Safeguarding

Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility

Welcome to our safeguarding policy which applies to all members in our Club. It also applies to everyone working or volunteering with us. Anyone who comes into contact with Rotary should expect to feel safe and respected.

Aim of the policy

The central aim of this safeguarding policy is to set out:

1. Our approach to safeguarding.
2. How we do this.
3. The steps we take to prevent abuse taking place.
4. The actions that will be taken to deal with abuse if it occurs.

How we do this

Our members recognise that the services we provide are used by children and by adults at risk of harm.

Definition

A child is defined by the Children Act 1989 as a person aged 17 and under with child protection applying to anyone up to the age of 18.

An adult at risk is a person aged 18 and over who is at risk or may be vulnerable at certain times e.g. through their circumstances which may include needing care (whether or not by their local authority), may have learning difficulties which make them vulnerable to exploitation or other harm, being in receipt of healthcare, travelling due to age, illness or disability, unable to protect themselves or due to socioeconomic factors such as loneliness. This list is not exhaustive.

It is our duty to ensure that we know what to do if a child or adult at risk comes into our care, either through programmes (e.g. youth competitions, community activity etc) or temporarily (e.g. lost child point or needs assistance) and show signs of abuse or neglect. This involves:

1. Reporting the risk to an appropriate agency and Rotary GB&I. This is via your safeguarding officer (Keith Fossey).
2. Promoting a safe environment within the organisation. This is achieved by protecting all from the risk of abuse, identifying and dealing with specific instances of abuse if it occurs.
3. Regular provision of safeguarding training to our members. In our Club this will be achieved through an annual update at a Business Meeting or more frequently if there are changes to legislation and GB&I regulations.
4. Access to support from Rotary GB&I.
5. When planning activities and events, we include safeguarding in the risk assessment and, where appropriate, will designate a person who will be in attendance as a safeguarding lead for that event.

Every possible action is taken to prevent abuse and to deal with it as promptly and effectively as possible if it occurs.

Definition of abuse

We recognise that abuse takes many forms and we will be vigilant to this. Examples of abuse are:

1. Emotional.
2. Discriminatory.
3. Physical abuse.
4. Financial or material abuse.
5. Inhuman or degrading treatment.
6. Psychological abuse.
7. Inappropriate or excessive restraint.
8. Neglect.
9. Psychological.
10. Sexual.

How we report

We as members of the Rotary Club of Nene Valley will report serious concerns relating to abuse to appropriate agencies including the police, social services, local authority designated officers, the district safeguarding officer as well as the Rotary GB&I Compliance Officer. We work in partnership with these agencies to prevent and to deal with abuse of any kind.

The club has a duty to ensure that Rotarians, or others who may be supporting Rotary activities have been carefully interviewed and selected, are adopting safe practices, have been appropriately trained and, where required, have had an enhanced background check (for example DBS).

Rotary GB&I does the following:

1. Sets out and informs employees and Rotarians of the procedures for responding to suspicions or evidence of abuse. This is done through regular training, delivered by Rotary GB&I and the district safeguarding officers.
2. Incorporates guidance material relevant to issues of abuse on the Rotary GB&I website. This is in our Members Area for our safeguarding officers.
3. Is continually being vigilant to the possibility of abuse from whatever source.
4. Encourages a climate of openness which enables Rotarians to pass on concerns about behaviour that might be abusive. Anyone can raise concerns and find support.
5. Produces and regularly revises policies and procedures to minimise the risk of abuse.
6. Investigates any allegations of abuse quickly and thoroughly.
7. Implements improvements to procedures if an investigation reveals deficiencies in the way in which Rotary GB&I operates.
8. Collaborates with other relevant agencies in combating abuse and improving the protection of the people we work with such as the public and our members. This includes the police and local authority designated officers.

Rotary GB&I district safeguarding officers

Each year, districts appoint a Rotarian to be the district safeguarding officer and clubs appoint a Rotarian to be the club safeguarding officer. These officers have suitable experience, training and expertise. There are role descriptions in the Rotary GB&I Safeguarding manual which is available in the compliance section of the Members Area of this website.

Safeguarding – Rotary GB&I Members Area (rotarygbi.org) https//rotarygbi.org/members/safeguarding/  

The district safeguarding officer ensures all club safeguarding officers within their district receive regular education to minimise any risks.

The Rotary Club of Nene Valley expects ALL members and volunteers to:

1. Refrain from any abusive action.
2. Report anything they witness which is or might be abusive.
3. Co-operate in any investigation into alleged abuse.
4. Be aware of who they may turn to for advice if they become aware or suspect that abuse is taking place. Failure to report incidents or suspicions of abuse may lead to disciplinary action and possibly legal action e.g. police prosecution.

Thank you for reading and for helping prevent abuse.

For more information, or to raise a concern, please contact Keith Fossey (RCNV) or Kate Blundell safeguardrotary@gmail.com or compliance@rotarygbi.org.

Rotary GB&I – last updated 6th May 2025

Approved at the Rotary Club of Nene Valley Council meeting 6 November 2025

Sent to all members 7 November 2025

To be reviewed every 12 months. Next Review November 2026