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Better Breastfeeding

Safeguarding policy

January 2024

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1. Introduction and purpose

This policy sets out how Better Breastfeeding operates to keep adults and children safe from abuse. The policy is about stopping abuse where it is happening and preventing abuse where there is a risk that it may occur.

We are committed to the protection and safety of adults at risk and children whether they are members of our Advocates Network, other volunteers and/or service users providing input to our work. We will take all reasonable action to protect and support those who work with us.

All citizens of the United Kingdom have their rights enshrined within the Human Rights Act 1998. Children’s legislation includes the Children’s Act 1989 and 2004.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. For our safeguarding policy to be effective every Director, committee member, volunteer, or paid worker who supports us, whatever their role, will play their part in keeping people safe.

2. Definitions

Adult at risk

An adult at risk is any person who is aged 18 years or over and at risk of abuse or neglect because of their needs for care and or support (Care Act 2014).

Children and young people are defined as those persons aged under 18 years old.

“Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children” is defined in Working Together 2018 as:

• protecting children from maltreatment
• preventing impairment of children’s health and development
• ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

3. Persons affected by this policy

This policy applies to all directors, committee members, employees, contractors and volunteers and is used to support our work for Better Breastfeeding.

4. Our Policy

• Better Breastfeeding has a zero-tolerance approach to abuse.

• We will take all reasonable action to protect adults at risk and children from abuse, exploitation, radicalisation and mistreatment.

• Better Breastfeeding is committed to promoting wellbeing and harm prevention and to responding effectively if concerns are raised.

• The welfare of the child and/ or adult at risk is paramount and everyone has the right to protection from abuse.

• We are committed to working with appropriate agencies including social services and/or the police as appropriate to ensure the reporting of abuse is in line with local and national requirements.

• We will create an environment where volunteers and staff feel able to raise safeguarding concerns and feel supported with their safeguarding responsibilities.
• Our strategic plan includes a section on safeguarding which is reviewed annually by our directors.
• All volunteers and staff are given an induction to the organisation; which includes awareness of their safeguarding responsibilities and procedures to be followed if they have a safeguarding concern.
• All volunteers and staff are required to report any suspected abuse and be aware of the appropriate reporting and support procedure for safeguarding.
  
  
• All Volunteers and staff must be clear on appropriate behaviour and responses. Any failure to maintain our expected safeguarding standards will be addressed promptly and effectively.

• Where Better Breastfeeding contracts with an organisation or individual to deliver a service for us, we ensure that they are aware of our safeguarding policy and that they either follow our safeguarding procedure or have their own safeguarding procedure that meets at least the same standards we would expect of our staff and volunteers.

• Better Breastfeeding’s complaints policy and procedure is available on our web site. Anyone who is concerned about the behaviour of a member of our workforce or one of our volunteers can raise this through our complaints procedure and this will be taken seriously and investigated.

• Our whistle blowing policy and procedure is available to all staff and volunteers on our Microsoft Teams workspace and all new staff and volunteers are invited to familiarise themselves with this.
  
  
• Hannah Lynes is the designated lead for safeguarding at Better Breastfeeding.
• All volunteers and staff who may come into contact with adults at risk of abuse and/or children and their families as part of their Better Breastfeeding work will be alert to possible signs of abuse and consider whether there may be safeguarding concerns. They will discuss any concerns with the designated safeguarding lead to get appropriate support.

• The designated safeguarding lead for Better Breastfeeding will fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities in a way that ensures that adults and children are safeguarded from harm. The safeguarding lead is responsible for following up and reporting any suspected reports of abuse.
  
  
• This policy will be reviewed annually by the Directors.

5          Guidance for staff and volunteers on recognising signs of abuse

Under the Care Act 2014 the main forms of abuse are divided into the following categories:

• Physical abuse – including assault, hitting, slapping, pushing, misuse of medication, restraint or inappropriate physical sanctions.
• Domestic violence – including psychological, physical, sexual, financial, emotional abuse; so called ‘honour’ based violence.
• Sexual abuse – including rape, indecent exposure, sexual harassment, inappropriate looking or touching, sexual teasing or innuendo, sexual photography, subjection to pornography or witnessing sexual acts, indecent exposure and sexual assault or sexual acts to which the adult has not consented or was pressured into consenting.
• Psychological abuse – including emotional abuse, threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, cyber bullying, isolation or unreasonable and unjustified withdrawal of services or supportive networks.
• Financial or material abuse – including theft, fraud, internet scamming, coercion in relation to an adult’s financial affairs or arrangements, including in connection with wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions, or the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits.
• Modern slavery – slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude. People are bought and sold for sexual exploitation, forced labour, street crime, cannabis cultivation, grooming and pimping, domestic servitude, forced marriage or even the sale of organs and human sacrifice.
• Discriminatory abuse – including forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment; because of race, gender and gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.
• Organisational abuse – including neglect and poor care practice within an institution or specific care setting such as a hospital or care home, for example, or in relation to care provided in one’s own home. This may range from one off incidents to on-going ill-treatment. It can be through neglect or poor professional practice as a result of the structure, policies, processes and practices within an organisation.
• Neglect and acts of omission – including ignoring medical, emotional or physical care needs, failure to provide access to appropriate health, care and support or educational services, the withholding of the necessities of life, such as medication, adequate nutrition and heating
• Self-neglect – this covers a wide range of behaviour neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings and includes behaviour such as hoarding. It involves no other perpetrator.
• Sexual Exploitation – this covers exploitative situations where a person receives ‘something’ as a result of them performing or having performed on them, sexual activities.

Better Breastfeeding works primarily with mothers and babies. Staff and volunteers are therefore asked to familiarise themselves with the following documents:

• NSPCC information sheet on Definitions and signs of child abuse including
  • Physical abuse
  • Neglect
  • Sexual abuse
  • Child sexual exploitation
  • Harmful sexual behaviour
  • Emotional abuse
  • Domestic abuse
  • Bullying and cyberbullying
  • Child trafficking
  • Female genital mutilation
• Home Office guidance on domestic abuse: recognise the signs

Staff and volunteers are expected to familiarise themselves with the following documents if and when their work is likely to bring them in contact with these groups or if they have specific concerns about someone in one of these groups:

• Deaf and disabled children (NSPCC)
• Vulnerable adults (NHS England)
• Children missing from care (National Policy Chiefs’ Council)
• People who may lack capacity due to illness, disability, drugs or alcohol – Mental Capacity Act and Liberty Protection Safeguards (Social Care Institute for Excellence)

If a staff member or volunteer’s work involves engaging with people aged under 18 online, they are expected to familiarise themselves with this information:

• Using social media safely with children and young people (NSPCC)

If a staff member or volunteer’s work involves transporting young people or adults at risk they are expected to familiarise themselves with this information:

• Transporting a child or young person in your car (NSPCC)

Date	Changes made	Review date
2nd November 2022	Policy agreed	2nd November 2023
22nd May 2023	Removed “and procedure” from title as this is a policy and we now have a separate safeguarding procedure.Changed name of designated lead from Ayala Ochert to Hannah Lynes.	22nd May 2024
4th January 2024	Added bullet on contracting with organisations and individualsAdded reference to our strategic planAdded guidance on identifying signs of abuseAdded reference to whistleblowing policy.	4th January 2025