Advance believe everyone has the right to live free from abuse or neglect regardless of age, ability or disability, sex, race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, marital or gender status.
Advance is committed to:
- Safeguarding children, in line with legislation, relevant national and local guidance including
Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) and Local Safeguarding Children’s Partnerships
arrangements as well as best practice. - Creating a culture of zero-tolerance of harm to children and ensuring that all our activities are
delivered in a way which keeps all children safe. - Taking a pro-active approach to identify risks of harm both within and outside of the family
context at the earliest possible opportunity and recognise the circumstance which may increase
risk. We recognise that some children are at increased risk of harm due to additional needs and
the barriers they may face. - Advance recognises that harm can be experienced anywhere, including within Advance’s
activities or any other organised community setting, in people’s home, in safe accommodation,
in the person’s home and in care settings. - Advance work in partnership with women and girls and professional partners to minimise and
remove risks as soon as possible. - Advance expect all staff including volunteers to share our commitments and fulfil their
responsibilities to promote the wellbeing of all children who come into contact with our
organisation, including those we work with directly as well as the children of the adults we work with, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that prioritises their protection.
Advance will:
- Continuously work to embed and promote a transparent safeguarding culture where everyone is
valued, listened to and respected, and are comfortable to discuss and share concerns. - Provide effective leadership by appointing a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), a Deputy DSL
and a Trustee with responsibility for and expertise in safeguarding. - Ensure all policies and procedures are kept up to date in line with legislation, statutory guidance
and safeguarding best practice. - Provide effective management for all staff (and volunteers) through regular and consistent
supervision, support, training, and quality assurance measures so that all staff and volunteers
are aware of and feel confident to implement our policies, procedures and code of conducts and
are competent in doing so. - Communicate our safeguarding approach, policy and procedures to families and partners
making sure that everyone in our services (including children) know what to do – who they can
speak too – if they have a concern. - Adopt and nurture a safeguarding culture that goes further than responding solely to interfamilial
child protection concerns. - Empower and support the children we work with to voice their wishes and views, which will be
respected and supported unless there are overriding reasons not to. - Continuously develop and implement an effective internal policy set that details Advance’s
approach to safer recruitment, data protection, complaints, whistleblowing, bullying and responding to allegations made against people who work with children. - Use our policy set and associated procedures to record and share concerns and proportionate,
relevant information with agencies who need to know (involving children and their families
where appropriate and safe). - Ensure that all Advance sites provide a physical and psychological safe environment for all, by
applying health and safety measures in line with current legislation and regulatory guidance and working to best trauma-informed and responsive practices. - Do all we can to ensure that children receive a service which is safe, which meets their needs,
and which is equitable to that of adults. - Recognise and respect diversity while ensuring the rights and safety of children of all
backgrounds are equally well protected.
Last updated June 2023
Advance Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) dsl@advancecharity.org.uk