Forward Family Mediation is dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of all individuals, particularly children and vulnerable adults, who engage with our mediation services. This policy outlines our commitment to safeguarding and provides clear guidelines for our staff.
The purpose of this policy is to protect children and vulnerable adults from harm, ensure all staff understand their responsibilities in safeguarding and provide clear procedures for reporting concerns.
The welfare of children and vulnerable adults is paramount, and everyone has the right to protection from harm regardless of age, gender, disability, or background.
Parties attending mediation are informed that information given about actual or alleged child safeguarding concerns will not be regarded as confidential. They are informed of this in writing in our Agreement to Mediate and verbally by mediators during the meditation session.
All concerns and allegations of abuse and neglect are taken seriously and addressed appropriately.
When a mediator has reason to believe that a child or vulnerable adult is at risk of harm, the mediator must immediately assess the level of risk:
All allegations of abuse must be documented including dates and times. This ensures that the mediator has accurate information when reporting the safeguarding issue.
In most cases the mediator will assist the person expressing the concern to report this to their Social Services Team and the mediator will follow up to ensure that this has been done
If the risk is immediate and significant the mediator will themselves immediately contact the relevant Social Services Team in the area that the clients live.
In the most serious situation when the mediator believes there is an immediate risk to a child or adult then the mediator will immediately contact the police by calling 999.
At all times, the safety of children or vulnerable adults must take priority. There should be no delay in the referral to social services or the police if there is real reason to believe that they are at risk of immediate harm.:
The mediator must document what action has been taken by either the person expressing the concern and or the mediator.
Following the ending of the session, the matter should be discussed immediately with the mediator’s Professional Practice Consultant to ensure that it had been dealt with correctly.
Cases already in mediation will be suspended until safeguarding issues have been addressed.
