be clearly recorded and referred via Cornelia Costeanu (the Makers United Nominated Safeguarding Person) to the Richmond SPA. It is not the NSP role to investigate any concern or issue raised with them. It is their role to record the information as they have been told and to refer this to the Richmond SPA. The records will be kept in a securely locked filing cabinet/encrypted file online. The Makers United Directors should be informed of any referral made. Records will be retained for a minimum of 5 years and then destroyed securely.

Recording a Disclosure & Confidentiality

All records will be signed and dated, any information given will be recorded verbatim where possible and a note made of the location and description of any injuries seen.

Any personal information gathered about a child/young person will be stored in a safe and confidential place, only those who need to know will have access to this information, (i.e., staff member involved, NSP and MU Director).

Information will be shared with partner agencies, where appropriate/necessary, but restricted to a "need to know” basis.

To ensure that this information is as helpful as possible, a detailed record should ideally be made at the time of the disclosure/concern. However, we will not delay reporting our concern to the NSP verbally and then following up with a written record and in line with the following

1. The child’s name, age, and date of birth.

2. The child’s home address and telephone number.

3. Whether the person making the report is expressing their own concerns or those of someone else.

4. The nature of the allegation. Include dates, time and special factors and other relevant information.

5. A description of any visible bruising or other injuries. Any indirect signs such as behavioural changes.

6. Details of witnesses to the incident/s.

7. The child’s account, if it can be given, of what has happened and how any bruising or other injuries occurred.

8. Have the parents been contacted?

9. If so, what has been said?

10. Has anyone else been consulted? If so, record details.

 

Appendix.

Reference.: https://kingstonandrichmondsafeguardingchildrenpartnership.org.uk

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