Safeguarding our Young People

Contextual Safeguarding 

London’s Assisted Semi-independent Housing Alliance (L.A.S.H.A) recognises its duty of care to safeguarding children and young people as detailed under the Children Acts’ 1989 and 2004 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018. 

L.A.S.H.A is fully committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of all young people and taking all reasonable steps to promote safe practice and protection from harm, abuse and neglect.   

L.A.S.H.A acknowledges that we have a duty to act appropriately with regards to any allegations towards anyone working on its behalf, or towards any disclosures or suspicion of abuse and in doing so we have adopted the following approaches:

1.  A Child-centred approach- This approach focuses on ensuring that the child/young person’s wishes and feelings are heard in order to safeguard them, whilst working in partnership with family and external agencies.

2. A Contextualised approach – This approach to safeguarding helps to understand and respond to young people’s experiences of significant harm beyond their families in their social network, for example, peer on peer abuse and other extra familiar threats.

To ensure that we are promoting safeguarding in our company and protecting our young people from significant harm we ensure to undertake the following:

• Review our policies and procedures frequently in line with any changes in the law and social care practices.

• Adopt a safer recruitment policy to ensure that we avoid employing those that aim to harm young people from working in our company.

• Work in partnership with families where appropriate and external agencies to ensure effective communication and information sharing.

• To give our young people the resources to be able to disclose abuse or harm as well as make a complaint about the service and support they are receiving from the professional network as well as any external sources.

• To appoint a qualified and experienced social worker to the role of designated safeguarding lead.

• To educate our young people on the external and environmental risks required to protect themselves from harm and abuse by way of workshops, 1:1 sessions, literature and forums.

• Practising under the model of the ‘secure base’ which aims to help young people feel safe and secure as well as develop trust and build resilience.

• Have professional links with therapeutic services who can provide group and individual sessions with our young people.

• Have a specialist team of skilled key workers who are champions in various areas of expertise which enables them to be competent in identifying risks.

• Ensuring that our young people have access to advocacy support as well as a full list of the professionals in their support network such as their social worker, independent reviewing officer, clinician, educational establishment etc.

• Designing risk assessments and interventions with young people

• Arranging and facilitating professional meetings in the event of safeguarding concerns.

• Complete risk assessments of existing placements, new arrivals and emergency placements.

• Risk assess placement location and regularly reviews risk in the local area and work with the Local authority and police to minimise these risks.