Safeguarding

Duet Health Foundation (registered charity number 1217999) is committed to the safety and wellbeing of everyone who comes into contact with our work, and in particular children and adults at risk. Safeguarding is the responsibility of every trustee, member of staff and volunteer, not of one person alone.

Who this policy covers

Trustees, staff, volunteers, contractors, and anyone taking part in an event we run or a project we fund. It covers people under 18 and adults at risk — anyone who, because of illness, disability, age or circumstance, may be less able to protect themselves from harm or neglect.

What we commit to

• Treating the welfare of children and adults at risk as the first consideration in everything we fund and do
• Taking every concern seriously, acting on it promptly, and never dismissing it as somebody else’s business
• Recruiting staff and volunteers carefully, including references and checks appropriate to the role
• Making sure everyone knows how to recognise a concern and how to raise one, with a briefing at induction and a refresher each year
• Never promising to keep a disclosure secret, and explaining honestly what we will have to do with it
• Reviewing this policy at least once a year, and after any incident

How we work, and what that means in practice

Duet is a grant-making and information charity. We do not provide clinical care or advice, and our staff and volunteers do not work unsupervised with children or adults at risk as part of their normal duties. Where an activity we fund or take part in does involve direct contact, we agree the safeguarding arrangements in writing before it begins, and satisfy ourselves that the organisation running it has its own policy, trained people, insurance and appropriate DBS checks in place. Grant agreements require the funded organisation to tell us about any serious safeguarding incident affecting the work we pay for.

Recognising a concern

A concern might be something you are told, something you see, or simply a feeling that a person is not safe — signs of physical harm, neglect, fear of a particular person, sudden withdrawal, or pressure over money. You do not have to be certain, and it is not your job to investigate. If in doubt, report it.

Raising a concern

If you are worried about the safety of a child or an adult at risk in connection with Duet or anything we fund, please tell us straight away. Email Info@duet.org.uk with “Safeguarding” in the subject line, or call 01252 844868 and ask to speak to the safeguarding lead. Outside office hours, use the emergency routes below rather than waiting for a reply. You can raise a concern anonymously, and you will never be penalised for raising one in good faith.

If someone is in immediate danger, do not wait for us: call 999. To report a concern outside Duet you can also contact the local council’s children’s or adult social care team, the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000, or — for an adult at risk — the Ann Craft Trust on 0115 951 5400.

Who is responsible

The Programme Manager is Duet’s designated safeguarding lead and is the first point of contact for a concern. The Chair of Trustees is the deputy, and takes any concern that involves a member of staff or the lead themselves. The board of trustees holds overall responsibility.

What happens next

We will acknowledge your concern within one working day and record it securely in a log seen only by the safeguarding lead and the trustee with the safeguarding brief. The lead decides within three working days whether a referral is needed. Where a referral to social care, the police or the Charity Commission is appropriate, we will make it without delay. We will tell you what we have done, so far as we are able to without putting anyone at risk or breaking confidence.

Allegations about someone connected to Duet

An allegation against a trustee, member of staff or volunteer is referred straight to the Chair of Trustees, who will consider whether the person should step back from their duties while it is looked into. We report serious incidents to the Charity Commission as a matter of course, and we will not use a confidentiality agreement to prevent anyone reporting a safeguarding matter.

Trustee oversight

A named trustee holds the safeguarding brief and reports at every board meeting. The board reviews the safeguarding log and this policy annually, and after any incident.