Safeguarding Policy
10.12.21
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to protect people, particularly children, and at-risk adults and beneficiaries
of assistance, from any harm that may be caused due to their coming into contact with The Devon Clinic
CIC. This includes harm arising from:
● The conduct of staff or personnel associated with The Devon Clinic CIC
● The design and implementation of The Devon Clinic CIC’s services
The policy lays out the commitments made by The Devon Clinic CIC, and informs staff and associated
personnel of their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding.
This policy does not cover:
● Sexual harassment in the workplace – this is dealt with under The Devon Clinic CIC’s Anti Bullying
and Harassment Policy
● Safeguarding concerns in the wider community not perpetrated by The Devon Clinic CIC or
associated personnel
What is safeguarding?
In the UK, safeguarding means protecting peoples’ health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling
them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.
In our sector, we understand it to mean protecting people, including children and at-risk adults, from
harm that arises from coming into contact with our staff or programmes.
2 Some NGOs are now including workplace bullying and harassment in their safeguarding portfolio, as it relates to
harm caused by coming into contact with our staff or programmes. However accompanying procedures for dealing
with workplace bullying and harassment are likely to be different, due to legal and statutory differences in handling
workplace incidents
Further definitions relating to safeguarding are provided in the glossary below.
Scope
● All staff contracted by The Devon Clinic CIC
● Associated personnel whilst engaged with work or visits related to The Devon Clinic CIC,
including but not limited to the following: practitioners; volunteers; contractors; centre
visitors including journalists, celebrities and politicians
Policy Statement
The Devon Clinic CIC believes that everyone we come into contact with, regardless of age, gender
identity, disability, sexual orientation or ethnic origin has the right to be protected from all forms of
harm, abuse, neglect and exploitation. The Devon Clinic CIC will not tolerate abuse and exploitation by
staff or associated personnel.
This policy will address the following areas of safeguarding [as appropriate]: child safeguarding, adult
safeguarding, and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. These key areas of safeguarding may
have different policies and procedures associated with them (see Associated Policies).
The Devon Clinic CIC commits to addressing safeguarding throughout its work, through the three pillars
of prevention, reporting and response.
Prevention
The Devon Clinic’s responsibilities
The Devon Clinic will:
● Ensure all staff, volunteers and practitioners have access to, are familiar with, and know their
responsibilities within this policy
● Design and undertake all its services and activities in a way that protects people from any risk of
harm that may arise from their coming into contact with The Devon Clinic CIC. This includes the
way in which information about individuals in utilising our services is gathered and
communicated
● Implement stringent safeguarding procedures when recruiting, managing and deploying staff
and associated personnel
● Ensure staff receive training on safeguarding at a level commensurate with their role in the
organisation
● Follow up on reports of safeguarding concerns promptly and according to due process
Staff responsibilities
Child safeguarding
The Devon Clinic CIC staff and associated personnel must not:
● Engage in sexual activity with anyone under the age of 18
● Sexually abuse or exploit children
● Subject a child to physical, emotional or psychological abuse, or neglect
● Engage in any commercially exploitative activities with children including child labour or
trafficking
Adult safeguarding
The Devon Clinic CIC staff and associated personnel must not:
● Sexually abuse or exploit at risk adults
● Subject an at-risk adult to physical, emotional or psychological abuse, or neglect
Protection from sexual exploitation and abuse
The Devon Clinic CIC staff and associated personnel must not:
● Exchange money, employment, goods or services for sexual activity. This includes any
exchange of assistance that is due to beneficiaries of assistance
● Engage in any sexual relationships with beneficiaries of assistance, since they are based
on inherently unequal power dynamics
Additionally, The Devon Clinic CIC staff and associated personnel are obliged to:
● Contribute to creating and maintaining an environment that prevents safeguarding
violations and promotes the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy
● Report any concerns or suspicions regarding safeguarding violations by any staff member
or associated personnel to the appropriate staff member
Enabling reports
The Devon Clinic CIC will ensure that safe, appropriate, accessible means of reporting safeguarding
concerns are made available to staff, practitioners and the communities we work with.
Any staff reporting concerns or complaints through formal whistleblowing channels (or if they request it)
will be protected by The Devon Clinic CIC’s Disclosure of Malpractice in the Workplace (Whistleblowing)
Policy.
The Devon Clinic CIC will also accept complaints from external sources such as members of the public,
partners and official bodies.
How to report a safeguarding concern
Staff members who have a complaint or concern relating to safeguarding should report it immediately to
their Safeguarding Focal Point [as appropriate] or Chris Fleet. If the staff member does not feel
comfortable reporting to their Safeguarding Focal Point or Chris Fleet (for example if they feel that the
report will not be taken seriously, or if that person is implicated in the concern) they may report to any
other appropriate staff member. For example, this could be a director of the company.
CEO Mr. Chris Fleet. chris@devonclinic.co.uk
Response
The Devon Clinic CIC will follow up safeguarding reports and concerns according to policy and procedure,
and legal and statutory obligations (see Procedures for reporting and response to safeguarding concerns
in Associated Policies).
The Devon Clinic CIC will apply appropriate disciplinary measures to staff and practitioners found in
breach of policy.
The Devon Clinic CIC will offer support to survivors of harm caused by staff or associated personnel,
regardless of whether a formal internal response is carried out (such as an internal investigation).
Decisions regarding support will be led by the survivor.
Confidentiality
It is essential that confidentiality in maintained at all stages of the process when dealing with
safeguarding concerns. Information relating to the concern and subsequent case management should
be shared on a need to know basis only and should be kept secure at all times.
Glossary of Terms
Beneficiary of Assistance
Someone who directly receives goods or services from The Devon Clinic CIC’s programme. Note that
misuse of power can also apply to the wider community that the clinic serves, and also can include
exploitation by giving the perception of being in a position of power.
Child
A person below the age of 18
Harm
Psychological, physical and any other infringement of an individual’s rights
Psychological harm
Emotional or psychological abuse, including (but not limited to) humiliating and degrading
treatment such as bad name calling, constant criticism, belittling, persistent shaming, solitary
confinement and isolation
Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)
The term used by the humanitarian and development community to refer to the prevention of sexual
exploitation and abuse of affected populations by staff or associated personnel. The term derives from
the United Nations Secretary General’s Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual
Exploitation and Abuse (ST/SGB/2003/13)
Safeguarding
In the UK, safeguarding means protecting peoples’ health, wellbeing and human rights, and
enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect3
In our sector, we understand it to mean protecting people, including children and at-risk adults,
from harm that arises from coming into contact with our staff or programmes. One donor
definition is as follows:
Safeguarding means taking all reasonable steps to prevent harm, particularly sexual
exploitation, abuse and harassment from occurring; to protect people, especially vulnerable
adults and children, from that harm; and to respond appropriately when harm does occur.
This definition draws from our values and principles and shapes our culture. It pays specific
attention to preventing and responding to harm from any potential, actual or attempted abuse
of power, trust, or vulnerability, especially for sexual purposes.
Safeguarding applies consistently and without exception across our programmes, partners and
staff. It requires proactively identifying, preventing and guarding against all risks of harm,
exploitation and abuse and having mature, accountable and transparent systems for response,
reporting and learning when risks materialise. Those systems must be survivor-centered and
also protect those accused until proven guilty.
Safeguarding puts beneficiaries and affected persons at the centre of all we do.
Sexual abuse
The term ‘sexual abuse’ means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature,
whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.
Sexual exploitation
The term ‘sexual exploitation means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of
vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to,
profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. This
definition includes human trafficking and modern slavery.
Survivor
The person who has been abused or exploited. The term ‘survivor’ is often used in preference
to ‘victim’ as it implies strength, resilience and the capacity to survive. However, it is the
individual’s choice how they wish to identify themselves.
At risk adult
Sometimes also referred to as a vulnerable adult. A person who is or may need care by reason of mental
or other disability, age or illness; and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to
protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation.