Youth and Vulnerable Adults Safeguarding and Protection Policy

Policy operational from:  March 2021 

Next review date: March 2023 

This policy outlines inHive Global Limited’s (“inHive”) expectations about how we ensure the safety and security of all those with whom we are involved.  

inHive has this policy in place primarily to ensure the safeguarding and protection of the children, young people, and vulnerable adults in our networks. As inHive staff rarely work unsupervised with children, young people or vulnerable adults, its principles and practices extend to everyone in our networks, including staff, partners, volunteers, and trustees.  

All partners and contractors must have a Safeguarding and Protection Policy and Procedure in place before working with inHive. This information is obtained as part of our due diligence process with potential partners. It is through the partner’s Protection and Safeguarding mechanisms that children, young people, and vulnerable adults are able to safely report any concerns. 

It is everyone’s responsibility to observe and uphold this policy and we want anyone who may feel vulnerable and that may need to seek protection to know that policies and procedures are in place should they be required.  

Until now, inHive had separate policies and procedures for children under the age of 18 and young people and vulnerable adults between the ages of 17 and 25. They were broadly similar and so this, updated version brings them together.  

This policy is approved and endorsed by the Board of Trustees and reviewed every 2 years. 

DEFINITIONS 

1. Key People

For the purpose of this policy and procedure, the key people are defined as follows: 

Child: Anyone, of any gender, under the age of 18 years.  

Youth/Young Adult: Anyone, of any gender, who is above the age of 17 years and under the age of 25 years. 

inHive recognises that, in legal terms, the ages of those defined as children and youth/young adults may vary, but we urge our staff, trustees and partners to apply the above definitions.  

Vulnerable adults: Anyone aged 18 or over who has need for care and support (whether or not any statutory body or authority is meeting any of those needs or they present themselves to others) and is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect; as a result of those care and support needs is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse or neglect. An adult at risk of abuse may: have an illness affecting their mental or physical health; have a learning disability; suffer from drug or alcohol problems; and be frail. 

In the case where vulnerable adults are regarded as not being able to make their own decisions, we consider the legal guardian or power of attorney as making decisions on their behalf. 

Covered People: Every individual who conducts work with, for, or on behalf of inHive Global Limited including its board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, agency staff, and students, and those of partner organisations, who are often working directly with children, young and vulnerable people.  

2. Key Terms

The policy and procedures are focussed on the following definitions of behaviour/ abuse: 

Physical Abuse: Physical contact with a child, youth or vulnerable adult that is intended to cause, or causes, pain or physical injury to a child, including punching, beating, shaking, throwing, kicking, biting and burning, or directing a child, youth or vulnerable adult, outside the norm of the supervised activity, to perform physical activity which is intended to cause physical injury. 

Sexual Abuse: Any behaviour which results in touching of the sexual, or other, intimate parts of a child, youth or vulnerable adult for the purpose of sexual gratification, including touching with or without clothing, and any other sexual behaviour with a child, with a child, youth or vulnerable adult to meet the adult’s sexual interests. 

Sexual Exploitation: any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, sexually or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.  

Neglect: persistent failure to meet a child, youth or vulnerable adult’s basic physical and /or psychological needs, which is likely to result in serious impairment of their physical and/or mental health or development.  

Emotional Abuse: The actual or likely severe adverse effect on the emotional and behavioural development of a child, youth or vulnerable adult caused by persistent or severe emotional ill-treatment or rejection. All abuses involve emotional ill-treatment.  

THE POLICY 

The policy exists to: 

• Protect children, young people and vulnerable adults who encounter inHive. 
• Provide covered people with the overarching principles that guide inHive’s approach to safeguarding and protection. 

The welfare of those with whom we work is paramount. In many locations, law will offer specific guidance and protection, such the UK’s Children and Social work Act 2017, which covers the welfare of children. Beyond national statute, inHive looks to relevant UN conventions1, to set our expectations about the safeguarding of children, young people, and vulnerable adults. 

inHive believe that children, young people or vulnerable adults should never experience abuse of any kind regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, language, beliefs, national, social, or indigenous origin, property, birth, or other status. Some children, young people and adults are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs and other issues that may be readily apparent or may not present themselves.  

All covered people have the responsibility to prevent abuse and promote the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and to keep them safe. We are committed to work in a way that protects children, young people and vulnerable adults, and we expect all covered people to proactively take the appropriate measures to that end. 

We work to keep children, young people and vulnerable adults safe by: 

• Valuing, respecting and involving them, as well as listening to them, in order to prevent, respond, and monitor incidents of abuse and exploitation as far as is reasonably possible; 
• Adopting protection and safeguarding practices through procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers (as set out below); 
• Providing effective management of staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training, and monitoring and evaluation of work and projects; 
• Recruiting all staff and volunteers safely, ensuring that all staff and volunteers who work directly with young people and vulnerable groups will be checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service (or equivalent national body) 

• No one involved in a project run by inHive who has not been checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service (or equivalent national body) must be allowed to have unsupervised access to any young or vulnerable person inHive will ensure this with regard to its own covered people and will expect partners to do the same. 
• inHive’s activities taking place in a school will have teachers in attendance and supervising, thereby providing an additional safeguard to inHive’s own procedures and code of conduct; 
• Ensuring informed consent for participation in project activities, including research, story gathering, photo taking, as examples; 
• Recording and storing information professionally and securely, and in according with GDPR regulations as practically possible in the context where we work; 
• Sharing information about safeguarding and good practice, where appropriate; 

• Using our safeguarding procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies or partners with whom it is appropriate, and involving children, young people, and families as appropriate;  
• Using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers; 
• Ensuring we have an effective complaints and whistleblowing policies (as outlined in the grievance policy) in place 
• Ensuring that all partners have a children, young people, and vulnerable adults have a safeguarding and protection policy in place, as part of our due diligence procedure for new partners. 
• Ensuring inHive covered people (including trustees with a designated safeguarding role) undertake a short, online safeguarding course (such as those run by NSPCCC – https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/training/our-elearning-courses) when they commence employment and proactively familiarise themselves with the agency and partner safeguarding procedure and code of conduct, for information on reporting channels; 
• Ensuring we provide a safe physical environment for all young people and vulnerable adults, and covered people, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the (local) law and regulatory guidance. inHive has grievance, sexual harassment and staff safety policies (add link).  

CODE OF CONDUCT 

Every covered person who conducts work on behalf of/ in the name of inHive Global Limited must be aware of potential risks to children, young people and vulnerable adults and take appropriate action to minimise those risks. They must: 

• Create an environment where concerns can easily and safely be raised, and people have confidence in the policy because concerns raised are followed up with. 

• Recognise and take mitigating action in potential situations which may lead to acts against children, young people or vulnerable adults that fall into the types of behaviour/ abuse covered above or that are otherwise cause for concern. 
• Ensure that all one-to-one interaction with young people be conducted in plain view of other people, i.e. in an open public space, in the same room as another person, or in a room with large windows which permits others to clearly see into the room. 

inHive seeks to create an environment in which young people are respected and encouraged to discuss their concerns and rights. In helping to create this environment, covered people must: 

• Ensure that children, young people, and vulnerable adults are aware of their rights, and of the policies, and resources which are available to them if there is an issue or concern about their wellbeing or safety. 
• Work with them to define what is acceptable or unacceptable behaviour, ensuring all covered people involved fully understand these parameters. 

Report and Respond 

• Report any concerns involving protection against abuse and take appropriate actions 
• Ensure all children, young people and vulnerable adults are well-informed and participate in the decision-making and the types of intervention agreed upon. 

NEVER: 

• Abuse or exploit children, young people and vulnerable adults or behave in any way that places them at risk of harm. 
• Exchange money, gifts, employment, goods, or services for sex with children, young people and vulnerable adults, including sexual favours or other forms of humiliating, degrading or exploitative behaviour or any other behaviour that could be deemed abusive; 
• Have children, young people, or vulnerable adults stay overnight with you at your home, or sleep in the same room or bed; 

• Do things for children, young people and vulnerable adults of a personal nature that they can do for themselves; for example, help them go to the toilet. 
• Offend, insult, humiliate or degrade children, young people, and vulnerable adults, or perpetrate any form of abuse. 
• Discriminate or provide favourable treatment to one child, young person, or vulnerable adult. 
• Physically restrain children, young people, or vulnerable adults. 
• Discipline children, young people, or vulnerable adults using any form of physical contact, or emotional or psychological pressure, abuse, or intimidation. 

PROCEDURE 

inHive takes all concerns, disclosures, and allegations of abuse extremely seriously and will respond to them swiftly and appropriately. This may require referral to an authority or other service, such as the police or relevant child protection services.  

Where staff have concerns relating to potential abuse or where a disclosure has been made, a detailed note should be made of the incident including date, place, and other possible witnesses; this must be done immediately. If a child, young person or vulnerable adult has reported an incident or made a disclosure directly, then covered people must inform them that a report will be made and the incident will be followed up and it may also be necessary to ensure they are moved to a place of safety.  

All written reports should immediately be passed to the Protection Focal Point (inHive CEO, Abigail Nokes on abi@inhiveglobal.org). Concerns and allegations of abuse and disclosures must be raised immediately and directly with Abigail Nokes. All allegations will be recorded in the organisational and project-level safeguarding register. 

If an individual raises a concern which they believe to be true, inHive will take appropriate action to protect the individual from any harassment, victimisation, or bullying. The matter will be treated confidentially if the individual requests it, and their name or position will be not be revealed without their permission, unless InHive is required to do so by law. In the case that the allegation is not against InHive or a covered person directly associated with inHive – for instances if the allegation concerns a covered person associated with a partner organisation – then inHive will take all possible steps to ensure adequate investigate and proper action is taken. In the first instance, this is likely to involve inHive’s CEO raising the concern directly with a senior designated safeguarding lead at the partner or third party organisation.  

If the concern cannot be resolved without revealing the individual’s identity, the CEO will discuss with the individual whether and how to proceed and refer to expert guidance; a key consideration will be the safety of all children, young and vulnerable adults who may also be at risk.  

In cases of alleged abuse of a child, young person or vulnerable adult by inHive staff, or any individual acting on behalf of/ in the name of inHive Global Limited (covered people), the individual will be automatically suspended from all duties while investigation is undertaken to prevent any harm to children, young people or vulnerable adults. 

How the concern will be dealt with will depend on the severity of the concern and its impact on other children, young people or vulnerable adults. It is likely that further enquiries and/or investigation will be necessary.  

The concern may be investigated by Andrew Pendleton and Peta Sweet, the designated Trustees with responsibility for Safeguarding and Protection, or Dan Keyworth, the Chair of the Board of Trustees, through the disciplinary process, or the matter may be referred to the police. 

It may be necessary for the individual to give evidence in criminal or disciplinary proceedings. InHive will give the affected individual feedback on the progress and outcome of any investigation wherever possible. 

If a disclosure or allegations are made concerning covered people working for an inHive partner organisation, then the same procedure will be followed, but involving the relevant focal points or safeguarding contacts within the partner organisation and relevant national authorities in their home country, where necessary.  

inHive has a duty to report all such cases to the Charity Commission. If the suspicions are not confirmed by an investigation, the matter will be closed, though the CEO will seek advice from Charity Commission staff in terms of whether a report needs to sent to the regulator nevertheless. Staff will not be treated or regarded any differently for raising the concern, and their confidentiality will continue to be protected. In  

inHive recognises that the welfare of the individual is paramount. Every effort will be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned with an allegation of abuse. However, considerations of confidentiality which might apply to other situations will not interfere with the right of young people and vulnerable adults to be protected from any form of abuse. Information relating to allegations of abuse will be dealt with in accordance with the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018.