Safeguarding

At Fullerton House School we work hard to provide a safe and effective service. This includes the need to achieve, maintain and promote a culture of openness, honesty and awareness throughout the organisation and with everyone who is involved with Hesley Group services. We enable individuals to speak out if they have concerns, and to be reassured that they will be supported through the process and not victimised.

We are committed to providing safe and effective services that:

• Prevent harm
• Identify and manage risk
• Support people based on their individual needs
 
The children and young people we support may be especially at risk due to a range of factors, for example:

• Difficulty understanding the possible consequences of their own actions or those of other people
• Struggling to express feelings of fear or concern
• Understanding motives
• Concepts of what constitutes risk

People’s plans are person-centred or child-centred and our staff are trained and supported to deliver these plans. We provide support to individuals to enable and empower them to express concerns or fears for example in the form of individual communication plans and safeguarding and complaints tools.

We aim to ensure that all staff are safely recruited and properly trained, supervised and managed, with an active induction that emphasises our 'zero tolerance' of abuse and neglect right from the outset.

Each member of staff is provided with written guidance on safeguarding children and young people, This outlines the types of abuse, why people may be at risk and the signs to look out for. The staff guidance explains exactly what behaviour is expected from all staff and outlines their responsibilities in reporting any issues of concern. It clearly states the consequences for them should they engage in abusive practice or if they do not  report suspected abuse. 

Hesley Group provides training and support to staff right at the outset to observe for signs of poor or abusive practice and report these. We have developed policy and guidance that supports everyone delivering a service to provide safe and effective services. A copy of Fullerton House School's policy is available here, Wheatley House Children's Home's Policy is available here. A copy of Fullerton House School's Safeguarding Procedures can be found here, Wheatley House Children's Home's Procedures are available here.
 
In the event of poor practice or abuse being suspected staff are expected and supported to report immediately through our Whistleblowing and Safeguarding policies and guidance. Allegations are reported by managers using agreed local safeguarding procedures, which includes informing the regulatory body (OFSTED and work positively  with multiple agencies as a part of this process.

Key policies and guidance about safeguarding are available on request. Hesley Group's Quality Team develops policy and best practice guidance and assesses our compliance with national standards, including with respect to keeping people safe.