The Community of Aidan and Hilda takes all safeguarding concerns seriously. You can view our policies by scrolling through this page, or download them by following the links below:
As an ecumenical religious community acknowledged by the Anglican Church we adopt the following Safeguarding Policy Statement which is modelled on that used in the Diocese of London.
Every person has a value and dignity which comes directly from their creation in God’s own image and likeness. Christians see this potential as fulfilled by God’s re-creation of us in Christ. Among other things this implies a duty to value all people as bearing the image of God and therefore to protect them from harm.
In all these principles, we will follow legislation, guidance, and recognised good practice.
Safeguarding Officer:
Toria Karney
safeguarding@aidanandhilda.org.uk
Tel:0114 258 0910
Deputy Safeguarding Officer:
Garry Johnson
garrymorningstar@gmail.com
Tel: 07855 762 922
The designated Safeguarding person will be responsible on a regular basis for safeguarding training, or for ensuring that those named persons, listed by the Caim Council as working for the Community in either a paid or voluntary capacity, receive this training elsewhere. In the situation where further advice is required the Safeguarding officer of Coventry diocese (the diocese of our Episcopal Visitor Bishop Christopher Cocksworth) can be contacted by telephoning 024 7652 1345 or emailing safeguarding@covcofe.org or following the link below:
Our formal complaints, bullying and harassment, and whistle blowing policies may be found in the Community Handbook
The Safeguarding Policy Statement will be read at each Annual Voyagers’ Meeting, readopted annually, and formally reviewed at least every 3 years
The U.K. Community of Aidan and Hilda recommends that this policy is adopted in other countries where the Community exists, taking into consideration the guidelines for safeguarding upheld within those countries
The Community has an extensive set of rules and guidelines which must be read and consented to by all those wishing to organise and run events involving children and young people under 18. These need to be downloaded for inspection and completion:
The Community of Aidan and Hilda seeks to act with probity in its behaviour and aims to help staff, office holders, members and volunteers to follow, and be seen to follow, the highest ethical and moral standards. Should there be a failure in this, the policy seeks to enable the organisation to be alerted to any potential problem or wrong doing reasonably believed to exist, without fear or negative reprisal in response to the revelation.
To fulfil their commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults, the Community must have a culture that enables issues about safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children or adults to be addressed.
Whistle blowing may also apply to situations of unacceptable practice, performance or behaviour in situations unrelated to children or adults who may be vulnerable, and these same principles can be applied.
The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1988 gives workers legal protection against being dismissed or penalised as a result of publicly disclosing certain serious concerns. Whilst the Act does not provide the same protection for volunteers, The Community of Aidan and Hilda adopts the same approach in their protection.
The policy of Community of Aidan and Hilda is to safeguard the interests of any of its employees, office holders, members or volunteers when they act as alerters regarding any neglect or abuse, mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, sexual, racial/ethnic or financial of service users or any similar abuse of colleagues.
The Community of Aidan and Hilda accepts that it is bound by legislation in the Public Interests Disclosure Act 1998 and guarantees that procedures will be invoked in ways which do not prejudice the whistle-blower’s own position and prospects. The Community of Aidan and Hilda will protect the employee, Office holder, member or volunteer against victimisation and provide support through the investigation process.
The Community of Aidan and Hilda is committed to ensuring that employees, office holders, members and volunteers:
The overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation is with the Caim Council
This policy is reviewed regularly and updated as required.
The Community of Aidan and Hilda encourages employees, office holders, members and volunteers to regard it as their duty to the Community to raise legitimate concerns about suspected misconduct by colleagues, office holders or those with whom they have contact or with whom they work.
The Community of Aidan and Hilda sees its employees, office holders, members and volunteers in the role of alerters to promote the safeguarding of the rights of others, to log any concerns and report such concerns to one of the following:
Alerters are not being asked to verify or prove that concerns are true. The Community of Aidan and Hilda seeks to protect its employees, office holders, members and volunteers from victimisation when they act as alerters.
Anybody who is concerned about any malpractice but unsure whether to blow the whistle or to stay silent or are unclear how to go about blowing the whistle may obtain free expert help from the independent charity:
Public concern at Work
CAN Mezzanine
7-14 Great Dover Street
London SE1 4YR
Whistle-blowing Advice Line: 0207404 6609
Whistle-blowing Advice Email: whistle@pcaw.org.uk
Website: www.pcaw.org.uk
The Community of Aidan and Hilda views complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve for the future, as well as a chance to put things right for the person that has made the complaint. Our policy is to:
A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, about any aspect of the Community of Aidan and Hilda.
Complaints may come from a:
A formal complaint can be received by e-mail or in writing. It is our policy that we will not investigate anonymous complaints. This policy does not cover matters relating to safeguarding which should be referred directly to the Community Safeguarding officer.
If other complaints processes apply, for example bullying and harassment, the person complaining will be directed and helped to access them.
All complaint information will be handled sensitively, telling only those who need to know and following any relevant data protection requirements.
Overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation is with the Caim Council. Written complaints may be sent to one of the three Guardians listed on our Main Contacts page
Complaints may arrive in writing to one of the Guardians. Complaints received by telephone or in person need to be recorded. The person who receives a complaint by telephone or in person should:
In many cases a complaint is best resolved by the person responsible for the issue being complained about. If the complaint has been received by that person, they may be able to resolve it swiftly and should do so if possible and appropriate.
If following the informal process is not followed, or does not resolve the problem, then the formal procedure should be followed.
If the complainant feels that the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved, they can escalate the complaint to the formal process. At this stage, the complaint will be passed to the Guardian who is chair of Caim, or if they have been already involved then the Chair of Trustees.
Complaints should be acknowledged by the person handling the complaint within a week. The acknowledgement should say who is dealing with the complaint and when the person complaining can expect a reply. A copy of this complaints procedure should be attached.
A suitably senior person may be appointed to investigate the facts of the case. This may involve reviewing the paperwork of the case and speaking with anyone who may have been involved with the complaint at the informal stage.
If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given an opportunity to respond. The person who dealt with the original complaint at the informal stage should be kept informed of what is happening where this is appropriate.
Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within 28 days. If this is not possible, because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given.
Whether the complaint is upheld or not, the reply to the complainant should describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint. Where disciplinary action is deemed appropriate, the reply to the complainant will not include details relating to individual staff member’s employment record.
It should be recognised that in some instances people will take positions where the matter cannot be resolved. However, the aim should be to ensure that the process respects those involved and is just in providing an active concern to those who are vulnerable, marginalised or oppressed.
The decision taken at this stage is final, unless the Community of Aidan and Hilda decides it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution.
The complainant can complain to the Charity Commission at any stage. The Commission’s involvement in looking at complaints is limited to issues that pose a serious risk of significant harm to a charity’s beneficiaries, assets, services or reputation. Information about the kind of complaints the Commission can involve itself in can be found on their website
The Community of Aidan and Hilda may vary the procedure for good reason. This may be necessary to avoid a conflict of interest, for example, a complaint about the Chair of Caim or of Trustees should not also have the Chair of Caim or of Trustees as the person leading the formal process.
This social media policy is to be followed by all Community of Aidan and Hilda office holders and staff, whether paid or in a voluntary role.
These guidelines are adapted from those issued by the Diocese of London - https://www.london.anglican.org/kb/social-media/
Please also refer to the Methodist Church social media Guidelines which give other useful information and can be found at www.methodist.org.uk/socialmediaguidelines.
The Community of Aidan and Hilda takes the safety of everyone within the Community including guests or visitors very seriously and expects that everyone will work within the Community’s safeguarding policy. In particular, the Community expects anyone who becomes aware of a safeguarding risk or of actual abuse, to immediately report it.
Workers with children and/or adults who may be at risk should have a commitment to:
Responsibility for safeguarding and volunteers lies with the The Guardians, as listed on our Main Contact page, or their named representative, and through them the Caim Council.
Anyone working as a volunteer for the Community has a responsibility to:
As a volunteer you can expect that we will do our best to ensure that we will provide a supportive, inclusive and positive environment that ensures you enjoy your volunteering and that you are treated with respect and courtesy and provided with training.
If you are a volunteer who regularly works with people who are at risk you may need a DBS check every five years