Safeguarding

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility:

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to protect people, particularly children, young people and at risk adults and beneficiaries of assistance, from any harm that may be caused due to their coming into contact with NSHP.  This includes harm arising from:

• The conduct of trustees, volunteers or personnel associated with NSHP.
• The design and implementation of NSHP’s programmes and activities.

The policy lays out the commitments made by NSHP, and informs trustees, volunteers and associated personnel of their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding.

What is safeguarding?

In the UK, safeguarding means protecting peoples’ health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.

In the heritage sector, we understand it to mean protecting people, including children, young people and at risk adults, from harm that arises from coming into contact with our trustees, volunteers and associated personnel or programmes and activities.

Scope

Associated personnel whilst engaged with events, meetings, work, visits related to NSHP, including but not limited to the following: trustees, consultants; volunteers; contractors; project visitors including journalists, celebrities and politicians.

Policy Statement

NSHP believes 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. NSHP will not tolerate abuse and exploitation by trustees, volunteers and associated personnel.

NSHP commits to addressing safeguarding throughout its project through prevention, reporting and response.

Prevention

NSHP responsibilities

NSHP will:

• Ensure all trustees and volunteers have access to, are familiar with, and know their responsibilities within this policy.
• Design and undertake all of its activities in a way that protects people from any risk of harm that may arise from their coming into contact with NSHP.  This includes the way in which information about individuals in our programmes is gathered and communicated.
• Implement safeguarding procedures when recruiting, managing and deploying trustees , volunteers and associated personnel.
• Ensure trustees and volunteers receive training on safeguarding.
• Follow up on reports of safeguarding concerns promptly and according to due process.

Staff responsibilities

Child and Young People safeguarding

NSHP trustees, volunteers and associated personnel must not:

• Engage in sexual activity with anyone under the age of 18.
• Sexually abuse or exploit children.
• Subject a child to physical, emotional or psychological abuse, or neglect.
• Engage in any commercially exploitative activities with children including child labour or trafficking.

Adult safeguarding

NSHP trustees, volunteers and associated personnel must not:

• Sexually abuse or exploit at risk adults.
• Subject an at risk adult to physical, emotional or psychological abuse, or neglect.

Protection from sexual exploitation and abuse

NSHP trustees, volunteers and associated personnel must not:

• Exchange money, employment, goods or services for sexual activity. This includes any exchange of assistance that is due to beneficiaries of assistance.
• Engage in any sexual relationships with beneficiaries of assistance, since they are based on inherently unequal power dynamics.

Additionally, NSHP trustees, volunteers and associated personnel are obliged to:

• Contribute to creating and maintaining an environment that prevents. safeguarding violations and promotes the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy.
• Report any concerns or suspicions regarding safeguarding violations by an NSHP trustee, volunteer or associated personnel to the appropriate responsible trustee or other authorised organisation or authority. 

Enabling reports

NSHP will ensure that safe, appropriate, accessible means of reporting safeguarding concerns are made available to trustees, volunteers and the communities we work with.

How to report a safeguarding concern

Trustees and volunteers who have a complaint or concern relating to safeguarding should report it immediately to the trustee responsible for safeguarding (David Young – Secretary) within NSHP. 

If the trustee or volunteer does not feel comfortable reporting to the trustee responsible for safeguarding (for example if they feel that the report will not be taken seriously, or if that person is implicated in the concern) they may report to any other trustee or to North Tyneside Council confidential call line as detailed below.

If concerned about a child contact Front Door on 0345 200 0109

If concerned about a vulnerable adult or their carer call in confidence on (0191) 643 2777 (office hours) or 0330 333 7475 (evenings and weekends).

Response

NSHP will follow up safeguarding reports and concerns according to policy and procedure, and legal and statutory obligations.

Confidentiality

It is essential that confidentiality in maintained at all stages of the process when dealing with safeguarding concerns.  Information relating to the concern and subsequent case management should be shared on a need to know basis only, and should be kept secure at all times.

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Published: 31 August 2020

Last Reviewed: 7 April 2021

The trustee responsible for safeguarding is David Young – Secretary.