Safeguarding Policy

SAFEGUARDING POLICY OF HEALTH NUTRITION AND DIETETICS LIMITED (“THE COMPANY”)

 

1. Preliminary

1.1 The Company provides services around Nutrition and Dietetics working with both adults and children. Safeguarding is therefore a key governance priority for the Company. It is essential for the Company to have and implement safeguarding policies and procedures and that they have to be adequate and appropriate for the Company’s particular circumstances.

1.2 The Company Director, Anna Ikin, is regulated by The Health & Care Professional’s Council and is a voluntary registered member of The Complimentary & Natural Healthcare Council. 

1.3 This Policy applies to all staff and sub-contractors of the Company.

 

2. Commitment to safeguarding

2.1 Those who receive services provided by the Company or who come onto the Company’s premises are referred to in this Policy as its “Clients” and “Service Users”.

2.2 Clients and Service Users may be at risk due to age, illness, disability or as a vulnerable adult. The Company is committed to working in their interests, to promote their welfare, and to put in place safeguards and measures to protect them. In providing services and activities for Clients and Service Users, the Company will endeavour at all times to minimise risk to them and to ensure that they are as safe as the Company can make them.

2.3 The Company aims to protect all of its Clients and Service Users from any act or behaviour of any member of staff or sub-contractor which, whether deliberately or unknowingly on the part of that member of staff, gives rise to harm or ill treatment.

2.4 Such harm or ill treatment includes abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, discriminatory, institutional or organisational, financial or material), neglect, or impairment of the health or development of the Company’s Clients or Service Users.

2.5 The Company recognises that it has a duty to act on reports or suspicions of abuse or neglect. It adopts a “zero-tolerance” policy of abuse within the Company.

2.6 The Company maintains a Safe Working Practice Guidance on Regulated Activities. It includes:

(1) details about when and how risk assessments for:

a) all roles within the Company; and

b) particular circumstances or activities should be carried out.

(2) guidance on use of ICT (“Information & Communications Technology”) related activites such as use of social media, email and internet.

The Company will ensure that the Guidance is implemented by all within the Company and, for that purpose, it will ensure that its staff and sub-contractors have read and understood it.

2.7 The Company will work in partnership with local / national agencies to put in place appropriate procedures for reporting, making referrals, and accessing training and specialist support, as and when required.

 

3. Safe recruitment

3.1 To aim to protect its Clients and Service Users, the Company will seek to recruit staff and sub-contractors using appropriate procedures, safeguards and checks.

3.2 The Company will take up at least two references for all staff prior to appointment.

3.3 The Company will provide an induction programme for all new staff, and appropriate training and ongoing/refresher training for them at regular intervals, to enable all staff to undertake their roles safely, effectively and confidently. The induction will make it clear to them that they have an obligation to implement this Policy and to learn about protection issues and their related responsibilities.

3.4 The Company will use the Disclosure & Barring Service (“DBS”) checks to help it to assess suitability of a candidate for a particular sub-contract or staff role which is treated by the DBS as Regulated Activity and is therefore subject to a barring list check. In relation to a post or role which is eligible for an enhanced DBS check, where it considers it appropriate it will carry out an enhanced DBS check. The Company will assess any criminal record information that is disclosed in line with its data protection and equalities obligations. All DBS checks shall be monitored in accordance with regulatory requirements and renewed as necessary.

3.5 The Company will regularly review its recruitment and other human resources procedures in response to changes in legislation and systems external to the Company, e.g. DBS and barring list checks.

 

4. Safeguarding Officer

4.1 The Company’s appointed Safeguarding Officer as from 06/08/2025 is Anna Ikin. They will have access to appropriate training to support them in this role.

4.2 They will be available to all staff, sub-contractors, Clients and Service Users to speak to when they have any concerns, issues, or complaints regarding the safety, well-being or conduct of Clients, Service Users or staff.

4.3 The Safeguarding Officer will liaise with appropriate local and national agencies, contribute to appropriate policies, maintain records, keep confidentiality, adhere to and promote this Policy within the Company, and support or provide access to support for individuals suffering harm or abuse.

 

5. Awareness of harm, abuse within the Company and obligations to consider risk

5.1 All incidents of harm to any Client or Service User will require an appropriate response to reduce risks and improve the Company’s services and activities.

5.2 Harm is caused by accidents, deliberate abuse (physical, psychological, sexual, emotional, financial), neglect (deliberate or not) or factors such as bullying, prejudicial attitudes, or a failure to enable a person to participate in activities that are open to most of their peers. It can also include abuse via use of ICT facilities (e.g. grooming, bullying via the internet).

5.3 Deliberate acts of harm (physical, psychological, sexual, emotional and financial) and neglect are abuses against the person. Those acts will incur disciplinary proceedings and require reports and referrals to social services, the police, other professional bodies, and the DBS if the act is by someone in Regulated Activity. If a criminal offence is thought to have been committed by any staff member or volunteer, the police will be informed.

5.4 There shall be an obligation, where any Client or Service User, poses a risk to themselves or others for the same to be duly reported. In such circumstances information of the risk, and any relevant history, may be shared with any relevant authorities, which includes, but is not limited to, medical professionals and the police.

 

6. Confidentiality

All reports and logs (including personnel records) will be kept securely and confidentially or in line with the DBS Code of Practice for Registered Bodies, the Information Commissioner’s Office recommendations as well any necessary obligations/requirements imposed by regulators, for which the Company is registered, whether as an obligation or volunatry. Records will be stored in this manner until or unless it is necessary to share this material with the agencies named above. Information will be shared by the Company on a “need-to-know” basis only.

 

7. Reports of possible or actual harm

7.1 The Company supports and encourages all Clients, Service Users, sub-contractors and staff to promptly speak up and contact the Safeguarding Officer where there is a concern (i.e. a worry, issue or doubt about practice or about treatment of a Client, Service User or colleague, or their circumstances), or a disclosure (i.e. information about a person at risk of or suffering from Significant Harm) or an allegation of an incident or a possibility that a sub-contractor or staff member has caused harm or could cause harm to a person in their care.

7.2 Staff or sub-contractors can report, and have a responsibility to report, something that they become aware of if they suspect or discover that it is not right or is illegal or if it appears to them that someone at work is neglecting their duties, putting someone’s health and safety in danger or covering up wrongdoing. They may become aware of any of these things from what they see or hear or from something another person has disclosed to them.

7.3 In the first instance the staff or sub-contractor making a report should speak to the Safeguarding Officer or the Company’s Director with appropriate responsibility.

7.4 The Company prefers that anyone should use internal processes whenever possible to make a report as above, but this does not prevent them from making a report or referral, in their own right as a private individual, to statutory agencies such as social services or the police.

7.5 The Company cannot promise confidentiality to staff or sub-contractors making an internal report (to the Safeguarding Officer or a Company’s Director with appropriate responsibility) where it is has to be shared with any statutory agencies.

7.6 The Company also supports its staff to raise concerns or to disclose information, which they believe shows malpractice - whistle-blowing (disclosure in the public interest).

 

8. Safeguarding Officer’s action

Where there is risk of Significant Harm to any Client or Service User, sub-contractors or staff, the Safeguarding Officer has the power to act as necessary and, in particular, as follows:

 

• log all conversations regarding the issue

• sign and request signatures on reports and statements

• confidentially seek advice from expert sources

• share concerns (with consent where required and appropriate) internally with senior staff

• share concerns and make referrals to external agencies such as social services or the police, as appropriate to the circumstances

• make a referral to the DBS regarding staff sub-contractors in Regulated Activity whose conduct is harmful to Clients or Service Users and refer them to DBS when they are removed from Regulated Activity.

 

9. Communication by the Company about safeguarding and this Policy

9.1 All staff and sub-contractors have an obligation to learn about protection issues and their related responsibilities.

9.2 The Company will communicate this Policy (using appropriate methods, formats and language to communicate the substance of it) to all of its staff, sub-contractors, and Clients, Service Users and their families / carers, and it will also make it available to the public.

9.3 To encourage everyone involved in the Company to understand that safeguarding is the business of everyone, and to assist all staff and sub-contractors to learn about protection issues and their related responsibilities, the Company will hold meetings open to all about safeguarding for discussion about issues and concerns, policy and procedures to reflect, review and to continue to learn and improve in relation to the Company’s safeguarding responsibilities.

 

10. Implementation of this Policy

10.1 This Policy must be followed by all staff (including sub-contractors) of the Company. Failure to follow it will be treated as a very serious matter. What amounts to a “very serious matter” will be solely for the Company to determine.

10.2 This Policy needs to be read in conjunction with the following policies and procedures of the Company:

Safe Working Practice Guidance on Regulated Activities

Procedure on how to deal with concerns and allegations of potential abuse or neglect

 

11. Adoption, coming into effect, and review, of this Policy

11.1 This Safeguarding Policy was approved by Anna Ikin on 05/08/2025. It also comes into force on that date.

The Company will, as appropriate,

The Company will revise this Policy from time to time. The next date for review of this Policy will be 05/08/2026.