Safeguarding
Safeguarding means protecting people’s health, wellbeing and human rights to enable them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. Safeguarding can also be defined as protecting such groups from physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect.
Those most in need of protection are:
- children
- young people
- vulnerable adults whose circumstances make them vulnerable
If you need to tell us about a safeguarding issue or concern relating to Spectrum’s services, please contact: safeguarding@spectrum-cic.nhs.uk.
Read more about Child Sexual Exploitation.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse have set up a very special campaign, the Truth Project. This gives victims and survivors of child sexual abuse a chance to share their experience. They can help create awareness, understanding and change to help protect future children. If you, or anyone you know, have been affected by child sexual abuse, contact the project here.
Understanding safeguarding concerns
We’ve created some materials which discuss some key safeguarding concerns, including online grooming, domestic violence and abuse, and coping with mental ill health.
Click below to read more, or visit our Document Centre to download leaflets for partners and services.
How we support people
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015 (HM Government) 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.
Spectrum recognises their duty under section 11 of the Children Act 2004 to consider the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. This is achieved by working in partnership with statutory agencies including the police, social care and other health partners.
Part of this work includes membership of the Wakefield District Safeguarding Children Board. The WDSCB is the key statutory mechanism for agreeing how the relevant children’s organisations in Wakefield co-operate to safeguard and promote the well-being of children and young people’s and for ensuring the effectiveness of what they do. For more information on the WDSCB see the link below:
In addition all areas of the country have joint policies and procedures to ensure that relevant services including social services, the police and others work together to protect children from abuse and neglect. For full details of the procedures where Spectrum deliver community services to young people, or to parents and carers, please see links below:
North Yorkshire:
http://www.safeguardingchildren.co.uk/multi-agency-procedures
South Yorkshire:
http://www.proceduresonline.com/barnsley/scb/chapters/contents.html
West Yorkshire:
http://westyorkscb.proceduresonline.com/chapters/contents.html
York:
http://www.saferchildrenyork.org.uk/child-protection-procedures.htm
If you have any concerns about a child or young person you should contact social care in the area where the child/young person lives. Contact numbers for children’s social care where Spectrum deliver community services are as follows:
Barnsley: 01226 438831/772423 (Out of Hours 08449 814 800)
North Yorkshire: 01609 534527 (24 hours)
Wakefield: 0845 8 503 503 (24 hours)
York: 01904 551900 (Out of Hours 08450 349 417)
Call 999 if you feel that a child or young person you are concerned about are in immediate danger.
Other related sites:
Barnsley Safeguarding Children Board:
https://www.safeguardingchildrenbarnsley.com/
North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Board:
http://www.safeguardingchildren.co.uk/
York Safeguarding Children Board:
Everyone has the right to live without fear of being abused and have their rights and choices respected. Disability, age or illness can increase a person’s vulnerability in some situations which may result in them been unable to protect themselves from being harmed, abused or exploited.
Spectrum works in partnership with adult social services and other organisations to make life safer for adults who are most at risk of being abused or exploited. Part of this work includes membership of the Safeguarding Adults Board in Wakefield which is a statutory partnership constituted under the Care Act 2014. For further information about the strategic work of the board including the constitution and membership see the link below:
In addition all areas of the country have joint policies and procedures to ensure that relevant services including social services, the police and others work together to help and support adults with health and social care needs. For full details of the procedures where Spectrum deliver community services to adults, please see links below:
West and North Yorkshire:
South Yorkshire:
http://www.proceduresonline.com/southyorks/sab/
If you have concerns about an adult then you should contact social care in the area the adult lives for advice about the services available in that area.
Barnsley: 01226 773300 (Out of Office Hours 0844 984 1800)
North Yorkshire: 01609 534527
Wakefield: 0345 8 503 503
York: 01904 555111 (Out of Office Hours 0845 034917)
Call 999 if you feel that the person you’re concerned about is in immediate danger.
Other related sites:
Barnsley Safeguarding Adults Board
North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board
http://www.nypartnerships.org.uk/sab
York Safeguarding Adults Board
We provide support to families under our Inspiring Recovery Service in the Wakefield District. As part of our recovery-based services, we provide support for families of people who are recovering from addiction.
Support for Families during your treatment
Caring for a child, whilst you are coping with your treatment from drugs and/or alcohol is not always easy. Issues such as pregnancy, relationship breakdown, housing and debt problems can all add stress within the home.
Our Family Support team can help you with everyday issues that can affect you and your family at these times.
Who is Family Support for?
Family support is for any adult, who is receiving treatment for drugs and/or alcohol and:
- is pregnant, or
- is the parent or carer of a child under the age of 18
How does Family Support work?
Your drugs/alcohol key worker will carry out an assessment with you. This will involve looking at what is working for you and what is going less well. In this way, they can focus on the needs that you and your family may have. This includes any additional needs that the children in your family may have.
A plan will then be prepared that will help you with the issues you have identified. Your drugs/alcohol key worker may then either refer you to see another service or inform you about what other services can help support you.
If the needs of your family can’t be met by a single referral, or your needs appear to be complex, the Family Support team will get involved and help.
Spectrum’s Family Support team are very closely linked to other services that can help you. The team will offer to come and see you in your home to carry out an additional assessment with you. This assessment is to look at what support you need and find a way forward that is acceptable for you and your family.
The Family Support team can help you with:
- Child safety
- Child health needs
- Maternal health needs
- Support to access medical appointments (for parent and child)
- Accessing local childcare facilities and children’s centres
- Emotional support
- Outreach work in partnership with community drugs teams
- Informing you about other support services
How long will my family be supported?
The Family Support team will work alongside your drugs/alcohol key worker and they will support with your needs. How long this support will be provided depends on what your needs are the availability of services to meet those needs.
If, for any reason, you are no longer in treatment for drugs/alcohol, Family Support will let you know about other services that can help.
How do I get in touch with the Family Support team?
Our team is made up of a specialist midwife, specialist health visitor and a social worker, under a partnership of Spectrum, Wakefield Council and Mid Yorkshire NHS Hospitals Trust, working together to provide a high quality service for you.
Please contact our team on [contact details needed].
If you have alcohol, drugs or medications with you or within the home, the following is some advice about how you can keep children safe. The advice should read alongside general advice about:
- drinking alcohol safely
- storing medications
- safer injecting
- what to do in an emergency
- taking methadone safely, and
- how to protect yourself and your family from infections and blood-borne viruses, such as Hepatitis.
Alcohol
Alcohol will affect your judgement and ability to predict hazards. It may also cause you to fall asleep or lose consciousness. As a result you may not be able to monitor your child’s safety and meet their basic needs.
Alcohol may give rise to mental states or behaviour that put children at risk of injury, distress or neglect.
The best advice is not to drink at all while supervising children. It is safer for your children to be in the care of someone else when you choose to drink, for example your partner, trusted friend or relative.
If you choose to drink when the children are asleep, remember they may wake up and need you.
Try and reduce the risks by:
- reducing the amount you drink;
- making sure your home is as safe as possible.
- Your care plan should address your childcare needs.
Safer storage of all alcoholic drinks
Some children may not understand the difference between alcohol and other drinks. So:
- ensure all alcoholic drinks are kept securely away from the sight and reach of children;
- always keep alcohol in its original containers and monitor the level.
Never leave your drink unattended.
Never leave your drink in the fridge where children can get it.
Remember, if you do not have somewhere to lock alcohol away, store them high (eg. shelf, on top of a cupboard) where they can’t be seen or reached by children.
Please note:
- Children often see adults as role models. If they see you drinking alcohol, they may copy you and try alcohol themselves.
- Set rules. Tell children it’s not for their use.
- Even if you drink alcohol yourself, you must send a clear message that under-age drinking is unsafe for young children.
- Set a good example by drinking in moderation.
During pregnancy, heavy alcohol use by the mother can lead to developmental and behaviour problems for your child after the baby is born. It is recommended that you should not drink alcohol during your pregnancy.
Others within your home
Remember that if there are other drinkers sharing or visiting your home, you are responsible for the safety of your children. Ensure that the other drinkers do not use alcohol within the sight and knowledge of your children and ensure that they store the alcohol safely.
Emergency Action
If a young child consumes alcohol or your child is ill after drinking alcohol:
- Dial 999 straight away and ask for an ambulance even if the child seems ok.
- Never assume the child will sleep it off, even if they seem ok.
- Do not try and make the child vomit.
- If they are unconscious, place them in the recovery position (on their right hand side) – see page 11.
- Stay with them at all times. If you need to leave to call an ambulance, go straight back to your child after the call.
- Bring the container they drank from with you to the hospital
- If your child is not breathing, start mouth-to- mouth resuscitation while you wait for the ambulance.
Drugs
Injecting is one of the main causes of overdoes, os it is safer not to inject while you are supervising children.
Using drugs will affect your judgement and ability to predict hazards. As a result you many not be able to monitor your child’s safety. However, if you still choose to inject, please help keep children safe by following this advice:
If you are a couple, use at different times so that one adult is available to supervise the children.
If you are a single parent or a carer, restrict your use of drugs to when the children are at school, at children’s centres or in the care of someone else.
If you choose to use when the children are asleep, remember they may wake up and need you.
Reduce any risks to children by planning ahead.
- Make sure your home is as safe as possible.
- Install safety equipment such as window locks and a safety gate for young children.
- Remove any toys which are not safe to use without supervision.
- Make sure you have someone you can reach right away if you are afraid you might be overdosing or losing control.
- Smoking, rather than injecting, may reduce the risk of overdose.
Storage of needles
Ensure that all injecting equipment is kept securely away from the sight and reach of children.
- Dispose of all equipment and drugs straight away. Use a sharps bin for needles and ensure that no children or anyone else can come into contact with any of your equipment.
- Regularly return the container for safe disposal to an agency operating a needle exchange scheme.
Never leave your works unattended.
Never leave any of the equipment and drugs on the floor, on table tops, in the bathroom, under pillows or the bed, in coat pockets or in a bag.
Remember, store equipment and drugs in a child-safe container, store it high where is cannot be seen or reached by children. This may be in a locked cupboard, lockable cash box, medicine storage cabinet.
If you do not have somewhere to lock it away, as soon as possible.
Others within your home
Remember that if there are other drug users sharing or visiting your home, you are responsible for the safety of your children. Ensure that the other users do not use drugs within the sight and knowledge of your children and ensure that they use safe storage at all times. There is support available – ask your key worker for more details.
Needle Exchange
Turning Point, 4-6 Wesley Street, Castleford WF10 1AE. Tel: 01977 517422
Turning Point, 24 Trinity Churchgate, Wakefield WF1 1TX. Tel: 01924 377704
Turning Point, rear of Langthwaite Grange, South Kirby. Tel: 01977 642611
Also available
- Mobile needle exchange van at various sites for easy access
- Needle exchange facilities in local pharmacies
- Outreach support
FRANK: National Drugs Helpline
(24 hours)
Tel: 0800 776600
National Drink Helpline
Tel: 0800 917 8282
Methadone
If you have been prescribed methodone, this is safe for you to take but can be very harmful to others. Childen are not often poisoned accidentally by methodone but it does happen and it can kill a child.
Never give methadone to a child – it can kill them.
Your methodone is bright in colour, usually green. Children and babies will find it attractive.
- Keep methadone and all other medicines out of sight and out of the reach of children.
- Keep your medicine in a medicine cabinet (preferably with a lock) and store the cabinet in a high place.
- Don’t keep methadone in the fridge.
- Don’t keep methadone under your bed.
- Don’t keep methadone in the car glovebox.
- Don’t keep methadone in shopping bags.
- Don’t store methadone in anything other than its original container.
Please note:
Never give your baby or child drugs or alcohol to settle them – it could kill them.
Never dip your baby’s or child’s dummy in methadone or alcohol.
Never store methadone in anything other than its original container.
If a child takes methadone
A child’s body cannot cope with methadone – even small amounts can kill them. A child who has swallowed methadone may:
- turn pale
- develop a cold, sticky, sweat
- make gurgling noises and find it difficult to breathe
- become unconscious
- choke on their own saliva or vomit
- stop breathing
Don’t delay. At the hospital they will be given medicine to make them better. They need this straight away for it to be effective. Follow the emergency action immediately.
Emergency Action
If a you think your child has swallowed methadone:
- Dial 999 straight away and ask for an ambulance even if the child seems ok.
- Never assume the child will sleep it off, even if they seem ok.
- Do not try and make the child vomit.
- If they are unconscious, place them in the recovery position (on their right hand side)
- Stay with them at all times. If you need to leave to call an ambulance, go straight back to your child after the call.
- Bring the container they drank from with you to the hospital
- If your child is not breathing, start mouth-to- mouth resuscitation while you wait for the ambulance.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has launched the Truth Project, a campaign giving victims and survivors of child sexual abuse a voice, and to make sure they know they can talk to the Inquiry confidentially, if they wish to.
The Truth Project is a crucial part of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, as victims and survivors who come forward shape the understanding of the nature and scale of abuse. More importantly, it offers these survivors a chance to have a voice, make suggestions and help bring change.
If you, or anyone you know, may want to talk to the Trust Project, you can contact them here: https://www.truthproject.org.uk/getting-touch.
