Wooly Farm Child Protection Statement
Wooly Farm is a Mobile and Activity Farm with a focus on education and entertainment. Through both the Mobile and Activity Farm, Wooly Farm works with children of all ages to provide them with access to animals and thus give them the opportunity to learn and enjoy different aspects of Irish rural life.
Wooly Farm is fully committed to the care, support and welfare of each child and young person participating in our activities and events. We implement best practice in all areas of our child protection policy, adhering to Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children, the guidelines produced by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
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. The full risk assessment is available on request to the relevant person.
| Risk identified | Procedure in place to manage identified risk |
| Risk of child being harmed during a Wooly Farm Visit by another child | Wooly farm has an anti-bullying policy which is aligned to the requirements of the department’s anti-bullying procedures for primary and post-primary schools |
| Risk of child being harmed during a Wooly Farm activity by other persons (i.e. Visitors to Wooly Farm) | For school and Montessori visits, Wooly Farm has a supervision policy which is agreed with the teachers of relevant school in advance of any Wooly Farm event. For family events, supervision is up to the parents. |
| Risk of child being harmed by a member of Wooly Farm personnel | Wooly Farm has a rigorous Recruitment Policy which includes Garda Vetting and Reference checks. Staff are also trained in child protection and code of behaviour when working with children. |
| Risk of harm due to bully of child | Wooly farm has an anti-bullying policy which is aligned to the requirements of the department’s anti-bullying procedures for primary and post-primary schools |
| Risk of harm due to inadequate supervision of children during Wooly Farm activity | For school and Montessori visits, Wooly Farm has a supervision policy which is agreed with the teachers of relevant school in advance of any Wooly Farm event. For family events, supervision is up to the parents. |
| Risk of harm in one-to-one coaching situation | Wooly Farm Code of Behaviour explicitly states that no Wooly Farm staff or volunteer should allow themselves to be in a one-to-one situation with a child and to adhere to the supervision policy at all time. |
| Risk of harm caused by member of Wooly Farm personnel communication with children in appropriate manner via social media, texting, digital device or other manner. | Wooly Farm specifies in the code of behaviour that no staff member should divulge their personal phone number, social media or any other means of communication to children attending farm events. Code of Behaviour also includes interaction with students and staff under the age of 18 and appropriate communication. |
| Risk of harm caused by member of Wooly Farm personnel accessing/circulating inappropriate material via social media, texting, digital device or other manner. | Wooly Farm specifies in the code of behaviour that no staff member should divulge their personal phone number, social media or any other means of communication to children attending farm events. Code of Behaviour also includes interaction with students and staff under the age of 18 and appropriate communication. |
| Risk of harm due to inappropriate relationship/communications between child and another child or adult | Wooly Farm specifies in the code of behaviour that no volunteer or staff member should divulge their personal phone number, social media or any other means of communication. Communication between Wooly Farm personnel and students will be limited to in person with other adult supervision. |
| Risk of harm not being recognised by relevant personnel | Wooly Farm provides Child Protection Training to all staff, they are required to familiarise themselves with the Children First Guidance including completing the E-Learning, and staff are provided with all support regarding addressing any incidents |
| Risk of harm to children with SEN who have vulnerabilities | Wooly Farm has a Special Educational Needs Policy. |
| Risk of harm due to inadequate code of behaviour | Wooly Farm’s Code of Behaviour is complied with guidance from the Board of Education and Department of Children and Youth Affairs. |
Procedures
The Wooly Farm Child Safeguarding Statement has been developed in line with requirements under the Children First Act 2015, Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017), and Tulsa’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 while they are availing of our service:
- Procedure for the management of allegations of abuse or misconduct against workers/volunteers of a child availing of our service;
- Procedure for the safe recruitment and selection of workers and volunteers to work with children including procedure for appointing a relevant person, Garda vetting, researching references, good HR practices in interviewing, induction, training, probation and ongoing supervision and management;
- 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 (if any) in the relevant service who are mandated persons.
Implementation
We recognise that implementation is an on-going process. Wooly Farm is committed to the implementation of this Child Safeguarding Statement and the procedures that support our intention to keep children safe from harm while availing of our service.
This Child Safeguarding Statement will be reviewed on 10th March 2019, or as soon as practicable after there has been a material change in any matter to which the statement refers.
What to do if you have a query regarding Child Protection.
If you do have a concern about anything related to Child Protection, you can contact Mary Ward in writing or by telephone.
In the first instance, your complaint will be dealt with by Wooly Farm Proprietor, Alan Chadwick. Please give us as much information as possible and let us know how you would like us to respond to you, providing relevant contact details.
Write to:
Wooly Farm,
Drumbaun
Moneygall
Roscrea
Co Tipperary
E53 K294
Tel: +353 87 367 67 87 Email: info@woolywardsfarm.com
All procedures listed are available upon request.