Overview
Safeguarding is protecting a person’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It is about people and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect, while at the same time making sure that the person’s wellbeing is promoted, including, where appropriate, having regard to their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding on any action.
The Henry Smith Foundation places immense importance on safeguarding. Everyone has the right to be safe from harm and must be able to live free from fear of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Partner organisations (such as grant holders, contracted partners or non-contracted partners whom we work closely with to deliver ad-hoc projects/programmes or other services) are responsible for designing, implementing and reviewing their own safeguarding arrangements. We will seek to provide support and information proportionate to our role and enable them to meet their responsibilities.
Our expectations are proportionate to the risks of the activities we are supporting, with greater requirements for those in contact with children or adults with care and support needs.
We will:
- Undertake appropriate due diligence in advance of entering into a partnership relevant to the risks of the project or activity.
- Ensure partners have proportionate safeguarding policy and procedures in line with good practice in the sector and a
- Designated Safeguarding Lead if they work with children or adults at risk of harm.
- Ensure the organisation provides appropriate training to their staff and volunteers (including trustees)
- Ensure safeguarding is embedded across their service delivery
- Detail in agreements with partners our requirements to report safeguarding breaches to us (where permissible in law) and
- the right to audit compliance with their safeguarding obligations, if necessary.
- Always offer support and understanding to partners managing a safeguarding concern. We will meet our duties to report concerns to relevant regulators if necessary. We retain the right to pause or withdraw funding should we have concerns about a partner’s ability to keep people safe.
Our Safeguarding policy
Our policy explains Henry Smith’s approach to keeping people safe from harm and meeting its safeguarding responsibilities, especially in its contact with children and adults with care and support needs and/or at risk of harm. This includes our commitment to proactively prevent harm and respond well where harm occurs or is suspected, whether online or offline.
Henry Smith has safeguarding responsibilities as a grant maker, an employer, a volunteer engager, a partner and a direct service provider (through our Kindred programme and potential future programmes).
Our policy is to be followed by anyone working on behalf of Henry Smith, whether acting in a paid or unpaid capacity, including staff, freelance visitors, trustees, and volunteers.
We have in place a range of safeguarding arrangements to protect people who come into contact with Henry Smith from harm, abuse, neglect and mistreatment of any kind. More widely, we will promote the welfare, wellbeing and health and safety of individuals in contact with Henry Smith.
Reporting a safeguarding concern
We will seek to fulfil our responsibilities to protect people in contact with our organisation from harm and support our partners to fulfil their responsibilities.
We will make sure our response centres the person experiencing or at risk of harm and considers the needs of bystanders and our organisation as a whole.
We will seek to manage any safeguarding concern quickly, professionally and sensitively. We will record all safeguarding concerns, discussions, and decisions (and justifications for those decisions) promptly and appropriately in writing. We will record and store information professionally, securely, as per established procedures.
If you have a safeguarding concern related to either an individual who represents us, or about a funded organisation or other partner, please email safeguarding@henrysmithcharity.org.uk with your name and contact details. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead, or one of our three Deputy Safeguarding Leads, will contact you for further information. Please note that this email address is only monitored during office hours, Monday to Friday.
If you believe a person is at immediate risk of harm, please call 999 and request appropriate emergency services (police/fire/ambulance).
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Angela Riches-Heed.
Our Deputy Safeguarding Leads are Adam Austen, Ella Davey and Nathan Killbery.
Resources
Henry Smith Foundation Safeguarding Policy
Our approach to keeping people safe from harm and meeting safeguarding duties
Read policy
Safeguarding guidance for grant holders and applicants
Everyone has the right to be safe from harm.
Read guidance
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