Safeguarding Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to protect members of Blue Beyond and anyone who interacts with Blue Beyond.

All members of Blue Beyond are members of the Conservative Party. As a result of this, they are expected to adhere to the volunteer code, the code of conduct and the law (in this instance, the Equalities Act of 2010). They are also therefore protected by the various safeguarding practices and functions of the Conservative Party.

In addition to these policies, Blue Beyond will also employ their own safeguarding policy as a supplementary measure and will exist to protect members and individuals associated with Blue Beyond from harm.

This includes harm arising from:

  • The conduct of executive members, candidates, councillors and members or personnel associated with Blue Beyond.

  • The design and implementation of Blue Beyond activities.

The policy lays out the commitments made by Blue Beyond, and informs anyone with an official position in Blue Beyond, officers, candidates, councillors and members or 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.

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

Scope:

  • Anyone who hold an official post in Blue Beyond and its executive.

  • Officers, candidates, councillors and members or personnel associated with Blue Beyond whilst engaged with work, online activities or visits related to Blue Beyond , including but not limited to the following: consultants; volunteers; contractors; visitors including journalists, celebrities and MPs, MSPs, MLAs and AMs Policy Statement Blue Beyond 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. Blue Beyond will not tolerate abuse and exploitation by members or anyone in an official post at Blue Beyond.

Policy Statement

Blue Beyond 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. Blue Beyond will not tolerate abuse and exploitation by members or anyone in an official post at Blue Beyond.

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

These key areas of safeguarding may have different policies and procedures associated with them.

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

Prevention

Our Responsibilities

Blue Beyond will:

  • Ensure all members and executive have access to, are familiar with, and know their responsibilities within this policy.

  • Design and undertake all its programmes and activities in a way that protects people from any risk of harm that may arise from their coming into contact with Blue Beyond. 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 anyone who holds an official role at Blue Beyond.

  • Follow up on reports of safeguarding concerns promptly with a full investigation and according to due process

Executive responsibilities

Child safeguarding

Blue Beyond members and executive members 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

Blue Beyond members and executive members 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

Blue Beyond members and executive members 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, Blue Beyond members and executive members 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 members to the appropriate team.

Enabling reports

Blue Beyond will ensure that safe, appropriate, accessible means of reporting safeguarding concerns are made available to members and the communities we work with.

Any members reporting concerns or complaints through formal whistleblowing channels (or if they request it) will be protected a Whistleblowing Policy.

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

How to report a safeguarding concern

Members who have a complaint or concern relating to safeguarding should report it immediately to the Director of Blue Beyond.

Email: bluebeyonders@gmail.com

Response

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

Blue Beyond will apply appropriate disciplinary measures to members found in breach of policy.

Blue Beyond will offer support to survivors of harm caused by members 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 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.

Glossary of Terms

Beneficiary of Assistance

Someone who directly receives goods or services from Blue Beyond. Note that misuse of power can also apply to the wider community that Blue Beyond serves, and 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 members 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 peoples’ health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.

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 members or programmes.

One donor 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 members. 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.