Child Protection

North Warwickshire Borough Council will ensure that its Councillors, staff and everyone associated with the provision of its services will take all reasonable steps to protect children and young people from harm, discrimination or degrading treatment and that their rights, wishes and feelings will be respected.

This will be achieved by adopting the following key principles:

  • Promoting an understanding that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. For services to be effective, each professional has to play their full part
  • Services must develop a child-centred approach. For services to be effective, they must be based on a clear understanding of the needs and views of children and young people

Abuse can occur within many situations, including the home, at school and within all forms of clubs and societies. It is known that some individuals actively seek employment or voluntary work with children in order to harm them. Safeguarding children – the action we take to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm – is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play in safeguarding all vulnerable people.

All members of Borough Council staff who come into contact with children and young people during the normal course of their duties, or those who work with computers, must attend a Universal Child Protection training course within three months of commencing their employment and on a regular basis thereafter (minimum of once every three years). Staff are trained to identify the signs and symptoms of the four forms of abuse (physical, emotional and sexual abuse and neglect). They know what to do if they suspect abuse may be taking place or if an allegation is made against a member of staff; including their use of the correct reporting procedure.

The Borough Council also reduces the opportunityforabuse / allegations to occur by undertaking criminal records checks (Disclosure and Barring Service checks) of all staff who have unrestricted access to children (and, on a risk-based approach, for certain positions held by elected Councillors);by ensuring that clubs and organisations using Borough Council facilities have child protection policies in place; and,when contracting individuals and organisations, the Council has procedures in place to ensure that appropriate criminal records checkstake place and that supervision is undertaken as necessary. DBS checks for Borough Council staff are repeated, as a minimum, every three years.

Additional information about Child Protection at North Warwickshire Borough Council(including a copy of the Child Protection Policy) is available on the Borough Council website at

If you wish to speak to someone about Child Protection at North Warwickshire Borough Council, please contact Simon Powell, Assistant Director (Leisure and Community Development), on 01827 719352 or .