SAFEGUARDING IS EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS

Safeguarding is the responsibility of everyone including statutory, independent and voluntary agencies as well as every citizen. We will work to prevent and protect children and adults from abuse and promote wellbeing. Wherever we are, we will work within the local multiagency framework as mandated by the latest government guidance (Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023)

DOING NOTHING IS NOT AN OPTION

If we suspect that a child or adult with care and support needs is being abused, we will do something about it and ensure our work is properly recorded. We will share information in a timely way and on a need to know basis.

Scope

As a charity working with prisoners and ex-prisoners, we come into contact with many people who experience difficult circumstances at home and in their families. We mainly work with adults but increasingly also with young people and children. Consequently we have to be alert to the possibility or even the likelihood that they are “vulnerable” within the meaning of current legislation.

The aim of this policy is to ensure the safety of adults with care and support needs and young people/children, by outlining clear procedures and ensuring that all staff members are clear about their responsibilities.

Indicators of abuse and vulnerability

The characteristics of abuse can take a number of forms and cause victims to suffer pain, fear and distress reaching well beyond the time of the actual incident(s). Victims may be too afraid or embarrassed to raise any complaint. They may be reluctant to discuss their concerns with other people or unsure who to trust or approach with their worries. There may be some situations where victims are unaware that they are being abused or have difficulty in communicating this information to others.

This policy recognises the following principles:

Everyone, including children, have the right to live in safety and to be free from abuse or fear of abuse from others.
Everyone has the right to live an independent life based on ‘self-determination’ and personal choice.

It is the responsibility of Changing Tunes to actively work to help prevent the abuse of adults with care and support needs and young people/children. This will be achieved by raising awareness, empowering people to make their own decisions and putting safeguards in place.

When a situation is discovered in which an adult with care and support needs and/or a young person or child reports abuse, or is thought to be at risk of abuse, then Changing Tunes will react quickly in a co-ordinated manner to report to the relevant authorities and help them to overcome these difficulties.

Definitions

The Care Act 2014 defines an adult with care and support needs as a person who:

Has needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those needs)
Is experiencing, or at risk of abuse or neglect
As a result of those care and support needs is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of or the experience of abuse or neglect.

As some of the people we serve may be as young as ten (for instance at the Vinney Green Secure Unit), we should apply the same criteria to those below the age of 18.

Thus a vulnerable person may, for example, include someone who:

Is a substance mis-user
Is elderly and/or frail
Has a mental illness including dementia
Has a physical or sensory impairment/disability
Has a learning disability
Has a severe physical illness

Abuse is a violation of an individual’s human and civil rights by any other person or persons. It can take a number of forms including the categories set out in the Care Act Guidance detailed below. (Note though that you may not encounter them in the course of your work with Changing Tunes.)

Physical Abuse – including assault, hitting, slapping, pushing, misuse of medication, restraint or inappropriate physical sanctions

Domestic Violence – including psychological, physical, sexual, financial, emotional abuse and so called ‘honour’ based violence.

Sexual Abuse - including rape and any sexual acts to which the person has not consented.

Psychological Abuse - including emotional abuse, bullying and threats of harm.

Financial and/or Material Abuse - including theft, fraud, coercion in relation to an adult’s financial affairs or the misappropriation of property.

Modern Slavery - encompasses slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude.

Discriminatory Abuse - including harassment because of race, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.

Organisational Abuse - including neglect and poor care practice within an institution as a result of the structure, policies, processes and practices within an organisation.

Neglect and acts of omission – including ignoring medical, emotional or physical care needs.

Self-neglect – this covers a wide range of behaviour neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings.

Recruitment Procedures

To help ensure that we maintain the highest possible standards in respect of safeguarding, our recruitment process is designed to identify candidates who are sensitive to the vulnerabilities of prisoners and ex-prisoners, these being the primary beneficiaries of our services.

Candidates shortlisted for interview are invited into the prison where they will be working. In this context we are better able to assess their suitability for work within our service and with those we support. Moreover prison staff also participate in the interviews and thereby contribute to the assessment of the candidates’ attributes.

Changing Tunes’ work is carefully structured to build relationships with prisoners and thereby to assist their rehabilitation. It is therefore of prime importance to our work that we recruit musicians who are sensitive to personal issues and capable of being trained on the specifics of safeguarding.

The recruitment process requires a minimum of two references, and where the referee is in a position to do so, he or she will be asked to comment on any issues which could be relevant from the safeguarding point of view.

Where they will be working with children, successful applicants are required to apply for DBS clearance if they have not already obtained it, and the outcome of the assessment is taken into account in the final appointment.

Training and Induction

The importance of safeguarding issues is emphasised in our Staff Handbook which every new member of staff is given on joining the charity.

It also forms part of the briefing given to new members of our Board of Trustees; that is, the matter is covered in the Trustee Information Pack which is issued to new Board members and refreshed annually.

New members of staff are given detailed guidance on the safeguarding matters which are of prime importance in particular prisons. These will vary from prison to prison, depending on the role and category of the prison concerned. Procedures to be pursued in the event of problems coming to light will also vary from prison to prison and are therefore covered by the specific in-prison training which is given to each new musician in our employ.

The safeguarding issues which are potentially encountered outside prison, namely when we work with prisoners post-release, are different from those within prison in several important ways, for example respecting the need for confidentiality and privacy and the law. Moreover ex-prisoners will meet other ex-prisoners in our post-release jamming sessions, so our musicians need to know how to manage delicate interpersonal relationships. Consequently there is a whole raft of additional training given to our musicians when they are ready to undertake post-release work.

The key safeguarding policies and procedures are covered in refresher sessions which are held annually. Staff are also reminded to remain alert to any information they might pick up concerning the situation of vulnerable people and/or adults with care and support needs, and/or children and young people in the ex-prisoners’ homes and communities.

Staff recruited to work in Secure Children’s Homes, PRUs and SEMH schools or in prisons’ Mother and Baby Units are given specific training with regard to the situations with which they will be dealing and the protocols to observe.

Staff Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of each member of staff in Changing Tunes to ensure as far as possible that the human and civil rights of our beneficiaries are supported and maintained at all times.

If a situation arises in a prison where our musician perceives an adult as being abused, then our musician is duty bound to take action in accordance with the prison’s reporting procedures.

Outside of prison, Changing Tunes staff are duty bound to follow the reporting and escalating procedures set out in the next section.

Overall responsibility for ensuring compliance with this policy and these procedures lies with the Chief Executive, who is the Designated Safeguarding Lead. (David Jones, davidj@changingtunes.org.uk, 0117 920 0151)

Reporting Procedures

If you come across a person who

has needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those needs) AND
is experiencing or is at risk of abuse or neglect, AND
as a result of those care and support needs is unable to protect himself/herself from either the risk of or the experience of abuse or neglect…..

….then you should follow the reporting procedure below.

You should inform your team leader (or line manager) as soon as possible and follow this up with a written report (see below). Your team leader (or line manager) will immediately inform the Chief Executive who is our Designated Safeguarding Person. If the Chief Executive is unavailable for more than 24 hours (assuming there is no immediate urgency to the situation), the Chair of Trustees should be informed.

The Chief Executive should then carry out a risk assessment and, if appropriate, inform one of the Key Contact numbers listed below. If you are in any doubt about whether or not to make this contact, then err on the side of caution and make it. Keep a record of the communication.

The Chief Executive is responsible for recording all instances of alleged or reported abuse in the Safeguarding Log.

In emergency situations (e.g. where there is the risk or occurrence of severe physical injury), where immediate action is needed to safeguard the health or safety of the individual or anyone else who may be at risk, the emergency services must be contacted.

Where a crime is taking place, has just occurred, or is suspected, the police must be contacted immediately.

All members of staff have a responsibility to be aware of this policy and to report any suspicions that they might have concerning such abuse.

The written report you make should detail precise facts, not opinions, and give a clear account of what happened (or is happening). On completion, the report should be signed, dated and timed (or, if emailed, encrypted before sending) and sent to the office for the attention of the Chief Executive.

The report will then be entered into the Safeguarding Log detailing any actions resulting from the report.

Active Involvement

If the Chief Executive decides to bring the matter to the attention of the responsible Safeguarding Board, and if the Board proceeds to review the case, then Changing Tunes may well be involved. It is important therefore that the member(s) of staff who initiated the action kept records of their concerns and their actions, including timings and evidence. It is Changing Tunes policy to cooperate and collaborate transparently with the other agencies active in the matter.

Ongoing Involvement

As the 2023 Guidance recognises, charities such as Changing Tunes are intimately connected to children and adults who may have safeguarding needs, and therefore may be the first to be confided in by the child or adult that they are suffering abuse. It will obviously be at the discretion of the institution concerned and of the local safeguarding board, if they wish to include Changing Tunes in the formal arrangements for managing the safeguarding practices in the area. If they do so decide, then it is the policy of Changing Tunes to accept the responsibility, allocating resources as appropriate as far as it can.

Sharing of data as appropriate, participation in reviews, contributing to Child Protection Plans and reporting are covered by this undertaking.

Changing Tunes accepts that it is open to independent scrutiny with respect to its safeguarding role.

Suspicions concerning someone in prison

Any suspicions arising from something you observe in prison or are told about in prison should be reported through the prison’s Intelligence Reporting system. Back it up with your own record which you send to your Team Leader or Line Manager.

Cautionary notes:

suspected abuses may be perpetrated by officers and not only by inmates
never play the role of confidante. Before or after a prisoner/ex-prisoner shares a confidence with you (preferably before, but certainly after), be sure to tell him/her that you are legally obliged to report suspected abuse to your line manager and thereby to the authorities
remember that hearsay is no more than hearsay and may be difficult to substantiate with evidence. Nevertheless it may still be an indicator of abuse occurring to someone (or risk of it) and so should be reported with the appropriate caveat.

Suspicions concerning someone outside prison

All the above applies also to suspicions concerning possible abuse of a person outside prison, with the obvious exception that you do not use the Intelligence Report system but only the Changing Tunes management reporting system. If the person in question is still under license or remains involved with probation or other support agencies it will also be necessary to inform the link professional to ensure they are aware of the issue.

Allegation against Changing Tunes Staff

Volunteers and staff themselves may also be the subject of an allegation of abuse. While support will be offered, Changing Tunes will ensure that relevant agencies are given full support in pursuing any investigation. Suspension and/or discipline may be implemented.

If the Chief Executive is the subject of an allegation, the Chair of Trustees should be informed immediately. If the Chair of Trustees is the subject of an allegation, the Charity Commission should be informed. An internal investigation should be carried out by a member of the Board of Trustees.

You should also refer to the specific policy on Whistle-blowing which is elsewhere in the Staff Handbook.

Policies in conflict

Should a situation arise where the Safeguarding Policy of the Prison is in conflict with this policy then attempts should be made to satisfy both policies. It is important and preferable to alert more people to the disclosure or concern rather than alert none.

The Local Authority Safeguarding Adults Team in the relevant area are a useful source of advice and information if there is conflict within the prison as well as for queries around ex-prisoner queries.

Key Contacts for Safeguarding Action

If you have an emergency, call the Police on 999.
If it isn't an emergency but you need help fast, call the Police on 101.

If the list below does not cover your particular area, look up the local authority website in the area you are looking for and search for “safeguarding”. All the websites will lead you to safeguarding adults and children (either together or separately).

Birmingham

For Adults and Children

https://www.bsab.org/how-to-report-abuse/

Bristol

For Adults

https://digital.bristol.gov.uk/social-care-health/report-suspected-abuse-safeguarding-adults-at-risk

For Children

· First Response for professionals working with children:

· Requiring response same day: Phone 0117 903 6444

· All other reports of possible abuse:

https://www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/social-care-and-health/children-and-families/concerns-about-a-child/first-response-for-professionals-working-with-children/make-a-referral-to-first-response#:~:text=Anyone%20who%20works%20with%20children,in%20safeguarding%20and%20child%20protection.&text=to%20First%20Response%20straight%20away,other%20reports%20to%20First%20Response.

Devon (for HMPs Exeter, Channings Wood and Dartmoor)

For Adults

https://www.devonsafeguardingadultspartnership.org.uk/reporting-a-concern/

For Children

https://www.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/child-protection/

Dorset (for HMP Guys Marsh)

For Adults

https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/care-and-support-for-adults/dorset-safeguarding-adults-board/dorset-safeguarding-adults-board

For Children

https://pdscp.co.uk/

Gloucestershire (for HMPs Ashfield, Leyhill and Eastwood Park)

For Adults