Safeguarding Policy
How No Gaps UK CIC responds to safeguarding concerns
No Gaps UK CIC is committed to providing support in a safe, appropriate and respectful way.
This policy explains how we respond to safeguarding concerns involving people we support and applies to the Founder/Director and any future staff, volunteers or project workers working on behalf of No Gaps UK CIC.
Our approach
- Take safeguarding concerns seriously.
- Listen without judgement.
- Consider whether anyone is at immediate risk.
- Avoid promising complete confidentiality where someone may be at risk.
- Collect and share only information that is necessary.
- Take appropriate action and refer matters to appropriate services where needed.
- Keep a clear record of safeguarding concerns and actions taken.
Recognising a safeguarding concern
A safeguarding concern may arise where a person says they are being abused, exploited, threatened or controlled; appears to be at immediate risk of harm; reports domestic abuse, trafficking or exploitation; may be unable to protect themselves from abuse or neglect; raises concerns about the safety of a child; or provides information that gives us reasonable cause to believe someone may be at serious risk.
No Gaps does not need to investigate or prove an allegation before taking appropriate safeguarding action.
What we will do
Listen — allow the person to explain what has happened without conducting our own investigation.
Check immediate safety — consider whether the person or somebody else appears to be at immediate risk.
Explain — explain what No Gaps can and cannot do and, where possible, tell the person before information is shared.
Act — contact or refer to an appropriate safeguarding, emergency or specialist service where necessary.
Record — make a factual record of the concern, what action was taken and why.
Immediate danger
No Gaps UK CIC is not an emergency service.
If someone is in immediate danger or there is an emergency, call 999. For urgent medical help that is not an emergency, contact NHS 111.
Where necessary to protect someone from immediate serious harm, No Gaps may contact the emergency services directly.
Confidentiality and information sharing
Information provided to No Gaps will normally be treated confidentially. However, confidentiality cannot always be maintained where there is a serious safeguarding concern, a risk of serious harm or a legal requirement to share information.
Only information relevant to the safeguarding concern should be shared. Where it is safe and appropriate, we will explain what information needs to be shared, with whom and why.
Children
No Gaps UK CIC primarily provides support to adults. If information raises a concern about the safety or welfare of a child, we will treat the concern seriously and contact or refer to the appropriate children's safeguarding service or emergency service where required. No Gaps will not investigate child safeguarding allegations itself.
Interpreters and language support
Where an interpreter is needed, No Gaps will use an appropriate professional interpreting service where reasonably possible. Interpreters will only receive information necessary to carry out the interpreting assignment.
Where a safeguarding concern involves a family member, partner or another person accompanying the individual, that person should not be used to interpret the safeguarding discussion where this could create a risk or conflict.
Professional boundaries
No Gaps UK CIC provides practical support, information and referral pathways within the scope of our service.
Anyone working on behalf of No Gaps must not provide professional or regulated advice they are not authorised or qualified to provide; promise that another organisation will accept a referral; investigate allegations of abuse themselves; develop inappropriate personal or financial relationships with people receiving support; or use information obtained through No Gaps for personal purposes.
Where someone's needs fall outside our role or competence, we will seek to refer them to an appropriate specialist service.
DBS checks and safer recruitment
The Founder/Director of No Gaps UK CIC holds a DBS check.
As No Gaps grows, we will use appropriate safer recruitment practices. Staff or workers appointed to roles eligible for an Enhanced DBS check will be required to undergo the appropriate DBS check before carrying out relevant work with beneficiaries.
A DBS check does not replace appropriate safeguarding practice, professional boundaries or supervision.
Recording safeguarding concerns
Safeguarding records should be factual and dated, limited to relevant information, stored securely and accessible only to people who need the information. The record should explain the concern, what action was taken and the reason for that action.
Concerns about someone working for No Gaps
Any safeguarding concern or allegation involving a No Gaps staff member, volunteer or worker will be taken seriously.
As No Gaps is currently founder-led, if a safeguarding allegation concerns the Founder/Director, the matter should not be handled solely by the Founder/Director. The person raising the concern should be given information about an appropriate independent safeguarding service or authority to which the matter can be reported.
As the organisation grows, this procedure will be updated to reflect its staffing and governance arrangements.
Raising a safeguarding concern
If you have a safeguarding concern relating to No Gaps UK CIC or someone working on our behalf, email [email protected].
If somebody is in immediate danger, call 999.
Responsibility and review
The Founder/Director is currently responsible for implementing this policy, recording safeguarding concerns and making appropriate referrals.
The policy will be reviewed at least once a year and earlier if No Gaps begins providing substantially different services, staff or volunteers are recruited, a safeguarding incident identifies a gap in the policy, or relevant safeguarding requirements change.