Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
- Flowchart for reporting a safeguarding concern for a child
- Introduction
- Scope
- Policy Statement
- Peer-on-Peer Abuse (Child on Child Abuse)
- Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 (Updates)
- On-line Safety
- Other Safeguarding Concerns
- Roles and Responsibilities of Staff
- Reporting Procedures
- Safeguarding Team
- Staff Recruitment
- Staff Training
- Teaching Approaches
- Procedures for Supporting Students who make a Disclosure/Allegation
- Reporting and Dealing with Allegations Against a Member of Staff
- Whistleblowing
Appendix Content
Appendix 1 – Examples and Indicators of Abuse
Appendix 2 – Reference Documents
Appendix 3 – Additional Contacts
1. Flow Chart for raising safeguarding concerns for a child
2. Introduction
This policy should be read in conjunction with Rotherham Opportunities College (ROC) Adult Safeguarding Policy.
Throughout this policy, the term child/children refers to students aged below 18. The terms child/children, young people and student will be used interchangeably throughout the document. Our college fully recognises the contribution it can make to protect children from harm and supporting and promoting the welfare of all children who are registered students at our college.
Rotherham Opportunities College supports students from 16 -25 years who have a range of disabilities including students with mild, moderate and complex learning disabilities, communication difficulties, autism and physical disabilities. The college uses satellite sites as well as the main site at My Place, St Ann’s Rd, Rotherham, S65 1PH. Due to our students’ additional needs and their level of understanding they are often more vulnerable to being victims of abuse and are at increased risk of harm. Students suffering from poor mental health may also be at increased vulnerability.
3. Scope
This policy applies to all staff, volunteers, visitors, contractors and students. Staff from other organisations working with students on our premises or externally with college students or trainees will also be expected to follow this policy.
4. Policy Statement
Rotherham Opportunities College strives to ensure every child who is a registered student at our college is safe and protected from harm and that we maintain a culture of vigilance in safeguarding our students. This means we will always work to:
- Protect children and young people at our college from maltreatment.
- Prevent impairment of our children’s and young people’s health or development.
- Ensure that children and young people at our college grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.
- Ensure that children are protected from developing extremist views under our Prevent strategy.
- Enable children and young people at our college to have the best outcomes.
Rotherham Opportunities College will follow statutory and specialist guidelines in working with children at risk. Through admission and regular observations the college will identify students who may be considered more vulnerable due to their needs and levels of understanding of potential risks. The Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy will be reviewed annually in line with KCSIE. The college will ensure that all students know who they can approach if they are worried or in difficulty.
5. Peer-on-Peer (Child-on-Child) Abuse
As a college we continue acknowledge that Keeping Children Safe in Education (2022 – updated 2024) changed the term Peer on Peer Abuse to Child-on-Child Abuse, however, Rotherham Opportunities College will continue to use the term Peer on Peer Abuse as we are working students who are 16 – 25. Within college, training will take place on a regular basis to ensure all staff are informed of changes to broaden their thinking around the key terms that are used which relate to children 0 – 18 as well as older students. Rotherham Opportunities College has a duty to protect students against peer-on-peer abuse. There are many forms of abuse that can occur between peers such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, sexually harmful behaviour, sexual harassment, sexual violence, bullying, cyber bullying, sexting, upskirting, hazing and prejudiced behaviour.
Rotherham Opportunities College has a zero-tolerance approach to peer-on-peer abuse. It is recognised that even if there are no reported cases of peer-on-peer abuse it does not mean that it is not taking place within the college. All concerns regarding peer-on-peer abuse must be reported to the college safeguarding team. Where appropriate the Local Authority Safeguarding Team and the funding authority will be notified.
6. Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 (Updates)
The Department for Education (DfE) has recently released the 2024 Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE). All staff at Rotherham Opportunities College will be aware of these changes conducting knowledge checks and exploring the new terminology and action points required to ensure all students are supported in and around college.
Key Changes
- Revised Definition of Safeguarding (Paragraph 3): The definition now aligns with
“Working Together to Safeguard Children,” emphasising early intervention, protection from harm (both online and offline), and promoting the best outcomes for all children.
- ‘No single practitioner can have a full picture of a child’s needs and circumstances. If children and families are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action.
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the purposes of this guidance as:
- Providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge
- Protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online
- Preventing the impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development
- Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
- Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.’
- Strengthened Early Help (Paragraph 18 and 497): The guidance broadens the focus of early help to encompass a wider range of vulnerabilities, including mental health concerns, young carers, risk of exploitation, and the impact of parental circumstances.
In addition to this staff will be aware that any child and/or young person may benefit from early help, ensuring they are particularly alert to the potential need for early help for a young person who:
- Is disabled or has certain health conditions and has specific additional needs
- Has special educational needs (whether or not they have a statutory Education, Health and Care plan)
- Has a mental health need
- Is a young carer
- Is showing signs of being drawn in to anti-social or criminal behaviour, including gang involvement and association with organised crime groups or county lines
- Is frequently missing/goes missing from education, home or care
- Has experienced multiple suspensions, is at risk of being permanently excluded from schools, colleges and in Alternative Provision or a Pupil Referral Unit.
- Is at risk of modern slavery, trafficking, sexual and/or criminal exploitation
- Is at risk of being radicalised or exploited
- Has a parent or carer in custody, or is affected by parental offending
- Is in a family circumstance presenting challenges for the child, such as drug and alcohol misuse, adult mental health issues and domestic abuse
- Is misusing alcohol and other drugs themselves
- Is at risk of so-called ‘honour’-based abuse such as Female Genital Mutilation or Forced Marriage
- Is a privately fostered child.
Preventing Radicalisation (Annex B): This section is under review following the March 2024 definition of extremism. Further guidance clarifies that potential indicators of radicalisation should be considered alongside other factors and the overall context.
Data Protection (Paragraph 92): KCSIE 2024 reinforces the importance of compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR when handling personal information.
Alternative Provision and SEND (Paragraph 171): Schools remain responsible for the safeguarding of pupils in alternative provision, with an emphasis on providing additional pastoral support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Supporting LGBTQ+ Children (Paragraph 205-209): This section is under review pending the outcome of the gender questioning children guidance consultation. The guidance advises caution when supporting gender questioning children and stresses the importance of involving parents in decision-making.
7. Online safety
Rotherham Opportunities College uses ‘Smoothwall’ which minimises risks and does not ‘over block’. All students are taught, and reminded, via the curriculum how to keep safe online.
Purpose and aims of E-Safeguarding are:
- Safeguard and protect the children and staff;
- Help staff working with children to work safely and responsibly whilst using the internet and other devices;
- Have clear structures to deal with online abuse;
- Ensure that all members of the college community are aware that disciplinary or legal action may be taken if unlawful or unsafe usage of internet devices takes place.
8. Other Safeguarding Concerns
Female Genital Mutilation
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a procedure where the female genitals are deliberately cut, injured or changed, but where there is no medical reason for this to be done. It is also known as ‘female circumcision’ or ‘cutting’ and by other terms such as sunna, gudnlin, halalays, ahur, megrez and khitan, among others.
FGM is usually carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15, most commonly before puberty starts. It is illegal in the UK and is child abuse. It is very painful and can seriously harm the health of girls and women. It can also cause long-term problems with sex, childbirth and mental health.
Whilst all staff should speak to the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy) with regard to any concerns about female genital mutilation (FGM), there is a specific 15 legal duty on teachers. If a teacher, in the course of their work in the profession, discovers that an act of FGM appears to have been carried out on a girl under the age of 18, the teacher must report this to the police.
Honour Based Violence
Honour based violence (HBV) is the term used to refer to a collection of practices used predominantly to control the behaviour of women and girls within families or other social groups in order to protect supposed cultural and religious beliefs, values and social norms in the name of ‘honour’.
Forced Marriage
Forced marriage is not to be confused with arranged marriage. A forced marriage is where one or both people do not, or in cases of people with learning difficulties or who are under-age, cannot consent, to the marriage and where duress is used to enforce the marriage. ‘Duress’ includes psychological, sexual, financial or emotional pressure and violence.
Child Marriage
Child marriage refers to any formal marriage or informal union between a child under the age of 18 and an adult or another child. The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 officially came into force on 27 February 2022. This Act prohibits 16 and 17-year-olds from marrying or entering into a civil partnership, regardless of whether they have parental consent.
9. Roles and Responsibilities of Staff
afeguSarding is everyone’s responsibility. Staff should not assume someone else will act. To fulfil this responsibility effectively all professionals should make sure that their approach is considering the best interest of the child. All staff at Rotherham Opportunities College are provided with regular training (weekly) and informed of updates and any changes that are conducted within college in line with policies and procedures.
10. Reporting Procedure
Every member of staff, including volunteers, working with children at our college are advised to maintain an attitude of ‘it could happen here’ where safeguarding is concerned. When concerned about the welfare of a child, staff members should always act in the interests of the child and have a responsibility to take action as outlined in this policy.
Staff need to be aware of the different vulnerable groups who may be susceptible to being abused. Staff need to be aware of:
- Children who may have been trafficked
- Children affected by gang activity
- Honour based Violence, Female Genital Mutilation, forced marriage, breast Ironing
- Safeguarding children from abuse linked to faith or belief
- Radicalisation
- CSE – Child sexual exploitation
- Children in whom illness is fabricated or induced
- Mental health issues
- Teenage relationship abuse
- Child on child (Peer on Peer) Abuse – Children who are bullied and/or cyberbullied / sexting
- Children exposed to Domestic Abuse
- Drug use
- Children persistently absent from education
- County lines exploitation
All staff are encouraged to report any concerns they have and not see any concerns as insignificant. All concerns need to be logged using the on-line college referral system, ‘CPOMs’. On occasions, a referral is justified, including Prevent, by a single incident such as an injury or disclosure of abuse. More often however, concerns accumulate over a period of time and are evidenced by building up a picture of harm over time; this is particularly true in cases of emotional abuse and neglect. In these circumstances, it is crucial that staff record and pass on concerns in accordance with this policy to allow the DSL to build up a picture and access support for the child at the earliest opportunity. A reliance on memory without accurate and contemporaneous records of concern could lead to a failure to protect. All staff at Rotherham Opportunities College are provided with a full induction and supported with regular updates and training to support this process and maintenance of high quality.
It is not the responsibility of college staff to investigate welfare concerns or determine the truth of any disclosure or allegation. All staff, however, have a duty to recognise concerns and pass the information on. This is with the exception of reporting suspected FGM. It is MANDATORY that the person receiving the information reports this personally to the police and then informs the DSL.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead should be used as a first point of contact for concerns and queries regarding any safeguarding concern in our college. Any member of staff or visitor to the college who receives a disclosure of abuse or suspects that a child or young person is at risk of harm must report it immediately to the DSL. In the absence of any of the above, the matter should be brought to the attention of another member of the safeguarding team.
All concerns about a child or young person should be reported without delay and recorded using the online tool ‘CPOMs’. All staff have a login for this tool. Following receipt of any information raising concern, the DSL will consider what action to take and seek advice from Children’s Social Care – Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) as required. All information and actions taken, including the reasons for any decisions made, will be fully documented. Where an allegation or suspicion of abuse has been reported to MASH the college will work in partnership with them to determine the next steps.
The college has a dedicated safeguarding email address and mobile phone number for use by students, visitors and parents/carers, to report safeguarding concerns.
The email address is: safeguarding@theroc.co.uk
The mobile number is: 07470 581359
Emails are reviewed regularly throughout the college day (08:15 – 16:30) to ensure that concerns raised are dealt with on the same day. The mobile phone is held by a member of the safeguarding team, any calls to this number will be received during the college day (08:15 – 16:30) as well as during out-of-hours college activities or out-of-term activities.
Please note that all information supplied using this form is held in a sensitive nature and is highly confidential.
Any member of staff who does not feel that concerns about a child or young person have been responded to appropriately and in accordance with the procedures outlined in this policy should raise their concerns with the Principal or the Chief Executive Officer. If any member of staff does not feel the situation has been addressed appropriately at this point they should contact Rotherham MASH on 01709 336080 and the MASH team at the students local authority (if different to Rotherham).
Early Help
Early help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges. The college will work with local agencies in Rotherham to put processes in place for the effective assessment of the needs of individual children and young people who may benefit from early help services.
11. Safeguarding Team
The college has a safeguarding team made up of the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Designated Safeguarding Deputies (DSD). The DSL has overall responsibility for safeguarding within the college. All members of the safeguarding team have received training in safeguarding issues and will receive refresher training at least every two years.
The DSL is responsible for:
- Raising awareness across all staff of issues relating to the welfare of students and trainees and the promotion of a safe environment for the students across all college sites and work placements.
- Informing senior leaders and the governors/directors of significant safeguarding concerns or issues.
- Overseeing the referral of cases of suspected abuse or allegations to the relevant investigating agencies.
- Reviewing and updating policies and procedures around safeguarding and child protection ensuring they are in line with legislation and Government guidance.
- Making a proper record of any referrals, complaints or concerns.
- Ensuring that parents and carers are aware of the college’s safeguarding and child protection policy and policy statement.
- Liaising with Local Authorities and other appropriate agencies.
- Ensuring that staff receive basic training in safeguarding issues appropriate to their roles and are aware of the college safeguarding procedures.
12. Staff Recruitment
Rotherham Opportunities College pays full regard to current DfE guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 and the Children and Families Act 2014.
We ensure that all appropriate measures are applied in relation to everyone who works in the college who is likely to be perceived by the children as a safe and trustworthy adult including e.g. volunteers and staff employed by agencies.
Safer recruitment practice includes scrutinising applicants, verifying identity and academic or vocational qualifications, obtaining professional references, checking previous employment history and ensuring that a candidate has the health and physical capacity for the job.
It also includes undertaking interviews and, where appropriate, completing an enhanced DBS check. This includes checking whether someone is included in the DBS ‘barred lists’ – children’s and adult.
In line with statutory changes, underpinned by regulations, the following will apply:
- An enhanced DBS check is obtained for all new appointments to our college’s workforce through staffing personnel.
- This college is committed to keep an up-to-date single central record detailing a range of checks carried out on our staff.
- All new appointments to our college workforce who have lived outside the UK will be subject to additional checks as appropriate.
- Our college ensures that supply staff have undergone the necessary checks and will be made aware of this policy.
- Identity checks must be carried out on all appointments to our college workforce before the appointment is made.
Members of the senior leadership team have undertaken Safer Recruitment training. A senior leader will be involved in any appointment to the college and arrangements, including, where appropriate, contracted services.
Our college complies with ‘Safer Working Practices for Adults who work with Children and Young People’ DFE 2009. Safe working practice ensures that students are safe and that all staff:
- Are responsible for their own actions and behaviour and should avoid any conduct which would lead any reasonable person to question their motivation and intentions;
- Work in an open and transparent way;
- Work with other colleagues where possible in situations open to question;
- Discuss and/or take advice from college management over any incident which may give rise to concern;
- Record any incidents or decisions made;
- Apply the same professional standards regardless of gender or sexuality;
- Are aware that breaches of the law and other professional guidelines could result in criminal or disciplinary action being taken against them.
All staff will be provided with a copy of the college’s Code of Conduct at induction. They will be expected to know our college’s Code of Conduct and policy for positive behaviour and carry out their duties in accordance with this advice. There will be occasions when some form of physical contact is inevitable, for example if a child has an accident or is hurt or is in a situation of danger to themselves or others around them. At all times the agreed policy for safe restraint must be adhered to. A list of staff that has accessed training will be logged on Databridge. Throughout our curriculum we will provide activities and opportunities for children to develop the skills they need to identify risks and stay safe. This will also be extended to include material that will encourage our children to develop essential life skills.
13. Staff Training
As part of their induction staff receive guidance on key systems, protocols and procedures around safeguarding. Staff receive a copy of the most up to date Part One of Keeping Children Safe in Education, they are required to read and understand their safeguarding responsibilities and complete KCSIE knowledge check to ensure they understand the document.
All staff undertake accredited safeguarding training on a regular basis and demonstrate their knowledge in their practice. Staff also receive weekly in-house training based on a different monthly theme, on a two-year rolling programme.
All staff working at Rotherham Opportunities College will attend Prevent training and embed the strategy into their everyday work. We will ensure that all our staff are equipped to recognise extremism and are skilled and confident enough to challenge it.
All Governors and Directors receive safeguarding and child protection (including online) training at point of induction. The training is delivered on a regular basis, and they follow a 2-year rolling programme. This training ensures that staff are equipped to challenge and assure themselves that safeguarding policies and procedures are effective and support a whole college approach.
14. Teaching Approaches
Rotherham Opportunities College will promote safeguarding through improving personal knowledge of students of their own safety and by ensuring they are and feel safe.
We will ensure that all of our teaching approaches help our students build resilience and give them a positive sense of identity through the development of critical thinking skills.
Students follow a Personal and Social Development (PSD) curriculum which includes safeguarding topics, online safety, Prevent and radicalisation, British values and the protected characteristics. The sessions address local concerns and key issues relevant to the students and their local environment. Sessions are delivered in a variety of learning styles, through drama, art, music as well as workshops from the Police and other organisations.
We are flexible enough to adapt our teaching approaches to address specific issues relevant to current concerns of safeguarding e.g. peer on peer abuse, extremism, and radicalisation.
Staff apply methodologies to engage students such as making a connection through good teaching and a person-centred approach, facilitating a ‘safe space’ for dialogue and equipping students with the appropriate skills, knowledge and awareness for resilience.
15. Procedures for Supporting Students who make a Disclosure/Allegation
If a student tells a member of staff that he/she has been abused in any way the staff should:
- Stay calm, do not interrupt the student;
- Listen carefully to the student without any prompting or leading questions;
- Think about communication and if the student needs any additional support in order to be able to communicate;
- Reassure the student that they are being taken very seriously and staff are there to help them keep safe;
- Only ask questions to identify or clarify what is being told, not to ask for details;
- Do not interview the student;
- Only ask open questions – questions where the student cannot answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’;
- Explain that to help them this will need to be discussed with a member of the safeguarding team;
- Take the student seriously and reassure them they have done the right thing in telling someone, thank the student for this, do not promise the student that what they disclose will be kept totally confidential;
- DO NOT try to establish whether the student is telling the truth;
- Record clearly what the student has said, include date and time when you spoke to the student and details of what the student said, this should be in the student’s own words or communication and should not contain any opinions of staff.
- Report your concern immediately to a member of the safeguarding team passing on a copy of the written record made;
- Only pass information to those who need to know.
Information relating to actual, suspected or alleged abuse should be treated with the utmost care. Information should only be shared with staff who need to be aware of it. No one should be given more information than is necessary to support the student.
16. Reporting and Dealing with Allegations Against a Member of Staff
A low level concern is any concern which is inconsistent with the staff code of conduct and does not meet the harm threshold to consider a referral to Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).
All low level concerns should be added to CPOMS and these will be dealt with by the Principal. The incident must be reported under the category ‘Low Level Concern’ as these reports are only seen by the Principal. Low level concerns can include humiliating the student, being over friendly with the student, using inappropriate language with students.
If suspected or alleged abuse involves a staff member, staff should not inform that staff member but they should report it the Principal and HR as soon as possible but no later than 2 hours. The Principal will work with HR to address the situation in an appropriate and proportionate manner.
The situation may also require external professionals including reporting to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and to DBS to ensure they are informed of the allegation and actions taken to reduce risks and safeguard all involved. Referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service, (DBS) is in addition to local safeguarding processes. Rotherham Opportunities College takes its duty to refer individuals to the DBS for a barring decision seriously as part of its wider safeguarding role and duty.
As a result of any disciplinary investigation or enquiry, HR and the safeguarding team will identify whether there are any actions that could lead to the improvement of the college’s procedures including the training needs of staff.
17. Whistleblowing
Whistleblowing is the act of speaking out about wrongdoing in the workplace in order to enable the issue to be addressed. In some instances it may be necessary for staff to report the practice of a colleague including criminal activity or abuse of students. All staff should be familiar with the Whistle blowing Policy.
Appendix 1 – Examples and Indicators of Abuse
| Examples | Indicators |
| Physical Abuse | |
| Assault, hitting, slapping, pushing, biting, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, punching, kicking, spitting, being locked in a room (including DoLS), force feeding, misuse of medication, unnecessary use of invasive procedures, inappropriate physical sanctions, restraint, removal of mobility aids, use of tables to keep people seated. | Bruises in various stages of healing, bruises inconsistent with falls, burns or scars, unexplained cuts or scratches to mouth, lips, gums, eyes or external genitalia, changes in patterns of self-harm, reluctance to undress, history of injury, sudden and unexplained urinary and/or faecal incontinence, evidence of over/under medication, adult flinches at physical contact, adult asks not to be hurt, individual appears frightened or subdued in the presence of particular people, death. |
| Psychological Abuse | |
| Includes emotional abuse, threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse and isolation. Unreasonable or unjustified withdrawal of the adult from services or their support networks. Gas lighting behaviours when someone manipulates you into questioned and second-guessing your reality. | Untypical lack of interest, passivity or resignation, anxious or withdrawn (possibly in the presence of the potential source of risk), untypical changes in behaviour including loss of appetite or overeating, the individual is not allowed visitors or phone calls, o sir locked in a room or their home. The adult may have depression or anxiety, low self-esteem, changes to sleep patterns or untypical behaviour including aggression. The adult could attempt or complete suicide. |
| Sexual Abuse | |
| Rape, indecent exposure, being made to perform a sexual act, sexual teasing or innuendo, assault by penetration (penetration with an object), persuasion or coercion into sexual activity, un/wanted touching, exposed to pornographic material or witnessing sexual acts, any sexual relationship which the adult has not consented or one that develops between adults where one is in a position of trust, power or authority, denial of a sexual life. | Urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases, pain, itching, bleeding, unexplained problems with catheters, subdued and withdrawn, poor concentration, physical marks, cuts or bruises particularly I genital or rectal areas, self-harm, disclosure, sexualised behaviour, significant changes in behaviour, clothing is torn, stained or bloody, a woman who lacks capacity to consent becomes pregnant, untypical use of sexual language. |
| Neglect and Acts of Omission | |
| Ignoring medical, emotional or physical care needs, failure to provide access to appropriate health, care and support or educational services. Withholding of the necessities of life such as medication, adequate nutrition and heating, social contact. | Exposed to unacceptable risk, callers and visitors are refused access to the person. Pressure ulcers develop or do not heal, weight loss, no access to appropriate medication or medical care, no privacy or dignity, change in appearance, poor skin and hair, smell of urine, missed appointments, dried faeces in pubic hair or under fingernails. The adult’s death could result from severe cases of neglect. |
| Financial or Material Abuse | |
| Including theft, fraud, internet scamming, exploitation, coercion in relation to an adult’s financial affairs or arrangements, including in connection with wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions or the misuse of misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits. | Lack of money, especially after benefits have been paid, inadequately explained withdrawals, lots of mail. Lasting Power of Attorney being misused or obtained when the person lacks the capacity to make this decision. Recent acquaintances expressing a sudden or disproportionate interest in the person and their money. Change in appearance (becoming dishevelled), change in the individual’s circumstances, behaviour or habits e.g. Shopping, access to hairdressers, purchasing items. |
| Domestic Abuse | |
| Threatens/frightens an individual, shoves or pushes an individual, makes an individual fear for their physical safety, puts an individual down, or attempts to undermine their self-esteem, controls an individual for example by stopping them seeing friends and family, is jealous and possessive, such as being suspicious of friendships and conversations It also includes so called ‘honour’ based violence, female genital mutilation and forced marriage. Domestic abuse affects the on looker as well as the person it is being done to. Students in domestic abuse homes are victims too. | Low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders, suicidal tendencies or self-harming, alcohol or other substance misuses, unexplained chronic gastrointestinal symptoms, feeling that the abuse us their fault when it is not. Physical evidence of violence such as bruising, cuts, broken bones. Verbal abuse and humiliation in front of others. Fear of outside intervention. Damage to home or property. Isolation, not seeing friends and family. Limited access to money. |
| Modern Slavery | |
| Encompasses slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude. Trafficking and slave masters use whatever means they have at their disposal to coerce, deceive and forced individuals into a life of abuse, servitude and inhumane treatment. | Look malnourished or unkempt, withdrawn, anxious and unwilling to interact, under the control and influence of others, live in cramped, dirty, overcrowded accommodation, no access or control of their passport or identity documents or use false or forged documents. Appear scared, avoid eye contact and be untrusting. Show signs of abuse and/or have health issues, show old/untreated injuries. |
| Self-Neglect | |
| Neglecting to care for personal hygiene, health or surroundings. Living in very unclean or verminous circumstances, poor self-care such as long toenails impeding mobility, poor nutrition, poor healing/sores, poorly maintained clothing which may be unsuitable for the weather or conditions, isolation from family, friends and services. Failure to take medication. Hoarding. | Poor self-care leading to a decline n personal hygiene, poor nutrition, poor healing/sores, poorly maintained clothing, long toenails resulting in mobility issues, isolation. Health issues related to the adult’s failure to take mediation or engage with health interventions that would improve their situation. Fire risks use to hoarded items. |
| Discriminatory | |
| Forms of harassment including jokes, slurs, name-calling or similar treatment because of race, gender and gender identity/reassignment, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion and beliefs, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, sex and sexual orientation. Not providing care or treatment because of a protected characteristic. | Observation of oppressive practice, the individual is isolated fro others, person stops ‘practising’ their beliefs, stops asking for needs to be met, changes behaviour to fit in with group. Physical health deteriorates, withdrawal from services or refusal to access services or usual activities. Potential for self-harm, possible disclosure of abuse or suicide attempts. |
| Organisational Abuse | |
| Neglect or poor care practice within an organisation or specific setting e.g. hospital or care home but can also be in relation to care provided in your own home. Thus may range from one-off incidents to on-going ill treatment. Abuse can be the result of poor professional practice including discouraging visits or the involvement of relatives or friends, abusive and disrespectful attitudes towards people using the service, inappropriate use of restraints, lack of respect for dignity and privacy, failure to manage individuals with abusive behaviour, not providing adequate food and drink or assistance with eating, not offering choice or promoting independence, misuse of medication, failure to provide care with health needs, not taking account of individuals’ cultural, religious or ethnic needs, failure to respond to abuse appropriately, interference with personal correspondence or communication, failure to respond to complaints. | Lack of flexibility and choice for people using the service. Inadequate staffing levels. People being hungry or dehydrated. Poor standard of care. Lack of personal clothing and possessions and communal use of personal items. Lack of adequate procedures. Poor record-keeping and missing documents. Absence of visitors. Few social, recreational and educational activities. Public discussion of personal matters. Unnecessary exposure during bathing or using the toilet. Absence of individual care plan. Lack of management overview and support. |
Appendix 2 – Reference Documents
Appendix 3 – Additional Contacts
- Barnsley MASH – Children’s Social Care – 01226 772423
- Doncaster MASH – Children’s Services Trust – 01302 734100
- Sheffield MASH – Safeguarding HUB – Social Care – 01142734855
- Rotherham MASH – 01709 336080