STEMPOINT is an educational charity that promotes Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to young people in the East of England and beyond.

Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy

1. Introduction and Commitment

STEMPOINT is committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment for all individuals participating in our programs, events, and activities. We are dedicated to safeguarding the well-being and safety of all our beneficiaries, staff, volunteers, and stakeholders. This safeguarding policy outlines our commitment and approach to preventing and addressing any form of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or harassment.
 
2. Scope

This safeguarding policy applies to all individuals involved with STEMPOINT, including but not limited to employees, volunteers, contractors, beneficiaries, and visitors. It covers all our programs, events, online interactions, and any other activities conducted under the auspices of the charity.
 
3. Definitions

For the purpose of this policy, the following definitions apply:
Abuse: Any form of physical, emotional, sexual, or psychological harm inflicted on an individual, including neglect or maltreatment.
Exploitation: Taking advantage of an individual's vulnerability or power imbalance for personal, financial, or any other gain.
Harassment: Unwanted conduct, including verbal, non-verbal, or physical behaviour that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment.
Vulnerable individual: Any person, regardless of age, who may be at risk of harm due to their age, disability, gender, race, religion, or any other characteristic that makes them susceptible to abuse, exploitation, or harassment.
 
4. Roles and Responsibilities

4.1 Trustees and Management: The trustees and management team of STEMPOINT are responsible for ensuring the implementation and effectiveness of this safeguarding policy. They will provide the necessary resources and support to create a safe environment.
4.2 Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Deputy: Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Deputy: Responsible for overseeing the implementation of this policy, providing training, and acting as the main point of contact for safeguarding concerns and incidents. (see page 5 for contact details).
4.3 Staff and Volunteers: All staff and volunteers are required to familiarise themselves with this policy, adhere to its guidelines, and report any safeguarding concerns to the Safeguarding Lead. This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of STEMPOINT, including senior managers and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff and students.
4.4 STEM Ambassadors acting as Volunteers through the STEM Ambassador scheme are working on behalf of STEM Learning who have been inducted through STEM Learning. For further info on STEM Learning Safeguarding please CLICK HERE
STEMPOINT staff will always follow an event institution's own safeguarding policy where ours does not cover a specific situation. This would often take part in the institutions own grounds i.e. a school setting.
4.5 Risk Assessment: At STEMPOINT, we recognise the importance of conducting thorough risk assessments to identify potential safeguarding risks and vulnerabilities within our organisation and the activities we undertake. STEMPOINT will review external institutions Risk Assessment and
familiarise themselves with the DSL prior to attendance. In addition, STEMPOINT will complete individual Risk Assessments for all planned events.
4.6 Beneficiaries and Stakeholders: All beneficiaries and stakeholders are encouraged to report any safeguarding concerns they may have to the Safeguarding Lead.

5. Recruitment and Vetting

STEMPOINT will implement robust recruitment and vetting procedures for all staff and volunteers working with vulnerable individuals. This includes conducting background checks, obtaining references, and verifying qualifications where necessary. A DBS will be provided through STEM Learning for all STEM Ambassadors working with STEMPOINT via their induction route.

6. Code of Conduct

All individuals involved with STEMPOINT are expected to adhere to a code of conduct that promotes respect, kindness, and appropriate behaviour. This includes maintaining professional boundaries, avoiding any form of abuse or harassment, and treating all individuals with dignity and respect.

7. Training and Awareness

All staff and volunteers will receive appropriate training on safeguarding practices, recognising signs of abuse, reporting procedures, and how to respond to safeguarding concerns. Training will be regularly updated to ensure its relevance and effectiveness.

8. Reporting Procedures

If any individual has a safeguarding concern or suspects abuse, exploitation, harassment, or neglect, they must report it immediately to the DSL by providing a Safeguarding Log of Concern Form v1. All reports will be treated with the utmost confidentiality, and no individual will face retaliation for making a report in good faith.

9. Responding to Incidents

STEMPOINT will respond promptly and appropriately to all safeguarding concerns or incidents. This includes conducting thorough investigations, providing support to victims, taking appropriate disciplinary actions against perpetrators, and cooperating with relevant external authorities if required.

10. Monitoring Safeguarding Practices

At STEMPOINT, we are committed to creating a safe and secure environment for all our beneficiaries, staff, volunteers, and stakeholders. This Monitoring section outlines the processes and
procedures we have established to ensure the effective implementation of safeguarding measures and the ongoing assessment of our safeguarding practices:
10.1 Safeguarding Indicators: We have identified specific safeguarding indicators that will help us monitor the effectiveness of our safeguarding measures. These indicators include but are not limited to the number of safeguarding incidents reported, the response time to incidents, and the percentage of staff and volunteers who have completed safeguarding training.
10.2. Incident Reporting and Recording: All safeguarding incidents, concerns, and complaints will be promptly reported and recorded using our Safeguarding Log of Concern Form. This form captures essential information, including the date, time, location, and nature of the incident, as well as the individuals involved and any witnesses. All reports will be treated with utmost confidentiality and handled by our designated Safeguarding Lead.
10.3 Regular Safeguarding Reviews: We conduct comprehensive safeguarding reviews annually, led by our Safeguarding Team (DSL, Deputy, Board Member) . These reviews evaluate the effectiveness
of our safeguarding policies, procedures, and training programs. The findings from these reviews will be shared with the Board of Trustees and senior management.
10.4 Feedback Mechanisms: We encourage open communication and value feedback from all stakeholders regarding our safeguarding practices. Beneficiaries, staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders can provide feedback through various channels, including through the designated Safeguarding Lead’s email address. Feedback will be regularly reviewed by our Safeguarding Lead and used to make necessary improvements.
10.5 Training Records: We maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all staff and Workshop Leaders who have completed safeguarding training. Training records include details such as the type of training attended, dates, and any refresher courses completed. These records help ensure that all individuals involved with STEMPOINT are adequately trained to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns. Training records are facilitated and stored within our online programme, iHASCO.
10.6 Compliance Checks: We conduct regular compliance checks to ensure that our safeguarding
practices align with relevant laws, regulations, and best practices. These checks involve internal
audits to assess adherence to safeguarding policies and procedures.
10.7 Roles and Responsibilities: Our Safeguarding Lead, in coordination with the Safeguarding
Trustee, is responsible for overseeing the monitoring and evaluation of our safeguarding practices.
The Safeguarding Lead reports its findings and recommendations to the Board of Trustees.
10.8 Continuous Improvement: We believe in fostering a culture of continuous improvement in our safeguarding practices. Lessons learned from monitoring activities, reviews, and feedback will be used to implement necessary improvements and enhance our overall safeguarding approach.

11. Review

This safeguarding policy will be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure its effectiveness.
Monitoring mechanisms will be in place to assess compliance, address emerging risks, and solicit feedback from beneficiaries, staff, and stakeholders.

12. Data Protection

Our designated Data Protection Officer is responsible for overseeing data protection compliance and handling any data protection-related queries or concerns.

13. Conclusion

STEMPOINT is committed to maintaining the highest standards of safeguarding. By following this policy and working together, we can create a safe environment where everyone can thrive and reach their full potential.
 
14. STEMPOINT seek to keep children and young people safe by:

valuing, listening to and respecting them
appointing a nominated child protection lead for children and young people and a lead trustee/board member for safeguarding
adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers
developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related procedure
providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures so that all staff and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures and behaviour codes confidently and competently
recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made
recording, storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance [more information about this is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk/for-organisations]
making sure that children, young people and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern
using our safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately
using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately
creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying that does arise
ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place
ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance
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.

15. Local safeguarding partners:

If the concern happens within a school setting, the incident should be reported immediately to the school’s DSL only.
If the concern happens at an external event, details of the event’s DSL should have been provided on RA/event information (which needs to be checked ahead of the event as part of our own RA)
If the concern happens at a STEMPOINT-organised event, use the Safeguarding Log of concern form v1 to report to STEMPOINT’s DSL immediately. 
 
Contact details:

Nominated Child Protection lead
Name: Helen Spencer
Phone/email: +44 (0) 1438 419 458 h.spencer@stempoint.org.uk

Trustee/Senior Lead for Safeguarding and Child Protection
Name: Ian Hawkins
Phone/email: head@richardhale.herts.sch.uk

Child Protection Deputy:
Name: Elena Evryviades
Phone/email: +44 (0) 1438 419 453 e.evryviades@stempoint.org.uk

NSPCC Helpline
0808 800 5000

We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually.

This policy was last reviewed on:
20th July 2023