Safeguarding policy

1. Policy statement

The Charity Commission defines Safeguarding as ‘the range of measures in place to protect people in a charity, or those it comes into contact with, from abuse or maltreatment of any kind’.

The purpose of the policy is to take reasonable steps to protect anyone who comes into contact with Afield from harm, abuse, neglect or exploitation.

Afield Environmental is committed to creating a safe environment for everyone involved in our work — including our grantees, staff, trustees, volunteers and freelancers.

We take a zero-tolerance approach to abuse, exploitation and neglect, and we are committed to acting promptly and appropriately on any concern expressed by anyone, regardless of age, gender, disability or ethnic origin.

This policy does not currently cover children or young people under 18. If Afield Environmental begins any activity involving under-18s this policy will be reviewed and extended.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Joana Esgalhado, joana@afield.org.uk.

The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is Liz Orton, liz@afield.org.uk.

2. Scope

This policy applies to everyone acting on behalf of Afield Environmental, including trustees, employees, freelance and contracted staff, volunteers and anyone delivering activities in our name.

It covers our work with:

• Our team (including members of staff, trustees, freelancers under contract and volunteers).
• Applicants during any open call for funding.
• Applicants during any recruitment for a role at Afield (paid or voluntary).
• Members of the public via social media, our website or any other interaction.
• Grantees.
• Grantees' assistants — support workers, personal assistants, or other individuals a grantee involves in receiving or delivering on the grant.
• Presenters, speakers or facilitators we invite to address grantees at cohort events.

Some applicants, grantees or their assistants may be adults at risk: aged 18 or over and, because of their needs, unable to protect themselves from abuse, neglect or exploitation — whether or not that need is disclosed to us.

A grantee does not need a formal diagnosis or disclosed condition to be an adult at risk: it can be situational (for example, tied to isolation or financial hardship).

3. Our commitments

We commit to:

• Valuing, listening to, and respecting everyone we work with.
• Appointing a Designated Safeguarding Lead and deputy, and making sure it is clear to those covered by the policy who they are and how to contact them.
• Recruiting, training, and supporting our trustees, staff, freelancers and volunteers to work safely and to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns.
• Providing appropriate support in relation to Safeguarding for members of staff or freelancers who are facilitating cohorts.
• Ensuring that anyone can raise a concern easily, and that concerns are taken seriously, recorded, and acted on promptly.
• Sharing information about a safeguarding concern only with people who need to know it, in line with data protection law.
• Working openly and cooperatively with local authorities, the police, and any other agency needed to implement this Safeguarding Policy.
• Ensuring that this policy and all other associated information and processes are made accessible to everyone that is covered by it.
• Reviewing this policy at least once a year, and after any safeguarding incident.

We are aware that a funding relationship between Afield Environmental and a grantee can create a power imbalance, and take care that this is not used, even unintentionally, to pressure someone into disclosing personal information, agreeing to conditions, or consenting to something (for example, how their work or image is used) that they would not otherwise be comfortable with.

4. Legal and regulatory framework

This policy is informed by:

• The Care Act 2014 (England) — which sets out the six principles of adult safeguarding (see Section 6) and the duties of local authorities to lead multi-agency safeguarding responses. (If Afield Environmental works in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland, the equivalent frameworks are the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007, and Northern Ireland's Adult Safeguarding: Prevention and Protection in Partnership policy — the DSL should confirm which applies to each activity location.)
• The Equality Act 2010 — our duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people and not to discriminate.
• The Mental Capacity Act 2005 — the presumption that adults have capacity to make their own decisions unless shown otherwise, and the principle that we support people to make their own choices wherever possible.
• UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 — governing how we record and share personal and safeguarding information.
• Charity Commission guidance, which requires charity trustees to take reasonable steps to protect from harm anyone who comes into contact with the charity, and to report certain safeguarding incidents to the Commission as serious incidents (see Section 10).

Where legislation changes, or Afield Environmental starts operating in a new nation or region of the UK, this policy will be reviewed against the current law for that jurisdiction.

5. Definitions

Adult At Risk: a person aged 18 or over who has needs for care and support (whether or not any other charity or a local authority is meeting those needs) and is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect, and who — as a result of those needs — is unable to protect themselves.

Abuse and neglect can take many forms, including:

• Physical abuse — hitting, slapping, misuse of medication, inappropriate restraint.
• Sexual abuse — including where a person cannot, or does not, give valid consent.
• Psychological/emotional abuse — threats, humiliation, harassment, intimidation, isolation.
• Financial or material abuse — theft, fraud, exploitation, pressure around wills or property.
• Neglect or acts of omission — ignoring medical or physical care needs, failing to provide access to appropriate services.
• Discriminatory abuse — based on disability, race, gender, sexuality, religion, or other characteristics.
• Organisational abuse — poor practice within an organisation, including rigid routines or inadequate care in a setting.
• Domestic abuse — including coercive control, within a family or intimate relationship.
• Modern slavery — including forced labour, trafficking, or domestic servitude.
• Self-neglect — an inability or unwillingness to care for one's own basic needs.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): the named person with lead responsibility for safeguarding across Afield Environmental's work (see Section 7).

6. Principles guiding our practice

Afield Environmental follows the six principles of adult safeguarding set out under the Care Act 2014:

1. Empowerment — people are supported and encouraged to make their own decisions and give informed consent.
2. Prevention — it is better to act before harm occurs.
3. Proportionality — the least intrusive response appropriate to the risk.
4. Protection — support and representation for those in greatest need.
5. Partnership — working with local communities and services to find local solutions.
6. Accountability — being transparent about safeguarding decisions and the reasons for them.

We apply these alongside a "person-led and outcome-focused" approach: the person's own views, wishes and consent guide any response to a safeguarding concern, unless they lack capacity to make that decision or there is an overriding risk to them or others.

7. Roles and responsibilities

The Board of Trustees has overall responsibility for safeguarding at Afield Environmental. Trustees must satisfy themselves that this policy is followed, and that safeguarding is reviewed regularly at board level.

The DSL is the first point of contact for any safeguarding concern. The DSL is responsible for:

• Receiving and recording concerns.
• Deciding, with advice as needed, what action to take, including referrals to the local authority or police.
• Keeping safeguarding records securely and confidentially.
• Acting as the link to the local authority's adult safeguarding team.
• Making sure the trustees are kept informed (without breaching confidentiality where not appropriate), and advising on any reporting that may be required.
• Informing the regular trustee review and signoff of this policy.

The Deputy Safeguarding Lead covers when the DSL is unavailable.

Trustees are responsible for ensuring that all staff, trustees, freelancers and volunteers must:

• Read and follow this policy.
• Promote this policy to people and organisations that it covers.
• Treat everyone with dignity and respect, and work within professional boundaries.
• Never investigate a safeguarding concern themselves — pass it to the DSL.
• Raise any concern you have, whether through your own experience, or through someone reporting an incident to you, about a grantee, colleague, or the organisation's own practice, promptly.
• Complete safeguarding training appropriate to their role.

8. Safer working practice

• We only ask for background checks (such as a Disclosure and Barring Service, or DBS, check) where a role meets the legal criteria for one — this does not extend to a grantee's access worker or personal assistant, whose arrangement remains the grantee's choice (see Section 9). The DSL should confirm eligibility for each Afield role rather than assuming a check is needed or unnecessary.
• We take up references for all staff and regular freelance contractors where practicable.
• No one in a position of trust — including staff, freelancers, and volunteers — should be alone with an adult at risk in a closed or private setting where this can reasonably be avoided, and should let a colleague know where a one-to-one session (such as an artist studio visit) is taking place and roughly how long it will last.
• We avoid unnecessary physical contact and are mindful of appropriate personal and communication boundaries, including on social media and messaging apps.
• Financial and material boundaries are respected — staff, freelancers and volunteers should not lend or borrow money, or accept significant gifts, from people we work with.
• No relationship of trust (for example, between a freelance facilitator and a grantee) should be used to pressure someone into a decision they would not otherwise make.
• Where an external presenter, speaker or facilitator addresses grantees at an event, a member of Afield Environmental staff should be present or contactable throughout, and the presenter should be given a short briefing on this policy beforehand, including who to contact if a concern arises.

9. Recognising and responding to a concern

A concern can arise in any number of ways — something a grantee or their assistant tells you directly, something you notice in a meeting or communication, or something raised to you by someone else. You don't need to be certain in order to act on it.

If you have a concern, or someone discloses something to you:

1. Refer to the flowchart in Appendix D.
2. Stay calm and listen without interrupting, promising secrecy, or trying to investigate further. The first priority should be the safety of the individual's welfare.
3. Reassure the person that they were right to speak up, without making promises about what will happen next.
4. Act as soon as possible — if someone is in immediate danger, call 999.
5. Record what was said or seen as soon as you can at the time or immediately afterwards, using the person's own words where possible, sticking to the facts, and note the date, time, and who else was present. Use the template at Appendix A.
6. Report to the DSL the same day if at all possible, and always within 24 hours. If the concern is about the DSL, report instead to Deputy DSL
7. Keep it confidential — share what you know only with the DSL and anyone else who strictly needs to know (see Section 12).

What the DSL will do:

• Decide on any immediate actions to take, and whether any other policies such as the Complaints Procedure should be invoked (refer to the flowchart in Appendix D).
• Record the concern (see Appendix A)
• Review whether any immediate safeguarding action is needed (for example, pausing an activity, or changing how a session is delivered) while a referral is considered.
• Decide, seeking advice if needed (eg, from a trustee, safeguarding resources such as NVCO, or the Ann Craft Trust), whether the concern meets the threshold for a safeguarding referral. A referral might be required if the person meets three core criteria:
  • Care and Support Needs: The adult has needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority is actively meeting any of those needs).
  • Experiencing or at Risk of Harm: They are experiencing, or are at risk of, abuse or neglect.
  • Inability to Protect Themselves: As a result of their care and support needs, they are unable to protect themselves from the abuse or neglect (or the risk of it).
• Where it does, contact the adult safeguarding team of the local authority covering the grantee's location and/or the police, and follow their instructions.
• Advise trustees if the incident is a "serious incident" that must be reported to the Charity Commission (see Section 10).
• Keep the person who raised the concern informed as far as confidentiality allows, and offer them support (see Appendix E).
• Only share information with the people who need to know – such as the deputy DSL trustee, or police. Any referrals or passing on of information will be done with the consent of the adult wherever possible. If consent is withheld, but information is still passed on, the DSL will clearly document this and the reasons why. They will also inform the adult of this action wherever possible.

10. Reporting to the Charity Commission

Trustees are legally required to report serious safeguarding incidents to the Charity Commission as soon as reasonably possible. This is covered in Afield’s Serious Incident Reporting policy.

11. Confidentiality and information sharing

Safeguarding information is shared only with those who need to know it in order to keep a person safe — this is not a breach of confidentiality or data protection law. We follow the principle that the right information should reach the right people at the right time, and that a concern for someone's safety can outweigh a general duty of confidentiality. Therefore, where information is given in confidence to an Afield trustee, staff member or volunteer it should be made clear that it may be shared with the relevant person in authority.

Records of concerns are kept securely, separately from general case or project files where practicable, and retained in line with our data protection policy. Personal data is processed in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

12. Allegations against staff, freelancers, volunteers or trustees

An allegation against anyone acting on behalf of Afield Environmental is treated with the same seriousness as any other concern, and reported to the DSL (or, if the allegation is about the DSL, to the deputy DSL or another trustee) in the same way. We will consider what steps are needed to protect people while any external process is ongoing, and will follow our disciplinary and complaints procedures as appropriate.

13. Whistleblowing

Anyone who has a concern about safeguarding practice within Afield Environmental itself — including a concern that this policy is not being followed, or that a concern has not been acted on — can raise it under Afield’s Whistleblowing Policy, in confidence, without fear of detriment.

14. Training and support

The DSL and deputy DSL will complete safeguarding training appropriate to a lead role. Staff, freelancers and regular volunteers will receive an induction covering this policy and basic awareness of adult safeguarding, refreshed at least every three years or when the policy materially changes.

15. Related policies

This policy should be read alongside Afield Environmental's:

• Whistleblowing Policy
• Data Protection and Confidentiality Policy
• Health and Safety Policy
• Complaints Policy
• Recruitment and DBS Policy (if separate)
• Serious Incident Reporting Policy (to be approved by December 2026)
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
• Expected Behaviours Code (to be approved by December 2026)
• Photography, Filming and Social Media Policy (to be approved by February 2027)

(where any of these do not yet exist, timescales for agreeing them are shown)

16. Monitoring and review

This policy is reviewed by the trustees at least every 3 years, and sooner following any safeguarding incident, a relevant change to the law, or a significant change to how Afield Environmental works (for example, a new type of activity, venue, or client group).

Appendix A — Concern record template

Field

Details

Date and time of concern/incident

Date and time recorded

Recorded by

Name of person the concern is about (if known)

What was seen, said, or disclosed (facts, not opinion, in the person's own words where possible)

Anyone else present

Any immediate action taken

Reported to (DSL name)

Date reported

Outcome / next steps

Appendix B — Key contacts

• Designated Safeguarding Lead: Joana Esgalhado (joana@afield.org.uk)
• Deputy Safeguarding Lead: Liz Orton (liz@afield.org.uk)
• Chair of Trustees: Liz Orton (liz@afield.org.uk)
• Local authority adult safeguarding team: Contact details vary by grantee location. The DSL identifies the right team via GOV.UK's "Find your local council" tool, and keeps an up-to-date note of current grantees' local authority areas.
• Police (non-emergency): 101
• Police / ambulance (emergency): 999
• Charity Commission serious incident reporting: rsi.charitycommission.gov.uk
• Ann Craft Trust (safeguarding in arts, sport & leisure): anncrafttrust.org
• Hourglass (abuse of older people): hourglassuk.org / 0808 808 8141

Appendix C — Choosing a Designated Safeguarding Lead

The DSL does not need to be a safeguarding specialist, but should be someone who:

• Is senior enough to make decisions and be taken seriously, including by trustees.
• Is accessible to staff, freelancers and volunteers day-to-day.
• Is willing to complete safeguarding training for their role and keep it up to date.
• Has, or can be given, capacity to respond to a concern promptly.

Many small charities appoint a senior staff member as DSL with a trustee as deputy or "safeguarding trustee" providing board-level oversight — but the right structure depends on Afield Environmental's staffing. This should be agreed and recorded by the trustees before the policy is adopted.

Appendix D — Flowchart for individuals

This flowchart shows what individuals who come into contact should do if they have a concern.

Appendix E — supporting an adult through the process

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) should:

• Speak with the adult concerned
• Determine the wishes of the adult concerned to ensure the process is person led and outcome focused
• Seek external guidance and advice as appropriate (this could include the Government’s resources on safeguarding for charities, the NCVO safeguarding resources, or an external safeguarding expert)
• Offer support and information for the adult concerned to make informed choices
• Put measures in place to keep the adult safe during the activity or session (if appropriate)
• Ask for consent to report the concern to statutory agencies if appropriate.
• Keep the adult informed and involved throughout the process