SAFEGUARDING POLICY
Habitat for Humanity Great Britain (HFHGB) is committed to protecting people who come into contact with our charity, including our beneficiaries, people who support our work, our trustees, staff and volunteers.
This Safeguarding Policy sets out:
- HFHGB’s mission and commitment to safeguarding
- What we mean by the term ‘safeguarding’
- Responsibility for safeguarding
- How to recognise abuse and what to do if you have a safeguarding concern
- The safeguards HFHGB puts in place when we work with, or provide grant funding to, partner organisations
- Our safer recruitment practice
Policy statement
This policy applies to all employees, trustees, consultants, contractors, AmeriCorps members, volunteers and interns working on behalf of HFHGB. We publish this Safeguarding Policy on our website and provide a copy to anyone working on behalf of HFHGB. We will also inform all beneficiaries and parents or carers of the policy and procedures, where to find them and, if requested, provide copies.
This policy does not form part of an employee’s contract of employment or any contract for services and HFHGB may amend it at any time.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding relates to the risks that might arise when people come into contact with HFHGB through our activities and operations, and the steps that we take to protect those people from harm.
Key safeguarding risks that you should be alert to include:
- Sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation
including indecent exposure, exposure to pornographic material, sexual teasing or innuendo, and inappropriate touching – see our Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Policy - Physical abuse including hitting, slapping, shaking, throwing, pushing, restraining, burning or scalding or otherwise causing physical harm
- Emotional or psychological abuse including threatening to hurt or abandon, humiliating, blaming, controlling, overprotecting, isolating, intimidating or harassing
- Discriminatory abuse on any of the grounds in the Equality Act 2010 abuse that is related a person’s age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation
- Neglect and negligent treatment Including withholding medication, food or shelter, ignoring medical, physical or emotional needs
- Bullying or harassment
- Health and safety see our Health & Safety Policy
- Commercial or financial exploitation including stealing, fraud, misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits
- Abuse of position or culture people who target HFHGB or abuse a position of trust they hold within HFHGB and/or risks that HFHGB’s culture may allow poor behaviour
- Child trafficking
- Extremism and radicalisation
- Forced marriage
- Female genital mutilation
If you have concerns that someone may be experiencing, has experienced, or is at risk of experiencing, abuse or exploitation you should report the matter to HFHGB as soon as possible. Our Procedure for Dealing with Safeguarding Reports gives details of how to report safeguarding incidents or concerns and explains what action HFHGB will take.
Our responsibilities Board of trustees
HFHGB’s board of trustees is ultimately responsible for safeguarding and for ensuring that staff and volunteers are competent to carry out their safeguarding responsibilities. The trustees are committed to making sure that all safeguarding concerns and allegations are taken seriously and responded to appropriately.
The trustees will seek to avoid potential conflicts of interest and will remove themselves from any actual conflicts of interest in order to avoid HFHGB being compromised in any way in enforcing our safeguarding commitments.
Safeguarding is on the agenda at every board meeting and trustees receive reports on any safeguarding issues. The board will decide whether a safeguarding issue should be reported to HFHGB’s regulators, the Charity Commission and/or the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, and to any other external agency.
The trustees will review the policies in the Safeguarding Toolkit annually or (if sooner) when there are any material changes to safeguarding legislation or guidance.
Safeguarding Lead
The trustees have requested that a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) is nominated to act as the Safeguarding Lead at any one time. The Safeguarding Lead reports directly to the CEO and the trustees and is responsible for:
- Ensuring that anyone working on behalf of HFHGB is made aware of this Safeguarding Policy and associated policies
- Arranging for the board of trustees to review policies in HFHGB’s Safeguarding Toolkit on an annual basis or (if sooner) when there are material changes to the safeguarding legislation
- Ensuring that HFHGB follows safe recruitment practices that are appropriate to the role and the level of risk.