Safeguarding Policy
ADHD Services Group
Safeguarding Policy
Last Updated JULY 2025
Safeguarding Policy (Ireland, Northern Ireland and wider UK)
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Putting children first is at the heart of everything we do at ADHD Services Group. We believe that children and young people have the right to be safe and free from abuse of any kind and we recognise our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children and young people, by a commitment to practice which protects them.
1.2 We believe that:
• The welfare of the child/young person is always paramount.
• All children and young people have an equal right to protection from abuse, regardless of their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity.
• Interagency collaborative working with schools/academies/other educational settings, parents/carers and other key agencies is an important factor of promoting the welfare and safeguarding of all children and young people.
2 PURPOSE
2.1 ADHD Services Group provides specialist services to schools, academic settings and local authorities; in doing so this brings us into daily contact with children, young people and their families. Therefore, our employees are well placed to observe the outward signs of abuse and neglect and can ensure support is available for those who may have been abused, neglected or are considered to be at risk of significant harm.
2.2 The purpose of this policy is:
• To provide protection to children and young people receiving a service from ADHD Services Group.
• To provide employees with procedures for identifying and reporting cases, or suspected cases, of actual abuse or neglect, or where a child or young person is at risk of significant harm.
• To ensure that all adults employed by ADHD Services Group are working together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.
• To inform schools, settings, colleges, Local Authorities - and any other commissioner of services, of the policies, processes and subsequent working practices undertaken by all staff at ADHD Services Group to promote and protect the well-being of children and safeguard and prevent them from harm.
3 IMPLEMENTATION
3.1 The Children Act 1989 provides the framework for the care and protection of children up until their 18th birthday. It defines parental responsibility and encourages partnership working with parents. The Children Act 2004 supplements the 1989 Act and strengthens the duty placed on all organisations working with children to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The Education Act 2002 further reinforces this duty.
ADHD Services Group will have full regard to the statutory guidance set out in HM Government’s ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (2015) and the DfE ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (2016) document. In doing so, will work in partnership with other organisations (where appropriate) to identify any concerns about child welfare and take timely action to address them.
3.2 The Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015, places a duty on all schools and specified public facing bodies in the exercise of their functions, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn in to terrorism”. ADHD Services Group recognises this as part of its wider safeguarding duties and the parallels/similarities in nature to protecting children from other forms of harm and abuse.
3.3 Female genital mutilation is illegal in England and Wales under the FGM Act 2003 (as amended by the Serious Crime Act 2015). It is a form of child abuse and violence against women which comprises of procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. This Act places a duty on all teachers and professionals to report to the police if they suspect a child under the age of 18 is at risk of or has undergone female genital mutilation. ADHD Services Group recognises the importance of reporting suspicion of this practice without delay.
3.4 ADHD Services Group aim to create and maintain a safe environment where all children and adults feel safe, secure and valued and know they will be listened to and taken seriously. ADHD Services Group is committed to implementing policies, practices and procedures which promote safeguarding and the emotional and physical well-being of children, young people and staff.
3.5 Where it is deemed appropriate by the customer, ADHD Services Group employees will contribute to Early Help assessments. This may be where their work brings them in to contact with children and families who would benefit from co-ordinated support from more than one agency.
3.6 In seeking to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people, ADHD Services Group will:
• Put children first by valuing, listening to and respecting them;
• Adopt child protection procedures and safer working practices policy for all employees;
• Develop effective management systems and arrangements that will create and maintain a safe learning environment for all our children, young people and employees;
• Support the prevention of abuse through the teaching and sharing of information about child protection and safe practice with children, young people and their families;
• Ensure that all recruitment and selection processes adhere to the guidance contained in DfE ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (2016).
3.7 Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people goes beyond implementing basic child protection procedures. It is an integral part of all activities and functions of ADHD Services Group. This policy complements and supports other relevant ADHD Services Group policies and procedures.
3.8 This policy will be reviewed annually and in the month of July by the ADHD Services Group Leadership Team.
4 FURTHER GUIDANCE
4.1 Further guidance can be found in the following documents:
Ireland:
Child Protection in Schools
Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults
Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons at Risk
UK
DfE, Keeping children safe in education’ (2025)
HM Government, What To Do If You’re Worried A Child Is Being Abused (2015)
HM Government, Information Sharing: Advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers (2015)
DfE, The Prevent duty (2015)
Home Office, Mandatory Reporting of Female Genital Mutilation – procedural information (2015).