Safeguarding Policy

Safeguarding Policy for Raise Your Voice
 

Introduction

Raise Your Voice is a community-based music project for local people in East and West Sussex who have a diagnosis of dementia. It is designed equally for the benefit of their carers, whether family members or agency employed, who attend with them and continue to oversee their wellbeing during sessions.

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Raise Your Voice is a registered charity (No.0091932) and currently comprises four Trustees, four volunteers and two freelance musicians. This policy applies to everyone involved in delivering the project: freelancers, volunteers and Trustees, referred to collectively as ‘Team Members’, and also visitors.

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Purpose of this policy

To protect adults at risk of harm whenever they attend Raise Your Voice sessions or are in contact with Team Members or other participants outside the sessions.

 

To provide all Team Members with the underlying principles that guide our approach to safeguarding adults at risk of harm whether physical, emotional, sexual, racial or financial abuse and of neglect.

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We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of such adults and to keep them free from harm.

 

We are committed to practise in a way that furthers this objective.

 

This Policy is available as a PDF by email and on our website.

 

How Team Members will keep safe adults at risk of harm

• Valuing, listening and respecting them

• Appointing designated safeguarding persons

• Adopting best practice safeguarding procedures

• Obtaining permission before including photos in the public arena and keeping a record of this. Any comments will always be anonymous.

• Maintaining a culture and standards that prevent the development of poor practices Page1of 4

• Recording and storing information professionally and securely

• Using our procedures to manage any allegations against Team Members appropriately

• Providing a safe physical environment for all by applying rigorous health and safety measures in accordance with law and regulatory guidance

• Keeping effective complaints procedures in place.
  
  
  Raise Your Voice undertakes that all relevant Team Members:

• Are recruited safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made including DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) for all Team Members who will have access to participant’s details

• Hold a valid DBS certificate, refreshed every 3 years (or signed up to the Update Service)

• Receive the appropriate level of knowledge and have access to learning events in safeguarding adults

• Know how to respond and where to go for advice and assistance

• Understand the importance of balancing choice and control with safety

• Know about different types of abuse and neglect

• Know who to tell about suspected abuse or neglect

Raise Your Voice will do this by promoting safeguarding as everyone’s responsibility and ensure that appropriate legislation is implemented, with our Team Members trained to recognise and manage Safeguarding concerns. All Team Members have a duty to prevent the abuse of adults and report any safeguarding concerns to the DSO (Designated Safeguarding Officer).

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Team Members are expected to be sensitive to the particular needs of adults, not do anything for them that they would prefer to do themselves, and asking, where possible, what support they need.

 

What Team Members must NOT do when working with adults at risk

• Arrange to meet a person with dementia without their carer/spouse/family member present or visit them in their homes uninvited/outside sessions

• Store photographs or films on your personal equipment. Any photography or films should be uploaded to the shared drive and deleted from personal devices as soon as possible

• Accompany on car journeys alone without prior consent of a family member or carer, unless in case of an emergency

• Not ask for or accept financial donations from anyone who is unable to give informed consent.

• Save personal details on your personal device.

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Reporting a Safeguarding concern or breach of good practice observed by Team Members or other parties

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The current Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) for Raise Your Voice is Andrew Symonds whose contact details are on the last page of this policy. It is his responsibility to investigate any breaches and act wherever appropriate.

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An individual should not feel responsible about deciding whether the concern is valid, whether or not abuse or behaviour that may indicate risk of abuse has taken place, or whether to investigate the allegations or suspicions. Trustees will take all concerns, suspicions or disclosures reported to them very seriously and will respond in good faith.

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If you have any doubts at all, speak with the DSO. He is trained and knows how to deal with such concerns.

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You must not promise confidentiality to an adult at risk of harm as the information received may have to be acted upon by other authorities. You may however, wish to reassure them that you will pass the information to someone whose role it is to make sure they will be safe. It is important that in cases where an individual talks about abuse or other inappropriate behaviour, the conversation is recorded as soon as possible afterwards. The record must reflect the conversation as accurately as possible using the individual’s words. The record should be signed and dated noting the time and location when it took place and anyone else present should be included.

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This record must be passed securely to the DSO and shared only with those who need to know about the incident or allegation.

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Where there is a suspicion of abuse or an allegation has been made, you must not contact the subject of the allegation or concern or discuss the matter with anyone other than the person you are reporting it to.

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Whistleblowing

Raise Your Voice will provide support and protection for whistleblowers and equally will support any member of staff who has an accusation made against them.

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You should be aware that Raise Your Voice encourages whistleblowing for the sake of the adult at risk and while it is often difficult to express concerns about colleagues, it is important to do so.

 

If an allegation of abuse or declaration is made against a Team Member by an Adult at Risk, the DSO will decide if the matter should be referred to East Sussex Safeguarding Adults Board direct. If the matter is referred, it is the Trustees’ policy to suspend an individual for an initial period no longer than 10 working days. The suspension is to allow Adult Social Care to carry out an investigation and is not considered as a disciplinary sanction. The DSO will keep the individual concerned informed of the investigation and of support available.
 

All serious, or potentially serious, incidents must be reported to the Charity Commission.

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If you are worried about an adult or have concerns about the possibility of abuse (which could be physical, emotional, sexual, racial or neglect) or behaviour giving rise to a risk of abuse you must make your concerns known to the charity’s DSO.

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If you have concerns about a Safeguarding Officer

Concerns or complaints about the DSO should be reported to Lesley Dunford, the Chair, but if your concern or complaint is about her in her Safeguarding Role, you should forward your concerns to Roger Clow, Treasurer.
 

DESIGNATED PERSONS

Andrew Symonds (DSO) - 01444 412409 - andrew.ajims@gmail.com
Lesley Dunford (Chair) - 01825 723662 - lesleyadunford@googlemail.com
Roger Clow (Treasurer) - 07766 208971 - rogerhclow@gmail.com

 

 

Prepared: February 2021
Approved by Trustees: 1st March 2021
Reviewed - 10th April 2023