PEACEMAKERS Prayer/City Patrols

Safeguarding Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to protect people, particularly children, at-risk adults and beneficiaries of assistance, from any harm that may be caused due to their encountering Peacemakers Prayer Patrols/ Peacemakers City Patrols. This includes harm arising from:

• The conduct of staff or personnel associated with PPP/PCP
• The design and implementation of PPP/PCP’s programs and activities

The policy lays out the commitments made by Peacemakers and informs staff and associated personnel[1] of their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding.

This policy does not cover:

• Sexual harassment in the workplace – this is dealt with under Peacemakers Anti Bullying and Harassment Policy
• Safeguarding concerns in the wider community not perpetrated by Peacemakers 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.

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. Peacemakers understand it to mean protecting people, including children and at-risk adults, from harm that arises from encountering our staff or programs.

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.

Scope

1. All Peacemakers Volunteers and staff.
2. Associated personnel whilst engaged with work or visits related to Peacemakers, including but not limited to the following: consultants; volunteers; contractors; program visitors including journalists, celebrities and politicians

Policy Statement

PEACEMAKERS believe that everyone we may encounter, 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.  Peacemakers will not tolerate abuse and exploitation by staff, volunteers 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.

PEACEMAKERS commit to addressing safeguarding throughout its work, through the three pillars of prevention, reporting, and response.

Prevention

Peacemakers responsibilities will:

• Ensure all volunteers and staff have access to, are familiar with, and know their responsibilities within this policy
• Design and undertake all its programs and activities in a way that protects people from any risk of harm that may arise from their encountering This includes the way in which information about individuals in our programs is gathered and communicated.
• Implement stringent safeguarding procedures when recruiting, managing and deploying staff and associated personnel
• Ensure volunteers and staff receive training on safeguarding at a level commensurate with their role in the organization
• Follow up on reports of safeguarding concerns promptly and according to due process

Staff responsibilities

Child safeguarding

PEACEMAKERS 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 labor or trafficking

Adult safeguarding

Peacemakers volunteers, staff and associated personnel must not:

• Sexually abuse or exploit at-risk adults (Sometimes also referred to as vulnerable adults. 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)
• Subject an at-risk adult to physical, emotional or psychological abuse, or neglect

Protection from sexual exploitation and abuse

Peacemakers volunteers, 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, Peacemakers volunteers, 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 a Peacemakers volunteer, staff member or associated personnel to the appropriate staff member

Enabling reports

Peacemakers will ensure that safe, appropriate, accessible means of reporting safeguarding concerns are made available to staff and the communities we work with.

Any volunteer or staff reporting concerns or complaints through formal whistleblowing channels (or if they request it) will be protected by Peacemakers Disclosure of Malpractice in the Workplace (Whistleblowing) Policy.

Peacemakers will also accept complaints from external sources such as members of the public, partners and official bodies.

How to report a safeguarding concern

Volunteers and Staff members who have a complaint or concern relating to safeguarding should report it immediately to their Safeguarding Focal Point,  If however the volunteer or staff member does not feel comfortable reporting to their Safeguarding Focal Point person (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 directly to Commissioner Reverend Palmer, Peacemakersprayerpatrol@gmail.com, Telephone 07508390298

Response

Peacemakers 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).

Peacemakers will apply appropriate disciplinary measures to volunteers or staff found in breach of policy.

Peacemakers will offer support to survivors of harm caused by volunteers or 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 is 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 always be kept secure.