Toggle menu
  1. Mendip District Council
  2. Council Services and Information
  3. Health and Wellbeing in Mendip

Safeguarding at Mendip

Mendip District Council has a legal duty of care to ensure children and adults at risk are protected within the facilities, services and activities under the direct remit and control of the Council.

What is Safeguarding?

Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and protect them from harm. Protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and maltreatment, preventing harm to children's health or development, ensuring that they grow up with the provision of safe and effective care enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.

Mendip District Council's Safeguarding Policy

Our policy builds upon existing good practice across our services and sets out our safeguarding policies and procedures.

The policy aims to:

  • Ensure that children and adults at risk are protected within the facilities, services and activities under the direct remit and control of the Council.
  • Ensure that M.D.C. supports its employees when faced with child protection issues or incidences where vulnerable adults are at risk of abuse.
  • Employ good practice for child and vulnerable adult safeguarding for partner organisations.

There are trained Safeguarding Champions in place across the Council who can provide support and advice to staff who raise Safeguarding concerns and to ensure that correct Safeguarding procedures are followed. As part of the councils staff induction program all staff receive a basic level of safeguarding awareness training.

The definition of a child or a vulnerable adult?

Children - up to and including the age of 17.
Adults - Who have need of care and support

What do we cover?

  • Domestic Abuse
  • Suicide Threats
  • Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
  • Child Sexual Abuse
  • Modern Slavery
  • Prevent
  • Any Child or Adult at Risk

Types of Abuse to look out for:

  • Physical Abuse
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Emotional Abuse
  • Financial or Material abuse
  • Neglect
  • Discrimination

If you need to report a Safeguarding concern please use one of the contact numbers  as shown below:

  • Prevent - Anti terrorist hotline 0800 789 321
  • If there is an immediate danger to an individual call the police on 999
  • To raise concerns about something that you've seen or heard where there is no immediate danger call either the police on 101 or the Crime Stoppers helpline on  0800 555 111
  • If you are worried about a vulnerable child or adult please don't stay silent. call Somerset Social Care on 0300 123 2224

Videos