Children and Young Persons Safeguarding Policy

SHREWSBURY TAXI LIMITED T/A RIDE NOW

Children, young persons and adults with care needs -safeguarding &awareness act

1.Definitions.

Child or young person: Anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday.

Adult at risk: Anyone aged 18 or over who is unable to look after their own well-being, property, rights, or other interests and is at risk of harm (either from another person’s behaviour or their own behaviour) due to disability, illness, physical or mental infirmity.

Definitions continued.

Child and adult abuse: Children and adults may be vulnerable to neglect and abuse or exploitation from within their family and from individuals they come across in their daily lives. Abuse can take a variety of different forms, including: sexual, physical, emotional abuse, and neglect exploitation by criminal gangs and organised crime groups, trafficking and modern slavery, online abuse, sexual exploitation, influences of extremism leading to radicalisation domestic abuse, financial abuse, discriminatory abuse ,organisational abuse.

Safeguarding: Safeguarding children is defined in Working together to safeguard children 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, taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Safeguarding adults at risk is defined in the Care and support statutory guidance issued under the Care Act 2014 as: protecting the rights of adults to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect , people and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect , people and organisations making sure that the adult’s well-being is promoted including, where appropriate, taking their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs fully into account when deciding any action , recognising that adults sometimes have complex interpersonal relationships and may be ambivalent, unclear, or unrealistic about their personal circumstances and therefore potential risks to their safety or well-being

2. Policy

Broad statements that MUST be followed

2.1 RIDE NOW commitment to safeguarding.

2.1.1 RIDE NOW is committed to, and has a duty to, safeguard the welfare of the children, young people, and adults at risk who use its services or with whom it comes into contact.

2.1.2 RIDE NOW aims to ensure that employees and volunteers comply with all legal, contractual, and professional standards and responsibilities in their work with children and adults – whether in a group work setting or on an individual basis. High-quality recording, record keeping, and records management are essential in this context, and procedures for these are contained within this policy.

2.1.3 RIDE NOW continually strives to strengthen its ways of working to ensure all employees feel safe to raise any safeguarding concerns and are fully supported if this occurs.

2.1.4 Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that, ‘every child should be protected from abuse’. Everyone at Trusted drivers ltd has a responsibility to make sure that children are safeguarded and protected from abuse and neglect.

3.Safeguarding procedures for all employees

3.1 If an employee is informed about or concerned about the abuse of a child, young person, or adult at risk, they must take the following steps:

Always place the child or adult’s welfare and interests as the paramount consideration.

Make safeguarding personal using a person-led and outcomes-focused approach.

Employees must talk with the child, young person, or adult at risk about how best to respond to their safeguarding situation in a way that enhances their involvement, control, and choice throughout the safeguarding process.

Listen carefully and actively to the person – at this stage, there is no necessity to ask questions. Let the person guide the pace and remember their ability to recount an allegation will depend on age, culture, language and communication skills, and disability.

Do not show shock at what is being said. This may discourage the child or adult from talking, as they may feel you are unable to cope with what they’re saying, or perhaps that you’re thinking badly of them.

Do not investigate. If anything needs to be clarified to understand the safeguarding risk, ask clear, open questions: o use the TED rule: tell, explain and describe o ask ‘what, when, who, how, where’ questions to ask, ‘do you want to tell me anything else'’ do not ask any ‘why’ questions as these can suggest guilt or responsibility.

Remain calm and reassure the person that they have done the right thing by talking to a responsible adult. Never promise to keep a secret or confidentiality.

3.2 If the person disclosing is an adult, employees have a duty to pass on information if someone is at immediate risk of harm, and to encourage and support the adult to share information and seek support. Employees must ask for the adult's consent to take up their concerns. If the adult does not agree, or if employees do not believe that the adult has capacity to decide about consent, they must consult with Trusted Drivers ltd safeguarding DP.

3.3 If an employee believes a child or adult to be at immediate risk of harm or abuse, and/or a criminal offence is taking place, they must take immediate steps to protect that person by calling 999. Employees must then contact their line manager to let them know what has happened and to take advice on next step.

SHREWSBURY TAXI LIMITED T/A RIDE NOW Company DP VIOLETA MADALINA LEOVEANU

74 FRITH CLOSE, SY25XW Signed VIOLETA LEOVEANU

TEL: +44 800 861 1816 EMAIL: ridenowoffice@gmail.com