CHILD SAFEGUARDING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

TIMEGIVERS

PART 1 - CHILD SAFEGUARDING POLICY

1. Introduction

Timegivers (“the charity”) believes that children should never experience abuse of any kind. Everyone working with the charity is responsible for ensuring that children are safe. The charity aims to create a fair, open and positive culture and ensure that everyone involved feels able to report concerns, confident that they will be heard and responded to. Safeguarding risks will form part of the charity’s risk management policy.

This policy applies to all representatives (see Definitions at 2. below) working on behalf of the Charity.

The purpose of this policy:

to protect children who come into contact with the charity through its work by ensuring that representatives know how to recognise signs of potential abuse of children and know what to do when concerns arise; and
to provide representatives with the overarching principles that guide our approach to keeping children safe.

2. Definitions

Abuse: Abuse is when a child is intentionally harmed by an adult or another child – it can be over a period of time but can also be a one-off action. It can be physical, sexual or emotional and it can happen in person or online. It can also be a lack of love, care and attention – this is neglect. See Appendix 1 for definitions of different types of abuse.

Child or children: any person under the age of 18.

Designated safeguarding lead (DSL): The DSL ensures that appropriate arrangements for keeping children safe are in place at the charity and promotes the safety and welfare of children. The DSL should be the first point of contact for all of the charity’s representatives to go to for advice if they are concerned about a child.

Representatives: all persons working for us or on our behalf in any capacity, both paid and unpaid, including trustees, employees, officers, consultants, freelancers, self-employed contractors, casual workers, agency workers, seconded workers, interns, students and volunteers working for or assisting the Charity.

3. Key legislation and guidance

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of law and guidance that seeks to protect children, namely:

Children Act 1989;
United Convention of the Rights of the Child 1991;
Data Protection Act 2018;
The UK General Data Protection Regulation;
Sexual Offences Act 2003;
Children Act 2004;
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012;
Working Together to Safeguarding Children (2023)
Charity Commission guidance: ‘Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees’;
Relevant government guidance on safeguarding children.

4. Our key principles are:

the welfare of the child is paramount, as enshrined in the Children Act 1989; • safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all representatives of the charity should make sure their approach is child-centred. This means they should consider at all times what is in the best interest of the child;
the charity will adopt a whole charity approach ensuring that safeguarding and child protection are at the forefront and underpin all relevant aspects of process and policy development;
the charity’s representatives should maintain the attitude that “it could happen here” and guard against complacency when it comes to safeguarding children;
all children, regardless of age, ability, gender, racial heritage, ethnicity, religious belief, culture, sexual orientation or personal characteristics, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse;
some children are additionally vulnerable because of their level of dependency or their communication needs;
working in partnership with children, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare although it is important to recognise that, in some limited circumstances, it will not be appropriate to engage with family members or carers in order to protect a child at risk;
all concerns (including low-level concerns) or allegations against of abuse will be taken very seriously and managed sensitively and fairly in accordance with this policy and relevant legislation and best practice.

5. We will seek to keep children safe by:

valuing, listening to and respecting them;
ensuring effective and robust safeguarding and protection practices by having clear policies, procedures, practice standards, guidance and training in place; • following the guidance issued by the Charity Commission from time to time in relation to safeguarding, including but not limited to ‘Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees’;
adopting best practice and recommendations and liaising/reporting to the DSL as appropriate in relation to the care, protection and welfare of children;
establishing safe recruitment procedures that will be applied consistently to all applications where the role will bring an individual into contact with children;
obtaining Disclosure and Barring (DBS) checks where representatives are legally eligible for such checks due to the nature of their work/contact with children;
putting in place the following for those representatives coming into contact with children: induction, supervision, mentoring, support and training as appropriate for the role and nature of contact with children;
ensuring that any concerns or allegations of abuse are responded to sensitively, respectfully and seriously, and referred appropriately, and co-operating with the work of statutory agencies as necessary;
recording, storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with our Privacy Notice and data protection legislation and good practice;
ensuring safeguarding risks are recorded and managed in accordance with our risk management policy and procedures;
making sure that children, their families and carers know where to go for help if they have a concern and ensuring that we have an effective complaints policy in place;
promoting an open and positive safeguarding culture where representatives, children and their families treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns;
putting in place agreements between the charity and our partners (including schools) which establish clear responsibilities, reporting and monitoring arrangements for each party in relation to safeguarding when the charity is undertaking projects in advancement of its objects, such as arranging volunteering opportunities for children.

6. Other relevant policies

This policy and the procedures in Part 2 should be read in conjunction with:

Health & Safety policy
Code of Conduct
Risk management policy
Complaints policy
Data protection policy and privacy notice

This policy is approved and endorsed by the board of Trustees. We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually.

This policy was last reviewed on: 02/03/2026

PART 2 - CHILD SAFEGUARDING PROCEDURES

1. Introduction

This procedure outlines what you should do if an allegation is made against a representative working for or involved with the charity or a disclosure of abuse is made.

The procedure should provide a clear direction to the DSL and trustees who are called upon to deal with such allegations and to manage investigations that may result from them.

2. Aims of the procedure

The aims of this procedure are:

To ensure charity representatives know how to report concerns, allegations or disclosures.
To ensure that children who are involved with the charity are protected and supported following an allegation that they may have been abused by a representative.
To ensure that there is a fair, consistent and robust response to any allegations made, so that the risk posed to other children by an abusive individual is managed effectively.
To facilitate an appropriate level of investigation into allegations and appropriate recording and storage of information as well as ensuring appropriate levels of confidentiality for children and their families.
To ensure that the charity continues to fulfil its responsibilities towards its representatives who may be subject to such investigations.
To ensure that representatives are able to continue in their role if they have been at the centre of allegations that are unfounded or deemed to be malicious in origin.

3. How you might find out about a possible case of abuse

Ways that allegations might be made against a representative include:

a child or parent/carer making a direct allegation against a representative;
a child or parent/carer expressing discomfort with the behaviour of a representative that falls short of a specific allegation;
another representative directly observing behaviour that is a cause for concern;
the charity being informed by the police or another statutory authority that a representative is the subject of an investigation;
information emerging from the renewal of a DBS check or Barred List check that suggests that a representative may have committed an offence or been involved in an activity that could compromise the safety of the children they work with at the charity;
a representative telling the charity that they have been the subject of allegations, have actually harmed a child, or committed an offence against (or related to) a child.

4. Reporting concerns about suspected abuse

Always report it and do not deal with it alone.
Any suspicion that a child has been abused by a representative or by any other individual should be reported to the DSL, who will take such steps as considered necessary to ensure the safety of the child in question and any other child or children who may be at risk.
The DSL will refer the allegation to the local authority (see contact details in Appendix 2 or use contact details on local authority website where not included) and the police as appropriate
The parents or carers of the child will be contacted as soon as possible following advice from the local authority children’s safeguarding services.
The DSL should also notify the chair of trustees at the earliest opportunity.
If the DSL is the subject of the suspicion/allegation, the report must be made to the chair of Trustees who will refer the allegation to the local authority and/or the police as appropriate.

Where an activity is taking place on a partner organisation’s premises (e.g. at a school), the DSL of the partner organisation should be informed of any incident or disclosure and it should be agreed who will report the matter to the local authority and to parents/carers. This would usually be the school. The incident should be reported in line with this policy to the charity’s DSL and procedures should be followed and any actions agreed followed up. The charity should seek reassurance from its partner that the incident or disclosure has been appropriately reported and followed up.

5. Responding to allegations or suspicions

How to respond:

stay calm;
seek medical help if necessary (see 6.4 below);
take all allegations seriously;
do not interrogate the person reporting the abuse but accept what they have to say;
offer reassurance that the person reporting the abuse has done the right thing;
tell the person you will have to report it to the DSL, and what steps you will take next. Do NOT promise confidentiality; and
make careful notes of what was said by you and the other person as soon as possible after the event.

When to report it:

you have seen abuse or suspect you may have done;
an allegation of abuse has been made to you; and/or
a child tells you they have been abused.

How to report it:

record details of the conversation/disclosure as soon as possible, but not whilst the person is making a disclosure to you and pass this on to your DSL without delay;
the DSL will decide the correct course of action.
It is not for anyone working at the charity to decide whether or not child abuse has taken place. However, there is a responsibility to act on any concerns by reporting these to the DSL.
If the DSL does not take action and you still have concerns, you should report these directly to the police and/or local authority.
Where there is a complaint against a representative, there may be three types of investigation:
a criminal investigation;
a child protection investigation;
a disciplinary or misconduct investigation.
The results of the police and child protection investigation may well influence and inform the disciplinary investigation, but all available information will be used to reach a decision.

6. Keeping a record of the investigation

Information about suspected abuse must be accurate and a detailed record should always be made at the time of the disclosure/concern. All those involved in dealing with the allegation

should keep clear notes of the allegations made, how they were followed up, and any actions and decisions taken, together with the reasons for these.

These notes should be compiled gradually as the situation unfolds, with each entry being made as soon as possible after the event it describes. The notes should be signed and dated by the person making them, and the person’s name should be printed alongside.

Information should be stored in a secure place with access limited to designated people, in line with data protection laws (e.g. that information is accurate, regularly updated, relevant and secure).

The notes should be held on file in accordance with the charity’s data retention policy whether or not the child or the alleged perpetrator of the abuse remains with the charity for the relevant period.

The report should include the following:

The child's name, age and date of birth.
The child's home address and telephone number.
Whether or not the person making the report is expressing their own concerns or those of someone else.
The nature of the allegation. Include dates, times, any special factors and other relevant information.
Make a clear distinction between what is fact, opinion or hearsay.
Any indicators of abuse (if relevant) including a description of any visible bruising or other injuries or behavioural changes.
Details of witnesses to the incident(s).
The child’s account, if it can be given, of what has happened.
Have the parents or carers been contacted? If so, what has been said?
Has anyone else been consulted? If so, record details.
If the child was not the person who reported the incident, has the child been spoken to? If so, what was said?
Has anyone been alleged to be the abuser? Record details.
Where possible referral to the police or local authority children’s safeguarding department should be confirmed in writing within 24 hours and the name of the contact who took the referral should be recorded.

Obviously the personal details (including address) of the alleged victim should never, under any circumstances, be given to the alleged perpetrator).

7. Information sharing and data protection

Information should only be shared on a ‘need to know’ basis and not more widely.

The welfare of the child is paramount. Privacy and confidentiality should be respected where possible but if doing this leaves a child at risk of harm then the child’s safety MUST come first.

Every effort should be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned. Information should be handled and disseminated on a need-to-know basis only.

The charity is committed to complying with data protection law and best practice when dealing with information relating to safeguarding of children. In order to comply with the data protection principles set out in the Data Protection Act 2018, the charity will:

Seek consent to share information but recognise that this will sometimes need to be overridden if it is in the best interests of the child.
Be clear about why, what, how and who the charity will or could share information with – we will seek agreement unless inappropriate or unsafe to do so.
Ensure that when sharing information that the information we share is necessary for the purpose for which we are sharing it, shared only with those individuals who need to have it, is accurate and up to date, is shared in a timely fashion and is shared securely.
Ensure appropriate security is applied to safeguarding information by ensuring that any paper files are stored in a filing cabinet that remains locked at all times, with restricted access to any keys. Electronic information will be stored in a way that means that it is only accessible to those who need to see it and encrypted/password protected where appropriate.
that only relevant information is kept, and that information is updated quickly when it becomes apparent that anything recorded is inaccurate.
Ensure that the information is used in accordance with the relevant privacy notice.
Ensure that the information is only used for the purposes of assessing risk and complying with safeguarding obligations.

Seek further advice from the DSL if needed.

8. Allegations of previous abuse

Allegations or disclosures of abuse may be made some time after the event (e.g. by an adult who was abused as a child). Where such an allegation or disclosure is made, the DSL should follow the referral procedures detailed in this policy. This is because children (or adults) may be at risk from an individual still working with vulnerable groups.

9. Referrals and reporting obligations

The charity will follow guidance from the Charity Commission on serious incident reporting and will make all necessary referrals in a timely and open manner. The charity will report any incident which falls within the Charity Commission’s guidance on what is deemed ‘serious’ and relates to protecting people and safeguarding incidents – incidents that have resulted in or risk significant harm to beneficiaries and other people who come into contact with the charity through its work.

The charity will report any incident to the DBS where an allegation or incident falls within the DBS Barring Referral Guidance and the charity has a duty to refer.

This policy is approved and endorsed by the board of trustees. We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually or from time to time when learning opportunities arise from experiences within the charity or from external reports/investigations.

02/03/2026

APPENDIX 1

TYPES OF ABUSE

This is a summary of different types of abuse. For a more detailed description, please follow the links below.

• Physical Abuse

Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child, including by fabricating the symptoms of, or deliberately causing illness in a child.

• Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, including prostitution, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative (e.g. rape or buggery) or non-penetrative acts (e.g. oral sex). They may include involving children in looking at, or in the production of, pornographic material or watching sexual activities or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.

• Neglect

Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development, such as failing to provide adequate food and clothing, shelter including exclusion from home or abandonment, failing to protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger, failure to ensure adequate supervision including the use of inadequate care-takers, or the failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

• Emotional abuse

Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional ill-treatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only in so far as they meet the needs of another person. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children; or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve the child seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve causing children to frequently feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children.

• Further information

Further information about types of abuse and indicators/signs of abuse is available from the NSPCC: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/ and https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/spotting-signs-child-abuse/.

APPENDIX 2

CONTACT DETAILS

Designated Safeguarding Lead

Name: Kate Deighton

Email: kate@timegivers.com

Phone: 07712129797

Deputy Safeguarding Lead

Name: Will Brocklebank

Email: william@timegivers.com

Phone: 07484 929721