Safeguarding and Complaints Policy — Gift of Blessing Trust

Safeguarding and Complaints Policies

The safeguarding policy of Gift of Blessing Trust is in place to ensure that the speaking and ministry provided by the Trust safeguards the wellbeing and protection of adults who attend Trust events. Where the event is hosted by another organisation or church, the Trust is not responsible for their actions but will report anything that would raise safeguarding concerns to the appropriate Safeguarding lead.

The Gift of Blessing Trust recognises that adult abuse can be a difficult subject for workers to deal with. The Trust is committed to the belief that the protection of adults at risk from harm and abuse is everybody’s responsibility and the aim of these procedures is to ensure that all representatives of the Trust act appropriately in response to any concern of adult abuse.

1. Preventing abuse

Gift of Blessing Trust is committed to putting in place safeguards and measures to reduce the likelihood of abuse taking place within the services it offers and that all those involved within Gift of Blessing Trust will be treated with respect. It is committed to confidentiality as long as it does not put anyone at risk of abuse as defined below.

Gift of Blessing Trust will work within the current legal framework for referring staff or volunteers to the DBS who have harmed or pose a risk to vulnerable adults and/or children.

Information about safeguarding adults and the complaints policy will be available to service users.

2. Recognising the signs and symptoms of abuse

Gift of Blessing Trust is committed to ensuring that all staff have a basic awareness of the signs and symptoms of abuse.

Gift of Blessing Trust will not be limited in their view of what constitutes abuse or neglect, as they can take many forms and the circumstances of an individual case will always be considered.

Abuse may be carried out deliberately or unknowingly. Abuse may be a single act or repeated acts. People who behave abusively come from all backgrounds and walks of life. They may be doctors, nurses, social workers, advocates, staff members, volunteers or others in a position of trust. They may also be relatives, friends, neighbours or people who use the same services as the person experiencing abuse.

Abuse includes:

Discriminatory

Including forms of harassment, bullying, slurs, isolation, neglect, denial of access to services or similar treatment; because of race, gender and gender identity, age, disability, religion or because someone is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. This includes racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia or any other form of hate incident or crime.

Domestic abuse or violence

Including an incident or a pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse, by someone who is, or has been, an intimate partner or family member regardless of gender or sexual orientation. This includes psychological/emotional, physical, sexual, financial abuse; so called ‘honour’ based violence, forced marriage or Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

Financial or material

Including theft, fraud, internet scamming, exploitation, coercion in relation to an adult’s financial affairs or arrangements, including in connection with wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions, or the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits.

Modern slavery

Encompasses slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude. Traffickers and slave masters use whatever means they have at their disposal to coerce, deceive and force individuals into a life of abuse, servitude and inhumane treatment.

Neglect and acts of omission

Including ignoring medical, emotional or physical care needs, failure to access appropriate health, care and support or educational services, the withholding of the necessities of life, such as medication, adequate nutrition and heating.

Organisational (sometimes referred to as institutional)

Including neglect and poor care practice within an institution or specific care setting such as a hospital or care home, for example, or in relation to care provided in a person’s own home. This may range from one off incidents to on-going ill treatment. It can be through neglect or poor professional practice as a result of the structure, policies, processes and practices within an organisation.

Physical

Including assault, hitting, slapping, pushing, burning, misuse of medication, restraint or inappropriate physical sanctions.

Psychological (sometimes referred to as emotional)

Including threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, cyber-bullying, isolation or unreasonable and unjustified withdrawal of services or support networks.

Sexual

Including rape, indecent exposure, sexual assault, sexual acts, sexual harassment, inappropriate looking or touching, sexual teasing or innuendo, sexual photography, subjection to pornography or witnessing sexual acts to which the adult has not consented or was pressured into consenting. It also includes sexual exploitation which is exploitative situations, contexts and relationships where the person receives “something” (e.g. food, accommodation, drugs, alcohol, mobile phones, cigarettes, gifts, money) or perceived friendship/relationship as a result of them performing, and/or another or others performing sexual acts.

Self-neglect

Includes a person neglecting to care for their personal hygiene, health or surroundings; or an inability to provide essential food, clothing, shelter or medical care necessary to maintain their physical and mental health, emotional wellbeing and general safety. It includes behaviour such as hoarding.

Designated Named Person for safeguarding adults: Gift of Blessing Trust has an appointed individual who is responsible for leading safeguarding adults work in the organisation. The Designated Adult Safeguarding Manager within Gift of Blessing Trust:

Jo Stilwell, Designated Adult Safeguarding Manager

Please call Jo Stilwell, Trustee, 079500 835188

The Chair of Trustees will act as a Deputy Safeguarding Manager.

The role will be to:

· ensure that all staff are aware of what they should do and who they should go to if they have concerns that an adult at risk may be experiencing, or has experienced abuse or neglect;

· ensure that concerns are acted on and clearly recorded for the Trustees and organisers of any events and local authorities if necessary.

· manage and have oversight over individual complex cases involving allegations against an employee, volunteer, or student, paid or unpaid;

· consider any recommendations from the safeguarding adults process;

· reinforce the utmost need for confidentiality and to ensure that staff and volunteers are adhering to good practice with regard to confidentiality and security. This is because it is around the time that a person starts to challenge abuse that the risks of increasing intensity of abuse are greatest;

· ensure that staff and volunteers working directly with service users who have experienced abuse, or who are experiencing abuse, are well supported and receive appropriate supervision;

· ensure staff and volunteers are given support and afforded protection, if necessary, under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998: they will be dealt with in a fair and equitable manner and they will be kept informed of any action that has been taken and its outcome.

3. Responding to people who have experienced or are experiencing abuse

Gift of Blessing Trust recognises that it has a duty to act on reports, or suspicions of abuse or neglect. It also acknowledges that taking action in cases of adult abuse is never easy.

How to respond if you receive an allegation:

Reassure the person concerned.
Listen to what they are saying.
Record what you have been told/witnessed as soon as possible.
Remain calm and do not show shock or disbelief.
Tell them that the information will be treated seriously.

If you witness abuse, or abuse has just taken place, the priorities will be:

To call an ambulance if required.
To call the Police if a crime has been committed.
To preserve evidence.
To keep yourself and others safe.
To inform your line manager or the Designated Adult Safeguarding Manager.
To record what happened in the place/file/log where safeguarding adults concerns will be recorded.

All situations of abuse or alleged abuse will be discussed with the Designated Adult Safeguarding Manager. Concerns should also be raised with the church hosting an event held by the Trust and if appropriate and there is consent from the individual, or there is a good reason to override consent, such as risk to others, a referral will be made to the local authority of where the person is based Safeguarding Adults team. If the individual experiencing abuse does not have mental capacity to consent to a referral, a best interest decision will be made on their behalf.

In line with Making Safeguarding Personal principles, the line manager and/or Designated Adult Safeguarding Manager should try to seek the views from the adult (or an appropriate representative) about what they would like to happen as result of the concern. This will help to inform the multi-agency Safeguarding Adults Enquiry.

Note that it is not necessary to refer a safeguarding adults concern out of hours unless the individual or others have urgent social care needs. In case of immediate threat of harm, emergency services should be contacted. Information should be provided to the individual. This could be about other sources of help or information that could enable them to decide what to do about their experience, enable them to recover from their experience and enable them to seek justice.

4. Managing an allegation made against a member of staff or volunteer

Gift of Blessing Trust will ensure that any allegations made against a member of staff will be dealt with swiftly. Where a member of staff/volunteer is thought to have committed a criminal offence the Police will be informed. If a crime has been witnessed the Police should be contacted immediately.

The safety of the individual(s) concerned is paramount. A risk assessment must be undertaken immediately to assess the level of risk to all service users posed by the alleged perpetrator. This will include whether it is safe for them to continue in their role or any other role within the service whilst the investigation is undertaken.

The line manager and/or Designated Named Person will liaise with the Safeguarding Officer and with the Safeguarding Officer of the local council to discuss the best course of action and to ensure that the disciplinary procedures are coordinated with any other enquiries taking place as part of the ongoing management of the allegation.

Recording and managing confidential information

Gift of Blessing Trust is committed to maintaining confidentiality wherever possible and information around safeguarding adults issues should be shared only with those who need to know.

All allegations/concerns should be recorded in name of place/file/log where safeguarding adults concerns will be recorded. The information should be factual and not based on opinions, record what the person tells you, what you have seen and witnesses if appropriate.

The information that is recorded will be kept secure and will comply with data protection.

This information will be secured and access to this information will be restricted to the Designated Adult Safeguarding Manager and the Deputy.

Disseminating/Reviewing policy and procedures

This Safeguarding Procedure will be clearly communicated to all staff members. The Designated Adult Safeguarding Manager will be responsible for ensuring that this is done.

The Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedures will be reviewed annually by Clare Phillips. The Designated Adult Safeguarding Manager will be involved in this process and can recommend any changes.

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COMPLAINTS POLICY

Gift of Blessing Trust views complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve for the future, as well as a chance to put things right for the person that has made the complaint.

Our policy is:

To provide a fair complaints procedure which is clear and easy to use for anyone wishing to make a complaint.
To make sure all staff and trustees and volunteers know what to do if a complaint is received.
To make sure all complaints are investigated fairly and in a timely way.
To make sure that complaints are, wherever possible, resolved and that relationships are repaired.
To gather information which helps us to improve what we do.

Definition of a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, about any aspect of Gift of Blessing Trust.

Where Complaints Come From

Complaints may come from any person or organisation who has a legitimate interest in Gift of Blessing Trust. A complaint can be received verbally, by phone, by email or in writing.

This policy does not cover complaints from staff, who should use the provided Grievance policies.

Confidentiality

All complaint information will be handled sensitively, telling only those who need to know and following any relevant data protection requirements.

Responsibility

Overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation lies with the Board of Trustees and the Director, Kate Patterson.

Publicised Contact Details for Complaints:

Written complaints may be sent to Gift of Blessing Trust at C/O Holy Trinity Church Centre, Sheen Park, Richmond, TW9 1UP or by e-mail to kate@giftofblessingtrust.org or clare@giftofblessingtrust.org. A phone conversation can be arranged.

Receiving Complaints

Complaints may arrive through channels publicised for that purpose or through any other contact details or opportunities the complainant may have.

Complaints received by telephone or in person need to be recorded. The person who receives a phone or in person complaint should:

Write down the facts of the complaint. Take the complainant's name, address and telephone number. Note down the relationship of the complainant to the Trust.
Tell the complainant that we have a complaints procedure. Tell the complainant what will happen next and how long it will take.
Where appropriate, ask the complainant to send a written account by post or by email so that the complaint is recorded in the complainant’s own words.

Stage One

In many cases, a complaint is best resolved by the person responsible for the issue being complained about. If the complaint has been received by that person, they may be able to resolve it swiftly and should do so if possible and appropriate.

Whether or not the complaint has been resolved, the complaint information should be passed to the Director, within one week.

On receiving the complaint, the Director records it in the complaints log. If it has not already been resolved, she will investigate it and decide appropriate action.

If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a fair opportunity to respond.

Complaints should be acknowledged by the person handling the complaint within a week. The acknowledgement should say who is dealing with the complaint and when the person complaining can expect a reply. A copy of this complaints procedure should be attached.

Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within four weeks. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given.

Whether the complaint is justified or not, the reply to the complainant should describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint.

Stage Two

If the complainant feels that the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved at Stage One, they can request that the complaint is reviewed at Board level. At this stage, the complaint will be passed to Clare Phillips, the Chair of Trustees.

The request for Board level review should be acknowledged within a week of receiving it. The acknowledgement should say who will deal with the case and when the complainant can expect a reply.

The person who receives Stage Two complaints may investigate the facts of the case themselves or delegate a suitably senior person to do so. This may involve reviewing the paperwork of the case and speaking with the person who dealt with the complaint at Stage One.

If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a further opportunity to respond.

The person who dealt with the original complaint at Stage One should be kept informed of what is happening.

Whether the complaint is upheld or not, the reply to the complainant should describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint. The decision taken at this stage is final, unless the Board decides it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution.

The complainant can complain to the Charity Commission at any stage.  Information about the kind of complaints the Commission can involve itself in can be found on their website at: www.charitycommission.gov.uk/publications/cc47.aspx]

Variation of the Complaints Procedure

The Board may vary the procedure for good reason. This may be necessary to avoid a conflict of interest, for example, a complaint about the Chair should not also have the Chair as the person leading a Stage Two review.

Monitoring and Learning from Complaints

Complaints are reviewed annually to identify any trends which may indicate a need to take further action.