Our safeguarding declaration

At NHS Dorset we ensure processes are in place to meet our legal and statutory responsibilities of adult and child safeguarding.

We recognise safeguarding as a high priority for our organisation. In order to achieve effective safeguarding processes, we have robust arrangements in place to provide strong leadership, vision and direction for safeguarding. This includes having clear accessible policies and procedures in line with relevant legislation to ensure NHS Dorset meets their statutory responsibilities through the delivery of best practice.

Living a life that is free from harm and abuse is a fundamental right of every person. It is the responsibility of all of us to act as good neighbours and citizens in looking out for one another and seeking to prevent harmful and abusive situations for children and adults at risk of harm or abuse.

NHS Dorset Safeguarding Team

The NHS Dorset Safeguarding Team function includes:

  • Taking a strategic and professional lead across NHS services on all aspects of safeguarding
  • Conducting training needs analysis, commissions, plans, designs, delivers, and evaluating safeguarding single training and teaching for staff across NHS services
  • Leading safeguarding quality assurance and improvement across NHS services
  • Leading innovation and change to improve safeguarding across NHS services
  • Taking a lead role in ensuring robust processes are in place across NHS services to learn lessons from cases where children, young people and adults die or are seriously harmed, and maltreatment or neglect is suspected
  • Giving appropriate advice to specialist safeguarding professionals working within organisations delivering NHS services and to other agencies
  • Providing, support and ensuring contribution to safeguarding appraisal and appropriate supervision for colleagues across NHS services
  • Providing expert advice to service planners and commissioners, ensuring all services commissioned meet the statutory requirement to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people, and adults

The team is made up of many different professions including nurse’s, midwives, health visitor’s, allied health professionals and doctors.

Should you need to get in touch with a member of the team, please contact us using our inbox safeguarding.notifications@nhsdorset.nhs.uk  Please note this inbox is monitored Monday to Friday 0900 – 1700hrs (excluding bank holidays). If your query is urgent and requires an immediate response, please see contact details below for the local authorities and/or police.

Accountability for safeguarding

There are clear lines of accountability for safeguarding within NHS Dorset. The Accountable Officer is overall responsible for safeguarding. However delegated authority sits with the Chief Nursing Officer who is the Executive Lead for safeguarding children and adults.

There is a Designated Nurse for Children, an Adult Safeguarding Lead and a Designated Nurse for Children in Care and Care Leavers.

There are three named GP’s for safeguarding, who support and advise across primary care. There is also a Designated Doctors for Children Safeguarding and Child Death and a Designated Doctor for Children in Care.

The Designated Children’s Safeguarding Professionals are also members of the Child Death Overview Panel.

NHS Dorset has a statutory duty under the Children’s Act (1989, 2004) and the Care Act (2014) to provide assurance that all Health Care Services commissioned, contracted and provided have robust processes in place to identify, refer and protect both adults and children from abuse, harm and neglect.

NHS Dorset also has a statutory duty to be involved in Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SAR) Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (CSPR), Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHR) and Serious Violence Reviews (SVR).

Safeguarding training and recruitment

At NHS Dorset, all staff have undertaken mandatory training in both children and adult safeguarding relevant to their role and responsibility and in line with the adult, children, and children in care intercollegiate guidance. This ensures the workforce have the necessary knowledge and skills to support the safeguarding process.

Children at risk

If you are concerned about a child’s welfare or worried, they are at risk of harm or abuse, if the child lives in Dorset please contact the Children’s Advice and Duty Service (ChAD):

  • Family and friends telephone number: 01305 228866

  • Professional’s telephone number: 01305 228558

Daytime service is available Monday to Friday between 8am and 10pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am to 10pm and on-call out of hours service 24/7.

More information on the ChAD Service.

If you have concerns about a child living in the BCP area please contact:

Children’s First Response Hub Telephone: 01202 123334
Email: childrensfirstresponse@bcpcouncil.gov.uk
Out of hours telephone: 01202 738256

Out of hours email: childrensOOHS@bcpcouncil.gov.uk 

In an emergency, please dial 999.

NHS Dorset is committed to ‘think family’, which recognises and promotes the importance of a whole-family approach which is built on the principles of ‘reaching out: think family’:

  • No wrong door – contact with any service offers an open door into a system of joined-up support, based on more coordination between adult and children’s services

  • Looking at the whole family, working with both adults and children taking into account family circumstances and responsibilities

  • Providing support tailored to need and agreeing a package of support best suited to their particular situation

  • Building on family strengths to promote resilience and helping to build their capabilities

NHS organisations have a statutory duty to report any incident of female genital mutilation (FGM) against a child.

More information on FGM on GOV.UK.

The duty does not apply in an adult over 18. An interagency response will be offered to signpost the woman to services and a safeguarding risk assessment will be undertaken to consider any children who may be at risk or have had FGM.

More information including policies and procedures – Pan-Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership website.

Safeguarding adults

If you suspect someone is being abused or is at risk of abuse or harm, you must report to the local authority in whose area the abuse occurred. However if there is a serious threat or concern for life you should contact 999 for emergency services.

Dorset Council – office hours 01305 2210016
Dorset Council – out of hours 01305 858250
BCP Council – office hours 01202 123654 or email asc.contactcentre@bcpcouncil.gov.uk
BCP Council – out of hours 0300 1239895
In an emergency Dial 999 and ask for the police

NHS Dorset is committed to the ‘Making Safeguarding Personal’ (MSP) approach to safeguarding. MSP aims to ensure that the person and/or their advocate in relation to the safeguarding enquiry, are fully engaged and consulted throughout and that their wishes and views are central to the final outcomes as far as is possible.

Safeguarding adults boards

Policies and procedures:

Dorset Safeguarding Adults Board

Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole Safeguarding Adults Board

The Dorset and BCP Safeguarding Adults Board have commissioned a useful video explaining safeguarding adults

Domestic abuse

If you are experiencing domestic abuse, you can get support and advice by contacting one of the agencies below:

Name of service Services provided Website Telephone number
Police Emergency response Dorset Police 999
Police Non-emergency response Dorset Police 101
You Trust (Paragon Team) Specialist team working together empowering change for individuals, families, and our communities who experience domestic abuse Paragon Team
BCHA BCHA work to help victims of domestic abuse and human trafficking escape and recover from the traumatic situations they have experience, and to help them stay safe BCHA 01202 710777
Victim Support Victim Support is an independent charity dedicated to supporting victims of crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales Victim Support 0808 1689111
The Shores (Sexual Assault Centre) Supports victims of rape and sexual assault (including men) The Shores 0800 970 9954
Sexual Trauma and Recovery Service STARS is a pan-Dorset charity that offers one to one support, free of charge, for anyone of any age or gender who lives, works, or studies in Dorset and has experience any form of sexual violence at any time in their life STARS Dorset 01202 308840
The Survivor Pathway The Dorset Survivor Pathway is a guide for anyone wanting to know more about specialist sexual violence support services in Dorset Survivor Pathway
24 hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline A service for women experiencing domestic violence, their family, friends, colleagues and others calling on their behalf. It is run in partnership between Women’s Aid and Refuge National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 200 247
Men’s Advice Line A confidential helpline for all men experiencing domestic violence by a current or ex-partner. This includes all men – in heterosexual or same-sex relationships. Offers emotional support, practical advice and information on a wide range of services for further help and support Men’s Advice Line 0808 8010 327
Childline A confidential helpline for any child under the age of 19 years Childline 0800 1111
GALOP (Formally Broken Rainbow) GALOP support LGBT+ people who have experienced abuse and violence GALOP 0800 999 5428
Help for domestic violence perpetrators | Respect phone line UK Can work with perpetrators to help them understand their behaviours and make positive change Respect phone line 0808 802 4040
The Healing Together Programme This is a trauma informed programme based on 6 sessions and can be delivered as a group programme or on a one-to-one basis within different settings (i.e. schools, community services). The programme is suitable for children and young people aged 6-16 Healing Together

Prevent – counter-terrorism strategy

Prevent is part of the government counter-terrorism strategy. It’s designed to tackle the problem of terrorism at its roots, preventing people from supporting terrorism or becoming terrorists themselves.

If you are concerned that someone you know is at risk of radicalisation:

For immediate concerns that an individual may imminently commit a crime/act of terrorism phone 999. For non-immediate concerns, make a Prevent referral via preventreferrals@dorset.pnn.police.uk

Annual reports