Information

The organisation has a firm commitment to the principle of equality of opportunity.

Both the Management Committee and the workers of the club have formally agreed to operate using specific policy statements produced by the London Borough of Hackney and use these as a framework for our work.

These policies are implemented in the following ways: -

• SELECTION AND EMPLOYMENT OF STAFF

• ACCESSIBILITY OF BUILDINGS AND PROGRAMMES

• TRAINING FOR STAFF AND MANAGEMENT

• EVALUATION AND MONITORING OF OUR WORK

• PUBLICITY OF OUR WORK IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

• CONSULTATION WITH YOUNG PEOPLE

All policies that the Crown and Manor Club follows are carefully monitored and evaluated by the Professional Staff and Management Committee aided by Officers from both the London Borough of Hackney, London Youth and the National Association of Clubs for Young People.

This policy ensures that all staff in our Club are clear about the actions necessary with regard to a child protection issue. Its aims are:

v to raise the awareness of all staff and identify responsibility in reporting possible cases of abuse;

v to ensure effective communication between all staff when dealing with child protection issues

v to lay down the correct procedures for those who encounter an issue of child protection.

1. There is a named person in our Club who is the Child Protection Co-ordinator. This is normally the Club Manager but he may delegate this responsibility in some circumstances.

2. If any member of staff suspects that a child in the Club may be a victim of abuse, they must immediately inform the named person about their concerns. Abuse can be of a sexual, emotional or physical nature. It can also be the result of neglect.

3. Any action that the named person takes when dealing with an issue of child protection must be in line with the procedures outlined in the London Borough of Hackney Child Protection guidelines.

4. If a child alleges abuse, the Club will consider whether to involve the child's parents and whrther to refer the matter to Social Services. It would only not involve the Parents or Guardian at an early stagewhere it is consideredthat this was necessary to protect the child's welfare.

5. If a child protection referral is made, it is anticipated that a case conference will be held within eight working days of the decision. The case conference offers the opportunity to share information and formulate a plan of action. Staff are expected to attend and participate in all case conferences and meetings held under Social Services guidelines.

6. We regard all information relating to individual child protection issues as confidential and we treat this accordingly. We only pass information on to appropriate persons. We inform the child at all stages of who is involved and what information we have given them.

7. We require all adults employed in the Club to have their application vetted through the CRB disclosures procedure in order to ensure that there is no evidence of offences involving children or abuse.

8. If in the rare instance when adults in our Club, in the course of their duty find it necessary to use physical intervention to restrain members, the Club Manager will require the adult involved in any such incident to report this to him/her immediately and to record it in the interventions book.

9. All adults in the Club receive regular training to raise their awareness of abuse and their knowledge of agreed local protection procedures.

10. Monitoring and review

This policy is regularly reviewed by the Executive Comittee.