Safeguarding

Safeguarding: Keeping People Safe Policy and Procedures

Boston Borough Council has a range of statutory duties that require it to keep children and adults safe.

In order to do this, we have developed and will implement the Keeping People Safe Policy and Procedures.

This document and the links within it provide the critical reference point for Council staff, elected members, volunteers, key contractors, consultants and directly commissioned providers acting on behalf of the council in order to protect anyone from failing to keep people safe.

The Policy and Procedures seek to ensure that the Council plays its full part in ensuring that the health, safety and well-being of children and adults at risk is safeguarded and promoted at all times and covers four separate, but closely related topics: Child Safeguarding, Adult Safeguarding, Domestic Abuse and Prevent. 

Child Safeguarding 

The Children Act 2004 places a statutory duty on all prescribed agencies to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.  Prevailing statutory guidance, Working Together 2015, defines this as:

• Protecting children from maltreatment;
• Preventing impairment of children's health or development;
• Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and
• Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

This includes taking action to identify and prevent Child Sexual Exploitation.

Adult Safeguarding 

The Care Act 2014 defines safeguarding as protecting an adults right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It is about people and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect, while at the same time making sure that the adults wellbeing is being promoted.

Domestic Abuse 

The scale of domestic abuse is hard to quantify. It happens largely behind closed doors. Victims are often too frightened or embarrassed to report what is happening or do not trust that they will be believed or safeguarded after their disclosure.

Nationally:

• 1 million women experience at least one incident of domestic abuse each year.
• 1 in 10 men report they have experienced domestic abuse.
• At least 750,000 children each year witness domestic abuse.

Domestic abuse affects people of all ages, social background, gender, religion, sexual preference or ethnicity, in a range of relationships: married, separated, divorced, living together, dating, heterosexual, gay or lesbian, and includes child on parent abuse and elder abuse.

The Lincolnshire Domestic Abuse Strategic Management Board (DASMB) leads on reducing domestic abuse and creating an environment where Domestic Abuse is simply not tolerated.

To find out more about how to report Domestic Abuse, visit the Domestic Abuse page.

Prevent 

The Government's Prevent strategy was explicitly changed in 2011 to deal with all forms of terrorism and with non-violent extremism, which can create an atmosphere conducive to terrorism. 

Section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (the Act) places a duty on certain bodies ("specified authorities" listed in Schedule 6 to the Act and includes District Councils), in the exercise of their functions, to have "due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism".

If something doesn't look right, if something doesn't feel right or if something doesn't sound right, then it probably isn't right!  Therefore, any member of the public who has any concern for a child or adults health, safety or wellbeing is therefore advised to report such concerns accordingly.

Immediate, emergency situations should be called in on 999.

Less immediate concerns should be reported to:

• Lincolnshire County Council Customer Services Centre for Children on 01522 782 111 or outside office hours (including weekends or Bank Holidays) on 01522 782 333
• Lincolnshire County Council Customer Services Centre for Adults on 01522 782155 during office hours or outside office hours referrals should be made to the Emergency Duty Team on 01522 782333.

See the Prevent page for more information and advice.