Safeguarding Policy
The policy written here applies to all sole traders working under the name of Unblurred Lines, children, young adults and vulnerable people involved in our workshops, teachers and members of staff of schools, sixth form colleges, youth centres, pupil referral units, youth offending units, and anyone else involved in our work.
The purpose of this policy is to:
protect all children and vulnerable people participating in our work through workshops or productions
provide our staff with the knowledge of our safeguarding principles
We at Unblurred Lines aim to respect every person's beliefs and opinions, and protect every person's feelings and wellbeing. Unblurred Lines, at the core of its values, believes that no child or adult should ever endure abuse of any kind. We aim to keep participants and staff safe in our sessions, and allow for a space that is secure, reliable and gently challenging for those involved in our workshops.
When working in-person with children and young people, Unblurred Lines will ensure there is an appropriate ratio of adult staff members to participants. We require at least one adult to every 10 children and young people. All members of staff working in conjunction with, or sole traders working under the header of, Unblurred Lines must have an up to date DBS check.
Recognising Different Forms of Abuse
Child abuse is any action (by a child or adult) that causes significant harm against a child. Some examples include:
Emotional/Psychological abuse - The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child which may severely hinder their emotional development. This may involve making a child feel unloved or uncared for and inadequate/worthless.
Physical abuse - Any kind of physical contact that hurts or harms a child. This can include hitting, throwing, burning, suffocating, drowning, poisoning, shaking. This also includes fabricating the symptoms of, or deliberately inducing, ill health to a child.
Sexual abuse - Forcing, pressurising, tricking or coercing someone into taking part in any kind of sexual activity with another person.
Neglect - Failure to meet the basic needs of a child that are required to live day by day which is likely to impact on a child’s health or development. This may include not providing adequate food, shelter, water or abandonment of a child.
Examples of signs of abuse and neglect
Hiding, collecting or scavenging for food, over-sexualized behaviour, delays in physical, mental or emotional development, self-harming, drug and solvent abuse, extremes of emotions, drastic changes in behaviour, poor hygiene, faltering growth, low self-esteem, lack of social engagement, marks on body, cuts, bruises, bite marks, strangle marks, burns, sexual transmitted diseases, unexplained pregnancies.
Disclosure Guidance for Unblurred Lines Practitioners
To report any suspicions to a staff member, usually our main contact or the Designated Safeguarding Lead, of the school or youth group in which they are participating.
If a sole trader or staff member is addressed by a young person who is disclosing information about abuse, this person must:
o Never promise to keep anything a secret.
o React in a calm manner to the information being told to you.
o Listen to all of the details of what they have to tell you.
o If you judge it appropriate to do so, you may ask the person making the disclosure if it is okay if you make notes on what they are telling you.
o Don’t ask leading questions or try to steer their story in a certain direction.
o Assure the young person that it is good they have told you this information and that it is not their fault.
o Tell the young person that above all, your priority is the young person’s safety and so this information must be passed along to a senior staff member at their school or other youth organisation.
o Log the incident as soon as possible: date and times of disclosure and incident, name and DOB of child, a factual report of what happened, including notes if available, name, signature and job title of the person making the record.
Unblurred Lines will ensure that all sole traders working under the Unblurred Lines heading are DBS checked and trained in our safeguarding policy (including understanding of forms of abuse and neglect).
Use of filming and photography
Photographs and filming will only be taken of participants with signed consent from parents or guardians. Only the cameras of Unblurred Lines practitioners or of the school or youth centre will be allowed to be used.
Any photographs or videos taken with permission will be used for marketing, education, or funding/evaluation purposes only. Children and young people will never be identified by name.
Coronavirus in the UK
Since schools were closed in the UK in March 2020, we have stopped all of our in-person delivery work. We do not expect to be able to deliver projects in person until at least the Summer Term of 2020/21. If, for any reason, a project is delivered in-person before that time, or before the changing of government guidelines relating to the coronavirus outbreak, it will be the responsibility of Unblurred Lines workshop leaders to ensure adequate social distancing and hand washing before, during and after any workshop. We expect external staff members in the schools, youth groups or other educational settings we deliver in to be mindful of the rules, and to support Unblurred Lines in enforcing them if necessary.
Online working
Since October 2020, we have begun delivering our workshops via the video conferencing communications software, Zoom (Zoom Videos Communications, Inc.). While working online via Zoom, we recognise that it may be harder for our facilitators to spot the signs of abuse, or to hear, see or otherwise recognise a potential disclosure or concerning communication from a child. During this time, we ask school staff, or the staff of other organisations we may be working with, to be extra vigilant when looking out for these signs.
When working on Zoom, we will not enforce our usual policy of one adult per 10 young people in each workshop, and will instead be led by the policies and procedures of the school, youth group or other educational setting which we are remotely working with. We will expect the staff present in-person at any workshop delivered remotely to take full responsibility for enforcing any social distancing or other rules related to the coronavirus outbreak, during our workshop. We will not suggest or lead games or activities which could compromise the safety of staff or students in relation to the virus.
We suggest that staff members turn on their camera during any virtually-delivered workshops, to ensure that Unblurred Lines facilitators can see all or most of the participants taking park and for ease of flow and discussion. However, we ask all staff members working in-person in any educational settings to follow their organisation's own policy with regards to keeping their camera on while using Zoom, or failing this, make their own decision based on their best judgement. We will not take pictures of, or record any image or audio, of any element of your Zoom workshop.
Contact Numbers:
NSPCC: 0808 800 500
Police: 101 or 999 in emergency
London Safeguarding Children Board: 020 7934 9714
We are committed to reviewing our policy on a bi-annual basis. Last reviewed on: 15.10.21. Next review due 15.04.22.
There is legal framework involved with our safeguarding policy which includes:
-Children Act 1989
-United Convention of the Rights of a Child 1991
-Data Protection Act 1998
-Human Rights Act 1998
-Sexual Offences Act 2003
-Children Act 2004
-Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
-Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
-Children of Families Act 2014