Indian Queens Victory Hall Safeguarding Policy
Introduction
Indian Queens Victory Hall follows the Multi Agency Safeguarding Adults Policy for Cornwall. It has a
commitment to ensure all staff and volunteers understand and adhere to the principles and
procedures within that policy.
All staff and volunteers need to be aware of Indian Queens Victory Hall’s commitment to this policy
and staff and volunteers who work with adults who may be at risk will be given more in depth
training.
Who do adult safeguarding duties apply to?
Under the Care Act 2014 adult safeguarding duties apply to an adult who:
• has needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those
needs) and;
• is experiencing, or at risk of, neglect or abuse; and;
• as a result of those care and support needs is unable to protect themselves from either the
risk of, or the experience of neglect or abuse.
Under normal circumstances a person is a "child" until they reach 18 years of age or until they get
married.
What is abuse?
Abuse is actual (or potential) harm or exploitation of a person. The categories of abuse defined in the
Care Act are as follows:
Physical abuse: including assault, hitting, slapping, pushing, misuse of medication, restraint
or inappropriate physical sanctions.
Domestic abuse: including psychological, physical, sexual, financial, emotional abuse,
controlling and coercive behaviour and ‘honour-based’ violence.
Sexual violence: including rape, indecent exposure, sexual harassment, inappropriate
looking or touching, sexual teasing or innuendo, sexual photography, subjection to
pornography or witnessing sexual acts and sexual assault or sexual acts to which the adult
has not consented or was coerced.
Psychological abuse: including emotional abuse, threats of harm or abandonment,
deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment,
verbal abuse, cyber bullying, isolation or unreasonable and unjustified withdrawal of services
or supportive networks.
Financial or material abuse: including coercion to take extortionate loans and threats to
recover debt, theft, fraud, internet scamming, coercion in relation to an adult’s financial affairs
or arrangements, including in connection to wills, property, inheritance or financial
transactions, or the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits.
Modern slavery: encompasses slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic
servitude.
Discriminatory abuse: including forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment; because
of race, gender and gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.
Organisational abuse: including neglect and poor care practice within an institution or
specific care setting such as a hospital or care home or in relation to care provided in one’s
own home. This may range from one off incidents to on-going ill-treatment. It can be through
neglect or poor professional practice as a result of the structure, policies, processes and
practices within an organisation.
Neglect and acts of omission: including ignoring medical, emotional or physical care
needs, failure to provide access to appropriate health, care and support or educational
services, the withholding of the necessities of life, such as medication, adequate nutrition and
heating.
Self-neglect: this covers a wide range of behaviour; neglecting to care for one’s personal
hygiene, health or surroundings and includes behaviour such as hoarding that causes a risk of
harm.
Abuse can consist of a single act or repeated acts. It can occur in any relationship and may result in
significant harm to, or exploitation of, the person subjected to it.
Disclosure
If a disclosure of alleged abuse is made to any Trustee or volunteers it is not their responsibility to
investigate the allegation; but wherever possible they should try to obtain the following information:
details of the person who has disclosed that they have been abused
the person they allege to be the abuser,
the type of abuse,
where the abuse has taken place,
when,
whether or not consent has been obtained from the Adult at Risk.
They should contact a named Safeguarding Adult Lead Person within Indian Queens Victory Hall who
will support them in taking the matter forward, i.e. supporting member of staff or volunteer to make
telephone contact with MARU (Multi Agency Referral Unit). An Inter-Agency Adult Safeguarding
Referral Form will be required to follow up the phone call.
The named Indian Queens Victory Hall Safeguarding Adult Lead Person is:
Mrs Margaret Boundy Tel: (01637)
In the absence of Margaret Boundy please contact the deputy:
Mrs Karen Crane Tel: (01726) 860144
If the allegation is against the main named Safeguarding Adult Lead Person, the deputy should be
contacted.
If further disclosures are made by the same adult at risk, without evidence of any obvious action
being taken from the original disclosure, immediate contact should be made with the Safeguarding
Adults Lead to ensure the allegation is being suitably dealt with.
Out Of Hours/ Safeguarding Adults Leads Unavailable
If there is a need to make a Safeguarding Adults alert out of normal operating hours (such as
evenings and weekends) or none of the Safeguarding Adult Leads are available then the alert should
be made direct to the Multi-Agency Referral Unit (MARU), Tel: 0300 1231 116
The person making the alert should also inform one of the Safeguarding Adults Leads of the action
taken as soon as practicably possible when normal operating hours resume.
Confidentiality
Once information has been supplied to the Indian Queens Victory Hall Safeguarding Adults Leads it
should not be subject to further discussion with anyone else, unless information is specifically
requested by someone involved in the Safeguarding Adults process. If there is any doubt an Indian
Queens Victory Hall Safeguarding Adults Lead should be contacted to clarify the situation and provide
guidance.
Staff and volunteers should be aware that the information provided by an Indian Queens Victory Hall
employee or volunteer to the Indian Queens Victory Hall Safeguarding Adults Lead Person will be
acted upon in accordance with the Multi Agency Safeguarding Adults Policy in Cornwall.
No guarantees that the information will remain confidential should be made to the person making the
disclosure.
All Indian Queens Victory Hall staff and volunteers must agree to apply this procedure in practice.
The procedure is deemed to be incorporated in the staff contract of employment and it is a condition
of service with Indian Queens Victory Hall that staff and volunteers understand and operate the
policy fully.
This is the Safeguarding Policy of Indian Queens Victory Hall
Date
It will be reviewed every ________________________ months
Date of next review____________________________
Signed___________________________________________________
Position __________________________________________________
Signed ___________________________________________________
Position __________________________________________________