MID WEST SPINA BIFIDA AND HYDROCEPHALUS ASSOCIATION
CHILD SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT 2019
Introduction
The Mid-West Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus Association is a voluntary organisation run by parents and friends of people in County Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary who live with one or both of these conditions. Our Association was established for the care, welfare, interest, treatment, education, and advancement of persons born with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus in Ireland. Our mission is to encourage and support an enhanced quality of life for members, parents, families and carers, striving for a brighter future. We are at present, providing services to 112 members and their families.
Principles to safeguard children from harm
The Mid-West Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus Association is committed to the safety and welfare of children & young people who avail of any of our services in line with the Children First Act of 2015, (and all other legislation relevant to Safeguarding children which can be accessed at ( www.irishstatutebook.ie ) The Children’s first act 2015 defines harm of a child as ill treatment, neglect, assault, or sexual abuse, and what to do if you are concerned. We seek to ensure that no child or young person is disadvantaged or treated differently because of gender, social or ethnic background, family status, sexual orientation, religion or disability.
Implementation
We want to make sure that Children are protected and kept safe from harm while they are with Employees and Volunteers in this Organisation. We do this by:
- Giving Parents, Children, Employees and Volunteers information about what we do and what is expected of us.
- Making sure that our Employees and Volunteers are carefully selected, trained and supervised.
- Letting Parents and Children know how to voice their concerns or complaints if there is anything about which they are not happy.
We are committed to implement the highest standards of practice in safeguarding and protecting children from abuse and all our staff are appropriately vetted by the Association and Garda vetted. They have also undergone training relating to child protection and welfare and are able to recognise and report any sign of suspected abuse, neglect or child endangerment and know how to effectively deal with such matters. We offer Physiotherapy treatment & Family Support to our members both at our premises at our clinics in Nenagh, Kilrush And Thurles. Throughout the year we run various events and courses, both at our premises and at various outside venues.
As far as practicable every effort is made to ensure the safety and protection of all our members. It may not always be possible for a child to be present with their parent/guardian 100% of the time that they are availing of our services or attending one of our events. On these occasions a staff member or volunteer will be on hand to ensure their safety. All our staff and volunteers are aware of all the relevant Policies & Procedures in this very important area of Child Protection and have undergone training to ensure that every child is always safe from harm.
Reporting/Complaints
Should anyone wish to make a complaint or raise any concerns with Mid-West Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus Association concerning Child Safety they should speak to one of our staff members and /or make a formal complaint to our complaints office at complaints@spinabifida.ie where your complaint of concerns will be dealt with in a confidential and speedy manner. It is important to inform our Mandated Persons to deal with any concerns regarding Child Safety as soon as possible, to ensure the speedy protection of the child involved.
Designated Person
Nessa O’Driscoll FSW is the Designated Liaison Person and a mandated person under the Children First Act 2015. Our Deputy Mandated Person is Milena Madeja, Senior Physiotherapist & both are staff members of, Mid-West Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus Association, Saoirse, Delta Retail Park, Ballysimon Road,061-439990
*A full copy of our Child Safeguarding Policy is available for viewing at Reception.
**This statement will be reviewed by the chairperson of our Board of Directors in November 2020 or sooner, should there be any changes required.
Signed: ___________________ Date _____________
Contact number at MWSB 061-439990
Email: michael.coughlan@spinabifida.ie
