TFSC Safeguarding Policy

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is:

To protect children and young people who receive TFSC’s services from harm, including the children of adults who use TFSC’s services.
To safeguard the welfare of children, young people and families who use our services.
To have clear procedures in place for managing concerns about the welfare of any individual.

2. General

TFSC believes that all children have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse. TFSC seeks to keep children and young people safe by:

Valuing, listening to and respecting them.
Maintaining best practice for safeguarding.
Recording, storing and using information professionally and securely.
Ensuring that children and their families know where to go for help if they have concerns.
Sharing relevant information with agencies, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately.

3. Scope and Application

Within this policy:

Children and young people are defined as below the age of 18 years.

Child protection concerns are matters involving direct or indirect harm, or risk of harm, to a child or young person.

4. Managing Safeguarding Concerns

Reporting a concern:

Any person wanting to report a non-urgent safeguarding concern should contact [email protected].

Please be aware that TFSC is not a crisis response service, so if your concern is urgent you should contact:

In Singapore

1800-777-0000, Ministry of Social and Family Development’s National Anti-Violence Helpline

In the UK

0808-800-5000 or [email protected], National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

You can also contact your local child protection services. Their contact details can be found on the website for the local authority the child lives in.

If there is risk of imminent danger or the matter is urgent, contact the police.

When a concern arises TFSC will:

Attend to the child or young person’s immediate safety.
Assess the level of risk, conducting further inquiries necessary to inform this process.
Decide if the concern represents a child protection issue and consider referral to, or consultation with, Child Protective Services (Singapore) or the NSPCC (UK).
Decide on a course of action, as far as possible in agreement with the child or young person and their family.

We may also:

Consult with or refer to the relevant safeguarding services (Child Protection Services in Singapore, NSPCC in the UK).
Consult with or make a report to the police as required.

5. Confidentiality

We respect families’ privacy and are committed to managing all matters involving concerns about harm and risk of harm in a sensitive, child-focused manner that is supportive and protects confidentiality as far as possible. We will seek permission when referring to, or liaising with other professionals wherever possible.

This policy defines confidentiality as an understanding that any information shared with someone in trust can only be passed on to a third party with the agreement of the person disclosing it unless the child or young person has been harmed, is at risk of being harmed, or is at risk of harming themselves.

Our Privacy Policy and Business Terms and Conditions provide further, general guidelines about how we manage your personal information

6. Record Keeping

TFSC creates digital records for all reported concerns about harm or risk of harm to any client. Records are stored electronically and securely in accordance with TFSC Privacy Policy and TFSC Business Terms and Conditions.

7. Supporting documents

This policy statement should be read alongside the following organisational policies:

8. Regulatory Frameworks

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance from Singapore and the United Kingdom, including the following:

Singapore:

- Children and Young Persons Act (2001)
- Management of Child Abuse in Singapore (MSFD, 2008)
- Child Abuse Reporting Guide (MSFD, 2015)
- Sector Specific Screening Guide (MSFD, 2015)
- Protecting Children in Singapore (MSFD, 2016)

United Kingdom:

- Children Act (1989, 2004)
- Human Rights Act (1998)
- Health and Social Care Act (2008)
- Care Act (2014)
- Working together to safeguard children (2018)

International best practice:

- United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)
- Essential Questions and Expectations to ensure the safeguarding and protection of children in schools, International Taskforce on Child Protection (2015)

TFSC reviews this policy annually.

Signed:

Nicola Cann, Director, The Family Sleep Consultant Ltd.

Date: 8th July 2023

The Family Sleep Consultant Pte. Ltd.

Incorporated in the Republic of Singapore under the Companies Act, Company number: 202142067K

18-00 The Octagon, 105 Cecil Street, Singapore, 069534

www.thefamilysleepconsultant.com

Appendix A: Additional Resources

In Singapore

The Ministry of Social and Family Development is responsible for statutory child protection. The Protecting Children in Singapore (2016) publication and other useful publications can be found here: https://www.msf.gov.sg/policies/Children-and-Youth/Pages/default.aspx

Singapore legislation, including the Children and Young Persons Act (2001) may be accessed at https://sso.agc.gov.sg/

The Singapore Big Love Child Protection Specialist Centre (https://www.biglove.org.sg/ https://www.giveavoice.sg/) provides help for families with child protection concerns.

In the United Kingdom

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (https://www.nspcc.org.uk/, 0808 800 5000) provides a range of safeguarding and child protection resources for parents, including information about:

- Recognising forms of abuse and neglect
- Understanding risk factors for harm and risk of harm
- Protective behaviours
- How parents can talk to their children about risk