Immediate Safeguarding Concern?
If a young person is at immediate risk of harm, contact the emergency services or your local authority's children's social care teamwithout delay.
1. Our Commitment
Care Comes First believes that every young person has the right to live free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. We are committed to creating and maintaining a safe and supportive environment for all young people in our care.
This safeguarding policy applies to all staff, volunteers, contractors, and anyone working on behalf of Care Comes First. It is reviewed annually or following any significant safeguarding incident.
Our safeguarding practice is guided by the following legislation and guidance:
Children Act 1989 and 2004
Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023)
The Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015
Keeping Children Safe in Education (2023) where applicable
The Care Act 2014
2. Scope of This Policy
This policy applies to all young people residing in our homes and covers all staff and individuals who work with or alongside those young people. It applies at all times, including during activities, outings, and any digital or online interactions.
Care Comes First operates specialist residential provision for young people aged 8 to 17 years with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD), challenging behaviour, and sensory impairment needs.
3. Key Principles
Our safeguarding practice is underpinned by the following principles:
The welfare of the child is paramount. All decisions and actions will be guided by what is in the best interests of the young person.
All young people have the right to be protected from harm. This is non-negotiable, regardless of background, identity, or circumstance.
Everyone has a responsibility to act. Safeguarding is not solely the responsibility of the Designated Safeguarding Lead. All staff are required to be vigilant and to report concerns promptly.
Young people's voices matter. We actively listen to and believe young people, and we work to empower them to speak up about concerns.
Partnership is essential. We work collaboratively with local authorities, social workers, families, and other agencies to ensure holistic protection and support.
4. Roles and Responsibilities
The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is responsible for overseeing all safeguarding matters within Care Comes First. This includes managing referrals, liaising with external agencies, maintaining records, and ensuring staff receive appropriate training.
All staff are responsible for:
Being alert to signs of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
Reporting concerns immediately to the DSL or a senior member of staff.
Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries at all times.
Not promising confidentiality to a young person regarding a potential safeguarding concern.
Completing mandatory safeguarding training as required.
The Registered Manager is responsible for ensuring the home operates safely and in compliancewith the Children's Homes Regulations 2015 and Ofsted requirements.
5. Reporting Concerns
Any member of staff who has a concern about a young person's welfare must report this to the Designated Safeguarding Lead without delay. Concerns should never be ignored or investigated independently by a single member of staff.
Where a young person is in immediate danger, emergency services (999) should be contacted first.
All concerns will be recorded in writing on the same day they are raised. Records will be stored securely and in line with our data protection obligations.
Referrals to children's social care will be made by the DSL where there is reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm.
Staff who raise concerns in good faith will be supported and protected from any detriment as a result of their disclosure.
6. Recognising Types of Abuse
Staff are trained to recognise the following categories of abuse as defined under Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023):
Physical abuse including hitting, shaking, burning, or any form of deliberate physical harm.
Emotional abuse including persistent emotional maltreatment that impacts a child's emotional development, including threats, humiliation, and unrealistic expectations.
Sexual abuse involving a child in sexual activity they do not fully understand or cannot consent to.
Neglect meaning persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical or psychological needs, likely to result in serious impairment.
Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) and Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) including county lines andonline exploitation.
Radicalisation and extremism in line with our duties under the Prevent strategy.
Domestic abuse where a young person is exposed to or affected by domestic violence within oraround a placement.
7. Safer Recruitment
Care Comes First is committed to safe recruitment practices to ensure that all staff and volunteers working with young people are suitable to do so. Our safer recruitment process includes:
Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for all staff prior to commencing employment.
Verification of identity, qualifications, and the right to work in the UK.
A minimum of two professional references, including the most recent employer.
A structured interview process that includes values-based and safeguarding-focused questions.
Induction that includes mandatory safeguarding training before unsupervised contact with young people.
We will not employ anyone who appears on the Children's Barred List or who is otherwise prohibitedfrom working with children.
8. Training and Development
All staff receive safeguarding training appropriate to their role:
All new staff complete introductory safeguarding training as part of their induction, prior to working directly with young people.
All staff refresh their safeguarding training at least every two years.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead receives enhanced, DSL-specific training and refreshes this at least every two years.
Training is reviewed and updated in line with changes to legislation and statutory guidance.
We maintain a training record for all staff, which is available for review by Ofsted upon inspection.
9. Contact and Concerns
To raise a safeguarding concern, contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead:
Email: hello@carecomesfirst.co.uk
We aim to respond to all data related enquiries within 30 calendar days.
This policy was last reviewed in January 2026 and will be reviewed annually or following any significant safeguarding incident, changes in legislation, or Ofsted guidance.