Safeguarding

We're committed to being an organisation where safeguarding is a priority and all young people are protected from harm.

Souster Youth is committed to putting safeguarding at the heart of how we work as an organisation. Our commitment applies not only to the children and young people we work alongside, but also to adults with care and support needs, and to our staff, our volunteers and everyone who is involved in our work.

Safeguarding children (including young people) 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

  • taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

 

Our Safeguarding Policy is the key document that defines how we do this. It sets out our legal responsibilities and how we will fulfil them. It also lays out the procedures we will follow. 

Our Safeguarding Officer is Jason Royce (Director), he will review any safeguarding concerns on receiving them, and act as the contact if referrals are made to the Police or to Children's Services. To contact Jason please email him at jason@sousteryouth.org or contact the office on 01832 735999.

Our Safeguarding Trustee is Chris Curtis. To get in touch with Chris please email him at chris.curtis@youthscape.co.uk.

Our Board of Trustees have overall responsibility for safeguarding at Souster Youth. They ensure our policy meets legal requirements and good practice, and that our policy is fully implemented in our day-to-day work.

We carry out all the appropriate checks on staff and volunteers, including taking references and carrying out checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Any allegation or complaint against a staff or volunteer member of Souster Youth will be taken seriously. Complaints should be made to Jason Royce at hello@sousteryouth.org

We train staff to recognise the signs of abuse and follow our policy for reporting any concerns. When working in schools we will follow the policies of those organisations and will report any concerns through the appropriate channels.

Safeguarding is fundamental to good work with children and young people. It requires clear policies that are rigorously implemented and upheld. Ongoing training and transparency is crucial. We want Souster Youth to be an example of the very best practice in this area for the sake of the young people we serve.