- Policy Statement
1.1 ASCOA believe that everyone we come into contact with regardless of age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or ethnic origin has the right to be protected from all forms of harm, abuse, neglect and exploitation.The policy and procedurces stated in this document will be widely promoted and are applies to all staff, members and volunteers of the ASCOA. This Policy applies to all staff, members and volunteers of the non-profit. In this Policy, “volunteers” means and includes the ASCOA’s trustees and all other volunteers. - Commitment to safeguarding
2.1 Those who receive services or participate in the activities provided by the organization or are beneficiaries of the organization or who come onto the ASCOA’s premises are referred to in this Policy as its “Clients” or “Beneficiaries”.
2.2 Clients/ Beneficiaries may be at risk due to age, illness or disability. The organization is committed to working in their interests, to promote their welfare, and to put in place safeguards and measures to protect them. In providing services and activities and benefits for Beneficiaries, the organization will endeavour at all times to minimise risk to them and to ensure that they are as safe as the organization can make them.
2.3 ASCOA aims to protect all of its Beneficiaries from any act or behaviour of any member of staff or volunteer which, whether deliberately or unknowingly on the part of that member of staff or volunteer, gives rise to harm or ill treatment.
2.4 Such harm or ill treatment includes abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, discriminatory, institutional or organisational, financial or material), neglect, or impairment of the health or development of the organization’s Beneficiaries.
2.5 ASCOA also aims to ensure the provision to them of safe and effective care and to promote the well-being and welfare of its Beneficiaries.
2.6 ASCOA recognises that it has a duty to act on reports or suspicions of abuse or neglect. It adopts a “zero-tolerance” policy of abuse within the organization.
2.7 ASCOA maintains a Safe Working Practice Guidance. It includes:
(1) details about when and how risk assessments for:
a) volunteering roles; and
b) particular circumstances or activities should be carried out.
(2) guidance on use of ICT related activites such as use of social media, email and internet.
Safeguarding Policy
Of
Association for Community Awareness (ASCOA)
ASCOA will ensure that the Guidance is implemented by all within the organization and, for that purpose, it will ensure that its staff and volunteers have read and understood it.
2.8 ASCOA will work in partnership with local / national and International organization/agencies to put in place appropriate procedures for reporting, making referrals, and accessing training and specialist support, as and when required. - Safe recruitment
3.1 To aim to protect its Beneficiaries ASCOA will seek to recruit staff, members and volunteers using appropriate procedures, safeguards and checks.
3.2 ASCOA will take up at least two references for all staff posts and volunteer roles prior to appointment.
3.3 ASCOA will provide an induction programme for all new volunteers and staff, and appropriate training and ongoing/refresher training for them at regular intervals, to enable all volunteers and staff to undertake their roles safely, effectively and confidently. The induction will make it clear to them that they have an obligation to implement this Policy and to learn about protection issues and their related responsibilities.
3.4 Where the organization should do so, it will use the Disclosure & Barring Service (“DBS”) checks to help it to assess suitability of a candidate for a particular volunteer or staff role which is treated by the DBS as Regulated Activity and is therefore subject to a barring list check. In relation to a post or role which is eligible for an enhanced DBS check, where it considers it appropriate it will carry out an enhanced DBS check. The Charity will assess any criminal record information that is disclosed in line with its data protection and equalities (treating ex-offenders fairly) policies.
3.5 ASCOA will regularly review its recruitment and other human resources procedures in response to changes in legislation and systems external to the Charity, e.g. DBS and barring list checks. - Volunteers
4.1 All volunteer roles will be supported by a Volunteer Co-ordinator /Supporter.
4.2 Volunteers will be treated equally alongside paid staff and Members, and all volunteers will be offered the same opportunities for advancement, responsibility, training and gaining qualifications, and acknowledgement for their contribution to the organization.
4.3 In turn, volunteers will be required to adhere to the applicable parts of the Code of Conduct (Staff members, and Volunteers) at all times as a representative of the organization. Before they take up their role, they will each be given a clear description of the requirements and responsibilities of their role and the member of staff or trustee recruiting them will discuss their role with them, to ensure that they understand what is expected of them.
4.4 Any volunteer roles, which would be Regulated Activity if unsupervised, will be appropriately supervised in accordance with statutory guidance. - Safeguarding Officer
5.1 ASCOA’s appointed Safeguarding Officer as from Feb 2020 is Ati Kingsley and they are supported by Frida Leyina Voma as Deputy Safeguarding Officer. They will have access to appropriate training to support them in these roles.
5.2 They will be available to all staff, volunteers, member,and Beneficiaries to speak to when they have any concerns, issues, or complaints regarding the safety, well-being or conduct of Beneficiaries, volunteers members or staff.
5.3 The Safeguarding Officer and Deputy Safeguarding Officer will liaise with appropriate local national and International organizations/agencies, contribute to appropriate policies, maintain records, keep confidentiality, adhere to and promote this Policy within the organization, and support or provide access to support for individuals suffering harm or abuse. - Awareness of harm and abuse within the orgnatization
6.1 All incidents of harm to any Beneficiary will require an appropriate response to reduce risks and improve the organization’s services and activities.
6.2 Harm is caused by accidents, deliberate abuse (physical, psychological, sexual, emotional, financial), neglect (deliberate or not) or factors such as bullying, prejudicial attitudes, or a failure to enable a person to participate in activities that are open to most of their peers. It can also include abuse via use of ICT facilities (e.g. grooming, bullying via the internet).
6.3 Deliberate acts of harm (physical, psychological, sexual, emotional and financial) and neglect are abuses against the person. Those acts will incur disciplinary proceedings and require reports and referrals to social services, the police, other professional bodies, and the DBS if the act is by someone in Regulated Activity. If a criminal offence is thought to have been committed by any staff, member or volunteer, the police will be informed. - Confidentiality
All reports and logs (including personnel records) will be kept securely and confidentially according to the orgnatization’s Data Protection Policy and Confidentiality Policy or in line with the DBS Code of Practice for Registered Bodies if appropriate, until or unless it is necessary to share this material with the agencies named above. Information will be shared by the organization on a “need-to-know” basis only. - Reports of possible or actual harm
8.1 ASCOA supports and encourages all Beneficiaries, volunteers members and staff to promptly speak up and contact the Safeguarding Officer or Deputy Safeguarding Officer where there is a concern (i.e. a worry, issue or doubt about practice or about treatment of a Beneficiary or colleague, or their circumstances), or a disclosure (i.e. information about a person at risk of or suffering from Significant Harm) or an allegation of an incident or a possibility that a volunteer or staff member has caused harm or could cause harm to a person in their care.
8.2 Staff members or volunteers can report, and have a responsibility to report, something that they become aware of if they suspect or discover that it is not right or is illegal or
if it appears to them that someone at work is neglecting their duties, putting someone’s health and safety in danger or covering up wrongdoing. They may become aware of any of these things from what they see or hear or from something another person has disclosed to them.
8.3 In the first instance the staff member or volunteer maknig a report should speak to their line manager who will then liaise with the Safeguarding Officer, Deputy Safeguarding Officer or the organization’s trustee with appropriate responsibility who isTakwi Solomon (Executive Director). However, if the report implicates their line manager, the staff member or volunteer making the report should instead speak directly to Safeguarding Officer, Deputy Safeguarding Officer or that trustee.
8.4 ASCOA prefers that anyone should use internal processes whenever possible to make a report as above, but this does not prevent them from making a report or referral, in their own right as a private individual, to statutory agencies such as social services or the police.
8.5 ASCOA cannot promise confidentiality to staff members or volunteers making an internal report (to the Safeguarding Officer, Deputy Safeguarding Officer, the organization’s trustee with appropriate responsibility or their line manager) where it is has to be shared with any statutory agencies.
8.6 ASCOA also supports its staff members or volunteers to raise concerns or to disclose information, which they believe shows malpractice – whistle-blowing (disclosure in the public interest). - Safeguarding Officer’s action
Where there is risk of Significant Harm to any Beneficiary, volunteers members or staff, the Safeguarding Officer and Deputy Safeguarding Officer have the power to act as necessary and, in particular, as follows:
– log all conversations regarding the issue
– sign and request signatures on reports and statements
– confidentially seek advice from expert sources
– share concerns (with consent where required and appropriate) internally with senior staff / Chair of the Board of trustees
– share concerns and make referrals to external agencies such as social services or the police, as appropriate to the circumstances
– make a referral to the DBS regarding staff or volunteers in Regulated Activity whose conduct is harmful to [Clients][Beneficiaries][Service Users] and refer them to DBS when they are removed from Regulated Activity. - Communication by the Charity about safeguarding and this Policy
10.1 All staff members and volunteers have an obligation to learn about protection issues and their related responsibilities.
10.2 ASCOA will communicate this Policy (using appropriate methods, formats and language to communicate the substance of it) to all of its staff, members volunteers,
and Beneficiaries and their families / carers, and it will also make it available to the public. Administrative coordinator will be responsible to the Board of trustees for communicating this Policy to them.
10.3 To encourage everyone involved in the organization to understand that safeguarding is the business of everyone, and to assist all staff members and volunteers to learn about protection issues and their related responsibilities, the organization will hold meetings open to all staff, members and volunteers about safeguarding presentations to staff,members and volunteers about safeguarding policy and procedures and provide other opportunities for discussion about issues and concerns, policy and procedures to reflect, review and to continue to learn and improve in relation to the organization’s safeguarding responsibilities. - Implementation of this Policy
11.1 This Policy must be followed by all staff,members and volunteers of the organization and must be promoted by all of its trustees and senior staff. Failure to follow it will be treated as a very serious matter.
11.2 This Policy needs to be read in conjunction with the following policies and procedures of the organization:
Safe Working Practice Guidance
Health & Safety Policy
Code of Conduct (Staff, members and Volunteers)
Data Protection Policy
Confidentiality Policy
Equal Rights and Diversity Policy
Complaints Policy
Whistle Blowing Policy
Recruitment policy - Adoption, coming into effect, and review, of this Policy
12.1 This revised Safeguarding Policy was approved by the Board of trustees of Association for Community Awareness (ASCOA) on 22 of Feb 2020. It also comes into force on that date.
12.2 The Board will, as appropriate, monitor and enforce this Policy,
12.3 The Board will revise this Policy from time to time. The next date for review of this Policy by the Board will be 22 Feb 2021.
