Note: I have over 40 years involvement with voluntary organisations. Though I am not a Lawyer, I am a parent and spent many years handling and training in corporate legal matters. What follows has been distilled from my own research and by attending various seminars held by South Bucks District Council and Buckinghamshire County Council. Like me, you can draw the same conclusions by reading the legislation concerned, many web sites, and a mountain of paper. I hope I have saved you some time. Volunteers have better things to do than spend their time making sense of what may appear to be draconian legislation but please don't be put off volunteering by having to prove that you are 'okay' to be with our children. (Tim Hill 2009)

Child Protection Policy and the ISA

Stop Press (2009-09-14T13:30) Have the UK Government this week thrown the baby out with the bathwater? Some may say we are only a few regulations away from the need to make checks on every adult in the UK, just in case they come into contact with a child and we are all now guilty until proven innocent by the ISA. The press will tell you that not having a certificate of non-paedophilial tendencies (Independent Safeguarding Authority Registration) will saddle you with a fine of £5,000 just for giving a few kids a lift to their club. What utter nonsense. When will everyone calm down and wake up to the fact that any database will only reveal those who are known to be unsuitable. But what about the child abusers who haven't been found out yet? Such checks would not have revealed Ian Huntley to the school attended by those two poor girls as he was only the boyfriend of a member of staff and worked elsewhere. There is no way to protect against such unknown abusers unless YOU spot them. Sorry, but that's the real world, even though the ISA scheme was introduced as a direct result of what Huntley did, it will only ferret out those you check who are cppknown to be naughty.

Rant aside, there still should be a Child Protection Policy in place in your organisation, even if you are from one of those organisations who CRB checks everyone within sniffing distance of children. One local youth football club has already CRB checked every parent under the current rules (they didn't have to!). You, like me, may think this is over-the-top hysteria and something you cannot legislate for because someone in a club, a local authority or Quango somewhere will go over-the-top. Personally, I still would not bother to CRB check anyone well known to me but the law will say my organisation must ensure it has confirmed ISA Registration numbers from every adult volunteer from November 2010. Sceptics may wonder whether the Quango is influenced by the fee of £64 it will charge for each check except that volunteers will not be charged a penny so keep an eye on How to Apply as it is promised that online applications will be introduced. The ISA helpline informed me that applications online are likely to be available from May, 2010. Like me you may want to visit their Home Page where at bottom-right there is an option to register for updates.

Child Protection Policy

Voluntary Sector - UK

Though not a requirement in UK Law, it is considered best practice in 'official circles' for any organisation with any child members to have a Child Protection Policy. This page contains a Generic Policy Document and links to others you may adopt and implement, but please see the section below entitled 'Contribution' before you make use of any one of them.

FAQ

Do we have to do police checks on everyone?

Contrary to popular belief and tabloid hysteria, police checks of helpers or members of voluntary organisations are neither mandatory nor a statutory obligation until November 2010. They may, however, be considered 'best practice' though can become overkill and do not reveal people who haven't been caught yet. In the absence of legal precedent, but in the current state of heightened awareness of such issues, police checks may be felt essential but it may be enough to ask for a form of self-declaration from someone an organisation has known for years. (e.g. they would probably be unnecessary from an adult member who joined the organisation as a child and is well known to it, but necessary from a stranger who wants to help out in a changing or dressing room). I suggest that all members (however temporary) and anyone helping an organisation should complete a membership application form and be considered by the committee as to suitability and each application assessed on its own merits.

How do we stop government and council agencies from interfering in what we do?

You should appoint someone as Designated Adult Member Responsible for Child Protection (DAMRCP) who has attended training about Child Protection and knows what action to take, or not. The DAMRCP will be the group's point of contact for external organisations in Child Protection matters.

Are we expected to tell on others?

Voluntary organisations have no statutory obligation to report anything suspicious they notice. However, what of our duty of care to our child members? If something obvious came to light we would wish to do something to help the member. The following points help to provide a framework, should something terrible happen.

What do I do if I think some abuse has occurred?

Anything which is 'noticed' (e.g. concern felt about unexplained injury of a member, the discovery of an incident, a complaint etc.) can and perhaps should be be recorded by the DAMRCP on behalf of the organisation. If anyone considers reporting suspicions about anyone, a written record should be kept: this helps later should the law eventually be involved (dates, times, description of injury etc.) If reports are made through the DAMRCP to the Council(s) they may ask for the reporter's name. On the other hand if you wish a report to remain confidential, anyone is free to use established anonymous reporting channels, such as Crimestoppers.

Why do we need a Policy?

We should all have a stated policy on Child Protection to

acknowledge our responsibilities
reassure child members and their parents
guide the group's officers
provide a clear framework to keep outside agencies from interfering
satisfy those who think a written policy is needed for common sense issues!

Here follows a draft policy you can use: (but please see Contribution section below)

Child Protection Policy for Organisations in the Voluntary Sector

v1.00h by Tim Hill (c) 2006

CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

.........Organisation name.......... (hereinafter: Organisation) fully recognises its responsibilities for Child Protection. Our policy applies to all staff (if any) members and volunteers (hereinafter ALL referred to as 'members') working with the organisation.

The Organisation's ..........ruling body or committee......... (hereinafter: Committee) is responsible for ensuring this policy is implemented. There are four main elements to our policy:

WE ESTABLISH A SAFE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH CHILDREN CAN LEARN AND DEVELOP
1. We have an environment where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk, and are listened to
2. We ensure children know that there are adults in the organisation whom they can approach if they have concerns
3. We ensure that members (and their parents if members are minors) have an understanding of the responsibility placed on the organisation for child protection by setting out its obligations in this policy
WE RAISE AWARENESS OF CHILD PROTECTION ISSUES AMONGST MEMBERS
1. We ensure every member knows the name of the Designated Adult Member Responsible for Child Protection (hereinafter: DAMRCP) and their role
2. Every member (and parents of non-adult members) are entitled to a copy of this policy which will be available to them on the organisation's web site. Paper copies will be supplied to members and parents on request.
WE PRACTICE SAFE RECRUITMENT IN CHECKING THE SUITABILITY OF MEMBERS WHO WORK WITH CHILDREN
1. We recognise the potential danger of recruiting new members without knowing their background
2. The Committee reserves the right to insist on police checks and to take references
WE DEVELOP AND THEN IMPLEMENT PROCEDURES FOR IDENTIFYING AND REPORTING CASES, OR SUSPECTED CASES, OF ABUSE
1. We recognise that as they work with children, adult members are well placed to notice the outward signs of abuse
2. We will seek the guidance of the Area Child Protection Committee when necessary
3. We have a DAMRCP who has received appropriate training and support for this role
4. We ensure all adult members understand their responsibilities in being alert to the signs of abuse and responsibility for referring any concerns to the DAMRCP
5. The DAMRCP is to maintain effective links with relevant agencies and co-operate as appropriate with their enquiries regarding child protection matters
6. We may keep written records of concerns about children, even where there is no need to refer the matter immediately. Any such records are kept securely, separate from the main membership files, in a locked location.
7. We will develop and then follow procedures where an allegation is made against a member.

Signed on behalf of the Organisation

Contributions

If your organisation would like to adopt or adapt this generic policy for themselves, or if you wish to make use of the files at www.timil.com/cpp in any way other than to evaluate with a view to adoption, you are politely asked to please contact me by email using the envelope at the foot of this page. At the very least, voluntary youth organisations will be asked to contribute a minimum of £5, and adult voluntary organisations will be asked to contribute a minimum of £10. You may use the PayPal button to donate. Other organisations must apply to ask for both permission to adopt or adapt this policy for whatever purpose and to find out their minimum level of contribution. Bespoke policies can be prepared for any organisation - please ask for a quotation.