WCH252. Safeguarding Children and Young People from Bullying, Harassment, Exploitation and Other Forms of Social Abuse in Domiciliary Support
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Safeguarding Children and Young People from Bullying, Harassment, Exploitation and Other Forms of Social Abuse in Domiciliary Support (Wales) Policy
Introduction
This policy shows how this domiciliary care service, which provides personal care to children under the age of 18 years in family settings and/or in homes where there are children, deals with social abuse that includes bullying, harassment and exploitation.
The policy reflects {{org_field_name}}’s commitment ensuring that its service users are fully safeguarded from all forms of abuse and potential harm.
The policy aims in respect of acts of bullying, harassment and exploitation:
- to ensure as far as possible that no child service users experience any form of bullying, harassment and exploitation or bully, harass and exploit others in or outside their family setting
- to ensure that this care service acts to stop any bullying as soon as possible after being alerted to the possibility of its occurrence or risks of this happening
- to support any child who is being bullied, harassed or exploited and to enable any perpetrators to receive appropriate intervention
- to inform all staff, children and their families about what {{org_field_name}} does to prevent and act against any bullying, harassment and exploitation.
The policy is in line with:
- the safeguarding standards (26–31) developed under the Regulated Services (Service Providers and Responsible Individuals) (Wales) Regulations 2017
- the Wales Safeguarding Procedures, particularly the section Children and Young People at Risk of Harm.
- Working Together to Safeguard People guidance, which is produced under the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014.
The policy should also link to the policies and procedures of the local safeguarding children’s authorities.
It should be read and used in association with a range of other policies designed to make sure that every young service user is safe from abuse from any source and the risks of their coming to harm are kept to the minimum and well managed.
Related Policies
The key policy is Child Safeguarding in Domiciliary Support (Wales) Policy, which describes {{org_field_name}}’s overall approach to the safeguarding of its young service users and other young people for whom it has a duty of care. This policy describes the safeguarding procedures to be followed in the event of any safeguarding issues, including the different forms of bullying, harassment and exploitation that are covered in this policy. Other related policies are:
- Safeguarding Children in a Service User’s Home
- Online Safety in Domiciliary Care
- Safeguarding Vulnerable Service Users, Particularly Children, Outside of Their Home or Adult Care Home
- Safeguarding Service Users from the Harmful Actions and Behaviour of Peers and Social Contacts.
Definitions of Bullying
All employees of this care service should understand the following.
Bullying involves any unsolicited or unwelcome acts that humiliate, intimidate or undermine the individual involved. It includes social media and cyberbullying. Harassment can take many different forms including stalking. Bullying can lead to financial, social and sexual exploitation, scapegoating and ostracism.
Bullying includes the following.
- Verbal abuse, eg name-calling, saying nasty things to or about a child or their family.
- Physical abuse, eg hitting or pushing a child and physical assault.
- Emotional and social abuse, eg making threats, undermining a child, excluding a child from a friendship group or activities, extorting money and pressuring a child into unsocial or criminal activity.
- Cyberbullying/online bullying, eg:
- excluding a child from online games, activities or friendship groups
- sending threatening, upsetting or abusive messages
- creating and sharing embarrassing or malicious images or videos
- trolling — sending menacing or upsetting messages on social networks, chat rooms or online games
- voting for or against someone in an abusive poll, setting up hate sites or groups about a particular child
- creating fake accounts, hijacking or stealing online identities to embarrass a young person or cause trouble using their name.
- Discriminatory abuse, which can take all of the above forms includes:
- racist abuse: based on racial, ethnic or cultural prejudice
- disablist abuse: based on prejudice against people with any form of disability
- sexist abuse: based on prejudice against someone because of their gender
- sexual abuse: where someone makes unwanted physical contact or makes sexually abusive comments
- homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic abuse: based on prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people.
Reasons for children bullying or being bullied
Care staff should understand the different reasons for bullying and why some children are more vulnerable than others. They include children who:
- feel inferior and insecure and want to feel powerful over someone whom they can dominate, particularly because of their physical appearance, race and ethnicity, faith and culture, sexuality and gender identity and any disabilities
- lead and encourage peer group members to embarrass and scapegoat weaker members or non-members, or to engage in criminal or anti-social behaviour
- want the approval of others and could have been bullied themselves, for example, by controlling parents
- are worried or unhappy and want to take their frustrations out on others
- lack social skills or do not understand how others feel
- are unable to “let go” of thoughts and have obsessive ideas that they act out, which can lead to stalking and harassing behaviour
- lack empathy for other children or lack regard for how they feel.
Effects of Bullying
Care staff could observe any of these forms of abuse, but they should also be aware of the effects bullying, harassment and exploitation can have on a vulnerable child, which also act as indicators that the child is being bullied or is involved in bullying and their wellbeing is suffering. These include the following.
- Physical effects, eg regular complaining of feeling unwell to avoid going to school or take part in social activities, lack of appetite, compensatory eating and other difficulties with eating.
- Emotional effects, eg lack of concentration and achievement, appearing sad, depressed and anxious, expressing lack of confidence and low self-esteem, lacking resilience and independence.
- Behavioural and social effects, eg avoiding specific people or situations, particularly those that were previously enjoyed or valued, becoming increasingly evasive or secretive over use of mobile phone or computer, appearing preoccupied, staying away from home or even running away.
{{org_field_name}} recognises that there are different levels of bullying, harassment and exploitation, which have different effects on a child’s wellbeing, some more harmful and long-term than others.
It also recognises that every child has a right not to be subject to any bullying, harassment and exploitation and that it has a duty of care to act in all situations in which it encounters a child or young person who is subject to or who is vulnerable to bullying, harassment and exploitation.
Policy Statement
- {{org_field_name}} makes the welfare and wellbeing of its child service users paramount. It expects its staff to treat them always with dignity and respect. It has zero tolerance for all forms of abuse and does not tolerate any acts of bullying or harassment of any child by anyone.
- {{org_field_name}} recognises that it must act when any child for whom it is providing a service or in respect of other children for whom they have a duty of care, appears to be bullied, harassed or exploited or who is bullying, harassing and exploiting others.
- {{org_field_name}} expects and trains its staff to be aware of and report any signs and indications that any service user is suffering from any form of bullying, harassment and exploitation so that it can take the appropriate actions to prevent further occurrences.
- Care staff are expected as appropriate to:
– take note of any evidence of a child or children being bullied, harassed or exploited physically or through social media
– discuss any concerns with parents where this can help to alert them to the risks and danger so that they can act accordingly, which could include alerting schools or other agencies to the problem
– listen carefully to the children to find out more about their experience of being bullied, harassed or exploited
– record what children have been saying to them
– report any concern to their manager or service safeguarding lead
– provide the appropriate support to any child/children being bullied or implicated in bullying as victim or perpetrator, which could include providing information about where to seek help, eg by contacting Childline or joining a local support group
– help parents and other family members to understand what might be happening to their child and to become better informed
– continue to check the situation even if a situation has been resolved. - Where appropriate, {{org_field_name}} will attempt to resolve the situation with the parties concerned or to enable resolution by referring to other appropriate sources of help. It will support the victim of bullying as far as it is able in line with its role and responsibilities for the child.
- {{org_field_name}} acknowledge that some service users might also engage in bullying behaviour, which must be addressed as any other bullying issue.
- The priority for {{org_field_name}} is always to keep a victim safe from further bullying and to reduce the bullying behaviour of the perpetrator, particularly if the person is also subject to service provision as might happen if {{org_field_name}} is providing services to different family members.
- Staff who observe or can identify that one of their child service users is being bullied or bullying others, which is resulting in distress and harm to the service user or others, should report the matter to their manager, who can assess the situation with the individuals concerned and their representatives, and decide if a formal safeguarding referral could be necessary.
- {{org_field_name}} will assess in line with its complaints procedure any concerns or formal complaints of a staff member bullying, harassing or intimidating their child service users and instigate its safeguarding and disciplinary procedures, where there is evidence of children being harmed by such behaviour.
- {{org_field_name}} uses supervision to discuss with staff their practice in relation to protecting service users from being bullied or bullying.
- Where there is evidence that a child receiving a service or as a member of the household receiving the service might be suffering significant harm as a result of bullying, harassment and possible exploitation inside or outside the home {{org_field_name}} will immediately alert the local safeguarding children’s team and possibly the police in cases of serious abuse.
Training
Care staff will receive training in recognising all forms of abuse or harm and in carrying out their responsibilities under {{org_field_name}}’s safeguarding policies.
{{org_field_name}}’s anti-bullying and harassment policy and strategy will be included in its induction of new staff providing care to children and families.
All training, including induction training, is in line with the guidance and standards produced by Social Care Wales, the Wales Government and relevant resources from the Children’s Commissioner for Wales.
Training forms part of staff induction programmes and further training in line with their training needs as identified from their supervision, appraisals and policy developments and changes. The training is updated on a regular scheduled basis at least annually.
All staff will receive training to ensure that they are familiar with local safeguarding children’s boards policies and procedures on bullying, harassment and exploitation.
{{org_field_name}} will constantly review its policy on bullying, harassment and exploitation in the light of any experiences it has in having to address these forms of abuse and update its training in line with the outcomes.
Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}
Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}
Next Review Date: {{next_review_date}}
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