The Strings Club Ltd is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Safer recruitment is central to the way we work and all staff and volunteers are expected to share our commitment to safeguarding, always creating an environment where young people feel safe and can thrive‍

The Strings Club is committed to excellence in each of the following areas:

1. Safeguarding policy, procedures and guidance
2. Ensuring our Safer Recruitment Process and ongoing suitability checks  continue to be rigorous
3. Ongoing training and opportunities for development for everyone who works with us
4. A range of opportunities for two-way communication with parents/carers
5. Responding efficiently to concerns and reporting to other agencies
6. Creating a positive environment for children in which they feel safe and value‍

Legal Framework

• Working Together to Safeguard Children: Statutory guidance on inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Available at: Working Together to Safeguard Children (updated December 2020)‍
• Detailed guidance can be found for schools and all educational establishments in Keeping Children Safe in Education: Statutory Guidance for Schools and Colleges (updated January 2021).‍
• Guidance about the use of physical restraint in schools for governing bodies, headteachers and school staff. Available at: GOV.UK, Use of reasonable force in schools (2013)‍
• Additionally new statutory guidance has been issued 'Disqualification under the Childcare Act 2006' (February 2015) which replaces the supplementary advice that was issued by the Department for Education on 10 October 2014. Available at: GOV.UK, Disqualification under the Childcare Act 2006Disqualification under the Childcare Act 2006 (updated August 2018)‍
• Guidance regarding making a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) website is available at: GOV.UK, Making barring referrals to the DBS (updated November 2017)‍
• Guidance regarding the legal duty to refer and power to refer to the DBS is available at: GOV.UK, DBS barring referral guidance (updated May 2018)‍

‍Supporting Documents

This policy statement should be read alongside our organisational policies, procedures, guidance and other related documents: 

• role description for the designated safeguarding officer 
• dealing with disclosures and concerns about a child or young person 
• managing allegations against staff and volunteers 
• recording concerns and information sharing 
• child protection records retention and storage 
• code of conduct for staff and volunteers 
• behaviour codes for children and young people 
• photography and sharing images guidance 
• safer recruitment 
• online safety 
• anti-bullying 
• managing complaints 
• whistleblowing 
• health and safety 
• induction, training, supervision and support 
• adult to child supervision ratios
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For a copy of our Policies and Procedures”, email info@thestringsclub.org

A paper copy can be found in the reception of each of our Holiday Camp venues‍

We believe that:

• children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind 
• we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them. 
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We recognise that:

• the welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take
• working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and 
• other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare
•  all children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse
• some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous
• experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues
• extra safeguards may be needed to keep children who are additionally vulnerable safe from abuse. ‍

‍Find out more about:

• safeguarding children who come from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities
• safeguarding d/Deaf and disabled children and young people
• safeguarding LGBTQ+ children and young people
• safeguarding children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). 
  

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

• valuing, listening to and respecting them
• appointing a nominated child protection lead for children and young people, a deputy and a lead trustee/board member for safeguarding
• adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers
• developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related procedures
• providing effective management for our team members and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures so that all team members and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures and behaviour codes confidently and competently
• recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made
• recording and storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance 
• sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children and their families via leaflets, posters, group work and one-to-one discussions
• making sure that children, young people and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern
• using our safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately
• using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately
• creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying that does arise
• ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place
• ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance
• building a safeguarding culture where team members and volunteers, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.
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‍Contact details 

For a full list of “Local Safeguarding Contacts” see our “Policies and Procedures” or/and our “Local Safeguarding Information” posters. Both of which can be located in the reception area of every Holiday Camp venue. 

Designated Safeguarding Leaders

• Amy Cunningham
• Rachel Cooper
• Courtney Simmons  
  

Phone: 0121 296 9204 or 07419131525 (out of hours)*

For a full list of contact details please see our “Policies and Procedures”.

Email: safeguarding@thestringsclub.org