MedicHut is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in everything we do.
MedicHut abides by the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people and is committed to safeguarding practice that reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice requirements.
MedicHut will:
This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of MedicHut, including volunteers. Failure to comply with the policy and related procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the organisation.
The Children Act 1989 definition of a child is: anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday, even if they are living independently, are a member of the armed forces or are in hospital.
Adult at Risk: An adult who has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs), is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, and as a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.
Child and Adult Abuse: There are 4 main categories of abuse - sexual, physical, emotional abuse, and neglect. Specific types include:
Safeguarding children is defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 as protecting children from maltreatment, preventing impairment of children's health or development, ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care, and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England, including:
MedicHut will ensure an appropriate level of safeguarding training is available to its Trustees, Employees, Volunteers and any relevant persons linked to the organisation. As a minimum, employees working with children must be able to:
MedicHut expects all employees, volunteers and trustees to maintain confidentiality. Information will only be shared in line with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection. However, information should be shared with the Local Authority if a child is deemed to be at risk of harm, or contact the police if they are in immediate danger, or a crime has been committed.
A written record must be kept about any concern regarding a child or adult with safeguarding needs. This must include details of the person involved, the nature of the concern and the actions taken, decisions made and why they were made. All records must be signed, dated, and sent without delay to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
MedicHut is committed to safe employment and safe recruitment practices. All individuals working on behalf of MedicHut must have a valid, full, and up-to-date DBS certificate. This is checked by the organisation prior to accepting any employment, and must be renewed regularly.
All employees, trustees and volunteers should understand that:
It is important that people within MedicHut have the confidence to come forward to speak or act if they are unhappy with anything. Whistleblowing occurs when a person raises a concern about dangerous or illegal activity, or any wrongdoing within their organisation. There is also a requirement by MedicHut to protect whistleblowers.
Any safeguarding concern reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead will be investigated immediately and action will be taken to ensure prompt safety of the child or adult involved. Any individual representing MedicHut who is found to be in breach of the safeguarding policy will be suspended without delay, and a final decision will be made regarding return to work once a thorough investigation is completed.
If any illegal action takes place outside of the bounds of the safeguarding policy, this will be reported to the police and other relevant authorities without delay.
Designated Safeguarding Lead: Syed Bukhari
Questions? Email team@medichut.com or call 020 3488 8644.