Safeguarding FAQ

Any other questions you would like answered, please ask on Central.

Q. What precautions do Freegle Direct take regarding safeguarding?

A. All groups hosted on Freegle Direct are covered by the Disclaimer https://www.ilovefreegle.org/disclaimer which members/users implicity agree to when signing up through Freegle Direct.

The Freegle mobile app has an age rating of 12+ / Parental Guidance. This is because the user may see content generated by other users which isn't vetted before publication.

Q. What are online predators?

A. Online predators are adults looking to ‘befriend’ children on the internet in order to cultivate inappropriate relationships with them.

http://www.microsoft.com/security/family-safety/predators.aspx gives good information about how online predators work and what to be aware of.

Q. What do I do if I am worried about a possible safeguarding issue?

A. If you are concerned about any activity you hear about on your group, follow the guidelines in Safeguarding Action Plan.

Q. What are Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs)?

A. These have been established in England and Wales, when the Children Act 2004 gave statutory responsibility to have Local Safeguarding Children Boards. LSCBs are now the key system for organisations to come together to agree on how they will cooperate with one another to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The purpose of this partnership working is to hold each other to account and to ensure safeguarding children remains high on the agenda across their region. The Boards are usually a good place to approach for local advice for your group activities. More info - http://www.safenetwork.org.uk/training_and_awareness/Pages/lscbs.aspx

Update: The Children and Social Work Act 2017 (the Act) replaces Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) with new local safeguarding arrangements, led by three safeguarding partners (local authorities, chief officers of police, and clinical commissioning groups).

Q. Are there LSCBs in Scotland and Northern Ireland?

A. No, but both Scotland and Northern Ireland have Child Protection Committees covering all council areas, with similar aims of cooperation between agencies and provision of a central information point for everyone concerned with safeguarding.

Q. Who can advise about Vulnerable Adults?

A. Social Service departments have responsibility for vulnerable adults and the Police can also help advise. If you contact your child protection units run by Social Work or Services, they will also be able to give you appropriate local information.

Q. Are there Government guidelines for safeguarding, relevant to volunteer organisations?

A. For England and Wales, there is ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children document, updated in 2018: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/722305/Working_Together_to_Safeguard_Children_-_Guide.pdf

For Scotland, there is the ‘National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland’ document, issued December 2012: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0041/00411543.pdf

For Northern Ireland, there are a variety of publications - http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/child_protection_publications

The Charity Commission for England and Wales also has guidance - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/safeguarding-duties-for-charity-trustees

Q. Are there examples of areas to be aware of in running my group?

A. The standard Freegle disclaimer makes it clear that information shared via the group is the responsibility of those using the group. As a moderator it is wise to be aware of photos being uploaded, links in messages and any very obvious personal information that is included in messages and to take appropriate action if there are concerns.

Q. Are there Admins I can use for general safety and care issues for my group?

'A' The following admins might be useful:
Zero Tolerance - confirming the group's position on discrimination and abuse
Keep Safe - a reminder about personal safety when freegling

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