Purpose: to inform volunteers of their responsibilities when working with churches, organisations or members of the public.
Applies to: all volunteers and contractors who work with churches, organisations or members of the public.
Principles
The welfare of the members of the churches, organisations or public is of primary concern, particularly children and those who are in a vulnerable situation.
All people, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, socio-economic status, religious belief and/or sexual identity have the right to safeguarding from abuse.
It is everyone’s responsibility to report any concerns about abuse to the Organiser, and the responsibility of the Social Services Department and the Police to conduct where appropriate a joint investigation.
All incidents of alleged poor practice, misconduct and abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.
Definition of Abuse
Abuse is any behaviour towards a person that deliberately or unknowingly causes them harm, endangers life or violates their rights. Abuse may be:
- Physical
- Sexual
- Psychological – repeatedly being made to feel unhappy, humiliated, afraid or devalued by others
- Financial or material – stealing or denying access to money or possessions
- Neglect
- Discriminatory – abuse motivated by discriminatory attitudes towards race, religion, gender, disability or cultural background
- Responsibility
All volunteers are required to take shared responsibility for the safety of any members of the public they come into contact with.
The managerial responsibility for any activity rests with the individual who is organising the activity. This person is expected to:
Ensure that everyone involved in the event knows who is responsible for safeguarding and how to report any concerns.
Ensure that volunteers and contractors have the necessary skills abilities and knowledge.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks
Volunteers and contractors will only have occasional contact and will never have sole responsibility for children or vulnerable adults (in their Leek Club Day role). A DBS check is therefore not required.
Review
This policy and procedures will be reviewed annually.
Agreed by the Committee of Leek Club Day on 27 June 2013. Most recently reviewed in January 2019
Leek Club Day 