OHWC Safeguarding Policy & Guidelines_v2.0
Safeguarding Overview
What is Safeguarding?
Safeguarding refers to measures designed to protect the health, wellbeing and human rights of individuals. These measures allow young people and adults to live free from abuse, harm and neglect.
Abuse, harm and harassment can happen to anyone. It’s not always visible and often not spoken about. It is about:
- Protecting a young person’s and adults rights to live in safety; free from abuse and neglect.
- People and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse and neglect, whilst at the same time making sure that the adults and young people’s wellbeing is promoted.
Why do we need Safeguarding?
The OHWC recognises that it does not work directly with young people or adults, however:
- Abuse, harassment and harm can happen to anyone – people we work with, staff or volunteers. It’s not always visible and often not spoken about.
- Abuse, harm and neglect are wrong. We have a duty to do something about it.
- When everyone understands safeguarding and their right to be safe, people who have nowhere else to turn are protected.
- An organisation that does safeguarding well is an organisation that organisation that is trusted.
Purpose
The purpose of the OHWC Safeguarding Policy is to demonstrate the commitment of the OHWC to safeguarding our club members and to ensure that everyone involved in OHWC is aware of:
- The policy and procedures for safeguarding our club members.
- Their role and responsibility for safeguarding our club members.
- What we do or who we speak to if they have a concern relating to the welfare or wellbeing of an adult or young person.
Aims
The OHWC Safeguarding Policy and associated procedures apply to all individuals who are involved in the OHWC, including the committee and the walk leaders, to all concerns about the safety of club members whilst taking part in the organisation, its activities and in the wider community.
It aims to provide everyone involved in the OHWC with the fundamental values that guide our approach to safeguarding. It also aims to be proportionate and appropriate to the level of risks involved.
OHWC’s commitment to safeguarding
Th implement this policy the OHWC will ensure that:
- Everyone involved with the OHWC is aware of the safeguarding procedures and knows what to do and who to contact if they have a concern relating to the welfare or wellbeing of an adult or young person.
- Any concern that an adult or young person is not safe is taken seriously and responded to promptly.
- The wellbeing of those at risk of harm will be put first and the affected person(s) actively supported to communicate their views and the outcomes thay want to achieve.
- Those views and wishes will be respected and supported unless there are overriding reasons not to.
- Any actions will respect the rights and dignity of all those involved and will be proportionate to the risk of harm.
- We will commit to Making Safeguarding Personal. This means that safeguarding should be person led and outcome focused.
- We will engage the person in a conversation about how best to respond to their safeguarding situation in a way that enhances involvement, choice and control, as well as improving quality of life, wellbeing and safety.
- Wherever possible we will discuss safeguarding concerns with the adult to get their view of what they would like to happen and keep them involved in the safeguarding process, seeking their consent to share information outside of the organisation when necessary.
- The OHWC reserve the right to cooperate with the Police and the Local Authorities in taking acton to safeguard an adult or young person.
- All members of the OHWC understand their role and responsibility for safeguarding adults and young person’s.
- Actions taken under this policy are reviewed by the Board on an annual basis.