Safeguarding quality assurance framework

Why this framework exists

The Re-engage quality assurance framework contributes to a culture of continuous learning and improvement and provides a mechanism for assessing the effectiveness of safeguarding policies and practices across the organisation. 

It provides assurance that we are effective in safeguarding adults at risk and when issues are identified, it provides learning which can then be built into policy review, training and the provision of information for volunteers, staff and trustees.

Re-engage operates across England, Wales and Scotland and must comply with the safeguarding expectations of The Charity Commission for England and Wales and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. This safeguarding quality assurance framework summarises the way safeguarding is effectively delivered throughout our organisation and documents our commitment to maintaining appropriate policies, procedures, and practices.

The safeguarding quality assurance framework supports the suite of safeguarding policies at Re-engage and should be read alongside these documents.

What is safeguarding?

“Safeguarding adults at risk means protecting their right to live in safety and free from abuse and neglect.” (Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees, the Charity Commission, England and Wales, June 2022)

“Safeguarding is the action that an organisation takes to promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults to protect them from harm including physical, emotional, sexual and financial harm and neglect.” (OSCR, Scottish Charity Regulator, 2018)

Definitions

The Care Act 2014 guidance provides the following definition of adult safeguarding:

‘Safeguarding means protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It is about people and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect, while at the same time making sure that the adult’s wellbeing is promoted including, where appropriate, having regard to their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding on any action. This must recognise that adults sometimes have complex interpersonal relationships and may be ambivalent, unclear, or unrealistic about their personal circumstances'.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 starts with the presumption that, from the age of 16, we can make our own decisions – including about our safety and when and how services intervene in our lives. People must be assumed to have the capacity to make their own decisions and be given all practical help to make a specific decision before anyone treats them as not being able to make their own specific decision. Where an adult is found to lack capacity to make a decision then any action taken, or any decision made on their behalf must be made in their best interest.

A generally accepted definition of an ‘adult at risk’ or a ‘protected person in Scotland’ is: ‘An adult aged 18 years or over ‘who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation’ (DH,2000).

An adult at risk may be a person who:

• Is elderly and frail due to ill health, physical disability, or cognitive impairment
• Has a learning disability
• Has a physical disability and/or sensory impairment
• Has mental health needs including dementia or a personality disorder
• Has a long-term illness/condition
• Suffer from drug or alcohol problems
• Is a carer, such as a family member/friend who provides personal assistance and care to adults and is subject to abuse
• Is unable to demonstrate the capacity to make a decision and is in need of care and support

This list is not prescriptive, therefore other variations should be considered.

All children (up to the age of 18 years) are potentially vulnerable to abuse. Details of legislation and guidance regarding safeguarding children in England. Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland can be found on the NSPCC website.

Our safeguarding statement

As a leading charity in tackling social isolation and loneliness in the oldest of the old, Re-engage is committed to providing safe, structured, inclusive, and friendly services for people over the age of 75.

Re-engage acknowledge our duty of care to safeguard, protect and to promote the welfare of all and we are committed to ensuring our safeguarding practices reflect statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice.

Our policy statement

Safeguarding is a fundamental part of Re-engage’s work and our commitment is reflected in our charity’s values and behaviours which support all our safeguarding activity.

• Respectful: we value open and honest communications
• Determined: we are a team which challenges ourselves to be better whilst enjoying what we do
• Warm: we foster a culture of kindness and support
• Pioneering: we seek to work in new ways to constantly improve what we do
• Local: we work in local communities where we strive to be inclusive

At Re-engage we believe that everyone should have a good quality of life, this means protecting a person’s right to live in safety, free from abuse or neglect. We have a duty of care for all adults who come into contact with Re-engage and we exercise our duty of care by committing to:

• Stopping abuse or neglect wherever possible
• Preventing harm and reducing the risk of abuse or neglect
• Promoting the well-being of our older people, volunteers, and staff
• Safeguarding in a way that supports adults in making choices and having control over how they want to live their lives
• Raising awareness of safeguarding adults to ensure that everyone can play their part in preventing, identifying, and responding to abuse and neglect

The six safeguarding principles

• Empowerment: we will keep the older person at the centre of all that we do and uphold rights in our safeguarding work
• Prevention: we will put sensible measures in place to prevent abuse including the use of safe recruitment practices, promoting safe working, and volunteering practices and raising awareness of safeguarding
• Proportionality: we will respond to safeguarding matters in the most unobtrusive way possible
• Protection: we will provide policy, procedures, information, and training to support all Re-engage staff and volunteers to respond appropriately to concerns about abuse
• Partnership: we will work in partnership with statutory, regulatory, and other relevant organisations to ensure that safeguarding concerns are responded to appropriately
• Accountability: we will be transparent in our approach and commit to continuous learning and improvement

Re-engage’s seven safeguarding standards

1. Safe leadership and governance  

Our trustees have a duty to ensure Re-engage takes all reasonable steps to protect all individuals associated with the organisation from harm. Re-engage will identify at least one designated trustee for safeguarding who will support the work of the designated safeguarding lead (DSL).

The DSL will provide the chief executive officer (CEO) and the designated trustee with quarterly reports on the safeguarding concerns and incidents received by Re-engage and timely reports of serious safeguarding incidents.

Led by the CEO, the senior management team (SMT) will actively promote an awareness of and commitment to safeguarding by enabling access to guidance, training, appropriate support and by modelling best practice within their own areas of operation.

One member of SMT will be the organisation’s designated safeguarding lead (DSL) with direct and strategic oversight of safeguarding concerns and incidents.

One member of Re-engage’s service delivery team will be the appointed safeguarding specific point of contact (SSPOC) who will manage all safeguarding concerns received into the organisation and directly report all safeguarding incidents to the DSL.  

All staff and volunteers have a responsibility to challenge poor practice and to act if there is a cause for concern about an individual, or the behaviour of anyone towards an individual. However, it is not their responsibility to determine if abuse has occurred or what action is required to protect the adult at risk. Responsibility for deciding whether to escalate a concern to the appropriate authority lies with the DSL.

Re-engage is committed to providing a work environment which supports the well-being of all volunteers and staff and enables them to carry out their duties effectively.  We aim to develop an open culture where physical, mental, and emotional well-being is taken seriously, and volunteers and staff feel empowered to seek help and support as soon as possible.

Re-engage’s CEO and SMT take responsibility for creating and leading a well-being culture. Line managers should discuss well-being with their staff in their monthly support and supervision and all staff are encouraged to contribute ideas and skills which may benefit their colleagues and the organisation.

Re-engage actively seeks to improve the quality and standards of our approach to safeguarding. The DSL works across the SMT and with the HR manager to ensure Re-engage continuously seeks out new relationships and networks which will provide high quality and innovative learning opportunities to inspire our safeguarding practices. Senior leaders and line managers offer tailored support to their teams to encourage a learning culture, and staff are empowered to take individual responsibility for professional development, including embracing positive change.

2. Influence and empowerment  

Older people and volunteers are given the support and opportunity to influence and inform Re-engage’s safeguarding policies, guidance, and activities through feedback obtained from surveys, Meryl’s Memo (an engagement tool for older people who access Re-engage's services), focus and advisory groups.

Re-engage’s network of engaged senior volunteers are key to developing a safeguarding culture, policy, procedures, and practice. Equally, understanding older people’s lived experiences will help us to create safeguarding practices which are relevant.

We are committed to building effective and professional relationships with the individuals who work with or volunteer for Re-engage, so they feel welcome and safe within the organisation and identify our people as trusted adults.

3. Equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging

Our people are mindful of individuals’ diverse circumstances and recognise the support needs of those who are potentially at risk. Re-engage has specific policies in place that promote equality, respect diversity and inclusivity and allow for belonging. We are aware of and are sensitive to the needs of individuals’ protected characteristics. All staff champion and model attitudes and behaviours that respect the rights of all and are inclusive, well informed, and responsive to diverse needs. They reflect on how discrimination and exclusion, whether intentional or unintentional, might work against the development of a safe and inclusive culture and are supported by their line managers to develop proactive strategies to address this.

Re-engage is committed to ensuring that the policies, procedures, and guidance in place are accessible for all. Materials produced must be in accessible language and formats that promote inclusion, including for non-specialists, volunteers, and older people. Everyone involved in our activities must be informed of the support and the complaint process available to them.

4. Working safely  

Safeguarding is integrated throughout the recruitment process. Building a culture of safeguarding depends on our ability to instil a commitment to safeguarding amongst all those who join the organisation as employees or volunteers. This means:

• Ensuring all recruiting managers and members of interview panels have received appropriate training on safer recruitment
• Including a statement about our commitment to safeguarding in all job adverts
• Including specific safeguarding questions in interviews
• Completing background/ID checks on all staff, volunteers, and consultants as appropriate for the individual role
• Ensuring all new starters read, understand and sign their commitment to safeguarding by reading the employee’s handbook and other key policies within the first two weeks of their employment
• Incorporating compliance with safeguarding in all employment contracts

Safeguarding is a compulsory part of the induction process for new starters, including our volunteers. It is the responsibility of the recruiting manager to ensure new starters complete safeguarding training at a level tailored to their individual role and responsibilities.

All staff and volunteers are trained and supported to effectively implement Re-engage’s safeguarding policies, this includes recognising indicators of abuse, responding effectively to safeguarding concerns, creating safe environments for everyone, supporting colleagues and peers, and safeguarding themselves.

Line managers are responsible for maintaining an accurate, up-to-date record of all staff and volunteer training via our BreatheHR system, including expiry dates where appropriate. All elements of supervision and line management include reference to safeguarding including reflection on safeguarding knowledge, understanding, and training in 1:1 meeting, team meetings, target-setting, and appraisals.

5. Safe spaces  

Re-engage is committed to promoting the safety and well-being of all older people, volunteers, and staff by reducing siloed working practices and fostering close relationships across teams and management levels. Through our strategic goal to harness technology, we allow for a variety of working styles which promotes collaboration.

Re-engage’s policies promote the use of safe online environments to communicate and to seek support such as through our websites, social media channels and bespoke applications.

6. Safe processes  

Re-engage’s principles and operations relating to safeguarding are clearly defined in our suite of safeguarding documents. Policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and updated, ensuring that they adhere to relevant legislation and national guidance, reflect best practice, and reinforce the needs and strategy of the organisation. Re-engage’s safeguarding policies are publicly available on our website.

Clear processes and procedures exist for reporting safeguarding concerns, making complaints and whistleblowing. All staff are required to sign that they have read and understood these policies and their roles, responsibilities, reporting and privacy obligations and these are understood across the organisation, including by individuals.

Our people:

• Feel empowered and supported to challenge poor practice
• Have a good understanding of the different ways individuals may express concerns, distress, or disclose harm
• Know how to create a supportive and safe environment for any adult at risk who discloses harm or risk to another individual
• Know who to talk to if they are feeling unsafe, and understand what will happen next
• Know that failure to report safeguarding concerns will be considered a serious breach of Re-engage's safeguarding procedures and may result in disciplinary action (for example, a volunteer may be asked to step back from the charity)

7. Care and collaboration

Re-engage aims to embed a ‘culture of care’ within the organisation. In practice, this means that volunteers and staff have a duty of care towards the individuals they come into contact with throughout their time with Re-engage. This may include:

• Colleagues (paid and unpaid)
• Individuals who may engage with Re-engage in a variety of ways for example, membership of groups or in one-off communication via Re-engage’ social media channels
• Family members and emergency contacts of older people who use our services
• Other professionals

Volunteers and staff also have a duty of care towards themselves; to keep themselves safe and well so that they can perform their duties to the best of their ability. All volunteers and staff must abide by the policies and follow the processes which support the safeguarding of all by:

• Creating and maintaining professional relationships
• Recognising and adhering to professional boundaries
• Working within their competence
• Using appropriate channels to ask and offer help and support

Reporting

All Re-engage volunteers, staff members and trustees have a part to play in safeguarding adults at risk and must undertake safeguarding training at a level appropriate to their role and familiarise themselves with the safeguarding policy and procedures.

The SSPOC is the initial point of contact for all safeguarding concerns at Re-engage and is responsible for:

• Monitoring the incident and concern mailbox
• Maintaining a record of safeguarding concerns in the Re-engage case management log
• Providing support to volunteers and staff who have reported a safeguarding concern log
• Receiving and managing safeguarding concerns from external sources (for example, guests’ families)
• Managing open referrals, supporting social workers and other agencies if requested

The DSL is responsible for developing and quality assuring safeguarding activity across Re-engage and supporting best practice for external stakeholders. The DSL:

• Monitors and oversees all safeguarding incidents and provides assurance that all are being managed appropriately
• Makes referrals to local authority safeguarding teams where concerns meet the threshold, liaising with those involved
• Maintains a record of safeguarding referrals in the safeguarding case management log
• Holds ultimate responsibility for safeguarding throughout Re-engage
• Ensures SMT and trustees are kept informed of safeguarding practice
• Oversees escalation with external safeguarding partners where necessary

Trustees approve the safeguarding policy and have a duty of care to the charity, which includes taking the necessary steps to safeguard those at risk from abuse, managing risk and protecting the reputation of the charity.

When a volunteer has a concern about an older person or a fellow volunteer

Volunteers must maintain an open mind and understand that any adult, in any situation, could be the victim of abuse or neglect. When concerned about the welfare of an older person or a fellow volunteer, volunteers must always act in the best interests of the person and act immediately.

Re-engage understands that seeing or hearing about a potential safeguarding issue can be difficult and sometimes we may feel unsure or hesitant about calling the police, but it is important to understand that we need to report it.

If the older person or volunteer is in immediate danger then the volunteer must call the police on 999, and advice and support will be given. The police will ask for key information, so it is important to share what you have, even if it is only a name and telephone number and explain what you have seen or heard. The police will advise of the steps to take. It is vital that the volunteer contacts Re-engage at the earliest possible opportunity and asks to speak to the SSPOC.

If a volunteer has a concern about the welfare or safety of an older person or a fellow volunteer, the volunteer must complete a safeguarding incident and concern form via the Re-engage website and also report it to their group coordinator (if they have one) who will assist.

The incident and concern form must be completed at the first possible opportunity and no later than one working day after being informed about a concern. The information recorded on the form must be factual and not based on opinions, recording what the person has said or what has been witnessed, with the specific nature of the concern.

If the incident and concern form is not accessible to the volunteer, they must phone Re-engage on 020 7240 0630 and ask to speak to the SSPOC.  

Failure to report safeguarding concerns will be considered a serious breach of Re-engage's safeguarding procedures and may result in disciplinary action (for example, a volunteer may be asked to step back from the charity). Submission of a safeguarding incident and concern form will trigger an alert via email to the safeguarding mailbox which is monitored by the SSPOC.

It is important to remember that it is not a volunteer’s responsibility to determine:

• If an adult is an adult at risk
• If an adult has the capacity to make choices which may put them at risk
• If abuse has occurred
• What action is required to protect the adult

When a staff member has a concern about an individual

Just like volunteers, staff members must maintain an open mind and understand that any adult, in any situation, could be the victim of abuse or neglect. When concerned about the welfare of an individual, staff members must always act in the best interests of the person and act immediately. If the person is in immediate risk of danger or at risk of causing harm to themselves or others, the staff member must immediately contact emergency services by calling 999 and then contact the SSPOC.  

If a staff member has a concern about the welfare of an individual, the staff member must contact the SSPOC immediately.

Concern about a member of Re-engage staff

An adult at risk may be a person who:

• Is elderly and frail due to ill health, physical disability, or cognitive impairment
• Has a learning disability
• Has a physical disability and / or sensory impairment
• Has mental health needs including dementia or a personality disorder
• Has a long-term illness/condition
• Suffer from drug or alcohol problems
• Is a carer, such as a family member/friend who provides personal assistance and care to adults and is subject to abuse
• Is unable to demonstrate the capacity to make a decision and is in need of care and support

Therefore, it is possible that a Re-engage member of staff may also be an adult at risk If there is a concern relating to a staff member who is at immediate risk of danger or at risk of causing harm to themselves or to others, the volunteer or the staff member raising the concern must immediately contact emergency services by calling 999.

After contacting the emergency services, if the person raising the concern is a staff member, they must contact the designated safeguarding lead. If the person raising the concern is a volunteer, they must phone Re-engage on 020 7240 0630 and ask to speak to the designated safeguarding lead.

If there is a concern relating to a staff member who is not at immediate risk of danger or at risk of causing immediate harm to themselves or to others, if the person raising the concern is a staff member, they must contact the designated safeguarding lead. If the person raising the concern is a volunteer, they must phone Re-engage on 020 7240 0630 and ask to speak to the designated safeguarding lead.

Responding

When a concern is raised, clear and appropriate action will be taken. The key responsibility of anyone involved in safeguarding is to act upon their concerns. Recording and reporting alone are not sufficient.

The individual who reports and/or refers a concern has a responsibility to follow up on their action with their point of contact, which may be their volunteer coordinator or the SSPOC. Timely and appropriate feedback is provided to individuals, families and those who raise concerns by the SPPCO.

After a disclosure is made it is vitally important that the safeguarding incident and concern form is completed or that the SSPOC is contacted immediately.

The SSPOC will contact the adult to discuss the concern and decide, based on the information provided, whether the DSL should be notified, and a referral made to the local safeguarding services.

As Re-engage works with older people who are experiencing loneliness it is important that all safeguarding concerns involving older people are treated as ‘adult at risk’ and that this status is reviewed as part of the safeguarding decision-making process.

If it is decided that the concern, or incident potentially meets the threshold for a referral, the SSPOC and/or the DSL make the referral to the local authority safeguarding team and will liaise with those involved.

Please note: the threshold will be met when there is reasonable cause to suspect that an adult who has care and support needs, is at risk of or experiencing abuse and neglect.

The DSL is responsible for recording further details and outcomes of safeguarding referrals in the safeguarding management case log. The designated safeguarding lead is also responsible for monitoring and overseeing concerns and incidents and for providing assurance that they are being managed appropriately.

Schedule of quality assurance monitoring activities

The activities of the safeguarding quality assurance framework will be ongoing and will be planned and led by the DSL.

Frequency	Activity	Accountability
Weekly	Safeguarding concern log check.	Designated safeguarding lead.
Monthly	Safeguarding concerns and cases as a standard agenda point in all staff support and supervision meetings.	Line managers.
Quarterly	Quarterly report to the board of trustees on the safeguarding concerns and incidents received by Re-engage in the previous quarter. 1 x quarterly case review.	Designated safeguarding lead.
Annually	Review of all policies and procedures in the suite of safeguarding documents.	Led by the designated safeguarding lead and conducted by the designate safeguarding lead and policy owners.
Biannually	Internal safeguarding audit or commission of an external safeguarding audit.	Designated safeguarding lead.
Biannually	Safeguarding training refreshers for all staff	Designated safeguarding lead

Internal case reviews

The purpose of the internal case reviews is to provide accountability for the quality of the safeguarding work conducted at Re-engage and to ensure learning can be captured and included within organisational reports. Written records are not the purpose of this work and therefore should only capture what is necessary.  A proforma, no longer than one side of A4 paper will be completed to capture learning and must record as a minimum:

1. The date of the review
2. The names of those involved in the review
3. The initials and date of birth of the subject of the case being reviewed
4. Whether the reviewers agree that:
   1. The right decision was made as to whether a referral was made or not; and
   2. The right action was taken based on the information held.
5. The main findings of the review (both positive and negative)
6. Any learning from the review

The case reviews will be chosen at random via a data access request and may be conducted on either a safeguarding concern or incident.

Records of case reviews are kept securely on Re-engages electronic storage within the safeguarding channel for two years and will then be deleted.

The DSL presents the findings of the case review to SMT and the safeguarding lead trustee in order to provide oversight and accountability.

Suite of safeguarding documents and review schedule

Re-engage reviews its policies in line with the expectations of the charity regulators as laid out below and will also review policies following a serious incident within the charity.

Policy	Status in safeguarding	Review date
Safeguarding quality assurance framework	Non statutory	March 2024
Safeguarding adults at risk policy	Statutory	March 2024
Safeguarding children policy	Statutory	March 2024
Whistleblowing policy	Statutory	March 2024
Data protection (GDPR) policy	Statutory	May 2024
Anti-bribery and corruption policy	Non statutory	April 2024
Gift acceptance policy	Non statutory	June 2024
Social media policy	Non statutory	March 2024
Substance and alcohol misuse policy	Non statutory	June 2024

Re-engage safeguarding governance structure

Re-engage safeguarding concern management process for adults at risk

Re-engage safeguarding concern management process for children