CHARAVÉA

A programme of Safer Care Pathways Ltd

DRAFT – FOR REVIEW AND APPROVAL

Version: 1.0 | Effective date: 4 September 2026 | Next review: 4 September 2027

Policy Owner: Safeguarding Lead / Managing Director, Safer Care Pathways Ltd

Applies to: CHARAVÉA activities involving participants under 18

WHO SHE’S BECOMING MATTERS.

1. Policy Statement

CHARAVÉA is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every child and young person who participates in the programme. Safety, dignity and wellbeing take priority over programme delivery, reputation, convenience or confidentiality.

CHARAVÉA is a character, life-development and mentoring programme. It is not a counselling, psychotherapy, medical or crisis service. Staff and mentors must recognise concerns, respond appropriately, record concerns accurately and refer or escalate when needed.

CHARAVÉA uses a child-centred, strengths-based and developmentally appropriate approach. There is no forced disclosure, public confession, body comparison, shaming, diagnosing, or use of faith to silence or shame a child.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all CHARAVÉA activities involving participants under 18, including face-to-face sessions, online sessions, group communication, parent/carer communication, events, projects, mentoring and programme-related digital platforms.

CHARAVÉA includes FOUNDATION (9–13), FORMATION (14–16) and TRANSITION TO IMPACT (17–20). This policy applies to participants who are under 18.

3. Safeguarding Principles

• Safety before disclosure.
• Child-centred practice.
• No promises of secrecy.
• Developmental appropriateness.
• Strengths-based practice.
• Referral over rescue: CHARAVÉA does not investigate, diagnose or personally resolve safeguarding concerns.
• Respect and dignity.
• Faith-informed, never faith-coercive. Faith must never be used to shame, silence, blame or discourage professional help-seeking.

4. Safeguarding Lead and Responsibilities

The Safeguarding Lead oversees safeguarding arrangements, safeguarding records, staff and mentor awareness, and coordination of referrals and escalation.

All staff, mentors, volunteers and contractors have a personal responsibility to act on concerns. Safeguarding is not solely the responsibility of the Safeguarding Lead.

Where a concern relates to the Safeguarding Lead, it must be reported directly to the appropriate local authority children's social care service, LADO where relevant, and/or police.

5. What We Safeguard Children From

Concerns may include physical, emotional or sexual abuse; neglect; domestic abuse; child criminal exploitation; child sexual exploitation; trafficking; online abuse; grooming; bullying and cyberbullying; discriminatory abuse; harmful sexual behaviour; self-harm or suicidal thoughts; radicalisation or extremist influence; forced marriage; honour-based abuse; female genital mutilation; substance misuse; unsafe adults or inappropriate mentor relationships; and other circumstances placing a child at risk.

Concerns may arise from a disclosure, change in behaviour, injury or presentation, online activity, information from a parent/carer or another professional, or another source.

6. Responding to a Disclosure

Staff and mentors are not expected to prove abuse or determine whether an allegation is true. Their role is to notice, respond, record and refer.

If a child discloses: remain calm; listen; allow the child to speak in their own words; avoid leading questions; do not investigate; do not confront an alleged perpetrator; reassure the child they did the right thing; explain that you cannot keep the information secret; record promptly; and report immediately to the Safeguarding Lead unless doing so would increase risk.

Do not ask the child to repeat the disclosure unnecessarily or promise an outcome that cannot be guaranteed.

7. Immediate Danger and Emergency Action

If a child is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical assistance, call 999. Do not delay emergency action while seeking internal approval.

For urgent safeguarding concerns that are not an immediate emergency, contact the relevant local authority children's social care/MASH service or police as appropriate and inform the Safeguarding Lead as soon as safe.

If an online participant appears to be in immediate danger, prioritise safety, maintain communication where safe, obtain location/contact details where possible and seek emergency assistance.

8. Allegations Against Staff, Mentors, Volunteers or Contractors

Any allegation or concern that an adult working with CHARAVÉA may have harmed a child, behaved in a way indicating they may pose a risk, or breached professional boundaries must be escalated without delay.

CHARAVÉA will follow the applicable local authority process for allegations against people who work with children. Where relevant, the LADO should be contacted. Police or children's social care should be contacted where required.

The person who is the subject of an allegation must not investigate their own conduct. Information must be shared only with those who need it.

Where legal conditions are met, Safer Care Pathways Ltd will comply with any required DBS referral duty.

9. Safer Recruitment and DBS

CHARAVÉA will use safer recruitment principles including appropriate role descriptions, application and selection processes, identity checks, references where appropriate, safeguarding suitability checks and DBS checks where the role is eligible.

DBS eligibility is assessed according to actual duties and frequency, not job title. Evidence of the safeguarding suitability decision should be retained.

Because the definition of regulated activity with children changed on 1 September 2026, CHARAVÉA will review DBS eligibility for roles involving teaching, training, instructing, caring for or supervising children regularly. Supervision alone must not be assumed to remove a role from regulated activity.

An existing DBS certificate does not automatically cover every future role. The organisation will assess whether the certificate and proposed role are appropriately matched.

10. Professional Boundaries

Adults must maintain clear professional boundaries. They must not develop secret relationships with participants, request or exchange inappropriate personal content, engage in sexualised communication, meet participants privately outside authorised arrangements, communicate inappropriately through personal social-media accounts, or encourage dependency.

One-to-one contact should be avoided where practicable and, where necessary, must use authorised channels with appropriate visibility, records and safeguards.

Adults must not transport participants in private vehicles unless expressly authorised under a documented safeguarding arrangement.

Physical contact must be limited, appropriate and non-intrusive. It must never be used as discipline or control.

11. Online Safeguarding

Online delivery must use approved platforms and organisational accounts wherever possible, with controlled access and appropriate privacy settings.

Participants should not be required to disclose private information on camera or in group chats. Sensitive matters should not be explored publicly.

Direct messaging between adults and children should use approved organisational systems where possible and be transparent, necessary and appropriately recorded.

Online safeguarding concerns are handled using the same disclosure and referral principles as face-to-face concerns.

12. Parent/Carer Involvement and Consent

Appropriate parent/carer consent will be obtained before programme participation for children under 18, subject to safeguarding and legal requirements.

Parents/carers will receive information about the programme, safeguarding arrangements, communication channels, photography/media arrangements where applicable, and how to raise concerns.

Parent involvement must not prevent a child from being heard where there is a safeguarding concern. Information may be withheld where sharing it would increase risk, prejudice an investigation or otherwise be inappropriate.

13. Confidentiality and Information Sharing

Safeguarding information is confidential but not secret. Information may be shared without consent where necessary to protect a child from harm or where required or permitted by law.

Information must be shared proportionately, accurately, securely and on a need-to-know basis. Records should state what was shared, with whom, why and when.

CHARAVÉA will follow current statutory safeguarding guidance and information-sharing principles applicable in England.

14. Safeguarding Records

Concerns must be recorded promptly, factually and objectively. Records should distinguish between what was seen or heard, what the child said, actions taken and advice or referrals made.

Safeguarding records must be securely stored with restricted access and must not be kept casually in personal notebooks, personal email or unapproved messaging applications.

Records will be retained in accordance with the organisation's retention schedule and data-protection requirements.

15. Low-Level Concerns

CHARAVÉA encourages early reporting of concerns about adult behaviour even where behaviour does not meet the threshold for an allegation of harm. Examples include repeated boundary testing, inappropriate jokes, unnecessary private contact, favouritism or behaviour causing discomfort.

Low-level concerns will be recorded and reviewed proportionately. Patterns must be identified and escalated where they indicate a potential safeguarding risk.

16. Bullying, Harassment and Peer Safety

CHARAVÉA does not tolerate bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, discriminatory abuse, intimidation, exclusion or humiliating behaviour.

Peer concerns will be managed to protect the child at risk while addressing behaviour appropriately. Facilitators must not force public confrontation, apology or disclosure.

17. Faith-Informed Activities

Faith-based reflection supports dignity, compassion, wisdom, responsibility, courage and service.

No participant should be told that abuse, exploitation, mental distress, unsafe relationships or another safeguarding concern is caused by weak faith, lack of prayer or personal moral failure.

Prayer or spiritual reflection must never replace professional safeguarding action, medical care, mental-health support or emergency intervention.

18. Training and Supervision

Adults working directly with children must receive safeguarding induction appropriate to their role before unsupervised delivery. Training should cover recognising abuse, responding to disclosures, online safety, professional boundaries, recording concerns, referral pathways and safer working practice.

Refresher training will be provided at appropriate intervals and after significant changes in safeguarding requirements.

Staff and mentors should have access to appropriate supervision or debriefing after safeguarding incidents.

19. Complaints and Whistleblowing

Children, parents/carers, staff and partners can raise safeguarding concerns without fear of retaliation.

Anyone who believes a safeguarding concern has not been handled appropriately should escalate it to senior management and, where appropriate, directly to children's social care, LADO or police.

Whistleblowing concerns will be treated seriously and confidentially as far as possible.

20. Review and Governance

This policy will be reviewed at least annually and sooner following a significant incident, legislative or statutory-guidance change, programme change, new delivery setting or identified safeguarding learning.

Safeguarding learning, incidents, complaints, training completion, DBS suitability and policy compliance will be monitored through Safer Care Pathways Ltd governance.

21. Key Contacts

Safeguarding Lead: Safeguarding Lead / Managing Director, Safer Care Pathways Ltd.

Emergency: 999 for immediate danger or urgent emergency medical assistance.

Police non-emergency: 101 where appropriate.

Children's Social Care: use the participant's local authority children's social care/MASH referral route. For Buckinghamshire delivery, use the current Buckinghamshire Council safeguarding referral route.

LADO: use the relevant local authority LADO process for allegations concerning a person who works with children.

NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000 for safeguarding advice where appropriate.

22. Approval

Organisation: Safer Care Pathways Ltd
Programme: CHARAVÉA
Policy: Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy
Version: 1.0
Effective date: 4 September 2026
Next review: 4 September 2027
Policy owner: Safeguarding Lead / Managing Director

Approved by: Precious Omigie
Signature: ______________________________
Date: ______________________________

Appendix A — Safeguarding Concern Recording Template

Participant name / ID:

________________________________________________________________________________

Date and time of concern:

________________________________________________________________________________

Name and role of person recording:

________________________________________________________________________________

What was seen/heard or disclosed (use factual language):

________________________________________________________________________________

Exact words used by the child, where possible:

________________________________________________________________________________

Immediate safety action taken:

________________________________________________________________________________

Who was informed and when:

________________________________________________________________________________

Referral made (if applicable):

________________________________________________________________________________

Advice received:

________________________________________________________________________________

Follow-up required:

________________________________________________________________________________

Signature / date:

________________________________________________________________________________

Appendix B — Key Guidance

Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004.

Working Together to Safeguard Children — statutory guidance for England.

Keeping Children Safe in Education — safeguarding principles where applicable.

Disclosure and Barring Service guidance on regulated activity with children and DBS checks.

UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.

Information sharing guidance for safeguarding practitioners in England.