Every child deserves to be happy and feel secure and carers and parents need to feel that the people in charge of the facilities and those delivering the activities are trustworthy, responsible and will do everything to keep the vulnerable children or adult safe from harm. Kalma Baby has a duty of care and those that are part of it to safeguard all children, young people and vulnerable adults involved in its classes, services and any activities it provides from harm.

Statement:’Kalma Baby and its teachers fully recognise their responsibilities and is committed to the belief that all children, young people and vulnerable adults have a right to protection.  Kalma Baby and its franchisees/employees will ensure the safety and protection of all children, young people and vulnerable adults through adherence to the appropriate child protection legislation included in the Children’s Act (1989) and the Protection of Children Act (1999), the child protection guidelines introduced by the National Governing Bodies of Sport and Working Together Act (2010).’  We are committed to demonstrating this with the below:

• the welfare of the child is paramount
• no child or group of children must be treated any less favorably than others in being able to access services which meet their particular needs
• all children without exception have the right to protection from abuse regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality or beliefs
• the policy is reviewed, approved and endorsed by the director annually or when legislation changes
• who the policy applies to (ie all trustees, staff and volunteers)
• children and parents are informed of the policy and procedures as appropriate
• all concerns, and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously by trustees, staff and volunteers and responded to appropriately – this may require a referral to children’s social care services, the independent Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for allegations against staff, trustees and other volunteers, and in emergencies, the police
• a commitment to safe recruitment, selection and vetting
• reference to principles, legislation and guidance that underpin the policy
• arrangements for policy and procedures review
• reference to all associated policies and procedures which promote children’s safety and welfare eg with regards to: health and safety, anti-bullying, protection of children online, and photography

Kalma Baby offer services for vulnerable children and all roles within the organisation require a DBS enhanced disclosure application to be completed which will detail spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, final warnings and other relevant non-conviction information held on the Police National Computer.  Along with a safeguarding level 1 certificate renewed in line with guidelines.

All franchisees/employees/licensees are advised that a Disclosure will be carried out in any formal offer of a franchise/licence/employment.  Prior to interview, Kalma Baby prompts discussion of any previous convictions that may be part of the Disclosure.  This confidential dialogue will not be made known to those conducting selection interviews but may be discussed with Head office or Management Team as necessary.  Criminal records will only be taken into account for employment purposes where the conviction is relevant.

Kalma Baby Head Office conduct all DBS applications for Franchisees and Employees (if not one already) and have full access to DBS Disclosures. Information may only be shared between organisations with the consent of the Disclosure applicant.  We are enabled by the legislation to use the Criminal Records Bureau and its Disclosure system to contribute to the assessment of the suitability of franchisees/licensees/employees and existing volunteers to work with and care for children and vulnerable young people.  The Disclosure will form part of the assessment of a person’s suitability and may rule them out regardless of their other skills and talents should the offence(s) be significant and relevant.  The decisions in which Kalma Baby make are in the best interests of children and vulnerable young people.  We will balance the relevance and significance of the offence(s) and the rehabilitation of the offender with the need to keep children and young people safe.

Kalma Baby Policy statement

Kalma Baby complies with the DBS Code of Practice, the rehabilitation Act 1998) and government inter-agency statutory guidance Working together to safeguard children.  We treat all franchisees/licensees/employees and volunteers fairly.  We will not discriminate unfairly against an individual on the basis of a Disclosure of conviction or other information received from the DBS.

Kalma Baby understands and implements the welfare of a child or vulnerable person is essential by a commitment to the below

• No child or group of children must be treated any less favorably than others in being able to access our services which meet their particular needs
• All children without exception have the right to protection from abuse regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality or beliefs and feel safe
• Our policy is reviewed annually or when legislation changes
• Our policy applies to all franchisees/licensees/employees
• Children and parents are informed of the policy and procedures as appropriate
• All concerns, and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously by franchisees/licensees/employees and volunteers.  They are responded to appropriately – this may require a referral to children’s social care services, the independent Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for allegations against franchisees/licenses/employees and other volunteers, and in emergencies, the police
• We are committed to safe recruitment, selection and vetting
• Reference to principles, legislation and guidance that underpin the policy
• A strategy for reviewing policy and procedures
• Reference to all associated policies and procedures which promote children’s safety and welfare eg with regards to: health and safety, anti-bullying, protection of children online, and photography

DBS Disclosures are mandatory for both existing franchisees/licensees/employees and volunteers and new ones.  They must be renewed every two year and a copy must be sent and held at Head Office.

• Kalma Baby committed, in line with our Equal Opportunities policy, to recruiting and retaining franchisees/licencees/employees and volunteers and to their fair treatment regardless of their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, sensory impairment, physical or learning disability or offending background. We recognise the importance of a mix of talent, skills, potential, background, knowledge and experience and wish to recruit and retain on this ethos.  Sport & Activity Professionals wishes to positively welcome a wide range of people who can become role models and support to all children, young people and vulnerable adults.
• Our franchisees/licensees/employees are involved with children and young people, because of this we will be considerate to:
  • The conviction or other matter revealed and if its relevant to the position in question.
  • The seriousness of any offence or other matter occurred.
  • The length of time since the offence or other matter occurred.
  • Whether there is offending behaviour or other relevant matters.
  • Whether circumstances have changed since the offending behaviour or the other relevant matter.
  • Circumstances surrounding the offence and the explanations offered.
• We will ensure that any people involved in making decisions or recommendations on our behalf following a DBS Disclosure are themselves subject to similar vetting and are trained with full knowledge of all the relevant statutory requirements and codes of practice.
• Each offence or matter occurred should be reviewed as an individual case. We will give the opportunity to offer further discuss details on a Disclosure.
• On receipt of Disclosure Certificates with significant and relevant offences, we will review the position cease the contract of employment should this be necessary.
• Kalma Baby will not generally prohibit a member of staff or a volunteer from working with children, young people or vulnerable adults on the basis of a DBS Disclosure without open discussion about the Certificate with that individual. The exception to this will be if additional information is disclosed by the Police, which we are not enabled to share.  In these circumstances we have the right to follow internal disciplinary procedures and if necessary to suspend that person from their work until such time as the issue of additional information has been resolved.
• Kalma Baby will the franchisee/licensee/employee following DBS Disclosure Applications that indicate significant or relevant information. We reserve the right to hold their decision on a case file as a recruitment decision.  Should they wish to continue the process/application Kalma Baby retains the right to hold investigations as we see fit and that are reasonable to do.  This will be in line with disciplinary procedures.
• DBS Disclosures are mandatory for both existing franchisees/licensees/employees and volunteers and new ones. They must be renewed every two year and a copy must be sent and held at Head Office.  We will ensure that the DBS Code of Practice is available to all staff and volunteers.

Procedure for recruitment 

• New franchisee/licensees/employees and volunteers will be asked to complete a DBS Disclosure Application at the time of training.
• A valid photographic I.D such as a valid photo identity card (EU countries only), passport, driving licence, or original birth certificate along with proof of address. These can be in the form of bank or utility bills but need to be within the last 6 month.   The DBS application is completed online and processed. Please refer to DBS Guidance online if none of above available.
• On return of the DBS Disclosure, if the volunteer / staff member has no criminal history listed, the form will be held securely on file for a maximum of 6 months, in line with the company’s Data Protection Policy and the Data Protection Act 1998.If a DBS Disclosure returned lists criminal history then our policy statement will be followed.  The final decision based on the evidence presented in relation to the Criminal Record Disclosure Certificate will be at the discretion of the Kalma Baby.
• A copy of the Disclosure Certificate will be kept securely on file at Head Office.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding children is a prime responsibility of everyone in Kalma Baby none more so than our franchisees/employees/licensees. It’s imperative that you research your local route to social services and how to report your concerns to the local authority.

• All Children deserve the opportunity to achieve their full potential
• All Children have the right to be safeguarded from harm and exploitation whatever their:
• Race, religion, first language or ethnicity
• Gender or sexuality
• Age
• Health or Disability
• Location or Placement
• Any criminal behavior
• Political or immigration status
• Responsibility for protection of children must be shared because children are known to be safeguarded only when all relevant agencies and individuals accept responsibility and co-operate with one another
• Statements about or allegations of abuse or neglect made by children must always be taken seriously.

Any suspected abuse should be reported to the Manager in Charge of the setting or if no Manager is present it should be reported to Social Services.  If you are a Kalma Baby member you should inform Head Office of any reported incidents.  Any verbal reports should be backed up in writing/email within 48 hours.

Referral to Social Services Care-When to refer

This procedure should be followed by all agencies and professionals when they are concerned that a child may be suffering or at risk of suffering, significant harm through abuse or neglect.  Any professional who has concerns about the welfare of a child should always refer her/his concerns to social care services in the Directorate of Children, Young People and Families.  This applies to children living away from home as well as those living with their parents.  It applies whether the concern relates to the actions of the child’s parents, relatives, carers or others.  It also applies when there are concerns about the welfare of an unborn child.

Action’s to take

Discussing and recording concerns

If you have concerns about the welfare of a child, there should always be an opportunity to discuss then with colleagues, managers, a designated or named professional or other agencies – but:

• Never delay action which is necessary for the immediate safety of a child
• Always record the reasons for you concern in writing
• At the close of any discussion always reach clear and explicit agreement about who will take what action or that no action will be taken
• Whether or not further action is taken, always record in writing:
• Any discussions about the child’s welfare and
• Any agreements about possible action

Making the referral

If you remain concerned that a child may be suffering or may be at risk of suffering significant harm, report your concerns to social care services.  Do this on the same working day. Outside of office hours you should contact the Out of Hours Duty Team.  If you have made a telephone referral to social care services you should confirm in writing within 24 hours, giving full information about the child and household and the reasons for your concerns.  When you make the referral you should state clearly the name, address and physical description of the child about whom you are concerned and the reasons for your concerns.  If there is any uncertainty about the identity of the child, you should draw attention to this.  When you contact social care services, you should state clearly:

• What you are concerned about
• Whether your concerns relate to the maltreatment of a child
• How and why your concerns have arisen
• Any relevant information you hold relating to the needs of the child and family and whether you feel
• that urgent action may be necessary to protect the child from harm (information was extracted from
• the link below http://southtynesidescb.proceduresonline.com/chapters/p_referrals.html)

All Kalma Baby teachers are vetted before acquiring training and becoming a brand member.  It is company policy for all Kalma Baby teachers to be able to pass or already hold a fully enhanced DBS and a certificate level two safeguarding.  It is imperative that all Kalma Baby teacher’s that have contact with children on a day to day basis have an essential role to play in detecting indicators of possible abuse and neglect such as:

• Outward signs of physical abuse
• Uncharacteristic behavior patterns
• Failure to develop in the expected ways

If you have concerns that a child in your classes may be experiencing possible abuse or neglect then you must report these concerns to the appropriate agency, usually the social services department. You will need to be aware of possible signs of abuse, neglect and bullying, who you should report your concerns to, the brands child protection policy and procedures.

Our main aims in this are to:

• Establish safe and healthy environments for children
• Ensure we practice safe recruitment in checking suitability of licensees/franchisees/employees
• Raise awareness of safeguarding issues and understanding of procedures
• Develop and implement procedures for reporting and identify cases of suspected cases of abuse
• Support those who have been abused in accordance with the agreed safe guarding policy and recognising the person is potentially at risk and that their safety is paramount