Safeguarding children & young people policy

The purpose of this policy is to set out the council’s approach to safeguarding children and promoting their welfare. It provides a strategic framework for the procedures which the council has adopted to ensure that we deliver on our commitment in a consistent way across the organisation.

Our approach to safeguarding children links to our corporate priorities, which includes ‘Run an effective council’ and ‘Together, create opportunities for our communities’ a to be achieved by

• Working with partners to keep people safe
• Helping to improve and maintain the health and wellbeing of residents

The council has a set of core values. Our values demonstrate what is important to us in our dealings with residents, businesses, partners and employees.

2.1. Our Values

• Collaborative: We work together to get things done.
• Open: We behave with integrity and fairness. 
• Responsible: We take responsibility for our actions and decisions. 
• Excellent: We perform at our best & strive for excellence. 

We will deliver our legal and moral obligations and act at all times within the principles of our corporate values. Our Safeguarding Children & Young People Policy clarifies the responsibilities of our employees, volunteers, contractors and elected Members, as well as the many partners we work with.

This is also reflected within the framework of procedures which have been developed to ensure a consistent and robust approach to safeguarding children.

Our procedures have been developed in line with those of the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (HSCP), of which the council is a partner. On this basis we are responsible for informing Hertfordshire County Council of any concerns about a child’s wellbeing.

2.2. Taking a child-centred approach

The implementation of this policy and related procedures will be based on the principle of a child-centred approach, which means keeping the child in focus when making decisions about their lives and working in partnership with them and their families.

Every child, as each adult, has the right to be involved in the decisions which affect their lives.

To achieve this, we will ensure that:

- The views of children and their families are listened to and taken seriously in service planning and delivery.

- The protection of children, and promotion of their welfare, will be central to our work, whether that work directly or indirectly involves children and families.