Safeguarding is a priority for Home & Dry. The charity and its Trustees are committed to providing a safe and trusted environment for anyone who comes into contact with us, including beneficiaries, volunteers, members of the public, and other partners. Our duties include avoiding exposing Home & Dry’s assets, beneficiaries or reputation to undue risk – this means we will take reasonable steps to protect all people with whom we come into contact with, from harm.
Types of harm and abuse
We recognise that good safeguarding goes beyond preventing harm, but also includes acting in a responsible manner when we come across signs of abuse. Forms of abuse may include:
• sexual abuse
• physical abuse
• discrimination
• financial abuse
• psychological abuse
• spiritual abuse
• neglect
• emotional abuse
• exploitation
• radicalisation
• consequences of the misuse of personal data.
Who is most at risk?
Anyone can be at risk of abuse. People are at risk at different times and in different situations.
Children and young people
Home and Dry have responsibility to safeguard all children we come into contact with. A child is anyone under the age of 18.
Adults at risk
Any adult may experience abuse or harm. However, certain people are considered to be at greater risk.
An adult at risk is anyone aged 18 or over who:
• has needs for care and or support
• as a result of care and support needs is unable to protect themselves from abuse
• is currently experiencing or is at risk of abuse.
Adults at risk may:
• have a mental or physical illness
• have a learning disability
• have addiction problems
• be frail.
Whether an adult is at risk or not is something which changes with their circumstances – it’s not fixed.
Home & Dry’s operations
Home & Dry provides financial assistance to young people who are homeless or facing homelessness on account of their social and economic circumstances for secure safe accommodation. We do not come into direct contact with these young people but work through trusted partners. We recognise, however, that we have safeguarding responsibilities both as charity in our own right and as a partner of other organisations whose activities involve contact with children or adults at risk. We have a responsibility to ensure that our partner organisations take safeguarding seriously. This is not to “approve” a partners approach to safeguarding but is part of our determination to ensure that all our relevant partners take safeguarding seriously.
We may ask relevant partners to provide us with their safeguarding policy and details of the person in the organisation responsible for safeguarding. We may need to follow up with some questions both on their policy and practice – at any stage or point in their relationship with Home & Dry. This may include whether any matters have come to the attention of any relevant regulatory body and whether there have been any safeguarding incidents of which we should be aware. This includes any safeguarding matter that may be damaging for Home & Dry’s reputation.
Reporting abuse
Police
If you believe that a child or vulnerable adult is at immediate risk and in need of protection, then you should call the Police - 999 immediately.
Alternatively, if you feel the child vulnerable adult is a risk of abuse or neglect, but not in immediate need of protection, you should call the Police on 101.
Social Services
Adults
Nottingham City Council Access Duty Team for adults on 0300 1310 300
If within County boundaries call Nottinghamshire County Council on 0300 500 8080.
Children
If the child or young person lives in Nottingham city, please call 0115 876 4800.
In the county call 0300 500 8080.
Lead trustee
Home & Dry’s lead trustee for safeguarding is Nigel Webster.