Friends of Hampton Court
House Safeguarding Policy

Introduction

This policy sets out the principles for safeguarding within the Friends of Hampton Court House. It is relevant to all within the association and is endorsed by the committee of the Friends of Hampton Court House. It will be reviewed annually to ensure that it remains appropriate to the Organisation and its volunteers needs annually.

Responsibility

Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) have a duty of care to consider the safety of children and vulnerable adults. This should be taken into consideration when risk assessing a PTA event and the duration of such events. It is best practice for PTAs to have a set of procedures in place and guidelines for volunteers to follow at events, this may be developed with guidance from the school. All PTA members should be aware of the person responsible for safeguarding within the school. The school may provide training for PTA members on safeguarding and the procedures to follow or the PTA may arrange their own training for its volunteers

What to do if you have concerns about a child.

You may have concerns about a child because of something you have seen or heard or a child may choose to disclose something to you.

If a child discloses information to you, you should:

● Listen to the child without displaying shock or disbelief

● Accept what is said and reassure the child, do not make promises that you may not be able to keep , e.g. ‘Everything will be alright now’

● Do not ask leading questions and do not interrogate the child – this is not your responsibility to investigate

● Explain to the child what you have to do next and who you have to talk to

● Take notes, if possible, or write up the conversation as soon as possible afterwards

● Contact the school safeguarding officer or a member of the school leadership team as soon as possible

Guidance for Events:

● All Events should be risk assessed

● Events where children are dropped off and collected – a register should be available and children should be checked in and out of the event. The PTA should have a list of any child being collected by another parent/carer or travelling home alone

● Contact details for the child’s parent/carer may be collated by the PTA for the event

● Exits should be monitored to ensure children cannot leave an event unattended

● If this is a regulated activity the volunteer will need an Enhanced DBS check.

This policy will be reviewed by the Friends of Hampton Court House committee annually before the AGM.

Useful Links:

https://www.parentkind.org.uk/Info-sheets/Volunteer-checks