Armagh City Craigavon and Banbridge Borough Council believes everyone has the right to be safe from harm, to fulfil their full potential and to have their rights and choices protected.
As part of our commitment to put all children and adults who may be at risk at the centre of what we do and protect them from harm council has developed a Child and Adults at Risk Safeguarding Policy.
The trauma of experiencing domestic abuse can have a significant impact on the mental health of children – and can continue to have serious, lifelong effects throughout adulthood.
To raise awareness of this grave issue, we are working with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, the Southern Health and Social Care Trust and the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust to help support children and young people who find themselves in this situation.
Between July 2022 and June 2023, there were 33,210 domestic abuse incidents reported to the PSNI – a number that significantly increases when silent victims, like children, are considered. Statistics from a recent study showed that:
Experiencing domestic abuse in childhood is child abuse and has a serious impact on a child’s safety, mental health and overall wellbeing – and is a very real problem in homes within Northern Ireland.
In many instances, children that live in abusive households are also likely to fall victim to this treatment themselves in the future.
By working together, we aim to help prevent harm, promote awareness, protect children and show that help is always available.
If things are not okay at home and you are worried, need advice or support, call any of the numbers below and there will be someone to listen and provide you with help.
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMEONE AVAILABLE TO HELP – DAY OR NIGHT.
CONTACT NUMBERS FOR HELP WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ABUSE
IN AN EMERGENCY, ALWAYS DIAL 999
Domestic Abuse | Southern Health & Social Care Trust (hscni.net)
https://setrust.hscni.net/service/south-eastern-domestic-violence-partnership/
Youth Wellness Web – Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (CYPSP) (hscni.net)
MAPNI – Men’s Advisory Project – Male Victims of Domestic Abuse
Following the introduction of the ‘Protection from Stalking Act (Northern Ireland) 2022’, stalking is now recognised as a crime, with up to ten years imprisonment for the perpetrator.
What is stalking?
Stalking is a pattern of unwanted or repeated behaviour from an ex-partner, someone you know, or a stranger, that causes you to feel scared or distressed. It can cause intimidation and can have devastating outcomes in the most serious of cases.
Many people associate stalking as something experienced by those in the public eye and not by ‘ordinary’ people living ‘ordinary’ lives. However, according to the National Stalking Helpline, approximately 45% of people who contact them are being stalked by people they have previously been in a relationship with. A further one third will have had some prior acquaintance with their stalker.
Stalking can include:
The four warning signs of stalking
If the behaviour you’re experiencing is:
Fixated
Obsessive
Unwanted
Repeated
This is stalking if the unwanted behaviour has happened more than once.
Protection from Stalking Act (Northern Ireland) 2022
This act makes stalking a crime in Northern Ireland and shows people how to recognise and report stalking behaviour.
Stalking destroys lives.
If you feel that you – or someone you know – is a victim of stalking, help is available.
Who can help?
National Stalking Helpline
0808 802 0300
www.suzylamplugh.org
Our current campaign – #BeSafeOnline – aims to ensure that our children and young people can enjoy the time they spend online, but in a safe and secure way.
Keeping Your Kids Safe Online Starts With You!
As a parent/guardian or carer you play a key role in helping to keep your children to stay safe online.
Children’s use of the internet is becoming more mobile and interactive offering young people more opportunities to interact and meet new people, so it’s never been more important to make sure you are helping your child stay safe in the digital world.
You don’t need to be an expert on the internet or a social media whizz to help keep your kids stay safe online. Our practical advice and downloadable resources are here to support you as you support your kids to navigate the online risks-whether your kids are gaming, chatting, posting or streaming. Here are some top tips you can talk through with your children at anytime:
Want more help? Check out the extensive resources and Helpline numbers we have collated below including the NSPCC Helpline number.
You will also find helpful information for your children in the ‘Advice for Children and Young People’ section below.
Lets all play our part and keep our kids safe online. #BeSafeOnline
Information for Adults
Through a range of devices including smartphones, tablets, and games consoles more children and young people are spending more time online than ever before, meaning cyber safety is more important than ever.
The internet provides our children and young people instant access to all sorts of information and activities such as live streaming, GPS navigation, social media, and games. It is important we make sure our children are safe when using these sophisticated electronic devices whether that be a computer, laptop, games console or smartphone.
Although children and young people have an advantage with their almost instinctive grasp of technology and are sophisticated in the way they use the social media apps and websites, they are still children, but their lack of life experience puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to security and making safe choices online.
While websites, gaming, live streaming and social media, like all forms of public communication, come with risks, not all of these risks turn into actual problems. By helping our children understand what some of those risks are, and how they can respond, we can all play a big part in preventing these risks from turning into problems.
You can find out more about children and their use of websites/social media, the apps used, the risks faced, how to use privacy settings, and advice and tips at:
Childnet — Online safety for young people
Internet safety advice and information | Internet Matters
Keeping children safe online | NSPCC
Online Safety Guidance (safeguardingni.org)
www.parentzone.org.uk
www.askaboutgames.com
If you are concerned about online grooming or sexual behaviour online:
Contact Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP): www.ceop.police.uk
Or
If you discover you criminal, sexual or obscene content on the internet you should report it to the Internet Watch Foundation: www.iwf.org.uk
To report a concern about a child contact:
Southern Health and Social Care Trust: 028 3576 7100 (9am-5pm Monday to Friday) or Freephone from landlines only 0800 783 7745
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust: 0300 100 0300 (9am-5pm Monday to Friday)
Emergency Social Work Service (Regional): 028 9504 9999 (5pm-9am Monday to Friday, 24 hours Saturday/Sunday/Bank Holidays)
NSPCC Helpline Number: 0808 800 5000
For further information please visit:
Child Protection / Gateway Service | Southern Health & Social Care Trust (hscni.net)
Gateway Service | South Eastern HSC Trust (hscni.net)
Useful Resources:
Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (CYPSP) Wellness Hub
Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (CYSP) Resource Pack
Being safe online starts with you!
We know that being online can be exciting and fun – but we also know that some things online can leave you feeling upset, bullied, or even worried. Just remember that good and bad news travels fast online, and you can sometimes find yourself in tricky situations with lasting consequences.
But, there are lots of people to help you and lots of simple things that you can do to help yourself as well.
Privacy and safety
Your privacy and safety are as important online as they are in the real world – and you need to remember that the online world is very real.
So how do you stay safe? Here are some super simple ways:
Remember…
Everything gets amplified online: good things seem more exciting, bad things seem much worse and can hurt – a lot. A great rule to live by both on and offline, is ‘treat others as you would like to be treated yourself’ and ‘if you wouldn’t want your granny to see it-then don’t post it!’
So, there are many ways that you can help yourself to stay safe online, and lots of people here to help you as well. You can also find out more by clicking on the following links:
If you are concerned about online grooming or sexual behaviour online:
Contact Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP): www.ceop.police.uk
If you discover you criminal, sexual or obscene content on the internet you should report it to the Internet Watch Foundation: www.iwf.org.uk
Adults – how you can help your young person stay safe online
Through a range of devices including smartphones, tablets, and games consoles children and young people are spending more time online than ever before, meaning cyber safety is more important than ever.
Although children and young people have an advantage with their almost instinctive grasp of technology and are sophisticated in the way they use the social media apps and websites, they are still children. However, their lack of life experience puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to security and making safe choices online.
While websites, gaming, live streaming and social media, like all forms of public communication, come with risks, not all of these risks turn into actual problems. By helping our children understand what some of those risks are, and how they can respond, we can all play a big part in preventing these risks from turning into problems.
Check out the links below where you can find out more about children and their use of websites/social media, the apps used, the risks faced, how to use privacy settings, and advice and tips at:
If you are concerned about online grooming or sexual behaviour online:
Contact Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP): www.ceop.police.uk
If you discover you criminal, sexual or obscene content on the internet you should report it to the Internet Watch Foundation: www.iwf.org.uk
To report a concern about a child contact:
Southern Health and Social Care Trust: 028 3576 7100 (9am-5pm Monday to Friday) or Freephone from landlines only 0800 783 7745
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust: 0300 100 0300 (9am-5pm Monday to Friday)
Emergency Social Work Service (Regional): 028 9504 9999 (5pm-9am Monday to Friday, 24 hours Saturday/Sunday/Bank Holidays)
For further information please visit:
Child Protection / Gateway Service | Southern Health & Social Care Trust (hscni.net)
Gateway Service | South Eastern HSC Trust (hscni.net)
Useful Resources:
Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (CYPSP) Wellness Hub
Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (CYSP) Resource Pack
Our commitment to Safeguarding
Having a dedicated Safeguarding Coordinator highlights the Council’s commitment to Safeguarding.
As part of our ongoing commitment to put all children and adults who may be at risk at the centre of what we do, we continue to support our communities and our staff post pandemic to protect both children and adults from harm.
Through our #BeSafeOnline ‘Cyber Safety’ campaign, we aim to raise awareness and understanding for children and young people of how they are at risk while surfing the internet, playing games, live streaming or using social media and how they can respond to those vulnerabilities by adopting some simple cybersecurity measures. We have also provided advice for adults with useful links and information on a range of key online safety topics.
For further information contact Gary Scott, Safeguarding Coordinator via:
E:
T: 07776 165 792.
Council recognises that the Safeguarding Policy must be owned at all levels within the organisation and, as such, this policy is addressed to all elected members, employees, casual workers, agency workers, volunteers, hirers of facilities, contracted services and the general public. It provides a clear statement of the Council’s responsibilities towards children and adults at risk. We aspire to having safe and respectful experiences for all within the borough.
There is an expectation that all employees will work in partnership as they apply this policy to their work with children and adults who may be at risk of harm or in need of protection.
The Policy includes:
The appointment of a dedicated Safeguarding Coordinator and the formation of an interdepartmental Safeguarding Steering Group highlight the council’s commitment to safeguarding.
The council Safeguarding Coordinator represents council on the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland’s Local Child Safeguarding panels and Local Adult Safeguarding Partnerships across the Southern Trust area, together with the Local Government Safeguarding Network.
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council’s Safeguarding Coordinator Gary Scott works across the Council area and can be contacted on or by telephone on 07776 165 792.
The Council is also a member of the Leisurewatch Scheme, which includes a protocol with the PSNI for responding to potentially risky sexual behaviour by visitors to Council facilities and assists members of staff to recognise and address such concerns on its premises.
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council work in partnership with the Southern Health and Social Care Trust to help provide free Child and Adult Safeguarding training for community groups.
click here or contact the Community Sector Training, Promoting Wellbeing Division, SHSCT on 028 3756 1400 or 028 3756 1441, or email
Leisurewatch: http://www.tdi.org.uk/
NIASP NI Adult Safeguarding Partnership: http://www.hscboard.hscni.net/niasp/
NSPCC: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-we-do/what-we-stand-for/northern-ireland/
