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Safeguarding Policy

Purpose

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

  • The conduct of staff or personnel associated with Orchid Project
  • The design and implementation of Orchid Project’s programmes and activities

The policy lays out the commitments made by Orchid Project, and informs staff and associated personnel of their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. We have a zero tolerance policy for staff and organisational representatives committing harm, exploitation or abuse.

This policy does not cover:

  • Bullying, harassment and sexual harassment in the workplace – this is dealt with under Orchid Project’s Anti Harassment and Bullying Policy
  • Safeguarding concerns in the wider community not perpetrated by Orchid Project or associated personnel

What is safeguarding?

In the UK, safeguarding means protecting people’s health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.[1]

In our sector, the Multi-Agency Statutory Guidance on Female Genital Mutilation makes clear that FGM is child abuse and a form of violence against women and girls, and therefore should be dealt with as part of existing child and adult safeguarding/protection structures, policies and procedures.

Further definitions relating to safeguarding are provided in the glossary below.

Scope

  • All staff contracted by Orchid Project
  • Associated personnel whilst engaged with work or visits related to Orchid Project, including but not limited to the following: consultants, volunteers, contractors, trustees, programme visitors including journalists, celebrities and politicians

Policy Statement

Orchid Project 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.  Orchid Project will not tolerate abuse and exploitation by staff or associated personnel.

This policy will address the following areas of safeguarding: child safeguarding, adult safeguarding, and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.

Orchid Project commits to addressing safeguarding throughout its work, through the three pillars of prevention, reporting and response.

Prevention

Orchid Project responsibilities

Orchid Project will:

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

Staff responsibilities

Child safeguarding

Orchid Project staff 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
  • Access inappropriate images of children online* (our work involves addressing an issue which impacts girls (FGC) therefore at times explicit graphic images – of girls being cut – may be accessed when researching images for legitimate work purposes)

Adult safeguarding

Orchid Project staff 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

Orchid Project staff 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, Orchid Project staff 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 Orchid Project staff member or associated personnel to the appropriate staff member

Enabling reports

Orchid Project will ensure that safe, appropriate, accessible means of reporting safeguarding concerns are made available to staff and the communities we work with.

Any staff reporting concerns or complaints through formal whistleblowing channels  will be protected by Orchid Project’s Whistleblowing Policy.

Orchid Project will also accept complaints from external sources such as members of the public, partners and official bodies.

How to report a safeguarding concern

Staff members who have a complaint or concern relating to safeguarding should report it immediately to their Safeguarding Focal Point or line manager.  If the staff member does not feel comfortable reporting to their Safeguarding Focal Point or line manager (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 appropriate staff member.  For example, this could be a senior manager, a HR manager or a Trustee.

Response

Orchid Project will follow up safeguarding reports and concerns according to policy and procedure, and legal and statutory obligations (see Procedures for reporting and response to safeguarding concerns in Associated Policies).

Orchid Project will apply appropriate disciplinary measures to staff found in breach of policy.

Orchid Project will offer support to survivors of harm caused by staff or associated personnel, regardless of whether a formal internal response is carried out (such as an internal investigation).  Decisions regarding support will be led by the survivor.

Confidentiality

It is essential that confidentiality is 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.

Associated policies

Code of Conduct

Anti Harassment and Bullying policy

Whistleblowing policy

Complaints Policy

Procedures for reporting and response to safeguarding concerns

Glossary of Terms

Beneficiary of Assistance

Someone who directly receives goods or services from Orchid Project’s programmes.  Note that misuse of power can also apply to the wider community that Orchid Project serves, and also can include exploitation by giving the perception of being in a position of power.

Child

A person below the age of 18.

Harm

Psychological, physical and any other infringement of an individual’s rights.

Psychological harm

Emotional or psychological abuse, including (but not limited to) humiliating and degrading treatment such as bad name calling, constant criticism, belittling, persistent shaming, solitary confinement and isolation.

Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)

The term used by the humanitarian and development community to refer to the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse of affected populations by staff or associated personnel.  The term derives from the United Nations Secretary General’s Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (ST/SGB/2003/13).

Safeguarding

In the UK, safeguarding means protecting people’s health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.[2]

In our sector, we understand it to mean protecting people, including children and at risk adults, from harm that arises from coming into contact with our staff or programmes.  Our definition is as follows:

Safeguarding means taking all reasonable steps to prevent harm, particularly sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment from occurring; to protect people, especially vulnerable adults and children, from that harm; and to respond appropriately when harm does occur.

This definition draws from our values and principles and shapes our culture. It pays specific attention to preventing and responding to harm from any potential, actual or attempted abuse of power, trust, or vulnerability, especially for sexual purposes.

Safeguarding applies consistently and without exception across our programmes, partners and staff. It requires proactively identifying, preventing and guarding against all risks of harm, exploitation and abuse and having mature, accountable and transparent systems for response, reporting and learning when risks materialise. Those systems must be survivor-centred and also protect those accused until proven guilty.

Safeguarding puts beneficiaries and affected persons at the centre of all we do.

Sexual abuse

The term ‘sexual abuse’ means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.

Sexual exploitation

The term ‘sexual exploitation’ means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.  This definition includes human trafficking and modern slavery.

Survivor

The person who has been abused or exploited. The term ‘survivor’ is often used in preference to ‘victim’ as it implies strength, resilience and the capacity to survive, however it is the individual’s choice how they wish to identify themselves.

At risk adult

Sometimes also referred to as vulnerable adult.  A person who is or may be in need of care by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation.

[1] NHS ‘What is Safeguarding? Easy Read’ 2011

[2] NHS ‘What is Safeguarding? Easy Read’ 2011