Safeguarding Policy

This Safeguarding Policy applies to CanalAbility staff, volunteers and all others invited to work with CanalAbility or use our services. Its purpose is to provide protection from abuse by ensuring that all staff, volunteers and contractors are aware of, and adhere to, this policy and its procedures.

CanalAbility recognises that abuse of children and vulnerable adults does take place and wishes to ensure that clients, staff and volunteers are afforded appropriate protection and that any instances of abuse are dealt with in a timely and appropriate way.

CanalAbility is committed to ensuring that all children, young people and vulnerable adults have the same protection regardless of age, disability, gender (including gender identity and reassignment), racial heritage, religious belief or sexual orientation. CanalAbility is committed to anti-discriminatory practice and explicitly recognises the potential increased vulnerabilities to abuse of individuals from these protected groups as a result of the challenges they may face, especially around communication.

The law requires any organisation involving children, young people or vulnerable adults to take all reasonable measures to ensure that the risks of harm to vulnerable adults’ and children’s welfare are minimised, and where there are concerns, to share them with other local agencies.

As a matter of good practice, CanalAbility has developed this policy to provide:
• protection for children, young people and vulnerable adults with whom CanalAbility has contact
• guidance to ensure that the risks of harm to the welfare of children, young adults and vulnerable adults are minimised;
• guidance for responding to a child or vulnerable adult making an allegation of abuse;
• guidance on procedures that should be adopted in the event that any adult suspects a child, young person or vulnerable adult may be experiencing, or be at risk of experiencing, harm.

CanalAbility recognises that it is not its role to investigate whether a child has been abused or not and it is not qualified to do so. This is the role of bodies such as Social Services, the NSPCC, or the Police.

The main laws and guidance supporting this policy are:
• Children Acts 1989 and 2004
• Human Rights Act 1998
• Protection of Children Act 1999
• Sexual Offences Act (Amendment) Act 2006
• UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1991
• Government guidance on safeguarding children
• Care Act 2014
• The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018
• The Charity Commission’s ‘Strategy for Dealing with Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Issues in Charities’.

Who are children or vulnerable adults?
In this context, anyone up to the age of 18 is a child. A vulnerable adult or “adult at risk” is defined in the Care Act 2014 as someone over 18 years old who (a) has care and support needs, (b) is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect and (c) as a result of those care and support needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.

How CanalAbility operates
We do not organise any trips, short breaks or any activity directly ourselves with children or vulnerable adults. This is solely the responsibility of the client group or parents if a family group is using the boats. We are a facilitating organisation providing other groups with boating or work experiences.

At no time are any of our staff or volunteers responsible for or in direct charge of any group of children or vulnerable adults or any individual child or vulnerable adult.

CanalAbility recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of children and vulnerable adults with whom it comes into contact and believes everyone has the right to enjoy the activities of the charity in a happy, safe and secure environment.

CanalAbility will publicise its Safeguarding Policy on its website and draw it to the attention of its staff and volunteers on an annual basis and remind them of their responsibilities.

Guidelines
Volunteers: Any children or young people who participate in any CanalAbility activities must be accompanied by a parent or other responsible adult who remains responsible for them throughout the activity.

Joint activities with children: CanalAbility will make appropriate joint working arrangements to ensure that youth or school groups will always be in the care of their youth leaders, teachers, helpers and/or parents who will bear responsibility for their welfare at all times. This does not detract from CanalAbility’s general responsibility to provide a safe environment for joint activities and the principles of this safeguarding policy still apply.

Abuse: CanalAbility endeavours by the implementation of this safeguarding policy to protect children and minimise the risks of abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults. The term “child abuse” is used to describe a range of ways that people harm children and adults. There are a number of categories of abuse including: physical, sexual, emotional abuse, neglect, financial or material and discriminatory. See Appendix 1 below.

Measures for implementation of this policy:
• CanalAbility’s “designated person” in respect of safeguarding is the General Manager. The designated person shall undertake appropriate training as required.
• Any concern regarding either a child, a volunteer or other adult must immediately be reported to the designated person (or in their absence to the Chair of Trustees). (See appendices for more detail)

Recruitment: CanalAbility will recruit staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made.

Training: staff and volunteers will regularly be made aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and all appropriate procedures through the Training Group and Skipper and Crew Update Days.

Policy review: The policy and procedures will be reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees.

CanalAbility recognises it has a duty to investigate accusations against its staff, volunteers and contractors and will employ its disciplinary procedures which may result in a referral to CanalAbility’s Designated Officer and/or external agencies as appropriate. (see Appendix 4)

 

Approved by the Board of Trustees
Board member with Safeguarding responsibility is Marc Balkham
Safeguarding Policy
Reviewed June 2025
Version 9
Originated September 2006
Review June 2026

Appendix 1: Forms of Abuse

Physical Abuse
Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm or impairment. It can include misuse of medication, undue restraint or inappropriate sanctions. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer feigns the symptoms of, or deliberately causes, ill health to a child or vulnerable adult whom they are looking after. A person might do this because they enjoy or need the attention they get through having a sick child. Physical abuse can be caused through omission or the failure to act to protect.

Psychological/Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional ill treatment of a child or vulnerable adult such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on emotional development. It may involve making the child or vulnerable person feel or believe that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may involve threats of harm or being abandoned, humiliation, verbal or racial abuse, isolation, bullying, shouting or swearing.

It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed. It may also involve causing the child or vulnerable adult to feel frequently frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of a child or vulnerable adult.

Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill treatment, though it may occur alone.

Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or vulnerable adult to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the person is aware of, or consents to what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative acts such as rape, buggery or oral sex or non-penetrative acts such as fondling. Sexual abuse may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children or vulnerable adults
in looking at, or in the production of, pornographic material, or watching sexual activities, or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways. Boys and girls can be abused by males and/or females, by adults and by other young people. This includes people from all different walks of life.

Neglect
Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child or vulnerable adult’s basic physical and/or psychological needs. It may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failing to protect the person from physical harm or danger, or the failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or dental treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a person’s basic emotional needs.

Financial or Material Abuse
This can include theft, fraud, manipulation, misuse of property (known as “Cuckooing”, inheritance, state benefits, possessions or pressure in relation to wills.

Discriminatory Abuse
This can include harassment or slurs and unfair treatment based on race, gender, disability or age.

Other forms of abuse may include: self-abuse/self-harm, self-neglect, elder abuse, radicalisation.

Note
There are other sources of stress for families, such as social exclusion, domestic violence, the mental illness of a parent or carer, or drug and alcohol misuse. These may have a negative impact on a child or vulnerable adult’s health and development and may be noticed by a carer organisation. If it is felt that the person’s well-being is adversely affected by any of these areas, the same procedures should be followed.

Appendix 2: Guidelines for Responding to a Child or Vulnerable Adult making an Allegation of Abuse

If a child or vulnerable adult should talk to you of abuse:
• Stay calm, listen carefully to what is being said
• Find an appropriate early opportunity to explain that it is likely that the information will need to be shared with others-do not promise to keep secrets
• Allow the child or vulnerable adult to continue at his/her own pace
• Ask questions for clarification only, and at all time avoid asking questions that suggest a particular answer
• Reassure the child or vulnerable adult that they have done the right thing in telling you
• Tell them what you will do next and with whom the information will be shared (see Appendix 4)

Helpful statements to make 
• I believe you (or showing acceptance of what the child or vulnerable adult says)
• Thank you for telling me
• It’s not your fault
• I will help you

Do not say
• Why didn’t you tell anyone before?
• I can’t believe it!
• Are you sure that this is true?
• Why? Who? When? Where?
• Never make false promises

Appendix 3: What to Do if You Suspect that Abuse may have Occurred

You must report the concerns immediately to the Designated Person who will obtain information, asses what to do next and take the appropriate action.

The CanalAbility designated person is the General Manager.

The Designated Person has been nominated by CanalAbility to refer allegations or suspicions of neglect or abuse to the statutory authorities. In the absence of the Designated Person the matter should be brought to the attention of the Chair of Trustees.

You should under no circumstances discuss your suspicions or allegations with anyone other than those nominated above.

Make notes as soon as possible (ideally within 1 hour of being told). You should write down exactly what the child or vulnerable adult has said and what you said in reply and what was happening immediately before being told (i.e. the activity being delivered) You should record the dates, times and when you made the record and ensure that the record is signed and dated.

You should report your discussion with the Designated Person as soon as possible. If this person is implicated you need to report to the Chair of the Trustees. If both are implicated report the matter to Social Services (see appendices for contact details).

Note: Child Abuse
It is the right of any individual to make direct referrals to the local authority. If for any reason you believe that the nominated persons have not responded appropriately to your concerns, then it is up to you to contact the child protection agencies directly.

Note: Abuse of Vulnerable Adults
It is the right of any individual to make direct referrals to the local authority. If for any reason you believe that the nominated persons have not responded appropriately to your concerns, then it is up to you to contact the child protection agencies directly.

To determine the appropriate action it is important to consider:
• Does the vulnerable adult understand and accept the risk?
• Is the vulnerable adult able to make their own decisions and choice, and do they wish to do so?
• How serious the abuse – with the starting point being the perception of the vulnerable adult.
• If the vulnerable adult expresses a wish for the concerns not to be pursued, this should be respected wherever possible, subject to considerations of safety and of themselves and of the wider local community.

Appendix 4: What the Designated Person Will Do

The role of the Designated Person is to:
• obtain information from staff, volunteers, children or parents and carers who have child protection concerns or concerns about the welfare of a vulnerable adult, and to record this information.
• assess the information quickly and carefully and ask for further clarification as appropriate.
• make a referral to a statutory child protection agency or appropriate agency for vulnerable adults, or the police without delay
• if in any doubt about what to do, to seek advice from Social Services (see appendices for contact details).

IT is NOT the Designated Person’s role to investigate.

If a child or vulnerable adult has a symptom of physical injury or neglect, and the abuse may have been deliberate the Designated Person will:
• contact Social Services for advice
• seek emergency medical attention if it is necessary and inform the doctor of any suspicions of abuse. The doctor will then initiate further action if necessary.
• inform the parents or carers only if advised by Social Services to do so.

If a child or vulnerable adult has a symptom of physical injury or neglect, but there is no sign that the abuse was deliberate, the Designated Person will:

• seek emergency medical attention if it is necessary and inform the doctor of any suspicions of abuse. The doctor will then initiate further action if necessary.
• otherwise, speak with the parent/carer/guardian and suggest that medical help/attention is sought for the child.
• if appropriate, encourage the parent/carer to seek help from Social Services.

In the event of allegations or suspicions of sexual abuse the Designated Person will:

• contact Social Services and speak to no one else about the matter.

Accusations against CanalAbility’s staff, volunteers and contractors

In the event that any allegation is made against a volunteer or member of staff of CanalAbility, CanalAbility reserves the right to deal with the allegation under its Disciplinary Policy first, before a referral is made to the Designated Person under the Safeguarding Policy. This, in turn, may result in a referral to external agencies.

Appendix 5: CanalAbility Confidential Record of Suspected Abuse

Appendix 6: Contacts

Essex Safeguarding Contacts

Essex, Southend and Thurrock Safeguarding Adult Boards
Email :
Website : www.essexsab.org.uk
Telephone : 0845 603 7630
For help and support: In Essex ring AskSAL 08452 66 66 63 or text AskSAL to 60777
In a non-emergency call the police on 101

If you are unsure that a child may be suffering but are worried, please contact Essex Social Services on 0345 603 7627

If you are concerned that a child has suffered harm, neglect or abuse, please contact the same number.

In an emergency outside normal office hours, please contact Essex Social Services Out of Hours Service on 0345 606 1212 or the Police

Other Organisations who are able to help

Social Care Services
Your local phone book or the website for your County Council or unitary local authority will list numbers for Adult Services, generally with separate numbers for Adult Social Care and for the Emergency Duty Team (out of hours service).

Ann Craft Trust
The Ann Craft Trust (ACT) supports organisations in the statutory, independent and voluntary sectors across the UK to protect disabled children and adults at risk.

Safeguarding Adults in Sport and Physical Activity’ is a programme supported by Sport England to help sports organisations to develop best practice in safeguarding adults at risk. They provide a range of resources and training.
Tel: 0115 951 5400
Website: http://www.anncrafttrust.org/safeguarding-adults-sport-activity/

Action on Elder Abuse helpline
Tel: 0808 808 8141
Website: www.elderabuse.org.uk

Dementia UK
Tel: 0800 888 6678
Website: www.dementiauk.org

Mencap Direct
Tel: 0808 808 1111
E-mail:
Website: www.mencap.org.uk

Victim Support
Tel: 0808 168 9111
www.victimsupport.org.uk

MIND – mental health charity
Tel: 0300 123 3393 Text: 86463
E-mail:
Website: www.mind.org.uk

NSPCC
Tel: 0808 800 5000

We will review this Privacy Notice annually.  We review our Data Protection Policy and Procedures quarterly alongside the data we are processing to ensure compliance to the General Data Protection Regulations.