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Bradford Safeguarding Children Board > Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS)

Safeguarding Support for the Voluntary Sector

Young Lives Bradford provides safeguarding support to voluntary sector groups delivering services in the Bradford district by offering access to:

  • An audit tool to help develop and review organisational policies and procedures around safeguarding children. Click on the audit tool link on the left hand menu to download a free copy.
     

  • Model policies to provide baseline information on what should be included within policies and procedures. See also the Audit Tool link to access the Child Protection Policy Template. For additional policies contact Dionne Norman to request a free copy of the Safeguarding Handbook, which is accompanied by a CD with templates such as Risk Assessment; Recruitment; Complaints procedures, Lone working and photography and media consent forms and advice on how to review your existing procedures. You can also download an electronic copy of the Safeguarding Handbook in the Audit Tool Section, but you will not get the policy templates which are available with the CD.

For additional information regarding Safeguarding issues or training needs or if you wish to become a member of the Young Lives Bradford network and to receive our weekly e-bulletin contact Dionne Norman at Young Lives Bradford on 01274 722772 or email Dionne@bradfordcvs.org.uk.

For more information about Young Lives Bradford click here 

You can also visit our children and young people’s page at www.bradfordcvs.org.uk 
You will also find here more information on general voluntary sector support and training.
 

Safenetwork - Free Safeguarding Resources and Training

The Safe Network provides FREE safeguarding information related to activities outside the home – from after school art clubs to weekend reading groups. The Safe Network is jointly managed by the NSPCC and Children England and was created as a result of the Government’s Staying Safe action plan.

The Safenetwork is working towards building common standards for voluntary and community organisations and has recently launched a new set of standards, designed to help your club or organisation keep young people safe. The Standards cover four essential safeguarding areas:

  • (1) Safer staff and volunteers – recruitment, induction and supervision;

  • (2) Child protection;

  • (3) Preventing and responding to bullying;

  • (4) Avoiding accidents and running safe activities and events.

As you work through the self-assessment tool, you have access to a toolbox of useful resources, which includes examples of policies and procedures, guidance, templates for forms, standard letters you may need and sample posters and leaflets. To save time, you can copy and paste text directly from the resource documents into new documents for your own organisation.

The Safenetwork also offers a free enquiry service if you have any questions relating to Safeguarding. Visit the Safenetwork website to find out more about the free support, training and resources available to your organisation: www.safenetwork.org.uk or telephone Tel: 0116 234 7217
 


 VCS Self-Audit & Model Child Protection Policy Template

Both of these documents have been designed to present base-line information and should be used as an aid to the development of your organisations safeguarding policies and procedures. We are pleased to announce that both of these tools have now been endorsed by the Bradford Safeguarding Children’s Board and comply with the standards set locally for VCS organisations that work with children and young people.

Model Child Protection Policy Template

VCS Self Assessment Tool

Note - if you want to save these documents to open later, right-click the links and select 'Save Target As...'

A printed copy of the Safeguarding Handbook, is also available on request from Dionne Norman, with an accompanying CD with model policy templates.

For support in the use of either of these tools or, in relation to any safeguarding enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Dionne Norman on 01274 722772 or dionne@bradfordcvs.org.uk

Sub Groups and their Voluntary & Community Sector Board Representatives
Click here to see a full list of VCS representatives on the Bradford Safeguarding Children Board and Sun-Groups.


Useful Contacts/Support Organisations
If you have concern that a child is being harmed as a result of abuse or neglect, you must not keep these concerns to yourself. Keeping children safe is everyone's responsibility. 

You need to ensure that you speak to the appropriate organisations who can listen to and record your concern, and then take appropriate action.

In Bradford, these are the numbers that you can ring for advice and to make a referral:

  • During office hours (8.30 - 5.00 Monday to Thursday, 4.30 on Friday) call Children's Social Services Initial Contact Point - 01274 437500 to refer any child in need, including child protection concerns
     

  • Bradford Area Child Protection Unit -for consultation about child protection concerns – 01274 434343
     

  • At all other times, Social Services Emergency Duty Team - 01274 530434
     

  • If you have reason to believe that a child is at immediate risk of harm, contact the police on 999

NSPCC Child Protection Helpline
The NSPCC Child Protection Helpline is a free 24-hour service that provides counselling, information and advice to anyone concerned about a child at risk of abuse. Telephone: 080 8800 5000 - Email: help@nspcc.org.uk

Bradford Community and Voluntary Service
 Click here to access a range of useful documents and publications including 'Briefing Bradford'.

The Bradford Safe Parenting Handbook is an extensive information resource designed for use by parents, carers and professionals alike.  It contains advice and guidelines on all the major issues affecting children and young people and includes many local and national contacts.