Prevent Duty & Safeguarding policy
Purpose:
Swimsanity® is committed to safeguarding all learners who attend our programmes.
The purpose of this policy is to develop good practice for all learners about whom we may have particular concerns regarding their health, safety or welfare. The policy applies to all learners and includes, although is not exclusive to the following adults over 18 years of age who may be at risk, regardless of age, class, ethnicity, gender, marital status, religion or belief, disability, sexual orientation or gender reassignment.
Definitions:
The definition of an adult at risk for the purpose of this policy adults at risk who are over 18 years of age and includes:
• Are in residential accommodation of sheltered housing
• Receive domiciliary care of any form of healthcare
• Are detained in lawful custody
• Are under the supervision of the courts
• Receive welfare service of a prescribed description
• Receive payments under the Health & Social Care Act 2001
• Require assistance in the conduct of their own affairs.
The definition of abuse includes:
• situations of self-neglect or self-harm or where a learner discloses abuse or abuse is suspected.
For the purpose of this policy, we will adopt the following definition of abuse: ‘Abuse may consist of a single act or repeated acts. It may be physical, verbal or psychological. It may be an act of neglect or an omission to act or it may occur when a vulnerable person is persuaded into financial or sexual transactions to which he or she has not consented or cannot consent. Abuse can occur in any relationship and may result in significant harm to, or exploitation of, the person subject to it.’ (Department of Health 2000 No Secrets).
Principles of Prevent Duty & Safeguarding:
Prevent is part of the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy and aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. in line with the Prevent Duty Guidance for Further Education institutions in England & Wales, has a duty to safeguard its students keeping them both safe and within the law.
The Prevent Duty is not about preventing students from having political or religious views and concerns, but about supporting them to address these concerns or act on them in non-extremist ways.
Prevent is about preventing vulnerable individuals from being exploited by extremist beliefs.
The Prevent Duty is an extension of the same safeguarding process which the education sector already employs in order to effectively safeguard vulnerable adults from exploitation, abuse, drug use or alcoholism.
If you believe that someone is vulnerable to being exploited or involved in violent extremism, please use the established safeguarding duty or care procedures and escalate your concerns to the person responsible for safeguarding.
Process:
The responsible Safeguarding Officer will make a referral through the local authority Prevent Co-ordinator or Channel (early intervention multi-agency) Co-ordinator towards safeguarding vulnerable people from being drawn into extremist behaviour.
Procedures Staff are Expected to Follow:
If you see or hear something or if you are given information that causes you concern about a learner’s health, safety, welfare, or behaviour you should not ignore it.
What you should do:
• Stay calm
• If it is a medical emergency or a situation of immediate danger, call the relevant emergency service(s) straight away. You do not need anyone’s permission to do this.
Otherwise, ask the learner whether they feel that they are, or that anyone else is, at immediate risk
• Ensure that the learner’s basic needs are met, enlisting others to help if necessary and if you need to stay with the learner
• Listen to anything the learner may want to tell you
• Take notes of what is said and what you observe, at the time or immediately after
• Pass the information on to designated person responsible for safeguarding (the member of staff with lead responsibility for issues concerning adults at risk) at the earliest opportunity.
• Inform the learner that you are doing this and that their views and wishes will be taken into account.
Responsibilities:
All those working with learners at or for Swimsanity® have a duty to comply with this policy. A member of®® Swimsanity® will be designated to take lead responsibility for issues concerning adults at risk. Except in an emergency, all concerns should be communicated them so that they can decide what action, if any, to take. As the designated member of staff, they should make themselves aware of any ‘multi-agency ‘procedures operating locally and involve relevant health.