ASME is committed to ensuring that everyone involved with ASME, be it members, Directors, Staff, volunteers and anyone who comes into contact with us through our work and/or during our Events etc are protected from harm, wherever possible.
This policy will be issued to ASME staff, Directors and Chairs of our Committees (EDC/ERC), Career Groups (JASME/TASME) and SIGs and published on our website .
ASME’s activities do not normally involve children or adults at risk.
Safeguarding Aims
ASME will:-
1. Make Safeguarding a key governance priority
2. Ensure that ASME has an adequate safeguarding policy, code of conduct and any other safeguarding procedures. We will regularly review and update the policy and procedures to ensure they are fit for purpose
3. Identify possible risks, including risks to our beneficiaries or to anyone else connected to our charity and any emerging risks on the horizon
4. Consider how to improve the safeguarding culture within our charity
5. Ensure that everyone involved with the charity knows how to recognise, respond to, report and record a safeguarding concern
6. Ensure people know how to raise a safeguarding concern
7. Regularly evaluate any safeguarding training provided, ensuring it is current and relevant
8. Review if any posts within the charity can and must have a DBS check from the Disclosure and Barring Service
9. Periodically review our safeguarding policy and procedures, learning from any serious incident or ‘near miss’
Policies
ASME has a clear Code of Conduct and Business Ethics (HR/PD/21) which sets out:
- our charity’s culture
- how people in our charity should behave
ASME also has the following policies in place:
- Health and Safety Policy HR/PD/22
- Equality Policy HR/PD/23
- Whistle blowing Policy HR/PD/26
- Pre-employment checks Policy HR/PD/29
- Managing Employee Conduct Policy HR/PD/32
- Bullying and Harassment Policy HR/PD/33
- Disciplinary and Grievance Policies HR/PD/34 and 35
- Health and Safety Risk Assessment HR/RA/72
We undertake:-
- Checks on trustees (Directors) and staff
- Checks to ensure that trustees and staff are suitable and legally able to act in their positions. This includes people from or working overseas.
- Criminal records checks where the position is eligible
- References and checks on gaps in work history
- Confirmation that staff can work in the UK
- Health checks where appropriate
Automatic Disqualification
We will not appoint anyone who is disqualified as a trustee/Director to the Board or appoint someone to a senior manager position.
Risks that we all must be alert to include:
- sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation
- negligent treatment (generally not medically)
- physical or emotional abuse
- bullying or harassment
- health and safety
- commercial exploitation
- extremism and radicalisation
- forced marriage
- child trafficking
- female genital mutilation
- discrimination on any of the grounds in the Equality Act 2010
ASME’s designated Safe Guarding Representatives are the HR Manager and the Operations Manager who will report to the Chair any safe guarding incidents and outcomes.
Safeguarding Response
How we will respond to safeguarding incidents
To comply with our legal duties as a charity trustee, we must responsibly handle all incidents or allegations of abuse and reports of safeguarding risks or procedural failures. We must also make sure that people working in the charity know how to deal with safeguarding issues.
Procedure
1. The person(s) who have either witnessed a safe guarding incident or who believe that there is a possibility of one, or who have been the object of unsafe behaviour, should contact either the HR Manager or Operations Manager as soon as possible.
2. Paid charity employees and volunteers can report suspected wrongdoing as a whistle blower as per our policy
3. The HR Manager and/or Operations Manager will discuss and record the incident or concern and will then investigate
4. The HR Manager and/or Operations Manager will identify the incident or concerns in accordance with OSCR’s guidelines and determine the appropriate course of action
5. If the incident is potentially an illegal act or could be, the HR Manager and/or Operations Manager will report the safeguarding incident to the police, social services and other relevant agencies, and where the criteria are met, send a serious incident report to the Charity Commission.
6. At all times, the HR Manager and/or Operations Manager will ensure that the person(s) involved in the incident or potential incident of unsafe/appropriate behaviour are afforded suitable and appropriate protection
7. These actions and outcomes will be reviewed at Board meetings