At Aspire 2 Success, we are committed to a practise which protects children from harm. Staff and volunteers in this organisation accept and recognise our responsibilities to develop awareness of issues, which cause children, and young people harm.

We will endeavour to safeguard children and young people by –

• Adopting child protection guidelines through a code of behaviour for staff and volunteers
• Sharing information about child protection and good practise with children, parents, staff and volunteers
• Sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know and involving parents and children
• appropriately in accordance with our ethical principles of confidentiality.
• Following Safer Recruitment procedures for the recruitment and selection of staff and volunteers.
• Providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support and training.
• We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practise at regular intervals.

Code of Behaviour Statement of Intent

It is the policy of Aspire 2 Success to safeguard the welfare of all children and young people by protecting them from all forms of abuse including physical, emotional and sexual harm.

This organisation is committed to creating a safe environment in which young people can feel comfortable and secure while engaged in any Aspire 2 Success activities. Personnel should at all times show respect andunderstanding for individual’s rights, safety and welfare and conduct themselves in a way that reflects the ethos and principles of Aspire 2 Success.

Guidelines for all Aspire 2 Success Staff and Volunteers Attitudes

Staff and volunteers should be committed to

• Treating children and young people with respect and dignity
• Always listening to what a child or young person is saying
• Valuing each child and young person

Recognising the unique contribution each individual can make By Example

• Staff and volunteers should endeavour to
• Provide an example that we wish others to follow
• Use appropriate language with children and young people
• Respect a young person’s right to privacy

Physical Contact

Staff and volunteers should never

• Engage in sexually provocative or rough physical games, including horseplay
• Do things of a personal nature that a child or young person can do for themselves
• Allow, or engage in, inappropriate touching of any kind (see touch policy)

General

Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy Updated and reviewed: August 2021

Staff and volunteers should

• Be aware that someone might misinterpret our actions no matter how well intentioned
• Never draw any conclusions about others without checking the facts
• Never exaggerate or trivialise child abuse issues

Sharing Information about Child Protection and Good Practice with Children, Staff and Volunteers

Good communication is essential in any organisation. At Aspire 2 Success, every effort will be made to assure that should individuals have concerns they will be listened to and taken seriously.

It is the responsibility of the management to ensure that information is available to and exchanged between all those involved in this organisation and its activities.

Some information is confidential and should only be shared on a strictly need to know basis.

Children and Young People

Children and young people have the right to information, especially any information that could make life safer and better for them. Aspire 2 Success will act to ensure they have information on how and with whom they can share their concerns, complaints and anxieties.

When sharing information, Aspire 2 Success will be sensitive to the level of understanding and maturity, as well as the level of responsibility of the people with whom they are sharing.

Parents

Parents / persons with parental responsibility are ultimately responsible for their children’s welfare at all times andthey should be assured that their children are involved with a credible organisation.

We achieve this by:

• Publicising information about all our work
• Publishing the names of Designated Child Protection Person(s) and how to make a complaint on our website www.aspire2success.org.uk
• Publishing a full copy of our Child Protection Policy on our websitewww.aspire2success.org.uk

Staff and Volunteers

As an organisation which offers support and guidance to children and young people it is imperative that each member of the Aspire 2 Success staff is aware of their responsibilities under the Child Protection legislation and has a working knowledge of Aspire 2 Success’s procedures. Each member of the therapy team is required to have up to date Specialist Safeguarding training through the Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children’s Board (NSCP)

Recognising Cultural Diversity in Safeguarding

As a community not for profit organisation we are aware of the cultural diversity of the wider community and work sensitively to address this in relation to safeguarding.

At Aspire 2 Success we ensure we have all the relevant information through our referral process to support us to identify signs of female genital mutilation (FGM), radicalisation, child sexual exploitation (CSE) and forced marriage.

 All Aspire 2 Success Educational Psychotherapists/therapists have undertaken Safeguarding training, which

Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy Updated and reviewed: August 2021

Supports them to recognise behaviours that indicate a cause for concern. These behaviours could emotional, verbal or physical/ circumstantial.

We work closely with the school to ensure that any indications for concern are closely monitored.

Other Bodies

A copy of our Child Protection Policy will be made available to any other appropriate body.

Explaining Confidentiality to Children in Play and Creative Arts Therapy Sessions

Aspire 2 Success Therapists regard children’s safety and wellbeing as the most important aspect of the Educational Psychotherapy intervention. As Therapy sessions are confidential, it is important that we are able to explain the boundaries and limits of confidentiality in a way that children understand. This helps to create an atmosphere of trust and safety within the therapeutic relationship.

Aspire 2 Success therapists will explain confidentiality to children in a boundary statement at the beginning of the Educational Psychotherapy intervention, and will repeat this boundary statement at the beginning of each Educational Psychotherapy Therapy session to remind the child.

Example boundary statement:

“I will be coming to school each week to do therapy sessions with you in this room. Where we at the beginning of the session I may ask you to complete some tasks and you will be able to choose some activities after this.
Before we start sessions we need to agree on some rules in order to keep us safe. In our sessions we agree not to hurt each other, the room, or the toys in it. I will remind you of these rules from time to time. I will not talk about what happens in your sessions with anyone else, but you can talk about what happens in here with anyone you like. I will only tell someone what happens in here if you tell me something that makes me worried about you and your safety, in which case I’ll have to talk to Mr Brown (safeguarding office at the school), but I will always tell you first if I need to talk to him about what happened in the session.”

Children may need to be reminded of this boundary statement at different times during the Therapy process. This reminder helps children to feel safe within the sessions and they can predict what will happen if they did choose to disclose any information to their Educational Psychotherapist/Therapist.

Aspire 2 Success Therapists will often use a drawing to show children how communication works around Play and Creative Arts. This diagram helps children to understand that they can talk to their friends, parents, teachers and anyone else that they like about what happens in the Therapy session. It explains to children that the Educational Psychotherapist will only speak to the safeguarding officer about disclosures or concerning situations that happen in the Educational Psychotherapy sessions.

Schools that we work with understand that the Educational Psychotherapy is a confidential process, whereby Aspire 2 Success therapists will share limited information about what takes place in the sessions, but can share wider information about the progress that the child is making in more general terms.

Children who have Educational Psychotherapy need to feel that they are allowed to express themselves in whichever way they choose and that they are free to do so without concerns about who this information might be shared with.

Aspire 2 Success Therapy Ethical Framework and Confidentiality

Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy Updated and reviewed: August 2022 Next Review Date: August 2023

Aspire 2 Success therapists are all individually registered with governing bodies of UKCP and BACP Additionally. Educational Psychotherapists work within a strict ethical framework to inform their way of working.

Notable ethical principles that cover children’s safety and confidentiality of Educational Psychotherapy are the principles of fidelity, autonomy, beneficence and non- maleficence.

How do these principles apply to confidentiality?
Fidelity – honouring the trust placed in the Educational Psychotherapist
Aspire 2 Success therapists adopt this principle and act in accordance with the trust placed in them, regardconfidentiality as an obligation arising from the client’s trust, restrict any disclosure of confidential information about clients to furthering the purpose for which it was originally disclosed.

Autonomy – respect for the child’s right to be self-governing
Aspire 2 Success therapists adopt this principle and protect privacy, protect confidentiality, and normally make disclosures of confidential information conditional on the consent of the client involved (or will inform the client of the intention to disclose confidential information for the purpose of keeping the client safe).

Beneficence – the commitment to promoting the child’s wellbeing
Aspire 2 Success therapists work within the best interest of the client based on professional assessment. This will become paramount when working with clients whose capacity for autonomy is diminished because of immaturity, lack of understanding, extreme distress, serious disturbance or other significant personal constraints.

Non-maleficence – the commitment to avoiding harm to the child
Aspire 2 Success therapists have an ethical responsibility to strive to mitigate any harm caused to a client even when the harm is unavoidable or unintended. This includes being aware of safeguarding issues that might impact upon a child and when the Therapist needs to disclose any concerns that they may have around the welfare of a child.
See Aspire 2 Success Ethical Policy.

Procedure for Reporting Allegations or Suspicions of Abuse (Form 1)

In any case where an allegation is made, or someone involved with Aspire 2 Success has concerns, a record should be made using this form. Details must include, as far as practical: