1. Islamic Ethos and Commitment

Al-Sunnah Mosque (the charity) recognises its moral, legal, and religious duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Our responsibility is to protect children from harm, neglect, and exploitation and to provide a safe environment rooted in mercy, justice, and accountability.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

• All children under 18 involved in the charity’s programmes, including Al-Sunnah Quranic School, Qur’an classes, youth groups, and trips.
• All trustees, imams, teachers, staff, volunteers, and committee members.
• Third-party organisations delivering children’s activities on the mosque’s premises.

3. Legal and Regulatory Framework

This policy aligns with:

• Children Act 1989 & 2004
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (as amended by the Crime and Policing Act 2026)
• Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023)
• Keeping Children Safe in Out-of-School Settings
• Charity Commission guidance (CC3, RS10, Safeguarding Toolkit)
• Manchester Safeguarding Partnership procedures

4. Safeguarding Principles

• Paramountcy – the welfare of the child is paramount.
• Zero tolerance – the charity will not tolerate abuse or neglect.
• Prevention first – safeguarding risks will be minimised through proactive measures.
• Equality – all children are entitled to protection regardless of faith, gender, ethnicity, or ability.
• Collaboration – the charity will work with parents, carers, and statutory services.
• Accountability – all adults at the mosque are responsible for safeguarding.

5. Roles and Responsibilities

Trustees

• Hold ultimate accountability for safeguarding and must ensure this policy is implemented.
• Approve the appointment of a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and a Deputy.
• Receive and review safeguarding reports from the DSL at least annually.
• Ensure all trustees have safeguarding training and understand their legal duties.
• Approve updates to this policy and ensure it is reviewed annually.
• Make sure serious incidents are reported promptly to the Charity Commission.
• Ensure that no person barred from working with children is allowed to engage in regulated activity with children.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

• Acts as the primary contact for any safeguarding concerns.
• Receives, records, and assesses all concerns, disclosures, or allegations.
• Makes referrals to children’s social care or police within 24 hours if thresholds are met.
• Liaises with Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for allegations against staff or trustees.
• Maintains secure safeguarding records in line with GDPR.
• Reports regularly to trustees and ensures safeguarding trends are monitored.
• Ensures safeguarding is embedded across all the charity’s programmes (Al-Sunnah Quranic School, youth, events).

Deputy DSL

• Supports the DSL and provides cover during absence.

Imams, Teachers, Staff, and Volunteers

• Must complete safeguarding induction training before starting their role.
• Have a duty to report concerns or disclosures immediately to the DSL
• Must not investigate allegations themselves but record and pass information on.
• Follow the Staff Behaviour and Code of Conduct at all times.

Third-Party Providers and Visitors

• Are bound by this policy while operating within the mosque’s facilities.

6. Responding to Safeguarding Concerns About Children

This section covers concerns that a child may be at risk of harm. Allegations specifically against mosque staff, trustees, or volunteers are dealt with separately in Section 11.

Abuse may take the form of:

• Physical abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Neglect
• Exploitation (including grooming, FGM, forced marriage, honour-based abuse, radicalisation)

Procedure:

• Any concern that a child may be at risk of harm must be reported immediately to the DSL (or Deputy if unavailable).
• The DSL will record the concern in writing and decide whether the threshold for referral to Children’s Social Care or the Police is met, making a referral within 24 hours if necessary.
• In an emergency, anyone may call 999 without waiting for the DSL.
• Staff and volunteers must never promise confidentiality to a child — explain that information may need to be shared with people who can help keep them safe.

7. Handling Disclosures

If a child discloses abuse, staff must:

• Listen calmly without interruption.
• Reassure the child they are right to speak up.
• Avoid leading questions.
• Record the disclosure in writing, using the child’s own words, signed and dated.
• Pass the report to the DSL immediately.

8. Safer Recruitment

The charity applies safer recruitment standards:

• Each role involving children will be assessed individually to determine the level of DBS check the law permits, and no higher level of check will be requested.
• Anyone in regulated activity with children must have an Enhanced DBS check with Children’s Barred List check before starting those duties. This includes anyone who teaches, trains, instructs, cares for or supervises children on more than three days in any 30-day period, or overnight between 2am and 6am, whether or not they are supervised by someone else.
• Other roles eligible for a DBS check will have an Enhanced DBS check without Children’s Barred List information.
• Where an existing member of staff or volunteer is in regulated activity but their DBS certificate does not include a Children’s Barred List check, a new check will be obtained.
• DBS eligibility will be reassessed whenever a role, or the way it is carried out, changes.
• Two verified references, one from the most recent employer.
• Proof of ID, right to work, and qualifications.
• Overseas checks where relevant.
• Safeguarding induction before starting.
• Governing body DBS checks for all Trustees.

9. Training

• Induction safeguarding training for all staff, volunteers, and trustees.
• Refresher training every three years.
• Annual safeguarding briefing before the Al-Sunnah Quranic School year begins.
• DSL to maintain a training log.

10. Staff Behaviour and Code of Conduct

All staff, imams, teachers, and volunteers must uphold the highest standards of conduct in line with both Islamic values and UK safeguarding law. The following rules apply at all times

• Professional Boundaries
• Treat all children with respect, fairness, and dignity.
• Maintain appropriate distance and avoid familiarity or favouritism.
• Never use degrading, humiliating, or intimidating behaviour.
• Physical Contact
• Avoid unnecessary physical contact.
• Physical intervention is only acceptable to prevent immediate harm and must be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
• Supervision and Setting
• One-to-one meetings with children should take place only in open, visible spaces.
• Never be alone with a child in an unsupervised or private setting.
• Digital and Social Media Communication
• Do not exchange personal phone numbers, email, or private social media contact with children.
• Only use mosque-approved communication channels for teaching and administration.
• No unsupervised online teaching or messaging is permitted.
• Transport
• Do not use personal vehicles to transport children without prior written permission from parents and authorisation from the charity’s management.
• Appropriate insurance must be in place before any transport is authorised.
• Corporal Punishment and Discipline
• Corporal punishment, shouting and threats are strictly prohibited.
• Behaviour management must be fair, proportionate, and respectful.
• Safeguarding Duty
• Staff and volunteers must report any safeguarding concern or breach of this Code immediately to the DSL.
• Concerns about another staff member or volunteer must also be reported, no matter how minor they may seem.

11. Allegations Against Staff, Volunteers, or Trustees

This section covers allegations that an adult working within the charity (including trustees, imams, teachers, staff, or volunteers) may have harmed a child, behaved inappropriately, or posed a safeguarding risk.

11.1 Reporting Allegations

• Any allegation against a staff member, imam, volunteer, or trustee must be reported immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) without delay.
• If the allegation concerns the DSL, it must be reported to a Trustee.
• If the allegation concerns a Trustee or the Chair of Trustees, it must be reported directly to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).
• The DSL (or trustee handling the report) will inform the Chair of Trustees (unless the allegation concerns the Chair) and seek advice from the LADO within 24 hours of the allegation.
• The individual concerned may be suspended or removed from duties pending investigation.
• All allegations will be logged in the safeguarding register, including the outcome.
• Malicious or unfounded allegations will also be recorded and addressed appropriately.
• Trustees must ensure that any serious incident arising from an allegation is reported promptly to the Charity Commission.

12. Confidentiality

Safeguarding information will only be shared on a need-to-know basis. Children must be told that staff cannot promise confidentiality if they are at risk. Parents will normally be informed unless doing so increases risk.

13. Record Keeping

• All concerns and disclosures must be logged in the charity’s safeguarding register.
• Records must be signed, dated, and stored securely.
• Access is limited to the DSL, Deputy DSL, and Chair of Trustees.

14. Monitoring and Review

Trustees will receive an annual safeguarding report from the DSL. This policy will be reviewed annually or earlier if required by law or circumstances.

15. Key Contacts

• DSL: [Insert name/contact]
• Deputy DSL: [Insert name/contact]
• Children’s Social Care: [Insert number]
• Manchester Safeguarding Partnership: [Insert number]
• LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer): [Insert number]
• Police (emergency): 999
• NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000
• Childline: 0800 1111

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