Safeguarding And Child Protection Policy 2025

Updated 03/06/2025

Child Protection Policy

Applebough Recruitment limited is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Applebough Recruitment limited has a statutory and moral duty to ensure that the welfare of children and young people is safeguarded and promoted.

Legal Context

• Children Act 1989
• Children Act 2004
• Working Together To Safeguard Children 2015
• Keeping Children Safe In Education

Children Act 1989

The children Act 1989 introduced the concept of significant harm as the threshold that justifies compulsory intervention in family life in the best interests of a child, and gives local authorities a duty to make enquiries to decide whether they should take action to safeguard or promote the welfare of a child who is suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm.

Children Act 2004

Underpins the Every Child Matters, Change for Children programme and builds on the principles established in the Children Act 1989.

Working Together To Safeguard Children 2015

Government guidance setting out how organisations should work together to promote children’s welfare, and protect them from abuse and neglect.

Applebough Recruitment limited recognises the following definitions of abuse: 

• Abuse: a form of maltreatment of a child/young person. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child/young person by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children/young people may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others (e.g. via the internet). They may be abused by an adult or adults or another child or children.
• Physical Abuse: a form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child/young person. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child/young person.
• Emotional abuse: the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child/young person such as to cause severe and adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child/young person that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another It may include not giving the child/young person opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning or preventing the child/young person participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyberbullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child/young person, although it may occur alone.
• Sexual abuse: involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child/young person is aware of what is The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example rape or oral sex) or non- penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child/young person in preparation for abuse (including via the internet). Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.
• Neglect: the persistent failure to meet a child or young person’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to: provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment); protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger; ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate caregivers); or ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child or young person’s basic emotional needs.
• Specific Safeguarding Issues: In addition to the four categories of abuse, Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE2016) identifies the following safeguarding issues:
  • Bullying including cyberbullying
  • Child missing from education
  • Child missing from home or care
  • Child sexual exploitation (CSE)
  • Domestic violence
  • Drugs
  • Fabricated or induced illness
  • Faith abuse
  • Female genital mutilation (FGM)
  • Forced marriage
  • Gangs and youth violence
  • Gender-based violence/violence against women and girls (VAWG)
  • Hate
  • Mental health
  • Missing children and adults
  • Private fostering
  • Preventing radicalisation
  • Sexting
  • Teenage relationship abuse
  • Trafficking

Dealing With Disclosure from a Child

It is important that children are protected from abuse. In the event of disclosure from a child or

Young person it is important that you:

• Listen carefully and stay calm;
• Do not interview the young person, but question normally and without pressure, in order to be sure that you understand what the young person is telling you;
• Do not put words into the young person’s mouth;
• Reassure the young person that by telling you, s/he has done the right thing;
• Inform the young person that you must pass the information on, but that only those who need to know about it will be told. Inform him/her of whom you will report the matter;
• Note the main points carefully in the young person’s own words; and
• Make a detailed note of the date, time, place, what the young person said, did and your questions.

If a child / young person is freely recalling events, the response should be to listen, rather than stop him/her; questioning of the information being given must be limited to confirming factual accuracy required to provide a quality referral, e.g. who the people are involved, what has actually happened and when and where did any incident occur.

If the child / young person has an injury but no explanation is volunteered, it is acceptable to enquire how the injury was sustained. However, the child / young person must not be pressed for information, led or cross-examined or given false assurances of absolute confidentiality. Such well-intentioned actions could prejudice Police investigations.

It is important that the young person should not be asked to repeat the information to a colleague or write the information down. Making an accurate and verbatim record of what the child / young person has said (disclosure), (or evidence that has led to the concerns) recording the child / young person’s own words, is the responsibility of the person to whom s/he has disclosed. This should be recorded, in writing, and sent directly to the DSL.

The Designated Officer for Child Protection:

In the event of a child protection issue arising, you are not expected to deal with this alone. Please speak to Ashley Greaves – Designated Officer for Applebough Recruitment.

The role of the Designated Officer is to:

• Ensure that child protection policies are followed.
• Receive concerns from staff
• Assess the information quickly and efficiently
• Consult relevant outside agencies when making a referral

It is not the role of the Designated Officer to decide whether or not a child / young person has been abused. It is their responsibility to ensure that concerns are shared, and prompt action is taken.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

Applebough Recruitment limited has a responsibility to share information about child protection with external agencies. Where possible the child / young person’s consent will be obtained before sharing information. This is not always possible, and the child’s safety is paramount.

All child protection files should be stored in a secure location and should only be accessible to relevant team members.