FARA Charity Shop’s Chief Operating Officer is responsible for the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults who work or volunteer within FARA Charity Shops.
The FARA Executive Leadership team and Board of Trustees have set in place a safeguarding policy and expect every adult working or helping within FARA Charity Shops to support and comply with it. Consequently, this policy shall apply to all staff, managers, trustees, directors, volunteers, students, or anyone working or volunteering on behalf of FARA Charity Shops.
Purpose of the Safeguarding Policy
This policy is intended to protect any child, young person or vulnerable adult who works or volunteers in any FARA Charity Shop and operational locations (shops, Warehouse or Head Office).
As an organisation, we believe that no child, young person, or vulnerable adult should experience any abuse or harm and are committed to the protection of all such individuals. This policy is intended to provide guidance and overarching principles to those who represent FARA Charity Shops as staff or volunteers and to guide our approach to child protection and safeguarding.
This policy should be read in conjunction with the FARA Charity Shops Policies & Procedures Manual and the FARA Charity and Shops Employment Policies.
The Risks to Children, Young Persons and Vulnerable Adults
Most children, young persons and vulnerable adults will have grown up in a safe and happy environment and it is important not to over- exaggerate or overestimate the dangers. However, there are situations where they need protection including from, physical and sexual abuse, grooming, bullying and harassment, victimisation, inappropriate supervision, unsafe work conditions to name a few.
Safeguarding Children, Young Persons and Vulnerable Adults in FARA Charity Shops
FARA Charity Shops does not employ children or young persons below the age of 16 but will allow them to volunteer in its shops following the receipt of written consent of a parent or responsible adult. This will normally be allowed where they are volunteering for the purposes of attaining the Duke of Edinburgh award or something similar. They will only volunteer for a short period on the day they attend (normally 1 -2 hours) and is restricted to three months in total.
FARA Charity Shops will allow vulnerable adults to volunteer and work in their shops or warehouse if they are safe to do so. A helper may accompany them.
Full training in Health & Safety measures is given to all employees and volunteers to ensure that their time spent working or volunteering in the shop is done in a safe manner.
All FARA Charity Shops are staffed by a full-time Shop Manager and Assistant Shop Manager who supervise the work of the full and part-time Sales Assistants and any volunteers such that all FARA Charity Shops are properly managed daily. Each shop is visited regularly by the Area Manager and the Trading Director as well as the Chief Operating Officer. During these visits, time is taken to talk to the children, young persons and vulnerable adults who volunteer and work in its shops to ensure they feel included as part of the team and are happy in the environment.
FARA Charity Shops has a policy of ensuring that there is no lone working in it shops. There are always two members of staff present in the shop throughout the majority of the day to supervise children, young persons and vulnerable adults volunteering and working in the shop.
FARA Charity Shops carries out regular reviews and annual appraisals of all staff as to performance and encourages feedback from all staff about the shop environment and team dynamics.
Reporting & Barring
The FARA Executive Leadership team and Board of Trustees will take very seriously any allegation of impropriety on the part of any employee or volunteer of FARA Charity Shops. A member of staff or volunteer who discovers anything amiss or has concerns should report it immediately to the Shop Manager if appropriate or to the Area Manager. If that is not possible they should ring the FARA Charity Shops Head Office and ask to speak with the Chief Operating Officer (Raphe Phelan) on 020 8973 0910 or email raphe@faracharity.org
A member of the Leadership Team will review and investigate the allegation and may consider suspending the employee or volunteer concerned while it carries out its investigation. The normal rules relating to such investigations as laid out in the FARA Charity and Shops Employment Policies will apply.
Equality Statement
This policy applies to all children, young people, and vulnerable adults regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation, or identity. FARA Charity Shops is committed to anti-discriminatory practice and recognises the additional needs of children from minority ethnic groups and disabled children and the barriers they may face, especially around communication.
Relevant Legislation
This policy has been drawn up based on law and guidance that seeks to protect Children and vulnerable Adults including the Children Act 1989 and 2004, Children and Social Work Act 2017, Children and Young Person Act 2008, Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
This policy is applicable from 1st March 2018 and will be reviewed on the 1st March annually from this date.