Safeguarding means protecting peoples’ health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. It means taking all reasonable steps to prevent harm and abuse from occurring, to protect people from that harm, and to respond appropriately when harm has occurred.
At Scope, we take safeguarding very seriously and believe that safeguarding people is everyone’s responsibility. The following has been agreed as Scopes’ corporate statement on its safeguarding commitment:
“Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Scope is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and wellbeing of children, young people, and adults at risk of abuse and neglect. Scope expects all trustees, colleagues, and volunteers to share this commitment.”
Scope acknowledges there are some people who fall under the statutory safeguarding definition, and others who will need safeguarding when they are at risk of harm, abuse, or neglect. Scope encourages safeguarding concerns of any kind, about anyone, to be reported as detailed in the Safeguarding Procedures, and Safeguarding Guidance documents.
Scope is committed to providing a workplace free from any harassment and will take proactive measures to prevent this from happening.
The purpose of this policy is to safeguard anyone that we become aware of who is at risk of abuse or neglect. Not just those that we have a legal responsibility or duty of care to protect. This includes responding to safeguarding concerns about our:
The policy also acknowledges our response to non-recent concerns of abuse or neglect. Made by, or on behalf of those, who were in receipt of Scope’s regulated services.
This policy describes your individual responsibility for safeguarding, what you must do if you are worried about someone, and how Scope demonstrates its commitment to safeguarding.
This policy applies to all aspects of Scope. It applies to all trustees, paid and unpaid colleagues, and anyone else working on behalf of Scope.
This policy covers all activity and services provided by Scope now and those that were provided by Scope in the past. For the avoidance of doubt, this includes services delivered from any location, including online. Scope recognises that safeguarding risks extend to digital and online environments. Including online abuse, exploitation and grooming.
This policy applies to temporary colleagues, as well as partners and suppliers that deliver services on behalf of or in collaboration with Scope. Scope expects partners, suppliers, and organisations we work with to share our commitment to safeguarding. And to have appropriate safeguarding arrangements in place.
This policy is reviewed, endorsed, and approved by the board of trustees regularly or when legislation changes. Scope will apply appropriate disciplinary measures to colleagues who are found in deliberate breach of this policy. This policy aligns with safeguarding legislation across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
We have a responsibility to all children in contact with our services, activities, and our colleagues. We must identify and share concerns as stated in the following legislation:
Colleagues must:
The child’s local authority must:
We have a responsibility for any adults at risk. This could include all adults we come into contact with. For example: people who contact us online, our customers, members of the public, and our volunteers.
Key legislation includes:
Under the Care Act 2014, an adult is risk is an adult who:
Under the Adult Support and Protection 2007, a person is classified as an adult from 16. An adult at risk is an adult who is:
Under the Adult Safeguarding: Prevention and Protection in Partnership, 2015, an adult at risk of harm is defined as someone aged 18 or over who:
An adult at risk could include, for example:
At Scope, if we have a safeguarding concern about anyone who is over 18, we treat them as an “adult at risk”, whilst always paying careful consideration to their wishes and rights.
Our colleagues must:
The adult’s local authority must:
Safeguarding includes protecting people from the risk of radicalisation or exposure to extremist views. While Scope is not subject to the statutory Prevent duty, we recognise our responsibility to identify and respond to concerns where an individual may be at risk of being drawn into harmful or extremist activity. Concerns should be reported and managed in line with our safeguarding procedures. Serious incidents will be managed in line with our safeguarding and serious incident reporting procedures.
To provide safe and supportive experiences and working environments for our customers and colleagues, every one of us must put safeguarding at the heart of all our actions and thoughts. It is extremely important to Scope that everyone who interacts with us is kept safe.
Our policy is to safeguard and protect anyone that we become aware of who is at risk of abuse or neglect. Not just those that we have a legal responsibility, or duty of care, to protect. Everyone working for, or on behalf of Scope is responsible for demonstrating this commitment.
Our policy is to respond in a timely and sensitive way to all concerns. Including those which are “non-recent”.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Any concerns you may have could be about your colleagues, customers, or members of the public. You are individually responsible for:
Scope is committed to ensuring it has systems in place that minimise the risk of abuse. And to support colleagues to fulfil their safeguarding duty. This means that we:
Scope will assess and manage safeguarding risks in its activities, services, and partnerships, ensuring that appropriate controls are in place to prevent harm. Scope will not knowingly support or deal with any businesses involved in slavery or human trafficking. For full details, refer to the Modern Slavery Policy.
All safeguarding concerns must be reported to a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) as soon as possible, by the end of your working day. If you are unable to reach any of the DSLs, concerns can be reported directly to the Safeguarding team. If the concern is about a colleague or volunteer it must be reported directly to the Safeguarding team.
The names of the Designated Safeguarding Leads are published on InScope and on posters in every Scope office and retail shop. If you are still unsure who to speak to, please contact the Safeguarding team.
If it is an emergency situation, then you must contact the emergency services (999) immediately. You must still report this to a Designated Safeguarding Lead as soon as possible after contacting the emergency services and before the end of your working day. Refer to the Safeguarding procedures for full details.
Scope promotes a culture of openness and accountability, where concerns can be raised safely and without fear of detriment. Colleagues and volunteers are encouraged to speak up and will be supported and protected in line with our Whistleblowing Policy.
All non-recent safeguarding concerns (incidences occurred prior to May 2018) must be reported to the Executive Director of People and Change. Responsibility for managing all cases of non-recent abuse or neglect rests with the Executive Director of People and Change.
It is essential that discretion is maintained when dealing with safeguarding concerns. Information relating to the concern and subsequent case management should be shared on a need-to-know basis and should be kept secure at all times. Scope will ensure that colleagues are clear about when they can share information with appropriate agencies and professionals. Colleagues must follow legislation, guidance and local information sharing protocols when making decisions on sharing information.
Scope’s Board of Trustees are accountable for ensuring that the organisation has appropriate structure, processes, and resources in place to ensure safeguarding is central to everything it does. The Board also monitor compliance.
The Chief Executive is the senior individual accountable for all aspects of safeguarding across the organisation, including a strong culture of safeguarding.
Each member of ELT is accountable for embedding safeguarding in their directorate. This includes making sure that employees are adequately trained.
The Customer Experience and Compliance Programme Lead is accountable for safeguarding compliance across Scope. They are accountable for making sure safeguarding policy and practice is developed, implemented, managed, and monitored.
The Safeguarding Managers are responsible for giving expert safeguarding advice and guidance across the organisation. They are also responsible for ensuring safeguarding training is available and can be accessed by all staff.
The Designated Safeguarding Leads are responsible for supporting colleagues and volunteers to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns. They have responsibility for reporting, recording, and managing safeguarding concerns on a day-to-day basis. We have at least one Designated Safeguarding Lead for each department in Scope.
Scope will review safeguarding concerns, themes and trends to identify learning and continuously improve safeguarding practice.
If you have concerns about someone using our services or activities. Or non-recent abuse or neglect. please get in touch.
