Our Safeguarding Policy

Purpose

Seefar believes that all individuals, including children, have a right to live in an environment that is free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Seefar is committed to working in a way that protects and keeps all children, young people and vulnerable adults safe.

The purpose of Seefar’s safeguarding policy is to:

  • Protect children, young people and vulnerable adults who receive Seefar services. This includes the children of adults who benefit from our services.
  • Provide Seefar consultants with the overarching principles that guide our approach to safeguarding and child protection and ensure that the protection and safety of all individuals, including children, is paramount in every area of our work. This includes that it is safe for those affected to come forward and to report incidents and concerns with the assurance that Seefar will handle these sensitively and properly.

Applicability

This policy applies to all consultants, trainees, volunteers, interns, and where possible, Seefar will require that all contractors, agents, sponsors, or any other person or persons associated with us (including third parties) have these requirements or adhere to this policy. The policy also applies to Trustees, Board, and/or Committee members at any level.

Background
What is safeguarding?

In this policy, the definition of safeguarding is the action that is taken to protect children, young people and vulnerable adults from harm. This means:

  • Protecting children, young people and vulnerable adults from maltreatment;
  • Preventing harm to the health and development of children, young people and vulnerableadults;
  • Ensuring that children and young people grow up in circumstances that provide them with safe and effective care; and
  • Taking action to enable all children, young people and vulnerable adults to have the best outcomes.


Consultants must maintain a focus on safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults. Among other things, this means that wherever possible when carrying out our work, we:

  • Give the highest priority to the safety and welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults;
  • Recognise, identify, and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns;
  • Respond appropriately to disclosure by a child or young person of abuse;
  • Respond appropriately to allegations against consultants (may want to mention any other type of contractor), other adults, and against themselves;
  • Be alert to the risks which abusers, or potential abusers, may pose; and
  • Contribute, as necessary, to Seefar’s safeguarding and protection processes.

Seefar Foundation Safeguarding Procedures

Consultants, and where possible contractors, must report all safeguarding concerns and incidents that occur in the course of his/her work using the HR Grievance Report Form that is available on Drive. Examples include reporting any maltreatment or abuse to children, young people and vulnerable adults.

When reporting a major concern or incident, a member of the Executive Team and/or HR should be notified before submitting the HR Grievance Report Form.

Specific Seefar Foundation safeguarding procedures include:

Recruitment of Consultants & Contractors

When recruiting consultants or contractors whose work brings them into direct contact with children, the Seefar Foundation will endeavour to embed safe screening procedures into our recruitment process.

This could include that the interview and reference checks should pay attention to:

  • Gaps in employment history.
  • Frequent changes of employment or address.
  • Reasons for leaving employment (especially if it seems sudden).
  • Seeking to clarify any duties or accomplishments that come across as vague in a CV in relation to work with individuals, in particular children.
  • Body language and evasion, contradiction and discrepancies in answers given (although this should be interpreted in a spirit of common sense).

The successful candidate will be required to provide proof of identity (e.g. passport, driver’s licence) and may be asked to obtain, where possible, a police check.

Training of Consultants

Seefar’s organisational atmosphere encourages opportunities to question and learn about safeguarding

issues and all new consultants receive an induction to Seefar Foundation’s safeguarding policy where we

also confirm that our safeguarding procedures and measures are understood.

Interacting with children, young people and vulnerable adults

The Seefar Foundation takes the best interest of individuals we work with as a primary consideration and

outlines appropriate and expected standards of behaviours towards adults and children in every relevant

project. The Seefar Foundation’s expected standards of behaviour, outlined below, should be interpreted

in a spirit of transparency and common sense. Consultants must make an attempt to understand the local

norms around physical contact and where relevant, the project will include an induction on the expected

standards of behaviour for Consultants.

Minimising risk situations

  • Do: Avoid placing yourself in a compromising or vulnerable position, and fill out an HR Grievance Report Form if a situation occurs involving a project participant, which may be subject to misinterpretation.
  • Do not: Be alone with a project participant, including a child, in a closed space (if in a room make sure the door is open); show favouritism or spend excessive amounts of time with one person.


Sexual behaviour, harassment, abuse, assault and exploitation

  • Do: Report any harassment, abuse, assault, exploitation or violence that is experienced or observed without unreasonable delay using the HR Grievance Report Form. It is the individual’s decision whether or not to report the incident to the police or other authorities.
  • Do not: Make physical contact with the people we help, including children, in an inappropriate or culturally insensitive way; or encourage any crushes by a project participant and/or child.
  • Do not: deliberately access internet sites containing pornographic, offensive or obscene material.
  • Do not: participate in any form of sexual harassment, abuse, assault exploitation or other forms of sexual violence. Seefar has a policy of zero tolerance towards these acts. Any sexual, romantic or otherwise inappropriate contact with Seefar’s project participants is strictly prohibited. The use of sex workers by Seefar Foundation consultants is also strictly prohibited.


Psycho-social behaviour

  • Do: Try to be alert to physical and emotional states of the people you are working with; be aware of the power balances and avoid taking advantage of these; always report cases via the HR Grievance Report Form where there is an immediate risk of harm, and, if requested, signpost to appropriate services and organisations.
  • Do not: Display discriminatory, prejudicial or oppressive behaviour or language towards anyone; do not yell or call anyone names; or act in any way that intends to embarrass, shame, humiliate or degrade an individual.


Depicting children, young people and vulnerable adults

Seefar has a duty of care to project participants, both adults and children, and at all times must put their

interests first. Any depiction of project participants – in words or images – must protect their identity,

preserve their dignity and be accurate, balanced and fair.

  • Do: Obtain permission of individuals (or, in the case of children, their guardians) before pictures are taken and images used for publicity or awareness-raising purposes. Confirm consent in writing if the images will be used for publicity purposes, and file these in a secure location.
  • Do: Encourage individuals to give their own accounts as much as possible, rather than letting others speak on their behalf.
  • Do: Make accurate and balanced portrayals of individuals in campaigns and research, with emphasis placed upon their dignity. They should not be portrayed as passive victims.
  • Do: Always change the names of project participants to protect their identity, unless they have explicitly stated a preference that their genuine name should be used, and there are no security implications.
  • Do not: Post any personal information (such as location) which could put an individual at risk on a Seefar website or social media platform or published in public-facing literature.
  • Do not: Manipulate images of individuals.
  • Do: Ensure individuals are appropriately clothed and photos should not be sexually provocative.
  • Do: Require third parties requesting the use of Seefar images or other materials to agree to Seefar-stipulated conditions regarding the proper and specific use of the materials for the agreed purpose(s) without the rights of redistribution, reuse or syndication. This can be done through an agreed contract, terms of the contract may vary from case to case.
  • Do: Wherever possible, images should be accompanied by captions.

Reporting criminality and referring to support services

In reporting and reacting to safeguarding issues, the best interests and welfare of the individual should be

paramount.

Seefar will provide assistance to any individual involved in its project in order to protect them from further

harm where it is within Seefar’s mandate, capacity and ability to do so. Seefar recognises that assistance

may come in the form of referrals to relevant agencies and authorities as well as reporting to relevant

donors rather than the provision of direct care:

  • Do: Ensure that individuals involved in Seefar projects are made aware – in an age- and language-appropriate way that they understand – what to do if they feel uncomfortable and want to report something. This is Seefar’s in-country personnel responsibility.
  • Do: Let the individual decide whether to disclose information to Seefar or not when reporting criminality, and let them advise how they would like Seefar to treat it.
  • Do: Delete all confidential information relating to protection and safeguarding incidents every
  • seven years unless there are mitigating circumstances. HR will monitor this annually.
  • Do: Compile a list of local agencies that deal with issues relating to protection and support services and to whom individuals can be referred. This is the responsibility of Project Coordinators. The Project Coordinators should draft and communicate a project security plan, which contains more details on reporting incidents in the respective region.

Dealing with misconduct

Seefar views any cases of misconduct or alleged violations of its safeguarding policy by any consultant as

a very serious matter that must be dealt with rapidly and professionally.

  • The investigation process will be confidential and information limited only to those who need to know. All parties involved will be required to keep all information relating to the case confidential and documentation will be filed securely. The investigation will be led by HR in close coordination with the Executive Team. The investigation is a documented process compromising the following steps:
  1. Receive allegation.
  2. Management/HR decision on how to proceed, including any safeguarding concerns.
  3. Appoint investigation team.
  4. Plan investigation, including a risk assessment.
  5. Gather and study background material and other documentary evidence.
  6. Draft interview questions.
  7. Interview parties to the allegation and any witnesses.
  8. Write report including conclusions and recommendations.
  9. Conclude investigation
  • Immediate action will be taken to remove the affected individual from the situation and if there has been an alleged incident involving a consultant, the individual may be suspended on full pay until an investigation has been completed. The decision to suspend must be taken by a senior manager in conjunction with HR and is not open to challenge. An individual is usually suspended to avoid the risk of others involved in the investigation feeling intimidated while it is conducted, or evidence being corrupted. In addition, Seefar will weigh suspension against the impact on the organisation of the absence of the employee if no-one else can cover the role. It will also depend on the gravity of the allegation. Suspension for gross misconduct, such as violent behaviour, is much more likely. Gross misconducts are acts which are so serious as to justify possible dismissal, such as deliberately accessing internet sites containing pornographic, offensive or obscene material; a serious breach of health and safety rules; or a serious breach of confidence.
  • If any individual associated with Seefar is found to have violated the organisation’s safeguarding policy or committed acts in relation to individuals which are criminal or grossly infringe a member or project participant’s rights, immediate disciplinary action will take place. This may include: disciplinary actions or dismissal of consultant; ending the relationship with Seefar for volunteers and interns; withdrawal of funding/support and ending the relationship with Seefar for local partner organisations; termination of contract for consultants and contractors; and criminal prosecution.
  • Adverse determination from an investigation should be open to challenge through an appeals process. All parties concerned will be notified of Seefar processes and the outcome of the investigation in a timely manner. Please see the SOP Personnel Grievances for more information on this process.


Monitoring incidents

HR will monitor safeguarding related concerns and incidents reported via the HR Grievance Report Form.

Such reports will be collated and analysed by the project team and HR on a regular basis, and at least

annually. Recommendations arising from analysis will feed into an annual review of Seefar’s

Safeguarding Policy.


Seefar refers to the Inter Agency Standing Committee’s (IASC) definitions:

  • Sexual Harassment: Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.
  • Sexual Abuse: The actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.
  • Sexual Assault: Any form of non-consensual sexual contact that does not result in or include penetration.
  • Sexual Exploitation: Any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power or trust for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. Some types of forced and/or coerced prostitution can fall under this category.
  • Sexual Violence: Sexual violence is any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, unwanted sexual comments or advances, or acts to traffic a person’s sexuality, using coercion, threats of harm or physical force, by any person regardless or relationship to the victim, in any setting, including but not limited to home and work.

Do you have questions about this policy?

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