ABOUT

MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is to support and ‘raise the bar’ for the younger members of our community in Medway, to improve outcomes, irrespective of their background or starting point.

OUR VALUES

To support members of the community of Medway to improve outcomes, irrespective of their background or starting point

Child Focused

The needs, views and wishes of children and young people are central to our work. We take into account and represent the lived experience of the people we support.

Respected

Every member of our community is respected and valued. Every member of our community receives tailored support to achieve their full potential.

Safe

We take every possible step to keep everyone safe. We have strong systems in place to identify hazards and manage them. We are alert to children and young people who may need extra help to be safe and work with our partners to support families in need.

Accountable

We are confident in our work and will showcase what we do in an open and transparent way. We celebrate all successes, big and small together. We are always learning; when things don’t go to plan, we recognise that something has gone wrong and work as a community to learn lessons.

Community

Raising Youth is a community; all of our colleagues, children and young people, their families and partners are part of the community and have a say in how we work. Every member of our community is important and respected. We work collaboratively to improve the lives and outcomes of families in Medway.

SAFEGUARDING

Raising Youth is a community and all those directly connected (staff, trustees, parents/carers, families and children) have an essential role to play in making it safe and secure.

Staff at Raising Youth recognise their moral and statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of  all children.

The charity recognises the importance of providing an ethos and environment that will help children to feel safe, secure and respected; encourage them to talk openly; and enable them to feel confident that they will be listened to. We are alert to the signs of abuse and neglect and follow our procedures to ensure that children receive effective support, protection and justice.

OUR CORE SAFEGUARDING PRINCIPLES ARE:

It is everyone's responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children as it is a paramount concern within our community
• All children (defined as those up to the age of 18) regardless of age, gender, ability, culture, race, language, religion or sexual identity, have equal rights to protection
• All children have a right to be heard and to have their wishes and feelings taken into account
• All staff understand safe professional practice and adhere to our code of conduct and other associated policies
• All staff have a responsibility to recognise vulnerability in children and act on any concern in accordance with this guidance

THE DESIGNATED SAFEGUARDING LEAD FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

The charity has appointed Callum Thomas as the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and the Prevent Lead. The DSL has the overall responsibility for the day-to-day oversight of safeguarding and child protection systems.

The DSL will undergo appropriate and specific training to provide them with the knowledge and skills required to carry out their role.

The charity has appointed additional staff to deputise for the DSL. The role of the deputy DSL is to take responsibility for the day-to-day oversight when the DSL is not present. Peter Fleet has been appointed as Deputy DSL.

The Deputy DSLs has attended appropriate training which enables them to fulfil this role. Whilst the activities of the designated safeguarding lead may be delegated to the deputy, the ultimate lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection remains with the designated safeguarding lead and this responsibility will not be delegated.

Report a Concern

Anyone can contact the Designated Safeguarding Concern to raise a concern about a child/family we are working with or a concern about a colleague's behaviour. The DSL can be contacted via the following means:

CALL/TEXT: 07903 560 200