Safeguarding and modern slavery
Safeguarding
Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) takes its safeguarding responsibilities seriously, we are dedicated in ensuring that the principles and duties of safeguarding children, young people, and adults is at the heart of what we do. We aim to fulfil our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the health and welfare of adults and children with staff education, policies, processes, leadership and partnership working.
We are committed to a think family approach in supporting people and families to live free from abuse, harm and neglect by listening, responding and enabling early intervention and protection with a multi-agency approach.
We work closely with the Local Authorities in Kent and Medway, the Kent and Medway Adult safeguarding Board, the Local Safeguarding Children Partnerships, Police, the Integrated Care System and Public Health to support and promote health and safeguarding within KMPT and as part of the wider system.
It means protecting an adult's right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect.
We make safeguarding personal and follow the 6 key principles
- Empowerment: People being supported and encouraged to make their own decisions and informed consent
- Prevention: It is better to take action before harm occurs.
- Proportionality: The least intrusive response appropriate to the risk presented.
- Protection: Support and representation for those in greatest need.
- Partnership: Local solutions through services working with their communities. Communities have a part to play in preventing, detecting and reporting neglect and abuse.
- Accountability: Accountability and transparency in safeguarding practice
Helpful Contacts
Social l Services
Adult social care - Kent County Council
Social care and health | Medway Council
Adult Social Care Report Abuse
Report adult abuse | Adult abuse and safeguarding | Medway Council
Report abuse - Kent County Council
- Kent Police
Report | Kent Police - National Domestic Violence helpline 0808 200 0247
- Kent and Medway Adults Safeguarding Board
Safeguarding children is everybody’s responsibility, we all have a role to play, and KMPT are dedicated in promoting and protecting the wellbeing and welfare of children to protect them from harm
All children and young people have the right to be protected and kept safe from harm. If you think a child is being harmed or neglected or is at risk of being abused contact:
Medway Social Care
Concerned about a child | Concerned about a child | Medway Council
Report abuse - Kent County Council
In an Emergency contact the Police 999
Helpful contacts
Local Safeguarding Children Multi-Agency Partnership
Home - Kent Safeguarding Children Multi-Agency Partnership (kscmp.org.uk)
We are committed to ensuring there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or any part of our business activity. Our commitment to social and environmental responsibility is covered by our approach to modern slavery and human trafficking, which is part of our safeguarding strategy and arrangements. Our commitment to ensure no modern slavery is reflected in a number of our policies and procedures. These include our adults and children safeguarding policies, which have been developed and maintained within the national and local safeguarding children governance and accountabilities frameworks.
It includes guidance on initial contact with a suspected human trafficking victim and the national referral mechanism.
Training and promotion
Our safeguarding training includes role relevant modern slavery awareness and understanding to reflect the Department of Health’s project around Provider Responses, Treatment and Care for Trafficked People (PROTECT).
Suppliers/tenders
The trust complies with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and uses the mandatory Crown Commercial Services (CCS) pre-qualification questionnaire on procurements, which exceed the prescribed threshold. Bidders are required to confirm their compliance with the Modern Slavery Act.
Sub-contracts
Our procurement and contracting team is qualified and experienced in managing healthcare contracts and have receive appropriate briefing on the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which includes:
- requesting evidence of their plans and arrangements to prevent slavery in their activities and supply chain
- using our routine contract management meetings with our providers, to address any issues around modern slavery
- implementing any relevant clauses contained within the Standard NHS Contract.
Modern slavery act – Section 54
Section 54 of the modern slavery act details the following:
- (4) A slavery and human trafficking statement for a financial year is—
- (a) a statement of the steps the organisation has taken during the financial year to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place—
- (i) in any of its supply chains, and
- (ii) in any part of its own business, or
- (b) a statement that the organisation has taken no such steps.
- (5) An organisation’s slavery and human trafficking statement may include information about—
- (a) the organisation’s structure, its business and its supply chains;
- (b) its policies in relation to slavery and human trafficking;
- (c) its due diligence processes in relation to slavery and human trafficking in its business and supply chains;
- (d) the parts of its business and supply chains where there is a risk of slavery and human trafficking taking place, and the steps it has taken to assess and manage that risk;
- (e) its effectiveness in ensuring that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in its business or supply chains, measured against such performance indicators as it considers appropriate;
o (f) the training about slavery and human trafficking available to its staff.
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement.
Domestic Abuse
We are committed to safeguarding people and family from domestic abuse, we train our staff to notice, ask, and enable opportunities for people to disclose and seek help.
Helpful contacts
Help and support for victims of domestic abuse | Kent Police
Bright Sky app
Bright Sky is a safe, easy to use app and website that provides practical support and information on how to respond to domestic abuse. It is for anyone experiencing domestic abuse, or who is worried about someone else.
Bright Sky helps you to spot the signs of abuse, know how to respond, and help someone find a safe route to support.
The app can be downloaded for free via the app stores. Please only download the app if it is safe for you to do so and if you are sure that your phone isn’t being monitored.
Launched in partnership with Vodafone Foundation and Thames Valley Partnership, the app hosts a UK-wide directory of specialist support service and offers users assessment tools to help you spot the signs for someone experiencing domestic abuse. It has had over 80,000 downloads since its launch in 2018. The website is focused on how to spot the signs of domestic abuse, advice on how to support someone you have concerns for, and ways to find help.
