Safeguarding

 LVA TRUST GUIDELINES FOR SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE 

 

These are LVA Trust’s guidelines for the safeguarding of children and young people (the terms “children”, “young people” and “young person” are interchangeable). In addition to these guidelines, LVA Trust has a Safeguarding Policy for Reporting Abuse and works under the safeguarding policies of the individual schools where LVA Trust is present.  All LVA Trust’s employees, volunteers and consultants (collectively referred to as “staff” herein) who are involved in teaching RSE to young people must familiarize themselves with these guidelines and LVA Trust’s Safeguarding Policy. 

 Safeguarding means: 

  • protecting children from abuse and maltreatment 

  • preventing harm to children’s health or development 

  • ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care 

  • taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes

  • enabling an environment for children to thrive in

 

1.   A policy statement on safeguarding the welfare of children 

 

Based on a Christian ethos, we believe in the value and ability of each child or young person with whom we work or have contact. LVA Trust is committed to good practice through our core values of enabling children and young people to feel loved, valued and able.  We will treat everyone with dignity and aim that no one suffers physical, sexual, emotional or spiritual abuse of any kind.  It is the responsibility of each one of us to safeguard children and young people against physical, sexual, spiritual and emotional abuse and to report any abuse discovered or suspected.   

 

LVA Trust is committed to supporting, resourcing and training those who work with children and young people and to providing supervision.  All staff will be given a copy of these guidelines.   

 

LVA Trust has a Safeguarding Leads to whom staff should refer individual situations of known or suspected abuse.  Procedures for reporting suspected abuse are set out in the Safeguarding Policy.  

 

All staff and volunteers must sign a Self Disclosure form (see Appendix 1), stating whether they have ever accepted an official caution from the police, been convicted or are currently the subject of criminal charges.  (Disclosing such information may not bar an individual from being appointed.) It is the ongoing duty of the individual to advise LVA Trust if the information stated in the Self Disclosure form is no longer accurate.