Safeguarding children policy

The purpose of this policy is to set out the council’s approach to safeguarding children and promoting their welfare. It provides a strategic framework for the procedures which the council has adopted to ensure that we deliver on our commitment in a consistent way across the organisation.

Our approach to safeguarding children links to our corporate priorities, which includes a commitment to maintain a safe and healthy community, to be achieved by

• Working with partners to keep people safe
• Helping to improve and maintain the health and wellbeing of residents

The council has a set of core values. Our values demonstrate what is important to us in our dealings with residents, businesses, partners and employees.

2.1. Our Values

Integrity: We will be honest, clear and consistent about what we do

Transparency: We will be approachable, accountable and transparent in the way we communicate and conduct our business

Respect: We will have respect for residents, businesses, partners and employees

Fairness: We will fair in our policies and decision making, listening to the views and feedback we receive We will deliver our legal and moral obligations and act at all times within the principles of our corporate values. Our Safeguarding Children Policy clarifies the responsibilities of our employees, volunteers, contractors and elected Members, as well as the many partners we work with. This is also reflected within the framework of procedures which have been developed to ensure a consistent and robust approach to safeguarding children. Our procedures have been developed in line with those of the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children’s Board (HSCB), of which the council is a partner. On this basis we are responsible for informing Hertfordshire County Council of any concerns about a child’s wellbeing.

2.2. Taking a child-centred approach

The implementation of this policy and related procedures will be based on the principle of a child-centred approach.

The importance of this has been highlighted in the Munro Review (2011) of the Child Protection system.

Every child, as each adult, has the right to be involved in the decisions which affect their lives. To achieve this we will ensure that:

• The views of children and their families are taken into account in service planning and delivery.
• The protection of children, and promotion of their welfare, will be central to our work, whether that work directly or indirectly involves children and families.