Safeguarding Policy

for

PARENT CLOUD LTD

1. Introduction

I. PARENT CLOUD LTD (the Company) is a company run for the following purpose:

Providing remote support and advice to parents via a team of consultants on a broad spectrum of topics and also offering online remote classes and courses for parents and their children.

II. The Company is based at:

28 Lower Green Road,
Esher
KT10 8HD

Company Number: 11797795

III. The Company has adopted this safeguarding children policy and expects every adult working or helping at and on behalf of Parent Cloud LTD to support it and comply with it. Consequently this policy shall apply to all staff, consultants, managers, trustees, directors, volunteers, students or anyone working on behalf of Company.

2. Purpose of the Policy

1. This policy is intended to protect children and young people who receive any service from us, including those who are the children of adults who may receive services from us.

2. The Company believes that no child or young person should experience abuse or harm and are committed to the protection of children and young people and this policy is intended to provide guidance and overarching principles to those who represent us as volunteers or staff, to guide our approach to child protection and safeguarding.

3. The Risks to Children

Nearly every child grows up in a safe and happy environment and it is important not to exaggerate or overestimate the dangers. Nevertheless, there are situations where children need protection including but not limited to:

– Sexual abuse;
– Grooming;
– Physical and emotional abuse and neglect;
– Domestic violence;
– Inappropriate supervision by staff or volunteers;
– Bullying, cyber bullying, acts of violence and aggression within our schools and campuses;
– Victimisation;
– Self-harm;
– Unsafe environments and activities;
– Crime; and
– Exploitation.

4. Universality of Protection

The Company recognises that:

– the welfare of the child is paramount;
– all children regardless of race, gender, religious belief, disability, age, sexual orientation or identity have a right to equal protection from harm;
– some children are more vulnerable to harm as a result of their circumstances, prior experiences, communication needs or level of dependency; and
– working with children, young people, their parents and/or guardians, carers or other agencies is essential to protecting their wellbeing.

5. Safeguarding Children

If, at any time, a consultant or representative of the organisation believe that a child may be in need, or that a child is being harmed or is likely to be, we will refer immediately to local authority children’s social care.

For clarity the definition of a child in need is as follows:

Children are considered to be ‘in need’ under s17 of the Children Act 1989 if:

• they are unlikely to achieve or maintain or to have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining, a satisfactory level of health or development without the provision of services;
• their health or development is likely to be significantly impaired, or further impaired, without the provision of such services; or
• they are disabled.

6. Safeguarding Children during remote Events/Activities

There are three kinds of remote events/activities:

(A). those open to adults and children of all ages;

(B). those for children accompanied by a ‘parent’; and

(C). those for unaccompanied children, which are sometimes run alongside other events/activities (these events are rare).

All events run by Parent Cloud are remote and no representative from the organisation will interact with children face to face. That said, we understand that there may well still be risks and make sure that all consultants and representatives of the organisation have been rigorously vetted. We also make sure to keep all online events secure.

7. Disclosure and Barring

1. The Company offers the following activities for children: While we primarily offer support to Parents on occasion Parents may participate in remote classes and courses with their children including: Music, Yoga, Massage, signing, first aid and others. Parent may also choose to include their children in consultations with specialists on sleep, child behaviour, breastfeeding among others.
2. Some of our activities may therefore require adult participants or adult leaders to undergo DBS and/or police checks under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. The required level of checking (if any) will broadly reflect the degree and frequency of unsupervised access given to other people’s children.
3. The Company will take very seriously any allegation of impropriety on the part of any member of the Company. A member of the Company who discovers anything amiss should get in touch immediately with the following: KAREN TAYLOR
4. Allegations will be appropriately reviewed and the likely risk to children and, if appropriate, will consider banning the member from future events or revoking his or her membership or both, but only in full accordance with the rules and procedures of the Company.

8. Health and Safety Aspects of Safeguarding Children

1. Before starting any remote event for unaccompanied children, the Team will carry out a risk assessment and then take steps to minimise all risks to health and safety. Parents and children will be made aware of any particular risks and of the steps to be taken to minimise those risks.
2. Sufficient adults must be present at any event for unaccompanied children to enable one adult to deal with any emergency while another adult supervises the children not directly affected by the emergency.

9. Prevention of Bullying

We will not tolerate the bullying of children either by adults or by other children. If any incident of child-on-child bullying should arise at a the Company event, those involved will be separated immediately and the parents of the children involved will be asked to deal with the matter. The Team will review all incidents of child-on-child bullying and assess the likely future risk to children. If appropriate, the Team will consider banning a child from future events, but only in full accordance with the rules and procedures of the Company. Allegations of adults bullying children will be dealt with in accordance with this Policy.

10. Photographing Children

No photos will be taken or published of any child attending an event or activity unless prior written permission is sought from a person with parental responsibility. If any person has any concerns regarding any person taking photos at an event or activity, that person should contact the Company immediately.

11. Managing Behaviour & Discipline

1. Unacceptable behaviour at the Company events for unaccompanied children will generally be stopped by separating the children or asking the children to leave the remote event.
2. The Company may apply a further disciplinary sanction; namely the banning of the child from one or more future events over the following 18 months. Any such sanction would be determined and applied by the following officer: KAREN TAYLOR, FOUNDER.
3. A parent who is aggrieved by this ban may appeal to the Company who will hear the views of all relevant persons. The decision of the Company is then final.

12. Other Policies

This safeguarding policy should be read together with the following policies and resources of the Company:

Consultant Business Agreement

Terms & Conditions

Privacy policy

13. Legal Framework

This policy has been drawn up in accordance with all relevant and applicable legislation and guidance available to the Company in the jurisdictions it operates within in the United Kingdom. Chiefly, this policy operates in accordance with the:

– Children Act 1989
– United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
– Children Act 2004
– General Data Protection Regulation
– Data Protection Act 2018

14. Communication

As a consultant with Parent Cloud, if the necessity arises to share information about clients, compliant with our privacy policy, please be conscious that each specialist may be bound by their own and potentially different code of ethics, dictated by their relevant governing body. Please ensure the consultant is open to receiving information prior to sharing.

This Policy is approved and robustly endorsed by PARENT CLOUD LTD and is due for review every 12 MONTHS.

KAREN TAYLOR (FOUNDER)

Reviewed: 14th April 2021