Safeguarding policy statement overview

Purpose and aim of the policy statement

Gaming For All is a charity that provides free educational opportunities such as workshops, assemblies, virtual resources and educational experiences to students and young people that belong to underrepresented backgrounds in both higher education institutions, courses within these institutions and the UK games sector. As we only work with students under 18, we recognise our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all the people we work with.

We believe that children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind and we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them.

The purpose of this policy:

To protect children and young people who engage with Gaming For All.

To provide staff and volunteers, as well as children and young people and their families, with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.

This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of Gaming For All, including senior managers and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff and students.

Context:

Much of the activity conducted by Gaming For All is done so within schools or in school time with the presence of school staff. There may be times where this isn’t the case, for example when conducting activity that young people sign up for individually that is conducted virtually or on the premises of universities or companies within the games industries. The following policy is to provide detailed policies and procedures our organisation will put in place to keep children safe and respond to child protection concerns that can also follow alongside school, university and external organisations safeguarding measures.

We recognise that:

The welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take.

Working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.

All children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse.

Some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues extra safeguards may be needed to keep children who are additionally vulnerable safe from abuse.

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

Valuing, listening to and respecting them.

Always having a lead for child protection and safeguarding.

Adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers.

Providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures so that all staff and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures and behaviour codes confidently and competently.

Recording and storing information in line with our Data Protection Policy.

Making sure that children, young people and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern.

Using our safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately.

Using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately

Building a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.

Behaviour code for adults working with children

This behaviour code outlines the conduct that Gaming For All expects from all our staff and volunteers. This includes trustees, agency staff, interns, students on work placement and anyone who is undertaking duties for the organisation, whether paid or unpaid.

The behaviour code is there to help us protect children and young people from abuse. It has been informed by the views of children and young people.

Gaming For All is responsible for making sure everyone taking part in our activities has seen, understood and agreed to follow the code of behaviour, and that they understand the consequences of inappropriate behaviour.

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by ensuring those working for Gaming For All adhere to the following code of conduct.

The role of staff and volunteers

In your role at Gaming For All you are acting in a position of trust and authority and have a duty of care towards the children and young people we work with. You are likely to be seen as a role model by young people and are expected to act appropriately.

We expect people who take part in our services to display appropriate behaviour at all times. This includes behaviour that takes place outside our organisation and behaviour that takes place online.

Responsibility of staff and volunteers

You are responsible for:

Prioritising the welfare of children and young people.

Familiarising yourself with and adhering to the safeguarding procedures of the school, university or company charity work is being conducted at.

Providing a safe environment for children and young people. This includes,

Ensuring equipment is used safely and for its intended purpose.

Having good awareness of issues to do with safeguarding and child protection and taking action when appropriate.

Following our principles, policies and procedures.

Including our policies and procedures for safeguarding and child protection, whistleblowing and online safety.

Staying within the law at all times.

Modelling good behaviour for children and young people to follow.

Challenging all inappropriate behaviour and reporting any breaches of the behaviour code to.

Reporting all concerns about abusive behaviour, following our safeguarding and child protection procedures.

This includes inappropriate behaviour displayed by an adult or child and directed at anybody of any age.

Ensuring you do not act in a way that may put pupils at risk of harm, or lead others to question their actions.

Being kind, understanding and empathetic to all those you work with.

Respecting children and young people

You should:

Be vigilant to all signs of potential abuse.

Listen to and respect children at all times.

Value and take children’s contributions seriously, actively involving them in planning activities wherever possible.

Respect a young person’s right to personal privacy as far as possible

If you need to break confidentiality in order to follow child protection procedures, it is important to explain this to the child or young person at the earliest opportunity.

Diversity and inclusion

You should:

Treat children and young people fairly and without prejudice or discrimination.

Use appropriate and accessible language with young people and never use language.

Understand that children and young people are individuals with individual needs.

Respect differences in gender, sexual orientation, culture, race, ethnicity, disability and religious belief systems, and appreciate that all participants bring something valuable and different to the group/organisation.

Challenge discrimination and prejudice.

Encourage young people and adults to speak out about attitudes or behaviour that makes them uncomfortable.

Appropriate relationships

You should:

Promote relationships that are based on openness, honesty, trust and respect.

Avoid showing favouritism.

Be patient with others.

Exercise caution when you are discussing sensitive issues with children or young people.

Ensure your contact with children and young people is appropriate and relevant to the nature of the activity you are involved in.

Ensure that whenever possible, there is more than one adult present during activities with children and young people.

If a situation arises where you are alone with a child or young person, ensure that you are within sight or can be heard by other adults.

If a child specifically asks for or needs some individual time with you, ensure other staff or volunteers know where you and the child are.

Only provide personal care in an emergency and make sure there is more than one adult present if possible o unless it has been agreed that the provision of personal care is part of your role and you have been trained to do this safely.

Inappropriate behaviour

When working with children and young people, you must not:

Allow concerns or allegations to go unreported.

Take unnecessary risks.

Smoke, consume alcohol or use illegal substances.

Develop inappropriate relationships with children and young people.

Make inappropriate promises to children and young people.

Engage in behaviour that is in any way abusive.

Including having any form of sexual contact with a child or young person

Have contact with young people who engage with our charity outside of work conducted by the charity. This includes,

Accepting a friend request from a student on any personal online platform.

Accepting a message (or request) from a student on any personal online platform.

Sharing personal contact details with a young person or requesting personal contact details from them.

Arranging meetings or interactions with a young person in any physical or virtual setting not organised by the charity and approved by the school or the young persons parents/carers.

Act in a way that can be perceived as threatening or intrusive.

Patronise or belittle children and young people.

Make sarcastic, insensitive, derogatory or sexually suggestive comments or gestures to or in front of children and young people.

Take photos or videos on any device other than those approved by the charity and only then if media permission has been given by parents, carers or the school.

Upholding this code of behaviour

You should always follow this code of behaviour and never rely on your reputation or that of our organisation to protect you.

If you have behaved inappropriately, you will be subject to our disciplinary procedures. Depending on the seriousness of the situation, you might be asked to leave Gaming For All. We might also make a report to statutory agencies such as the police and/or the local authority child protection services.

If you become aware of any breaches of this code, you must report them to the child protection and safeguarding lead. If necessary, you should follow our whistleblowing procedure and safeguarding and child protection procedures.

Responding to safeguarding incidents, concerns or disclosures

Where there is a suspected concern of abuse for a child or young person, the following steps should be taken:

Assess the situation and your surroundings. If there is an immediate risk of significant harm emergency services should be notified immediately.

Inform the school group lead that you have a safeguarding concern.

Write down everything you have observed, your concerns and following outcomes.

Ask to speak to the lead Designated Safeguarding Officer for the school.

Follow their safeguarding procedures and assist in any way you can.

Create a report and share with the school and the charity child protection and safeguarding lead.

Where there is a direct disclosure from a child or young person, the following steps should be taken:

Assess your surroundings and ensure you remain in an open environment and never in a 1-2-1 situation with a young person.

Ask the student to explain or describe what they want to disclose.

Actively listen and do not lead the conversation or form conclusions or assumptions.

Remain calm and treat their words seriously.

Reassure the student that sharing information is okay but never promise to keep information confidential.

If this is a concern to the young person reassure them that information will only be shared with the necessary adults (activity lead, designated safeguarding officer, etc)

Write down everything you are told when appropriate.

Report the disclosure to the charity child protection and safeguarding lead and the school group lead.

Ask to speak to the lead Designated Safeguarding Officer for the school.

Follow their safeguarding procedures and assist in any way you can.

Create a report and share with the school and the charity child protection and safeguarding lead.

Contact details

Nominated child protection and safeguarding lead

Name: Kierun Patel

Email: Kierun.patel@gamingforall.org.uk

Investigating safeguarding incidents, concerns or disclosures

Gaming For All takes any concerns raised about staff or volunteers seriously. The nominated child protection and safeguarding lead is responsible for responding, documenting and following up on any and all safeguarding concerns or allegations about anyone working for Gaming For All.

If an allegation is made that a staff member or volunteer has:

Behaved in a way that has harmed, or may have harmed a child.

Possibly committed a criminal offence against, or related to, a child.

Behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children.

Behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children.

We will take the following steps:

The child protection and safeguarding lead will coordinate with the safeguarding leads of one or more of the following,

The school the young person is from.

The university (if the allegation occurred on their premises).

The games company (if the allegation occurred on their premises).

The local authority.

They will assess the allegation and create a full report of the matter. This includes a clear and comprehensive summary of:

All allegations that have been made.

Details of how allegations have been followed up and investigated.

Decisions made about the allegation and actions taken.

Gaming For All will follow any external investigation with an internal review to strengthen safeguarding practices.

Gaming For All disciplinary procedures may be implemented irrespective of the action taken by local agencies.

Legal framework

Our policies have been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England. A summary of the key legislation and guidance is available from nspcc.org.uk/childprotection.