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Christians Aware Safeguarding Policy

Christians Aware safeguarding policy is put in place with the intention of protecting all who engage in or receive Christians Aware’s services in the UK or abroad. This provides staff, volunteers, trustees and interested parties with the principles that guide our approach to safeguarding protection. Our policy applies to anyone working on behalf of Christians Aware including staff and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers and students.

The policy is drawn up on the basis of legislation and guidance that seeks to safeguard people in the UK. A summary of the key legislation is available on the internet. The legal framework for safeguarding in visits within Europe, or to other continents, will follow the guidelines of the appropriate countries in relation to the UK.

Christians Aware recognises we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all, within our care, to keep them safe and to practice in a way that protects them. Abuse of any kind is unacceptable, whether it is spiritual, mental, physical or verbal.  Everyone is worthy of respect, regardless of age, disability, gender or gender reassignment, sexual orientation, race, religion or beliefs, and have a right to full protection from all types of bullying, harm or abuse.  We work in partnership with other agencies in promoting people’s welfare.  We are conscious that some people have vulnerabilities due to the impact of previous experiences, their level of independence and communication needs.

Christians Aware will continue to seek to keep those for whom it has responsibility, safe. We maintain protection and safeguarding best practice through our diocesan and denominational safeguarding policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers. We will steadily undertake effective safeguarding training for staff and volunteers, with any costs for training being met by Christians Aware.  In recruiting staff, and using volunteers and suitable tour leaders, we will ensure all necessary checks are made. We will promote an anti-bullying environment and deal appropriately with any bullying that arises, ensuring that we have effective complaints measures in place. We will provide a safe physical environment, in regard to the health and safety measures that are required. An annual evaluation will be made and reported to the Residential Trustees Meeting, to ensure best practice using professional safeguarding advice and support.

The role of the designated safeguarding officer is as a trustee for safeguarding. Any safeguarding concerns should be first addressed to the CA safeguarding officer.  They will manage any safeguarding concerns, in relation to staff and volunteers. He/she will keep a record of staff and volunteers who have current DBS certificates, with their dates, and also those who have undertaken specific levels of safeguarding training.  The safeguarding officer will recommend who needs to renew DBS certificates or undertake a level of safeguarding training. Confidential details will be held in a lockable file under the supervision of the safeguarding officer.

Safeguarding training is available in each diocese and church district at their regional centres. The cost is usually free for unpaid workers, although there may be a small cost for those paid and employed. All ordained people are required to have completed and regularly update necessary safeguarding requirements. They also have to keep up to date their enhanced DBS certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service. This is not compulsory for lay members, but without keeping their DBS certificate up to date, they would not be able to hold office or perform their tasks. Safeguarding training alongside this creates awareness and nurtures respect for each other. Our policy should be read alongside our existing organisational policies and procedures. We are working to enable our workers to have both DBS and current safeguarding training in place.

The Care Act 2014 identifies ten types of abuse or neglect to either children or adults. It is usual for Christians Aware to be dealing with adult members of the community, and only occasionally with children and we don’t usually have responsibility for domestic abuse, though we should always be caring and alert to what happens beyond the charity.

Definitions of abuse include:

1.Physical harm to an individual’s body, from physical contact, restrictive practices, and medication. The signs of abuse would include untreated or unexplained injuries.

2.Sexual abuse occurring from unhealthy relationships and activities that are not consented to. Signs would include pain and bruising around sensitive body areas and blanks in conversation.

3.Emotional and psychological abuse, including the existence of threats, humiliation, controlling behaviour, harassment and intimidation. Signs might include anxiety, depression and poor self-confidence.

4.Financial abuse that includes the use of an individual’s money or possessions without their agreement, including theft, fraud and scamming. Signs of abuse might include lack of funds for bills and food or anxiety regarding resources.

5.Modern slavery, where individuals could be forced into human trafficking, domestic servitude or forced labour. This might seem extreme for an educational charity, but awareness is needed. Signs of this abuse would include inability to interact with others during periods of stress.

6.Discriminatory abuse, where individuals are treated differently due to personal traits such as age, gender, race, faith tradition, sexual orientation or plain personal prejudice. Signs are occurrences of verbal negative criticism, harassment, disrespect, lack of person centred
approaches and exclusion from company. This is a major form of abuse in the workplace and difficult to recognise and deal with.

7.Institution and organisation abuse when an organisations needs are put above an individual’s needs.  The signs are inflexibility, poor standards and poor person centred approaches.

8.Self neglect abuse where an individual is unable to see basic needs of nutrition and hygiene being met.

9.Abuse and neglect by others, would be where basic needs of nutrition and hygiene are not attended to, or where carelessness might unconsciously occur. The signs for both self-neglect and neglect by others would be occurrences of malnutrition, dehydration and poor hygiene.

Reporting Procedure
The reporting procedure should be in writing and reported to the Safeguarding Officer (or Vice Chairman if it is not appropriate to report to the Safeguarding Officer) , who then should take the matter up with the Executive Secretary and Operations Group. Confidentiality should be completely respected and adhered to including the person reporting matters. A careful report of the action taken should be given to the trustees.

Responsibility
Should the charity have work with children or young people, the people responsible for child protection are the Executive Secretary, Barbara Butler and Matthew King, a Trustee.

All staff, volunteers and trustees that are directly involved with adults and children and young people in their care, should have participated in recent safeguarding training to the appropriate level and have their DPS clearance up to date.

Definition of abuse in adults:
A description of how abuse is different for adults.

All adults are vulnerable to abuse, humiliation, unjust prejudice and denial of basic human rights and quality relationships.

For the purpose of this policy a vulnerable adult is a person who is eighteen years of age or over. They may be in receipt of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness, and could be unable to take care of themselves, or unable to protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation.

With a vulnerable adults policy we can be more conscious of the pressures, scams, mental and physical health circumstances, cost of living pressures, and commercial exploitation, that colleagues are subject to. 

Because an adult is usually more fully mature than a young person their personal freedom, choice and ethical integrity can still be threatened and compromised by adverse abusive circumstances that can reveal personal information, or create unbalanced uncharacteristic responses, or are debilitating for them in an organisation. This all requires increasing sensitivity, self-knowledge and fraternity, in making relationships ‘good’, rather than just the absence of “abuse’.

The charity has a good record in this respect.