Many of the people Widest Heart Love Foundation works with are vulnerable, and we recognise our responsibility to protect everyone who comes into contact with the Foundation from harm, abuse and exploitation.
We are committed to creating and maintaining a safe environment for beneficiaries, volunteers, staff, partners and anyone else involved in our work, and to carrying out our programmes in a safe, respectful and responsible manner.
This policy applies to all trustees, staff, volunteers, contractors and partners acting on behalf of the Foundation.
Anyone acting for the Foundation must behave appropriately at all times, must not abuse a position of trust, must not engage in any form of physical, emotional, sexual or financial abuse or exploitation, and must avoid being alone and unsupervised with a child or vulnerable adult wherever possible.
Anyone who has a safeguarding concern — whether about a beneficiary, a colleague or the conduct of the Foundation — should report it without delay to the Foundation’s designated safeguarding contact, using the details on our Contact page. Concerns can be raised in confidence.
Reported concerns are recorded, assessed and referred to the relevant authorities where appropriate. Where a child or adult is believed to be at immediate risk, emergency services are contacted first.
We carry out appropriate checks and references when recruiting staff and volunteers for roles involving contact with vulnerable people, and we provide safeguarding guidance to everyone in those roles.
This policy is reviewed regularly and updated as the Foundation grows and as good practice develops.