Safeguarding children policy

7.1. The role of council employees and representatives

Every employee, volunteer, contractor or elected Member, who, during their work has any kind of contact (direct or indirect) with children and their families, or who have access to information about them, has a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Government guidance requires professionals from different agencies to work together and take shared responsibility, each contributing their skills and expertise. To achieve this we will:

• Promote the concept that the safeguarding and welfare of children is not just the duty of people who work directly with children.
• Demonstrate this at all levels of the organisation; political, strategic and operational.
• Ensure that no act or omission on our part or that of our employees and partners puts a child inadvertently at risk.
• Put in place clear and rigorous procedures to proactively safeguard and promote the welfare of children and support employees in fulfilling their obligations.
• Raise awareness with the independent contractor organisations which work on our behalf. These organisations are required to meet our standards in protecting children, promoting their welfare, responding to concerns about a child or a member of staff.

7.2. Ensuring a joined-up approach across the council

We will ensure that our Safeguarding Children policy is aligned with and cross referenced to other related council policies, including our:

• Safeguarding Adults at Risk Policy
• Whistleblowing Policy
• Recruitment and Selection Policy
• Disciplinary Procedure
• Code of Conduct
• Health and Safety Policy
• Equality Policy
• Complaints Procedure
• Data Protection Policy
• Information sharing protocol

7.3. How we will approach partnership working

Partnership working is a key priority to ensuring the council safeguards and promotes the welfare of children. As Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council is not the only agency to come into contact with children and families, we will ensure that staff work in partnership with other agencies, such as police, health, education and children’s social care services.