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Safeguarding Children Policy

Last updated: June 2026

Purpose

The policy sets out our arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people at risk. We are committed to following the guidelines of the local multi-agency procedures for the Local Safeguarding Children.

Horizon Kids Club adheres to the guidance and standards set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children (WT) (2013), Draft Care and Support Bill (2012), No Secrets Review (2000), the Care Quality Commission Essential Standards of Quality and Safety (March 2010).

Definitions:

The Children Act (1989, 2004) states “the welfare of the child is paramount”. All those in contact with children, young people or their families have a “duty to protect from harm” and promote the welfare of the child or young person by ensuring the care provided is safe and effective. In this policy, as in the Children Act (1989, 2004) a child is anyone who has not yet reached his or her 18th birthday. ‘Children’ therefore means children and young people throughout.

Horizon Kids Club has in place a named person and responsible individual for all issues relating to the safeguarding of vulnerable children.

Horizon Kids Club will ensure that the named person is allowed sufficient time and resources to develop and carry out their role, and their roles and responsibilities will be explicitly defined in job descriptions.

Culture

Horizon Kids Club have ensured that all staff Have a responsibility to ensure:

  • safe recruitment practices that consider the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people are in place
  • ensuring appropriate Children’s Enhanced DBS checks are in place
  • including procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse against members of staff and volunteers are in place
  • arrangements for induction and mandatory training are in place
  • Ensuring responsible individuals are in place for managing and overseeing individual allegations against staff. The Human Resources manager is our Allegations Officer; Horizon Kids Club makes use of our association with Peninsula. 
  • managers ensure that all staff attend staff induction
  • our policies and procedures in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in our care are understood and implemented in their daily practices.
  • All staff are aware of their role in safeguarding children and promoting their welfare and know how to act upon any concern relating to the welfare of a child
  • Staff access safeguarding children training appropriate to their role within Horizon Kids Club
  • Services are provided in a way that ensures a safe environment for children and young people and minimises any risks through our detailed child centred assessment and collaborative support planning
  • Staff work effectively and may share relevant information with professionals from other organisations to safeguard children
  • safeguarding responsibilities are reflected in job descriptions and staff are supported to access safeguarding children supervision regularly

Our recruitment practices are in line with ‘Safer Recruitment’ guidance.

All staff are aware of their responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people and know how to act upon any concern relating to the welfare of a child

  • know who to contact within the organisation, and LADO if they have a concern about a child or young person
  • understand the risk factors and recognise children in need of support and/or safeguarding
  • access safeguarding training and supervision commensurate with their role

Safe Recruitment, Pre and Post-Employment Checks

Horizon Kids Club Disclosure and Barring Service Policy and Procedure sets out the requirements for all new recruits and existing recruits on checks of criminal records obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service this includes eligibility and proofs of ID, address, right to work, any declarations

Specific staff who work with children will be required to have their DBS checked every 3 years in accordance with the Local Safeguarding Children Board requirements.  The recruitment process will follow LSCB safer recruitment principles.

All staff involved in recruitment and selection shall be trained in fair and objective recruitment and selection techniques and understand the impact of the Equality Act 2010 on recruitment processes and practices. Recruitment Panels will include the line manager for the job function.

Children with Disabilities

Research studies into prevalence and risk of violence against disabled children found that disabled children are 3 to 4 times more likely to be victims of violence than their non-disabled peers. Furthermore, support for disabled children is often focused on meeting the needs relating to the child’s disability rather than looking at the child’s wider needs, including safeguarding. There are several factors which make disabled children more vulnerable to abuse:
  • many disabled children are at an increased likelihood of being socially isolated with fewer outside contacts than non-disabled children
  • their dependency on parents and carers for practical assistance in daily living, including intimate personal care, increases their risk of exposure to abusive behaviour
  • they may have an impaired capacity to resist or avoid abuse
  • they may have speech, language and communication needs which may make it difficult to tell others what is happening
  • looked after disabled children are not only vulnerable to the same factors that exist for all children living away from home but are particularly susceptible to possible abuse because of their additional dependency.

It is essential that assessments of the needs of disabled children are child focused, and identify and include needs relating to safeguarding and protection

The Horizon Centre Designated Children Safeguarding Officer

Stephen Lane slane@londonccs.com

Types of abuse and neglect

Abuse:

A form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. They may be abused by an adult or adults or another child or children.

This will include:

Emotional abuse

Sexual abuse

Neglect may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

Physical abuse

  • Bruising to a Child: Bruising is the commonest presenting feature of physical abuse in children. A multi-agency in place protocol in place for our Horizon Kids Club leaders and managers, for the management of suspected bruising in children who are not independently mobile and the process by which such children should be referred to children and young people’s social care for further assessment and investigation.

Allegations Against Staff and Volunteers who Work with Children:

Managing Conduct Policy:

Children and young people can be subjected to abuse by those who work with them.

All allegations of abuse of children and young people by someone who works with children and young people are taken seriously and managed in accordance with Horizon Kids Club Managing Conduct policy.

If staff are concerned about a colleague’s conduct/behaviour towards a child, staff should discuss their concerns immediately with the Horizon Kids Club manager. They will support further immediate discussions with the safeguarding lead.  If the staff member’s concern relates to their line manager, then they should discuss immediately with the safeguarding lead. The LADO is responsible for the independent investigation of any person in a position of trust who is alleged to have harmed or abused a child.

Reporting Process /Information Sharing

Effective information sharing underpins integrated working and is a vital element of safeguarding children. Timely sharing of information is the key to providing effective early help where there are emerging problems. At the other end of the continuum sharing information is essential to putting in place child protection services.  Fears about sharing information cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the need to promote and protect the safety of children. No member of staff should assume someone else will pass on information which they think may be important in keeping a child safe. Staff are professionally accountable for sharing information, this includes third party information.
 
Referrals to children and young people’s social care can be made 24 hours a day. Each local authority has an emergency duty team that can be contacted by phone out of hours.
 
All staff must receive training on Child protection/abuse and must be aware of and understand the definitions of abuse, active and passive neglect of children within Horizon Kids Club service.
 
DISCLOSURE is a formal way of describing a situation in which a service user-patient or resident talks about abuse that has happened to them.
 
WHISTLEBLOWING is a form of disclosure that involves a member of staff disclosing that abuse is happening within their organisation. Staff have a responsibility to whistle blow; failure to whistle blow is a type of abuse. Carers should not be frightened to speak up about their suspicions even though Horizon Kids Club recognises it may feel unpleasant; all whistleblowers can expect and will get full support from Horizon Kids Club and should have no fear of reprisals. 
 
Procedure to follow in the event of Whistle blowing
 
If a carer suspects any form of abuse is taking place they should report it to the most senior person on duty or to the manager as soon as possible. 
  • The person receiving the report of suspected abuse from the Whistleblower must evaluate the seriousness of the situation. In other circumstances it may be more appropriate to first contact the local Social Services Emergency Duty. If in doubt, the Police should be contacted in the first instance. 
  • Further actions will be determined by the advice received from the relevant agencies. If the allegation is against a member of staff, advice must be sought with regard to the necessity to suspend the person from duty. It is essential any action taken does not prejudice any investigations that might be required by the Police.
  • Where the suspension of an employee is required by the above agencies, the senior person on must suspend the employee(s) immediately. They must advise the employee(s) that an allegation of abuse has been made against them which will need to be investigated, and that until the investigation has taken place, they will be on suspension, which is normal practise under these circumstances

Procedure to follow in the event of disclosure

  • In the event of a child making a disclosure to a member of staff, the member of staff must reassure the service user that they have done the right thing in telling them and explain to the service user that they will need to talk to someone else about what they are told. Members of staff must not promise to keep secrets and should advise service user that the information disclosed will be treated with discretion.
  • The member of staff must not: –
  • Appear shocked, horrified, disgusted or angry.
  • Press the child for details (it is not the responsibility of Horizon Kids Club to launch an investigation).
  • Make comments or judgements other than sympathy or concern and must not make sweeping reassurances.
  • Confront the alleged abuser.
  • The member of staff must inform the care manager at once or the authorities.
  • The manager will: –
  • Treat the information seriously.
  • Take steps to protect the child.
  • If necessary, get emergency medical treatment.
  • Where the suspension of an employee is required by the relevant agencies, the senior person/ the branch manager must suspend the employee(s) immediately. They must advise the employee(s) that an allegation of abuse has been made against them which will need to be investigated, and that until the investigation has taken place, they will be on suspension, which is normal practise under these circumstances. 

LADO Reporting Procedure

A concern or allegation should be raised within 24 hours. Horizon Kids Club designated person (or a delegated person in their absence) 
 
Designated Officers operate independently within Children’s Services to help safeguard children and are accountable 
 
 
If the concern warrants further investigation, the Designated Officer will also:
  • capture and co-ordinate the sharing of all the information relating to the case with the officers and agencies that need to be informed
  • provide advice and guidance to the employers or voluntary organisation
  • monitor and track the progress of the case through to its conclusion, with the aim to resolve it as quickly as possible
  • look at an emerging patterns of behaviour

LADO Process

  • The Designated Officer has 3 to 5 working days and where a Designated Officer strategy meeting is appropriate, the Designated Officer will arrange the initial meeting to include the representative from Horizon Kids Club and relevant multi-agency partners.
  • Allegations should be resolved within three months.

Process for Reviewing this Policy

The policy will be reviewed every 3 years.

Issue date: June 2026