The purpose and scope of this policy statement

 

Autism North East works with children, young people, adults and families as part of its activities. These include:

 

• Assessment of Developmental and Mental Health conditions in children and adults

• Intervention and support for children and adults with neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions.

 

The purpose of this policy statement is:

• to protect children, young people and adults at risk who receive Autism North East’s services. This includes the children of adults who use our services.

• to provide parents, staff and volunteers with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.

 

This policy statement applies to anyone working on behalf of Autism North East, including senior managers and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff and students.

 

Legal framework

 

We believe that:

• children, young people and adults at risk should never experience abuse of any kind

• we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them.

 

We recognise that:

• the welfare of the individual is paramount

• all children, young people and adults at risk, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have a right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse

• some individuals are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues

• working in partnership with children and young people, their parents/carers, adults at risk, their carers and other agencies is essential in promoting an individual’s welfare.

 

We will seek to keep children, young people and adults at risk safe by:

• valuing, listening to and respecting them and having a nominated safeguarding lead

• developing child protection and safeguarding policies and procedures which reflect best practice

• 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

• 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

• recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made

• providing effective management for staff through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures

• ensuring that clinicians are working according to their professional code of conduct

• using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately

• 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

• recording and storing information professionally and securely.

 

Reporting procedures:

• All staff and others working in direct or indirect contact with children or vulnerable adults as part of Autism North East’s activities or as part of the environment where the activities take place must be alert to the signs of abuse. Anyone who suspects that abuse is taking place in this environment or to whom a child or vulnerable adult discloses issues relating to safeguarding should contact the designated safeguarding officer (DSO/director) immediately.

• Disclosure of evidence for concern may occur in a number of ways including a comment made by a child or adult, physical evidence, a change in behaviour or inappropriate behaviour or knowledge.

• It is the responsibility of the DSO/Director to liaise with other relevant agencies where necessary and seek clarification from the relevant unit of the local policy force if there is any concern about the validity of any allegation.

• Any suspicion or allegation of abuse must be recorded by the observer appropriately, which must be kept strictly confidential and stored securely following the data protection procedures.

 

Allegations against employees:

• When any form of complaint is made against an employee it must be taken seriously. The complaint must be reported immediately to the DSO/ Director. If the above is the person against whom a compliant has been made they will be excluded from the processing of the complaint.

• It is not the responsibility of anyone working at Autism North East to decide whether or not abuse has taken place. However, there is a responsibility to act on any concerns with the appropriate authorities. Contact should be made with the relevant professionals such as Social Services and the police as quickly as possible.

 

Disclosure of abuse:

In cases where an individual makes a disclosure of abuse or where there is strong suspicion of abuse, staff must not try to investigate the matter themselves or question the individual for further information. This is a specialist task and is the responsibility of the Social Services Department who works in conjunction with the Police Child Protection Team. Inappropriate questioning, i.e. asking leading questions, can lead to vital evidence being inadmissible in court. It is also essential that where a child's clothing may be used as evidence, it is not tampered with, and that any evidence, such as a child's drawing, is not discarded.  The staff leader must immediately report the concerns/incident to the Duty Social Worker at the Social Services Department who will decide what action to take. In cases where the parents/carers are the alleged abusers, staff/volunteers/ the designated safeguarding officer must not inform parents/carers before reporting it the Duty Social Worker.

 

 

Lead Safeguarding Officer

Name: Dr Lucy Walker Haywood

Phone/email: 07957755746 lucy@autismnortheast.org.uk

 

 

Deputy Safeguarding Officer

Name: Dr Hayley Atkinson

Phone/email  07957755746 hayley@autismnortheast.org.uk

_________________________________________________________________________________

 

Date of policy: 18 February 2026

Next policy review: by 19 February 2027