Safeguarding Introduction
The Police Scotland Youth Volunteer (PSYV) Programme is managed by Police Scotland. The national team acknowledges responsibility to protect and care for young people who come into contact with the organisation. Through our day to day police work, we recognise that all young people, regardless of their backgrounds can find themselves as victims of neglect, physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse. It is necessary to have a code of practice, which reduces that risk by minimising the occasions where abuse of trust can occur. The Safeguarding Units which follow will provide you with knowledge and information on four main safeguarding practices that you are responsible for as a PSYV Adult Volunteer. 'The Three R's' are: Recognise - making sure that you recognise signs of harm and abuse and understand PSYV's policies for dealing with them. Record - making sure that you know how to respond appropriately, know what to record and who to report to. Responsibility - making sure that you take responsibility for yourself at all times and you act as a good role model to youth volunteers as well as fellow Adult Volunteers. There is a need to find a balance between protecting young people and allowing them to participate in activities, which support their growth on personal, educational and social levels. A pre-requisite to registration with the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme is having in place a written Child Protection Policy with written procedures for the recruitment and selection of staff regardless of whether they are voluntary or paid. The following introduces you to the policies set by PSYV. Under the Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003 the Scottish Government are required to keep and maintain a list of persons unsuitable to work with children. Organisations have a duty to make a referral to the list when a person working in a child care position, whether paid or unpaid, harms a child or puts a child at risk of harm and is dismissed or moved away from access to children as a consequence. An individual disqualified from working with children commits an offence if he or she applies for, offers to do, accepts or does any work in a child/youth care position. Organisations knowingly employing a person from the list in a child/youth care position will also commit an offence. To adhere to the Act, organisations check the list by means of a PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) check. For GDPR purposes you need to know that 'Young Scot' acts as an umbrella body for PSYV. Young Scot are contracted to process all of the PVG applications and checks made on PSYV's behalf and share this information regularly with the national team. All data is held both by Young Scotland and the National PSYV Team in compliance with GDPR regulations. Information is held securely and is not disclosed or made available to local groups or members, unless there is a specific reason to do so as part of a compliance procedure. Anyone deemed unsuitable through the PVG checks will not be eligible to volunteer with PSYV and their application will be declined. If the actions of an Adult Volunteer contravene the PSYV safeguarding policy and are found to be unsuitable, their service as a volunteer will be terminated. For more information on data protection contact: Email: volunteercoordination@scotland.pnn.police.uk Tel: 01786 893096 It is vital for all Adult Volunteers to have read and understood the manual and adhere to the following policy statement: POLICY STATEMENT ON THE PROTECTION OF YOUNG PEOPLE As part of its ethos PSYV recognises that its work with young people is the responsibility of the whole ORGANISATION and it is committed to: Supporting all young people to have the opportunity to grow up safe from harm; Listening to, valuing and relating effectively to young people; Ensuring that its staff and Adult Volunteers are adequately supported and trained in relation to protection issues; and Encouraging young people to develop and maintain good practice in protection and safety of themselves and others. Police Scotland Youth Volunteers has endorsed the following policy measures: It is the policy of PSYV to provide appropriate protection for young people by ensuring that all personnel are assessed as to their suitability for such activity and that the appropriate level of vetting is carried out. In order to ensure that this policy is adhered to, the following procedures will be applied. These procedures are based on the document 'Protecting Children: A Code of Practice' issued by Volunteer Development Scotland and endorsed by the Scottish Government. Group Co-ordinators will be responsible for the delegation of duties to the staff within their management responsibility. On appointment all Adult Volunteers will be given a job description, which will outline the duties of the post being offered. The child protection policy will form part of the induction package given to all Adult Volunteers and they will be advised of their responsibilities with regard to child protection. The Quality Improvement Framework will be used to ensure that child protection training is included by each local group, in accordance with policy and procedures. In recognition of the right of all young people to confidentiality, it is the policy of PSYV to ensure that information regarding young people associated with or involved with the various activities of the organisation is not disclosed inappropriately. All information that comes to the knowledge of any member of staff regarding Adult Volunteers, young people and their families shall remain confidential, except where there is an over-riding statutory duty to disclose such information. It is the policy of PSYV to ensure the ongoing implementation of specific Child Protection Procedures and Guidance for PSYV staff to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all young people in the care of PSYV. The Health and Safety Policy for Police Scotland sets out the company's responsibilities in respect of the health, safety and welfare of staff and participants. It is noted that this includes young people participating in events and activities organised by PSYV. It is the policy of PSYV to ensure, as far as practically possible, the safety of Adult Volunteers and young people,, including when travelling to and from events and activities. It is the policy of PSYV to ensure that all volunteering activities, trips, visits and residential events are well organised and supervised. They will be organised in such a way as to ensure that parents/guardians of the young people involved are adequately informed of the details and that parental permission and appropriate health and safety consents are sought prior to the events.