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Safeguarding Policy

This document includes:

1 Our Commitment to Safety

2 Safeguarding Policy Scope

3 Safeguarding Definition

4 How East Hoathly & Halland      Community Garden Protects Its Beneficiaries: Key Safeguarding Measures

5 Team Members' Responsibilities

6 Procedures: Reporting

7 Procedures: Investigation and Response

8 Supporting Documents and Other Protections

 

Commitment to Safety

1. East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden (the 'Organisation') works actively to prevent harm and promote the welfare of all children and adults that we interact with (i.e. as East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's Beneficiaries, which includes all of us). This Safeguarding Policy applies to individuals referred to as 'Beneficiaries'.

2. The Organisation is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all the Beneficiaries, free from discrimination based on age, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic.

3. This Safeguarding Policy adheres to the latest safeguarding laws of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, including relevant government guidance. If there is any conflict between this Policy and these laws, East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden will always prioritise upholding the legal requirements.

4. East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden has implemented this Safeguarding Policy in fulfilment of its obligations as an organisation working with children and vulnerable adults.

5. For questions about this policy, please contact us in the first instance via e-mail to welcome@ourcommunity garden.org.uk

 

Safeguarding Policy Scope

6. This Policy applies to everyone working for or representing East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden in the UK, regardless of position, employment type (full-time, part time, temporary), or affiliation (direct employee, contractor, volunteer, intern; collectively 'Staff Members').

7. This Policy is separate from employment contracts. To ensure its effectiveness, East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden may revise the Policy at any time. We will communicate any changes transparently.

8. This Policy outlines East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's approach to harm prevention for its Beneficiaries through Staff Member's conduct and practices.

9. This Safeguarding Policy applies to the organisation and operation of all East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden activities that involve children and vulnerable adults.  (i.e. Relevant Activities).

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Safeguarding Definition

10. The term 'Safeguarding' refers to practices and procedures designed to protect vulnerable individuals from harm or potential harm. It also promotes their overall well being. Safeguarding is particularly crucial for children and adults at risk, with most legal obligations related to their care. This Policy specifically addresses child safeguarding, defining children as individuals under 18 years old.

11. This Safeguarding Policy outlines East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's commitment to protecting its beneficiaries from harm caused by:

a. East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden activities, practices, and the potential for harm arising from the conduct of its Staff Members, or

b. People and situations beyond East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden and its Staff Members' control. This includes instances where Staff Members are aware of, ought to be aware of, or reasonably suspect a situation that poses a safeguarding risk.

12. This policy defines a 'Safeguarding Concern' as any conduct or situation that a Staff Member or someone else suspects might violate the safeguarding commitments above.

 

How East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden Protects Its Beneficiaries: Key Safeguarding Measures

13. Prioritising child and vulnerable adult safety by following local safeguarding arrangements. These comprehensive plans, developed by local authorities, police, and healthcare providers, offer valuable leadership and guidance to ensure our Beneficiaries well-being.

14. All Staff Members will receive training on identifying and reporting safeguarding concerns. Also, East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden encourages them to report any Safeguarding Concerns they identify (set out below under the heading 'Procedures: Reporting').

15. We create a safe, accessible, fair, and efficient space for all Staff Members to raise safeguarding concerns (with colleagues, beneficiaries, or anyone else involved). We expect all staff to listen attentively and professionally. Training will equip Staff Members to support those raising concerns and guide them through East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's established reporting procedures. All reported concerns will be handled by designated individuals and teams following East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's relevant procedures (detailed below under 'Procedures: Investigation and Response').

a. East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden has fair and objective procedures to address all safeguarding concerns, even when they involve Staff Members. Allegations are taken seriously, with the severity of the claims considered throughout the process. We are committed to protecting all parties involved. This means we will only presume guilt or publicly criticise people once a thorough investigation is completed.

b. Reports that qualify as protected disclosures under whistleblowing law will be handled with the utmost confidentiality and following all relevant whistleblowing policies law.

16. Andrew Milbank is designated as the lead for safeguarding policies and procedures within East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden, who can be contacted by emailing welcome@ourcommunitygarden.org.uk

17. Following appropriate recruitment processes for all new staff members, including volunteers. These processes include:

a. Conducting checks following relevant regulations.

b. All new Staff Members must take part in, and understand the content of, all necessary safeguarding training before having any contact with East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's Beneficiaries. This training equips them with the knowledge and skills to keep everyone safe.

c. Following East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's recruitment and selection procedures.

18. Every team Member should be provided with and required to undertake, training that is appropriate to their role, responsibilities, and degree and type of contact with Beneficiaries. This should, if appropriate, include training on:

a. Identify and respond to abuse by recognising signs of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

b. Learn active listening skills and how to navigate disclosure of safeguarding concerns, including confidentiality.

c. Follow reporting procedures by understanding when and how to report concerns using East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's established procedures.

d. Stay informed by discovering additional resources like policies, documents and external training to stay up-to-date on safeguarding.

e. Online training in safeguarding

19. Treating all safeguarding information with the utmost confidentiality and security. This involves:

a. Complying with UK data protection legislation, including The UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

b. Following East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's data protection policies and procedures, including East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's data protection and data security policy.

c. Providing team Members with training on data protection and privacy, if appropriate.

d. Making it easy to access Claudia Booth, who can be contacted by emailing welcome@ourcommunitygarden.org.uk for team Members as an identifiable point of contact for questions or concerns about data protection and privacy.

e. Sharing safeguarding information internally ONLY on a strict need-to-know basis to ensure the best possible care for the beneficiary involved.

20. Building a safe environment by creating a culture of transparency and awareness to prevent harm. For example:

a. Encourage open communication by informing beneficiaries about East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's safeguarding procedures and how to report any concerns.

b. Acknowledgment by Team Members of safeguarding laws, East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's safeguarding commitments and procedures, and Team Members' responsibilities concerning these.

21. Regularly reviewing all safeguarding policies and procedures to ensure that they are up-to-date with safeguarding law and that they remain suitable for East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's Relevant Activities and volunteers and meeting any review and evaluation requirements specific to East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden’s  organisation type.

 

Team Members' Responsibilities

22. All Team Members are responsible for promoting the safety and well-being of all of East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's Beneficiaries by following all of East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's policies and procedures relevant to safeguarding and all UK laws relevant to safeguarding. Specifically:

a. All Members at East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden play a role in keeping Beneficiaries safe and every role will be covered in detail during training. In case of doubt, it is important to contact Andrew Milbank to clarify any aspect of roles and responsibilities.

b. Encourage all Members to actively participate and ask questions if anything is unclear to Andrew Milbank.

c. Do not risk the safety or well-being of any of East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's Beneficiaries by avoiding any of the next situations:

i. Subjecting them to or facilitating abuse of any sort.

ii. Engaging in any sexual activity with children (i.e. anybody under the age of 18).

iii. Participating in or facilitating any activities that may commercially exploit Beneficiaries. For example, failing to report suspected child labour or trafficking.

d. Staff Members must report all Safeguarding Concerns that they have regarding Beneficiaries' safety, regardless of whether the concerns relate to potential wrongdoing of other  Members, other Beneficiaries, or external parties (e.g. parents, teachers, other organisations, or members of the public).

 

Procedures: Reporting

23. To ensure the safety of East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden Beneficiaries, Members will be trained to recognise potential safeguarding concerns like abuse, neglect and threats to well-being.

24. Staff Members who identify a safeguarding concern should report it following the next steps:

a. Contact a Community Garden Director immediately, who will inform the designated Safeguarding lead.

25. Members unable to follow the standard reporting steps should still report the concern in another alternative way. This may be the case if, for example:

a. Contacting someone potentially involved in the concern, or someone the Member feels uncomfortable approaching, or

b. In emergencies involving a risk of serious harm, contact emergency services (e.g. police, ambulance, mental health crisis line) directly or, if appropriate, report the concern to a senior member of East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden.

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Procedures: Investigation and Response

26. All Reported Safeguarding Concerns at East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden are treated seriously and addressed promptly by trained personnel following the established procedures and relevant laws. For more details about these procedures, please contact Andrew Milbank.

27. We aim to keep Members who report a Safeguarding Concern informed about its progress as much as possible, depending on the nature of the concern and the confidentiality of the investigations.

28. In case of breach of this Safeguarding Policy or safeguarding law in general by a Member, they will be treated fairly and in accordance with East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden 's disciplinary policy and/or disciplinary procedure.

29. External referrals or notifications (e.g. to police services, local authorities, or regulatory bodies) will only be made when deemed necessary and strictly following applicable laws, including data protection regulations, to ensure the safety and well-being of Beneficiaries.

 

Supporting Documents and Other Protections

30. While this Safeguarding Policy outlines key procedures, East Hoathly & Halland Community Garden has additional policies to safeguard Beneficiaries, Team Members, and others. These include:

a. A health and safety policy

b. An equal opportunities policy

c. A data protection and data security policy

d. A disciplinary procedure