Denton Community Garden
Child protection Policy
Child protection Policy
A child is defined by The Children Act, 1989 as a person under the age of 18, and this is the meaning used throughout this policy.
1. Statement of Purpose
1.1. This Child Protection Policy stresses the fact that we at Denton Community Garden are determined to ensure that all appropriate steps are taken to protect from harm all children who participate in any the Denton Community Garden activities.
1.2. This policy establishes the organisation’s position, role and responsibilities and clarifies what we expect from everybody involved within the Denton Community Garden. It highlights the importance placed by the Denton Community Garden on the protection of children at all times. Every child who participates in any Denton Community Garden activity should be able to participate in an enjoyable and safe environment and be protected from abuse. This is the responsibility of every adult involved in this organisation. We recognise however, that child abuse is a very emotive and difficult subject. It is important to understand the feelings involved but not to allow them to interfere with our judgement about any action to be taken.
1.3. Denton Community Garden recognises its responsibility to take reasonable steps to safeguard the welfare of all children by protecting them from physical, financial, sexual or emotional abuse, neglect and bullying. We are committed to meeting our obligations to ensure that children taking part in Denton Community Garden activities are provided with the highest standards of care.
1.4. We recognise that for children, high self-esteem, confidence, supportive friends and good communication with trusted adults’ aids prevention. With this in mind, we will always endeavour to:
• Establish and maintain an ethos where children feel secure.
• Ensure that children know that there are adults around on any project who they can approach when worried or in difficulty.
1.5. Denton Community Garden will ensure that
• The welfare of the child is paramount
• All children, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs or sexual identity, have the right to protection from abuse.
• All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately
• All Members working with Denton Community Garden have a responsibility to report concerns to the person designated as responsible for Child Protection or the Chair.
2. Key Principles
2.1 As a voluntary and co-operative organisation, Members of Denton Community Garden are not expected to take on parental responsibility for other people’s children, and Denton Community Garden will organise activities which encourage children and their parents to take part together.
In addition to this, Denton Community Garden will take responsibility for:
• Respecting and promoting the rights, wishes and feelings of children taking part in our activities.
• Ensuring that all Members organising Denton Community Garden activities adopt best practice to safeguard and protect children from abuse and abide by the procedures outlined within this document.
• Responding to any allegations appropriately.
• Any activities where a parent is not present a teacher from Denton Community Primary school will be and they will have ultimate responsibility for the children safety.
• Regularly reviewing the policy.
3. Promoting Good Practice
3.1 Child abuse, particularly sexual abuse, arouses strong emotions in those facing such a situation. It is important to understand these feelings and not allow them to interfere with your judgement about the appropriate action to take.
3.2. Abuse can occur within many situations including the home, school, sporting, leisure and recreational environments. Some individuals will actively seek employment or voluntary work with children in order to harm them.
3.3 There are some people in this organisation that, at some time, will have regular contact with children and may be an important link in identifying cases where they need protection.
4. Good Child Protection Practice
• Always work in an open environment where possible, avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging open communication
• Treat all children equally with respect and dignity
• Always put the welfare of each child first.
Maintain a safe and appropriate distance with service users. Physical contact with children should be limited to appropriate touching needed either to guide their movements during tuition, e.g. to aid positioning of hands on a guitar or to reassure them when they are ill or injured. Generally, the only safe place to touch appropriately is on the arm or shoulders.
All Members should maintain a strictly appropriate relationship with children who attend Denton Community Garden activities. It is not appropriate to seek to develop relationships beyond this by, for example, arranging to meet a child away from an activity to further a friendship with that child.
• Build balanced relationships based on mutual trust and empowering children to share in decision making.
• Be an excellent role model – this includes not smoking or drinking alcohol in the company of children.
• Give enthusiastic, constructive feedback rather than negative criticism
• Recognise the developmental needs and capacity of children
• Keep written records of any injuries that occur, along with the details of any treatment given.
5. Physical Restraint
5.1 There may be very rare occasions when Members find they need to use reasonable physical intervention to restrain children, for their own safety or the safety of others. Whenever such an incident occurs, the Child Protection Officer or Chair must be informed immediately. The incident will be recorded in the Incident Log kept in the suite of the Denton Community Garden office documents. Restraint should only be used as a last resort, and then only the minimum force needed to prevent harm should be applied.
6. Monitoring and Review:
6.1 This policy should be considered alongside other related policies of the Denton Community Garden.
6.2 It will be reviewed after one year, or sooner if there is a major incident.
Equality and Diversity Policy
Equality and Diversity Policy
Denton Community Garden is committed to be an organisation in which everyone is included and valued and which provides equality of opportunity and freedom from discrimination.
1. Policy Statement
We at Denton Community Garden are committed to achieving an organisation in which everyone, whatever their socio-economic or personal characteristics, feels included and valued, and which provides equality of opportunity and freedom from discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, gender, marital status, disability, religious beliefs, economic status, age or sexual orientation. This Policy aims to remove unfair and discriminatory practices within the organisation and to encourage full contribution from its diverse community. Denton Community Garden is committed to actively opposing all forms of discrimination.
Denton Community Garden also aims to ensure that all the activities which we organise are open and accessible to all. Denton Community Garden believes that all our Members and all park users are entitled to be treated with respect and dignity, and to feel included and valued.
2. Objectives of this Policy
2.1 To reduce, stop and prevent all forms of discrimination.
2.2 To encourage practices and ways of interacting with people that make everyone involved with the Denton Community Garden feel included and valued.
3. Designated Officer for Equality and Diversity
The Chairperson of the Denton Community Garden
4. Definition of Discrimination
Discrimination is unequal or differential treatment which leads to one person being treated more or less favourably than others are, or would be, treated in the same or similar circumstances on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, gender, marital status, disability, religion, economic status, age, sexual orientation. Discrimination may be direct or indirect.
5. What is inclusion?
5.1. When we refer to people feeling included, we mean that they feel a sense of belonging and a sense of feeling respected and valued for who they are. All in positions of responsibility within the Denton Community Garden will work on improving its ways of working and its methods
And styles of interaction so that everyone involved with our organisation feels they belong and feels engaged and connected to the extent that they want to be.
5.2. Inclusion is a universal human right whose aim is to embrace all people, irrespective of their socio-economic and personal characteristics. It is about valuing and welcoming all individuals, giving equal access and opportunity to all and removing both discrimination and other barriers to involvement.
5.3. Work towards inclusion must be pro-active, involves and understands that everyone has something to contribute and everyone needs to feel welcomed, comfortable and valued for the contributions they do make.
6. Responsibility for the Implementation of this Policy
The active commitment and co-operation of those involved with Denton Community Garden is essential for the success of this Policy. However, the ultimate responsibility for achieving the objectives of this Policy, and for ensuring compliance with relevant Legislation and Codes of Practice, lies with the elected Committee. Denton Community Garden Committee members are expected to set a leading example in following this Policy and to encourage all network members to abide by this policy.
All Members of Denton Community Garden are encouraged to act in a way that does not subject any other Members or parks users to direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, economic status, ethnic origin, gender, marital status, disability, religion, age or sexual orientation.
7. Acting on Discriminatory Behaviour
Any issues, concerns or specific allegations of discriminatory behaviour should be initially directed to the Chair, and if unresolved may be brought up at the following general meeting.
8. The Extent of the Policy
8.1 Denton Community Garden will work pro-actively to apply the provisions and spirit of this policy in their day-to-day activities and interactions with everyone involved with the organisation. Denton Community Garden seeks to ensure that any sub-contractors, agents, etc act in accordance with this Policy, but accepts no liability for the actions of sub-contractors and agents.
Environmental Policy
Environmental Policy
Denton Community Garden will ensure that its activities minimise harm to and are as beneficial to the environment as possible.
The purpose of this policy is to examine the practices of our organisation, to identify any which are potentially harmful to the environment, to agree on actions to address them, and to ensure that those actions are carried out. It will also demonstrate to the wider community our commitment to protect the environment in a responsible manner and to work in an efficient, environmentally friendly and therefore sustainable way.
Denton Community Garden needs to be environmentally sensitive and considerate of the environment, and we have identified the following areas which we need to consider
• Creation and disposal of Waste
• Use of Energy
• Use of Water (and other Natural Resources)
• Use of the landscape
• Purchase and use of particular products
• Transport
Within each of these areas, we have identified various specific issues and actions to address them:
1. Minimise waste and recycle more
This group will seek to minimise the amount of waste that we generate and also try to promote re-use recycling and composting wherever possible. We will make every effort to:
• minimise printing of documents, print documents double-sided and reduce font size etc to minimise number of sheets of paper used where possible
• recycle as much of our waste as possible, including by composting
2. Use less energy
This group will respond to the national need to reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions to help combat global climate change. It will seek to minimise energy use in every area of its activities including heating and lighting. Examples of this could be:
• We should use artificial lighting only when necessary and remember to turn everything off at the end of meetings
• We should not overfill the kettle when making drinks at meetings and events
3. Reduce water use
We will reduce water usage and waste where possible
4. Sustainable land management
In its management of land Denton Community Garden will seek to reduce harm on, and take opportunities to enhance, wildlife and the natural environment. We will make every effort to:
• Promote the reduction or elimination of the use of artificial chemicals used on the land that can build up and harm wildlife and pollute local waterways
• Promote the use of local native species to encourage local wildlife when doing new planting
• use compost we have made ourselves or obtained from a local source rather than peat-based compost
• compost any weeds or clippings
5. Consider the environment when deciding what products we purchase
• buy recycled products where possible
• buy local produce, or products that are environmentally friendly or from sustainable sources
• buy products which are not over-packaged and where packaging is biodegradable or recyclable
6. Transport
• Encourage group members to travel to meetings or events by public transport, bike or on foot, or to share lifts wherever possible
Raising environmental awareness
Denton Community Garden will try to ensure that all of its members are familiar with this policy and have the opportunity to find out more about environmental sustainability issues. If members have concerns about our practice or that of the Council, we encourage them to raise it so we can work to minimise harm or change practice for the benefit of the environment. We will also make it our aim to raise environmental awareness amongst all member groups and wider park users through both example and educational work.
