Introduction

StoriBoard intends to provide a platform which is a safe place for individuals to share their lived experience to help others who are going through something similar. This policy document sets out our commitment to keeping those using the platform who are under the age of 18 safe and how we will respond to child protection concerns. This document includes both a Safeguarding Policy Statement, and our Child Safeguarding Procedures. StoriBoard is a UK registered company, therefore we will be following the Child Protection procedures and legislation of England, therefore we may be restricted in the response to a concern for international users. 

This safeguarding policy is underpinned by the key statutory legislation and guidance in England, including but not limited to (for more details, click the links): 

• Children Act 1989 
• Children Act 2004
• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 

Who does this policy apply to?

This policy is in place to stipulate our commitment to the safety of all children under the age of 18 who access StoriBoard or the StoriBoard Academy, and to standardise our response to any safeguarding concerns. We believe that everyone has a responsibility to promote the online safety and welfare of children and young people. Therefore, we ask that all users help us to keep the community on the StoriBoard platform safe. Should any users of StoriBoard be aware of, or have a concern, regarding the safety of a child using the Platform, there is an expectation that such concern will be reported via the appropriate channel set out in the below Safeguarding Policy. Users, volunteers, or employees of the platform who are found to be causing harm to children will have their content deleted, account disabled or other restrictions that we consider appropriate, including following the StoriBoard disciplinary process and contacting the police where necessary. 

We recognise that

The welfare of children is paramount, and we have a duty to ensure that all children, young people, and adults accessing our platform are protected from potential harm online.  We will give equal priority to keeping all children and young people safe regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. We recognise that the online world provides everyone with many opportunities, but that it can also present risks and challenges. We further recognise that some children and young people may have additional vulnerabilities because of the impact of discrimination, previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues. Extra safeguards may be needed to keep children who are additionally vulnerable safe from abuse. 

Our commitment to safeguarding

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

• Listening to, valuing, and respecting them
• Appointing a nominated Designated Safeguarding Lead and a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead who takes lead responsibility for safeguarding at the highest level in the organisation.
• Recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are undertaken.
• Implementing the necessary procedures to appropriately manage any allegations made against staff and volunteers.
• Creating and regularly updating our detailed online safeguarding and child protection procedures to enable us to respond appropriately to any incidents of inappropriate online behaviour, whether by an adult or a child / young person
• Making these policies accessible to children, young people and families should they wish to read them and know what to do if they have a concern.
• Ensuring that all staff and volunteers of StoriBoard understand and follow the safeguarding and child protection procedures and understand how to behave online.
• Providing supervision, support and training for staff and volunteers about online safety.
• Having a suitable recording and storing process of safeguarding/child protection concerns in line with GDPR. 
• Enforcing safe use of StoriBoard via group rules that admins must follow.
• Monitoring of content both manually and through AI and including and including functionality for users to block others that they do not wish to communicate with.
• Building a culture where online safeguarding is a priority, so that our StoriBoard staff, volunteers and users know how they are expected to behave and promote a supportive environment towards sharing concerns.
• Using our safeguarding procedures to share concerns and relevant information with the necessary multi-agency professionals with the priority of the safety of children accessing StoriBoard. 
• Ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place.

What we are already doing to safeguard children accessing the platform 

• Upon signing up to StoriBoard, email verification is required.
• The ‘Report’ function of the app allows users to report any harmful, distressing, or illegal content to StoriBoard and we encourage all users to use this when needed.
• We have a clear set of Community Guidelines to ensure that all users are aware of their requirements to keep StoriBoard a safe space.
• When a new group is set up, each administrator is required to read and agree to the rules of hosting a group.
• Where illegal or harmful content is identified via manual or AI monitoring, the content is removed.
• Anyone ascertained to be breaching the community guidelines, terms and conditions and/or causing harm or distress to another has their account suspended or deleted in order to protect other users of the platform.
• When a safeguarding concern is identified, a standardised response is posted to the user in order to signpost to additional support and services.
• StoriBoard staff receive Safeguarding training to support them in identifying and responding to concerns.
• If you are under the age of 13, you cannot access the platform.
• Where a child or young person no longer wishes to be a part of a group, they are able to freely leave the group.
• We encourage self-advocacy skills and empower individuals to express their needs, interests, and goals.
• We provide resources and discussions around self-care, stress management techniques and strategies for promoting overall wellbeing.
• We have created an Emergency Resources page for anyone to access additional support and guidance.
• We promote authenticity on StoriBoard, as Users cannot post anonymously on the platform. 

Contact details:

1. StoriBoard Designated Safeguarding Lead:

Name: Amy Shackleton

1. StoriBoard Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: 

Name: Sushila Ghose Coveney

Contact details for the safeguarding team: safeguarding@storiboard.co.uk 

We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually. 

Date to be reviewed: 12 October 2024

Storiboard Safeguarding Children Procedures 

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide clear guidance to all those working for, volunteering for, or accessing, the StoriBoard platform who come into direct or indirect contact with children and young people. It also ensures that our employee and volunteers are protected. 

The intention of this policy is to ensure all those in the StoriBoard community have a common understanding of what is meant by the term ‘safeguarding’. This allows us to develop best practice across the diverse and complex areas in which our involvement with StoriBoard exists, promoting and increasing accountability for the safety of children and young people accessing the platform. We recognise that the platform is accessed globally where local safeguarding procedures may vary between countries. However, this policy constitutes StoriBoards global policy and identifies our minimum safeguarding standards, which may exceed the requirements of local legislation.

A breach of this policy will be treated as a disciplinary matter which may result in immediate termination of employment, withdrawal of voluntary status, suspension or deletion of account or any content, and may result in reporting to the police and other relevant regulatory authorities and agencies. 

Summary of useful information

The below information is included within this policy to help users, volunteers and staff understand different types of harm that a child or young person could be at risk of facing. This is to help them to appropriately identify safeguarding concerns. 

Users: This refers to those who are accessing StoriBoard in some capacity that are not volunteers or staff. 

Platform: The word platform refers to StoriBoards app, website and any other services offered within the StroiBoard remit. 

Safeguarding: When using the term safeguarding, we are referring to the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and young people and protect them from harm. This is a right we believe that all children and young people have, and that the welfare of children is paramount. 

Children and young people: within this policy, these phrases refer to the same thing and are used to describe anyone under the age of eighteen, as per English Law. 

Abuse: Abuse in its simplest terms is when someone causes harm to another person. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. In the context of this policy, it relates to harm being caused to a child(ren). Abuse can occur in many forms, this includes but is not limited to: neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, cyberbullying, child-on-child abuse, sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, radicalisation, extremism. All types of abuse can happen both online and offline. 

Bullying/Cyberbullying: Bullying is when individuals or groups seek to harm, intimidate, or coerce someone who is perceived to be vulnerable (Oxford English Dictionary, 2021). Cyberbullying can include but is not limited to the following behaviours and actions: sending threatening, abusive or upsetting messages, creating harmful content images or videos, trolling, setting up hate sites about a child, stealing online identities to embarrass or cause trouble for a child. 

Extremism: Extremism is defined in the Counter Extremism Strategy 2015 as the vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also regard calls for the death of members of our armed forces as extremist.

Radicalisation: Radicalisation refers to the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and extremist ideologies associated with terrorist groups.

For more information on extremism & radicalisation, refer to the Prevent Duty Statutory Guidance for England & Wales. 

Child-on-child abuse: Harm caused to a child or young person that is inflicted by another child under the age of 18. The type of harm is not limited and can include that of those defined above.

(The below definitions have been taken from the Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018, and have been shortened for the purposes of this document, follow the link to see the full definitions for each). 

Neglect: The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to: a. Provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment) b. Protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger c. Ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate caregivers) d. Ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

Physical abuse: A form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

Sexual abuse: Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening.

Emotional abuse: The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development.

Sexual exploitation: Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.

Criminal exploitation: As set out in the Serious Violence Strategy, published by the Home Office, where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, control, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into any criminal activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial or other advantage of the perpetrator or facilitator and/or (c) through violence or the threat of violence. The victim may have been criminally exploited even if the activity appears consensual. Child criminal exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.

Process of responding to a safeguarding concern

You may become aware of a safeguarding concern through various ways. This can include through what you have seen on the StoriBoard platform, through posts or comments, or a child or young person may make a direct disclosure to you. If a child or young person discloses something to you, the process of how to respond to it is detailed below:

Users of StroiBoard: 

We believe that everyone has a responsibility to promote the online safety and welfare of children and young people. Therefore, we ask that all users help us to keep the community on the StoriBoard platform safe. Should any users of StoriBoard be aware of, or have a concern, regarding the safety of a child using the platform, or of illegal or harmful content, there is an expectation that such concern will be reported via the appropriate channel set out below: 

If you have received a disclosure, identified a concern for a child or young person accessing StoriBoard or identified some harmful or illegal content, report these concerns via the ‘report’ function of the platform. We ask that you try to include as much detail as possible to ensure that we are able to appropriately assess the information. Ensure that you report facts and refrain from opinions. If you need to share yours or other opinions, make sure that there is a clear differentiation between the factual information and the opinion(s). Due to GDPR, it is likely that you will not be updated on any further actions taken by the StoriBoard team.

Note: Consent- If a child is suffering or likely to, suffer significant harm, you can share this concern with the appropriate agencies without the child or their parents consent. The Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR does not affect the ability to make a referral for a child in the interest of their safety and/or welfare. 

StoriBoard employees and volunteers:

If you are an employee of StoriBoard, you will follow the steps outlined below: 

Step 1: Once you have identified a safeguarding concern through AI or manual monitoring or from a user via the ‘report’ function, provide advice and guidance to the individual at risk via the standardised safeguarding response. This may include directing the child or young person to the StoriBoard Help Hub, Childline and the NSPCC Direct Services page. 

Step 2: Following the identification and response to the concern, you are required to complete the Safeguarding Notification Form. Complete this form as soon as practicably possible and with as much detail as possible to ensure appropriate assessment of risk can be undertaken by the DSL. Ensure that you report facts and refrain from opinions. If you need to share yours or other opinions, make sure that there is a clear differentiation between the factual information and the opinion(s). 

Note: Consent – If a child is suffering, or likely to, suffer significant harm, you can share this concern with the appropriate agencies without the child or their parents consent. The Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR does not affect the ability to make a referral for a child in the  interest of their safety and/or welfare. 

Step 3: Once completed, email this form to the StoriBoard safeguarding email address (see below). This should always be undertaken in a timely manner to ensure that appropriate and prompt action can be taken. Where practicable, we would recommend that this concern is shared with the DSL or DDSL as soon as possible. 

Contact details: safeguarding@storiboard.co.uk

If you are ever in doubt as to whether something is a safeguarding concern or not, seek advice and guidance from the DSL or DDSL. Contact details: safeguarding@storiboard.co.uk

Step 4: Await further guidance from the DSL or DDSL. It is likely that no further action is required from yourself and that you have sufficiently fulfilled your responsibility to share the concern appropriately. Due to GDPR, you may not be updated on next steps. 

If you are not happy with the outcome, follow the escalation process detailed below. 

The role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead: 

When a concern is identified or shared with the DSL or DDSL the following steps may be taken by them:

Step 1: The DSL or DDSL monitors the safeguarding inbox during their standard working hours and receives the safeguarding concern via the Safeguarding Notification Form. The DSL  or DDSL will then assess the concern to ascertain the risk level associated with it and gather any additional information required. This may include, where possible, any information regarding the person(s) causing, or threatening to cause, harm to the child, particularly if this harm is occurring via the StoriBoard app. 

Step 2: Following review of the concern, the DSL or DDSL will have assessed the level of risk. Where no further action is required and the standardised response was sufficient, the concern will be recorded securely for future records. In some instances, the concern may need to be shared with appropriate agencies such as the police and children social care authorities. Given the nature of information gathered and held by StoriBoard regarding our users, it is unlikely that this information will be available. Therefore, the DSL or DDSL may contact necessary services to gain advice. The recommended service to seek advice from is the NSPCC Helpline, who will talk through the concern and offer expert advice and guidance in order to appropriately protect the child. NSPCC Helpline contact details: Telephone: 0808 800 5000 or email: help@nspcc.org.uk

For referring any online child exploitation concerns, the information may be shared via the CEOP reporting platform or IWF for sexual abuse concerns such as indecent images.

Step 3: The DSL or DDSL will ensure that all information and actions taken are recorded appropriately and securely. The reason for this is to ensure that there is a clear record of the concerns and the actions taken to protect the child and to ensure their welfare is paramount. 

Step 4: If following a referral the DSL or DDSL still has concerns, they can follow this up by contacting the agency. Children can receive additional support and guidance from Childline, signpost to Childline as a source of support following disclosure of abuse, or if a safeguarding referral has been made or is on-going. For any additional services that offer support, signpost to the NSPCC Direct Services page and the StoriBoard Emergency Resources.

Step 5: Action may be required against user(s), volunteer(s) or staff members of StoriBoard. This will be required in the event that they are causing, or threating to cause, harm to a child or young person. The DSL or DDSL will take prompt action to safeguard children and young people and take the necessary steps to ensure that this harm is intercepted. Overstepping any boundaries set out in this policy or Community Guidelines may result in your content being deleted, your account being disabled or other restrictions that we consider appropriate, including contacting the police where necessary and following the StoriBoard disciplinary process. 

Preventing & responding to bullying 

We want the StoriBoard Platform to provide a safe place for individuals to share their lived experience to help others who are going through something similar. You should respect all users on the StoriBoard Platform. If you or your content is found or reported to be causing harm to others, this will result in appropriate action being taken to protect all of our users, employees and volunteers from harm. Action may include your content being deleted, your account being disabled or other restrictions that we consider appropriate, including following the StoriBoard disciplinary process and contacting the police where necessary. For further details regarding our guidelines and expectations surrounding this, see our Community Guidelines. 

Recruiting & training StoriBoard staff and volunteers

In the interest of safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, staff of StoriBoard are DBS checked. In addition to this, staff receive necessary Safeguarding training and refresher training, and the Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy receive annual Safeguarding training. 

Escalation process (whistleblowing)

Once you have flagged a safeguarding concern and have followed the appropriate reporting measures detailed in this policy, if you are not happy with the outcome for any reason we advise following the escalation process. 

To escalate a concern, speak with your direct line manager. Your direct line manager will discuss the concern with you and the individual in the organisation that has managed the initial safeguarding referral (the DSL or DDSL). The DSL or DDSL will provide a justification for the actions taken, and this will be shared with yourself. Should you and your direct line manager remain unsatisfied with the outcome, a discussion will be sought with Karen Harris who will investigate the complaint and provide an outcome within 15 business days. 

Confidentiality 

Information regarding any users, volunteers, or employees of StoriBoard will be treated with confidentiality and should only be shared with people who need to know. In the instance of a safeguarding or welfare concern, this information should only be shared with relevant agencies such as the DSL or DDSL, the police, and children services. When seeking advice from the NSPCC or Childline, where the identity of the child or young person can be protected, it should not be disclosed. Information sharing protocol in line with GDPR and the Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 legislation allows anyone to make a safeguarding referral regarding a child or young person without the child or their parents’ consent. This information should be treated with the highest level of confidentiality and should not be disclosed beyond those services that have a need to know the information (such as police and the relevant local authority). It is often the case that when concerns are shared with the DSL or DDSL, further action and updates are not able to be shared with the initial referrer for confidentiality reasons. 

All safeguarding concerns will be recorded appropriately and stored securely to protect the personal nature of the data and to ensure confidentiality. 

Should you make a disclosure to a volunteer or employee of StoriBoard, we cannot promise you that this information will remain confidential. Where it is believed that you or others are at risk of harm, all necessary information may be shared with the appropriate individuals within StoriBoard to allow them to take the necessary and lawful action to keep you and/or others safe. 

Contact details:

1. StoriBoard Designated Safeguarding Lead:

Name: Amy Shackleton

1. StoriBoard Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: 

Name: Sushila Ghose Coveney

Contact details for the safeguarding team: safeguarding@storiboard.co.uk 

We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually. 

Date to be reviewed: 12 October 2024