Arty Moose is committed to building a ‘culture of safety’ in which the children in our care are protected from abuse, harm and radicalisation. 

Arty Moose staff will respond promptly and appropriately to all incidents or concerns regarding the safety of a child that may occur. Arty Moose’s child protection procedures comply with all relevant legislation and with guidance issued by the NSPCC.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for Arty Moose is Gillian Rough.

The purpose of this policy is: 

• to protect children and young people who receive Arty Moose services
• to provide parents, staff and volunteers with the principles that guide our approach to child protection

This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of Arty Moose, including owners, paid staff, volunteers, and students.

Legal framework

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

We believe that:

• children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind 
• 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

We recognise that: 

• the welfare of the child is paramount
• all children, regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have a right to equal 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 
• working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare 

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

• valuing, listening to and respecting them 
• appointing a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for children and young people
• 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
• recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made 
• recording and storing information professionally and securely 
• sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children, their families, staff and volunteers
• using our safeguarding 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
• creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying that does arise
• ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place 
• ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance

This policy was reviewed and readopted by Arty Moose date: 11-07-23

The policy will be reviewed on 11-07-24

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL):
Gillian Rough (Owner of Arty Moose) 
gillian@artymoose.com

NSPCC Helpline 0808 800 5000