Safeguarding Policy

Safeguarding Policy

Food etc’s vision is that disadvantaged people across Bedfordshire will shop, cook, and eat more healthily and cheaply by preparing more of their meals from scratch, rather than relying on takeaways or highly processed food. To achieve this vision, Food etc delivers cookery courses across Bedford to educate people about ways that they could feed themselves and their families more healthily and cost-effectively.

Food etc believes that children and vulnerable adults have a right to:

live a life that is free from violence, fear, and abuse of any kind, including neglect
be protected from harm and exploitation
independence which may involve a degree of risk

Food etc is therefore committed to ensuring that children and vulnerable adults who use its services do so in a safe environment and protected from abuse whilst participating in our activities.

The purpose of this policy statement is therefore:

to protect children and young people who receive Food etc’s services from harm and abuse
to provide staff and volunteers with working practices which minimise the risk of such abuse

This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of Food etc, including the board of directors, paid staff and volunteers.

Legal framework

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England and also the updated CASPAR briefing (December 2023) Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023: summary of changes.

A summary of the key legislation and guidance is available from nspcc.org.uk

Food etc is committed to:

safeguarding and promoting the independence, wellbeing and safety of people with care and support needs
raising public awareness of safeguarding
promoting work on the prevention of abuse
tackling abuse in all settings
ensuring that all staff and volunteers understand their roles and responsibilities in respect of safeguarding
involving people who access services and carers in continual service improvements
applying learning from serious case reviews
ensuring that staff and volunteers are provided with appropriate training in safeguarding

Food etc will seek to keep children and young people and vulnerable adults safe by:

valuing, listening to and respecting them
appointing a nominated child protection lead for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults
ensuring people accessing services receive information about how to raise concerns if they suspect or experience abuse in all its forms including neglect
empowering individuals with knowledge and understanding so that they will be aware of what is appropriate or inappropriate behaviour towards them
enabling staff and volunteers to recognise poor practice, or abuse, and respond appropriately
raising awareness of how staff and volunteers can enable people to acknowledge they may be at risk of abuse, and signpost them to effective support
recognising that children may also be at risk when working with families and adults with care and support needs.
Implementing effective safeguarding systems where;
- The child’s and adult at risk of harm’s needs are paramount: and staff, volunteers and trustees use their professional judgement to put the person’s needs at the heart of the safeguarding system so that the right solution can be found for each individual
- Safeguarding for adults is person-led and outcome focused, engaging the adult at risk in a conversation about how best to respond to their safeguarding situation. Issues of capacity, consent and decision making is taken into account.

ensuring rigorous recruitment and selection practice, and adhere to pre appointment checking requirements e.g. references will always be taken up and the Disclosure and Barring process followed where appropriate
ensuring clear service standards are maintained and where relevant, that staff and volunteers receive clear operational guidance and appropriate training
using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately
ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place
building a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns
providing a safe physical environment for children, young people, vulnerable adults and colleagues by applying health and safety measures set out in law and regulatory guidance
recording and storing information professionally and securely

Responding to child protection concern

If staff are concerned about the safety or welfare of a child, they are expected to:

listen carefully to the child, reflecting back the concern
be non-judgmental
Avoid using any leading questions; only prompting the child where necessary, with open questions to clarify information. For example, who, what, where, when or Tell, Explain, Describe (TED)
not promise confidentiality as concerns will have to be shared further, for example, with the nominated individual and potentially Local Safeguarding partners – Integrated Front Door at Bedford Borough and/or Central Bedfordshire Council.
be clear about boundaries and how the report will be progressed
record the concern using the facts, for example, words the child uses or recording the location of any marks using a body map, in line with our record keeping requirements
inform the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), as soon as practically possible.

All volunteers and staff are made aware that early information sharing is vital for the effective identification, assessment, and allocation of appropriate service provision, whether this is when problems first emerge, or where a child is already known to other agencies. Staff will not assume a colleague, or another professional will act and share information that might be critical in keeping children safe and will bring their concern to the Designated Safeguarding Lead as a matter of urgency. Wherever possible this should be in writing, unless to do so would cause a delay that could result in the safeguarding or child protection issue worsening.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

Name: Elke Rockey

Phone/email: 07786980800 elker@foodetc.org.uk

The nominated person should be notified immediately by any staff or volunteers who have concerns about a vulnerable person if:

abuse, maltreatment or neglect are occurring or suspected of occurring
someone has behaved towards a vulnerable person in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm

The DSL will provide advice and support to staff or volunteers unsure about how to proceed with a particular case, and take line management responsibility for the safe delivery, quality and effectiveness of Food etc’s services.

The DSL is responsible for ensuring Food Etc is aware of developments in safeguarding best practice, advising on changes to policy and practice (in line with Local Safeguarding Board policies) and coordinating safeguarding audits and reporting.

One of Food etc’s Directors is nominated to take leadership responsibility for the organisation’s safeguarding arrangements. This includes ensuring that staff have sufficient time, funding, supervision, and support to fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities effectively.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is responsible for:

providing support and advice to colleagues on safeguarding matters relating to children and vulnerable adults
ensuring that all colleagues have up to date training on child protection and safeguarding
maintaining an overview of safeguarding issues and monitoring the implementation of this policy, in conjunction with the other directors
deciding whether to refer reported matters to the police or local authority social care services. Where possible, referrals should be made the same working day or within 24 hours
following any serious safeguarding incident, the Safeguarding Lead and directors will review what happened and identify any learning to improve practice in future.

NSPCC Child Protection Helpline (24 hours):

To report or discuss concerns about a child’s welfare. Tel: 0808 800 5000 or textphone: 0800 056 0566 or email: help@nspcc.org.uk

All colleagues have a responsibility to:

dial 999 for the police If someone is at immediate risk of harm
contact the relevant agencies to report a concern or get advice (please see table below)
ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults with whom they work

promote good practice, minimise and manage potential risks
follow the guidance in this policy and report any and all safeguarding concerns using the correct procedure
if a colleague suspects that a child or vulnerable adult is being harmed by experiencing, or already has experienced, abuse or neglect and/or is likely to suffer harm in the future, they must report it to the Safeguarding Lead at the earliest opportunity

Supporting and supervising colleagues

Food etc will provide supervision and support for colleagues in their work with children and vulnerable adults, and for areas directly linked to the content of our programmes.

Allegations made against staff or volunteers

An allegation may relate to a person who works with vulnerable people who has:

behaved in a way that has harmed, or may have harmed a vulnerable person
behaved towards a vulnerable person in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm

Food etc recognises its duty to report concerns or allegations against its colleagues within the organisation or by a professional from another organisation.

The process for raising and dealing with allegations is as follows:

any staff or volunteers are required to report any concerns or suspicions of abuse, harm or neglect in the first instance to the DSL and the relevant local authority should be informed within one working day of all allegations (by contacting the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).
the local authority will provide advice and guidance on how to deal with the allegations and will also ensure that there are appropriate arrangements in place to effectively liaise with the police and other agencies
a written record of the concern will be completed and reviewed by the company directors
concerns will be investigated to conclusion.

If Food etc removes an individual (paid worker or unpaid volunteer) from work (or would have, had the person not left first) because the person poses a risk of harm to children, the organisation must make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service. It is an offence to fail to make a referral without good reason.

Information sharing

Food etc will co-operate in the sharing of appropriate information based on the principles defined below:

information will be shared on a need to know basis when it is in the best interest of the individual and especially to protect people with care and support needs.
confidentiality must not be confused with secrecy
informed consent must be obtained, but if this is not possible and others are at risk, it may be necessary to override the requirement
it is inappropriate to give absolute confidentiality in cases where there are concerns about abuse, particularly when other people may be at risk or there is a legal duty to report criminal activity
any exchange of information must be in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, the Human Rights Act 1998, and Caldicott Principles

Food etc will keep secure records of any work undertaken under this policy including all concerns received and all referrals made, and the responses made to these concerns and referrals. We will keep a record of the decision – whether it is to share information or not – and the reasons for it. If we decide to share, then we will record what we have shared, with whom and for what purpose.

Being alert to signs of abuse and neglect and taking action

All staff and volunteers should be alert to the signs and triggers of abuse, maltreatment, neglect and harm. The impact of harm on a person is what is important, not who did it or what the intent was. Our aim is to protect people from abuse and avoidable harm, whether deliberate or not.

Abuse is behaviour towards a person that either deliberately or unknowingly, causes him or her harm or endangers their life or their human or civil rights. Abuse can take place in any setting, public or private, and can be perpetuated by anyone. Abuse includes physical, sexual, psychological, financial, discriminatory abuse, organisational, modern slavery, domestic abuse, self-neglect and acts of neglect and omission.

Food etc will ensure all staff and volunteers are aware of;

the signs of abuse and neglect
how to handle a disclosure
through induction, training, and supervision

The seriousness or extent of abuse is often not clear when anxiety is first expressed. If a member of staff or volunteer is in any way concerned, they should raise their concerns with Julie Clay.

Related policies and procedures

This policy statement should be read alongside our organisational policies and procedures, including:

Accident and near miss reporting policy
Social media, internet and email policy
Volunteering policy, and
Whistleblowing policy

Policy Review

This policy was approved by Food etc’s Board of Directors on 8 December 2025

The policy will be reviewed at a formal CIC meeting a year after development and then every three years, or in the following circumstances:
- Changes in legislation and/or government guidance
As a result of any other significant change or event
This policy was last reviewed on 8 December 2025

Signed: ………Julie Clay……………………

Date: ………8 December 2025…………