Child Safeguarding Statement

The IFPA provides sexual health and education services throughout Ireland and IFPA clients include children and young people. A child means a person under the age of 18 years who is not or who has not been married. The IFPA has an obligation to promote the wellbeing of these clients and to work to safeguard them.

Risk Assessment

We have carried out an assessment of any potential for harm to a child while availing of our services. Below is a list of the areas of risk identified and the list of procedures for managing these risks.

Risk Identified	Procedure in place to manage risk identified
Child abuse may not be recognised	IFPA Safeguarding Policy and Procedures
Staff may not know who to talk to for advice	IFPA Safeguarding Policy and Procedures
Staff may not know how to make a report	IFPA Safeguarding Policy and Procedures
Organisation may employ a person with a history of offences against children	IFPA Recruitment Handbook

Procedures

Our Child Safeguarding Statement has been developed in line with requirements under the Children First Act 2015, the Children First: National Guidance, and Tusla’s Child Safeguarding: A Guide for Policy, Procedure and Practice. In addition to the procedures listed in our risk assessment, the following procedures support our intention to safeguard children when they are availing of our service:

• Procedure for the management of allegations of abuse or misconduct against workers/volunteers from a child availing of our service
• Procedure for safe recruitment and selection of workers and volunteers to work with children
• Procedure for provision of and access to child safeguarding training and information, including the identification of the occurrence of harm
• Procedure for the reporting of child protection or welfare concerns to Tusla
• Procedure for maintaining a list of the persons in the service who are mandated persons
• Procedure for appointing a relevant person

All procedures listed are available on request.

Implementation

We recognise that implementation is an ongoing process. Our service is committed to the implementation of the Child Protection Statement and the procedures which support our intention to keep children safe from harm while availing of our service. This Child Safeguarding Statement will be reviewed in June 2023, or as soon as practicable after there has been a material change in any matter to which the statement refers.

Signed:

Niall Behan, Chief Executive

IFPA  Solomons House, 42, Pearse St, Dublin 2.

For queries please contact Caitriona Henchion – Designated Liaison Person (relevant person under the Children First Act 2015)

Version 3, June 2022