Safeguarding Policy

1. Our Commitment

The Hidden Beach Organisation CIC is committed to providing safe, welcoming and inclusive environments for everyone who takes part in our events, projects and activities.

We recognise our responsibility to safeguard children, young people and adults at risk and to take appropriate action where we become aware of concerns about someone's safety or wellbeing.

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. Anyone working or volunteering on behalf of Hidden Beach is expected to understand their responsibilities and raise concerns appropriately.

The welfare and safety of a child, young person or adult at risk will always be taken seriously.

2. Purpose of This Policy

This policy explains how Hidden Beach works to:

• protect children, young people and adults at risk from harm;
• prevent avoidable safeguarding risks;
• recognise potential signs of abuse, neglect or exploitation;
• respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns and disclosures;
• provide clear procedures for reporting concerns;
• promote appropriate professional boundaries;
• support staff and volunteers in understanding their responsibilities; and
• work appropriately with statutory authorities and other organisations where necessary.

3. Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to anyone carrying out work or activities for or on behalf of Hidden Beach, including:

• directors;
• employees and workers;
• volunteers;
• freelancers and contractors;
• event staff;
• artists and performers;
• workshop leaders;
• photographers and videographers;
• traders and stallholders where relevant;
• partner organisations; and
• other people representing Hidden Beach.

We also expect organisations delivering activities in partnership with Hidden Beach to maintain appropriate safeguarding standards.

4. Who We Safeguard

For the purposes of this policy, a child or young person is anyone under the age of 18.

An adult at risk is an adult who may have care and support needs and who, because of those needs or their circumstances, may be unable to protect themselves from abuse or neglect.

We recognise that vulnerability can be temporary or affected by an individual's circumstances.

5. Safeguarding Responsibilities

The Directors of The Hidden Beach Organisation CIC have overall responsibility for safeguarding within the organisation.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): Sarah Abel

The Designated Safeguarding Lead's responsibilities include:

• receiving safeguarding concerns;
• maintaining appropriate safeguarding records;
• deciding whether concerns should be referred to statutory services;
• supporting staff and volunteers dealing with safeguarding matters;
• ensuring safeguarding procedures are followed;
• identifying appropriate training;
• reviewing safeguarding arrangements; and
• escalating serious concerns where necessary.

Safeguarding concerns can be raised with Hidden Beach at hello@hiddenbeach.uk.

6. Recognising Safeguarding Concerns

Abuse and harm can take many forms. Safeguarding concerns may include:

• physical abuse;
• emotional or psychological abuse;
• sexual abuse;
• neglect;
• domestic abuse;
• bullying;
• discriminatory abuse;
• financial or material abuse;
• exploitation;
• grooming;
• online abuse;
• coercive or controlling behaviour;
• trafficking or modern slavery; and
• other circumstances where someone may be at risk of significant harm.

A person does not need proof that abuse has occurred before raising a concern.

Safeguarding concerns may arise from something witnessed, information provided by another person, changes in someone's behaviour or circumstances, or a direct disclosure.

7. Responding to a Disclosure

If a child, young person or adult at risk tells someone that they have been harmed or are at risk of harm, the person receiving the disclosure should:

• remain calm;
• listen carefully;
• take what is being said seriously;
• allow the person to speak in their own words;
• avoid asking leading or unnecessary questions;
• reassure them that they were right to speak about the concern;
• explain that the information may need to be shared with people who can help;
• never promise complete confidentiality;
• make an accurate written record as soon as reasonably possible; and
• report the concern promptly through the safeguarding procedure.

Staff and volunteers should not investigate allegations themselves or confront an alleged perpetrator. Their responsibility is to recognise, record and report the concern.

8. Immediate Danger

If someone is in immediate danger or requires urgent medical assistance, protecting them from immediate harm takes priority.

Call 999 in an emergency.

A safeguarding concern should then be reported to Hidden Beach's Designated Safeguarding Lead as soon as reasonably possible.

9. Reporting Safeguarding Concerns

Safeguarding concerns should be reported promptly to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or another appropriate senior person within Hidden Beach.

Concerns may be reported to hello@hiddenbeach.uk.

Information provided should be factual and, where possible, include:

• the name of the person concerned;
• the nature of the concern;
• what was seen, heard or disclosed;
• when and where it occurred;
• who else was present;
• any immediate action already taken; and
• the name and contact details of the person reporting the concern.

The person reporting a concern is not expected to determine whether abuse has occurred.

10. Referral to Other Agencies

Some safeguarding concerns require specialist or statutory intervention.

Depending on the circumstances, Hidden Beach may refer concerns to appropriate services, including Children's Social Care, Adult Social Care, the police, emergency services, the Local Authority Designated Officer where appropriate, or another relevant safeguarding authority or organisation.

Consent will be considered where appropriate, but information may be shared without consent where necessary to protect a child or another person from serious harm or where there is another lawful safeguarding reason to do so.

11. Children Attending Public Events

Many Hidden Beach events are public events intended for families and the wider community.

Unless Hidden Beach has specifically agreed to provide supervised childcare or a supervised children's activity, parents and carers remain responsible for the supervision and welfare of children in their care while attending an event.

The presence of Hidden Beach staff, volunteers, security personnel, performers or activity providers does not transfer parental responsibility to Hidden Beach.

Event information should make this clear where appropriate.

12. Supervised Children's Activities

Where Hidden Beach specifically provides an activity in which responsibility for supervising children is accepted, additional safeguarding arrangements will be established appropriate to that activity.

These may include registration and collection procedures, emergency contact details, appropriate staffing arrangements, consent requirements, medical or accessibility information where necessary, appropriate DBS checks for eligible roles, procedures for children leaving an activity, emergency procedures and activity-specific risk assessments.

13. Lost or Separated Children

Public events should have an appropriate procedure for dealing with children who become separated from their parent or carer.

A child who appears lost should be reassured and kept in an appropriate safe location while reasonable efforts are made to locate their parent or carer.

Where possible, more than one responsible adult should be present.

Information about a lost child should not be broadcast publicly in a way that creates an unnecessary safeguarding risk.

Appropriate checks should be made before releasing a child to an adult claiming responsibility for them.

If a parent or carer cannot be located within a reasonable period, or there are concerns about the child's safety, the safeguarding lead, event management, security or police should be contacted as appropriate.

14. Santa's Grotto and Similar Children's Experiences

Activities such as Santa's Grotto, children's workshops, performances and family experiences require particular safeguarding consideration.

Where practicable:

• a child should not be placed unnecessarily in an isolated one-to-one situation with an adult;
• parents or carers should remain present or nearby unless a supervised activity has specifically been arranged;
• physical contact should be appropriate, limited and child-led where relevant;
• children should never be pressured into physical contact, including sitting on a performer's lap;
• photography arrangements should be clearly communicated;
• staff and performers should understand appropriate boundaries; and
• the physical layout should allow appropriate supervision.

Any person performing a character role involving interaction with children must follow the same safeguarding expectations as other staff and volunteers.

15. Appropriate Behaviour and Boundaries

People working or volunteering for Hidden Beach must maintain appropriate boundaries with children, young people and adults at risk.

They should not engage in inappropriate sexualised behaviour or conversation; make discriminatory, degrading or humiliating comments; use unnecessary or inappropriate physical contact; deliberately place themselves in inappropriate isolated situations with a child; develop inappropriate personal relationships with participants; exchange inappropriate private messages or images; use their position to exploit, intimidate or manipulate another person; or behave in a way that could reasonably place another person at risk.

Physical contact may sometimes be appropriate, for example in an emergency, to prevent injury or as an appropriate part of a particular activity. It should always be reasonable and proportionate to the circumstances.

16. Photography and Video

Hidden Beach frequently operates in public event environments where photography and filming may take place.

Where Hidden Beach commissions or controls photography involving children, appropriate consideration will be given to consent, the intended use of images and the welfare of the child.

Images should not be used in a way that is exploitative, inappropriate or likely to place a child at risk.

Personal information identifying a child should not normally be unnecessarily published alongside their image.

Additional consent arrangements may be used for organised photo shoots or situations where an individual child is a primary subject.

17. Online Communication and Social Media

Communication with children and young people must remain appropriate and professional.

Where communication with a child is necessary, official organisational channels should be used where reasonably possible.

Private or inappropriate social media relationships between adults representing Hidden Beach and children encountered through their role should be avoided.

Staff and volunteers must not request, send or retain inappropriate images or communications involving children.

Any concerning online communication should be reported through the safeguarding procedure.

18. Alcohol and Events

Some Hidden Beach events may include licensed bars or alcohol sales while also welcoming families.

Event planning should therefore consider the interaction between family areas and licensed activities.

Children must not be supplied with alcohol contrary to the law.

Staff, volunteers and contractors with safeguarding responsibilities must remain capable of performing those responsibilities appropriately.

Any behaviour caused or aggravated by alcohol that creates a safeguarding risk should be addressed promptly.

19. Safer Recruitment and DBS Checks

Hidden Beach will consider safeguarding responsibilities when recruiting employees, workers and volunteers.

Depending on the nature of a role, safer recruitment measures may include application or interview processes, identity checks, references, relevant experience checks, safeguarding questions, appropriate induction and Disclosure and Barring Service checks where the role is legally eligible for such checks.

A DBS check will not automatically be required for every person involved in a Hidden Beach event.

The appropriate level of checking will depend on the role, activities undertaken and applicable legal requirements.

20. Contractors, Traders, Performers and Partner Organisations

Third parties working at Hidden Beach events are expected to behave appropriately towards children, young people and adults at risk.

Where an organisation is specifically engaged to provide activities or services involving children or adults at risk, Hidden Beach may require evidence of appropriate safeguarding arrangements.

This may include safeguarding policies, appropriate insurance, safer recruitment arrangements, DBS checks where applicable, qualifications or professional registrations where relevant, and identification of the organisation's safeguarding lead.

Responsibility for safeguarding should be clearly understood when activities are delivered jointly with another organisation.

21. Adults at Risk

Hidden Beach recognises that safeguarding responsibilities extend beyond children.

An adult may be at increased risk because of disability, illness, age, care and support needs or particular circumstances.

Concerns about abuse, neglect, exploitation or coercion involving an adult at risk should be reported through the same safeguarding process.

The person's wishes, capacity and right to make their own decisions should be respected wherever possible while balancing the need to protect them or others from serious harm.

22. Accessibility and Additional Needs

Disability or additional needs should never automatically be treated as a safeguarding concern.

However, some individuals may require additional assistance to participate safely.

Where reasonably practicable, Hidden Beach will consider individual requirements and appropriate adjustments while maintaining dignity, independence and inclusion.

23. Allegations Against Staff or Volunteers

Any allegation that a member of staff, volunteer, contractor or other person representing Hidden Beach has harmed a child or adult at risk must be taken seriously.

The allegation should be reported promptly to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or a Director.

If the allegation concerns the Designated Safeguarding Lead, it should be reported to another Director or appropriate senior person.

Hidden Beach will not attempt to conduct an investigation that should properly be undertaken by the police, local authority or another statutory body.

Appropriate steps may be taken to manage immediate risk while an allegation is considered.

Where required, allegations relating to someone who works with children will be referred to the appropriate local authority safeguarding arrangements, including the Local Authority Designated Officer where applicable.

24. Confidentiality and Information Sharing

Safeguarding information should be handled sensitively.

Information should normally only be shared with people who need it in order to protect someone, manage a concern or fulfil a legal responsibility.

Safeguarding is not, however, an absolute confidential matter.

Information may need to be shared with statutory authorities or other appropriate organisations where this is necessary to protect someone from harm.

25. Recording and Record Keeping

Safeguarding records should be factual, accurate, dated, made as soon as reasonably possible, clear about what was observed and what was reported by others, and stored securely with appropriately restricted access.

Where recording a disclosure, the person's own words should be recorded as accurately as possible.

Opinions and assumptions should be clearly distinguished from facts.

Records will be handled in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

26. Whistleblowing

Staff and volunteers should be able to raise genuine safeguarding concerns about the conduct of another person or about Hidden Beach's handling of a safeguarding matter.

Anyone who believes a serious safeguarding concern has not been handled appropriately should raise the matter with a Director or another appropriate authority.

A person raising a genuine safeguarding concern in good faith should not be subjected to victimisation for doing so.

27. Training and Awareness

People should receive safeguarding information and training appropriate to their responsibilities.

Those undertaking roles involving greater safeguarding responsibility may require additional training.

Event briefings should include relevant safeguarding information where the nature of the event makes this appropriate.

28. Event Planning and Risk Assessment

Safeguarding should be considered as part of event and activity planning rather than only after an incident occurs.

Depending on the event, planning may consider expected numbers and ages of attendees, children's activities, lost children, site security, toilets and changing facilities, accessibility, alcohol, crowd management, photography, contractors and performers, first aid, emergency procedures, supervision arrangements and reporting routes.

Significant safeguarding risks should be incorporated into appropriate event risk assessments and management plans.

29. Equality and Safeguarding

Safeguarding decisions must not be influenced by prejudice or unlawful discrimination.

Everyone should receive appropriate protection regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or other background or circumstance.

Hidden Beach's Safeguarding Policy should be read alongside its Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy and other relevant organisational and event policies.

30. Review and Learning

Following a significant safeguarding incident, Hidden Beach will consider whether procedures, risk assessments, training or working practices need to change.

Lessons identified should be incorporated into future event and organisational planning where appropriate.

31. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed annually and sooner where there is a significant safeguarding incident, organisational activities change substantially, safeguarding guidance changes, or relevant legislation or statutory requirements change.

Organisation: The Hidden Beach Organisation CIC Policy: Safeguarding Policy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Sarah Abel Safeguarding contact: hello@hiddenbeach.uk Effective: September 2026 Next review: September 2027