Child safeguarding - mission and expectations

Mission

Wye Valley NHS Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, both as service users and visitors to Trust premises. Wye Valley NHS Trust also acknowledges the importance of working with partner agencies to ensure that children have safe, healthy and happy childhoods, with the necessary support which will help them to prepare for adult life. The Trust recognises that safeguarding children is everybody’s business.

Expectations

Children, Young people and their families receive high quality services, responsive to needs, in a timely and safe manner whether in hospital, the community or within the family home.

All staff working within Wye Valley NHS Trust, should be aware of the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, their responsibilities in recognising children who may be at risk of suffering harm or those in need of protection and how to respond to those concerns. All staff with the Trust have a key role to play in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of unborn babies, children and young people.

Services that provide predominantly adult focused care must also be aware of the impact that family stress and the needs of parents / carers may have on any children associated with the family.

All Staff attend mandatory safeguarding children training. Training is a priority area for the Trust and this is regularly reviewed to assess progress. Regular reports are made to the Trust Board. The Trust has a robust training strategy in place in line with the RCPCH Guidelines 2019.

The Trust recognises that the safeguarding children agenda is a dynamic process requiring a constant review of practice and policy in relation to the well-being of children and young people.

The Trust recognises that safeguarding children work can be emotionally demanding and is committed to providing support and supervision to staff.

The Trust has effective safeguarding children governance arrangements in place led by a designated board level director, the Chief Nursing Officer.