Our Commitment to Safeguarding
At Waves Hearing, the safety, well-being, and rights of every individual who walks through our doors are at the heart of everything we do. Safeguarding is not just a legal duty for us; it is a core part of our clinical care and daily practice.
Whether we are welcoming a child, a young person, or an adult, we are fully committed to creating an environment where everyone feels safe, respected, and heard.
1. Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC)
When caring for children and young people, we proudly follow the Scottish Government’s GIRFEC framework (Getting It Right For Every Child). This means our approach to your child's care is always:
Child-Centred: We look at your child’s unique needs and listen directly to what they have to say.
Holistic: We consider their overall well-being, comfort, and happiness, not just their hearing health.
Partnership-Focused: We work closely with you as parents or guardians to ensure your child receives the best possible support.
2. Respecting Children's Rights
We believe that children have the right to be protected, the right to have a say in decisions that affect them, and the right to have their best interests put first in a medical setting. Our Right to Stop policy during clinical procedures is just one of the practical ways we put these rights into action every single day.
3. Highly Experienced, Certified Staff
You can rest assured that your family is in safe hands.
Specialised Training: Our clinical team undergoes rigorous, advanced safeguarding and child protection training mapped directly to Scottish standards and NHS frameworks.
Continuous Learning: We keep our skills fresh by participating in multi-agency safeguarding updates, ensuring we always follow current best practices.
Background Checks: Every member of the team undergoes comprehensive background and disclosure checks before working with patients and this is actively reviewed.
4. Working Together
True safeguarding relies on open communication. If we ever have a concern about a patient’s well-being or safety, our primary approach is to speak openly and supportively with you as a family.
In rare situations where a child or vulnerable adult may be at risk of harm, we have a legal and ethical duty to share information with relevant professional bodies (such as a GP, local authority, or specialist care teams) to ensure they receive the right protection. We will always aim to discuss this with you first, provided it is safe to do so.
Our Champion for Quality: our Safeguarding Lead
To ensure our exceptionally high standards of care are consistently met, Waves Hearing has a dedicated Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
Far from being a bureaucratic role, our Lead acts as an internal champion for quality, safety, and patient comfort. They ensure that our entire team stays fully up-to-date with current Scottish safeguarding legislation, manage our continuous training, and act as a warm, supportive point of contact for any family we have in our care.