Safeguarding Children and Volunteering at Homerton
Volunteers - Safeguarding Children is your responsibility too
Our children's safeguarding team is responsible for ensuring every staff member and volunteer plays their part in protecting vulnerable children they come into contact with at the Homerton.
An explanation of this type of safeguarding and your responsibilities as a volunteer are set out below.
Safeguarding means
- protecting children from abuse or neglect
- preventing impairment of their health and development
- ensuring they grow up in circumstances which allows the provision of safe and effective care
- allowing them to achieve the best chances in life as a child and to enter adulthood successfully.
What is expected of you
You need to be able to recognise child abuse. Signs of child abuse may be:
- physical e.g. unexplained burns, scalds, bruising, repeat minor injuries or attendances at A&E, Female Genital Mutilation
- emotional e.g. an aggressive, withdrawn or clingy child
- neglect e.g. unkempt, lack of adult supervision
- sexual - difficult to recognise and may be part of a pattern of neglect, physical or emotional abuse
The above are examples only - there are other types of abuse.
If you suspect any of the above you should Inform your line manager or the manager of the department that you are volunteering in.
Get advice - speak to someone in the Safeguarding Children Team on: 020 8510 5750 or 0207 683 4288.
The Trust Safeguarding Children Policies and Procedures are available on the Intranet and in the volunteering office – please read them.