Safeguarding Policy
1 Purpose
Beyond Reflections considers the safety and health of our members, volunteers, and staff of the highest priority. The purpose of this document is to outline the practices and procedures by which staff, volunteers and members contribute to the prevention of harm to others, and to provide a clear framework for action when abuse is suspected.
This policy is aimed at protecting our members, volunteers, and staff from abuse, self-neglect and other incidents that may cause them harm. There follows some information about what these issues may include, but it is not an exhaustive list. Please see the responsibilities section of the policy for actions that need to be taken.
2 Safeguarding responses
A safeguarding response is one in which an agency, or often multiple agencies, step in to stop abuse or neglect. It has an escalation process in which the relevant parties are notified. It can start with a person at risk, however it more usually starts when a person or agency who know or are working with them raises the alarm.
Abuse can come in several forms, and the main categories are sexual, physical, financial, psychological or emotional, discriminatory, and neglect. Abuse is often perpetrated in the home, or other settings deemed to be safe, though it can occur anywhere. For us, that could include a workspace, meeting and counselling space or off-site.
2.1 Adults at risk
An adult can be at risk regardless of whether or not they are classed as vulnerable. Under the care act this is defined as those who have needs for care and support, experience or are at risk of abuse or neglect, or may not be able to protect themselves from abuse or neglect should it occur.
Harm to self. This can range from self-neglect through to deliberate self-harm or suicide attempt. Many people in psychological distress or without the capacity (short or long term) to recognise or act on their needs can self-neglect. This may at times reach a point where require a safeguarding response.
Should a vulnerable adult come to us for support, a designated person will meet with their support worker or equivalent and it will be agreed that their attendance is to be with a support person present or available nearby, depending on level of need.
2.2 Children at risk
Beyond Reflections does not support children, but should a child be known to be at risk due to any disclosure made to staff or volunteers, this must be escalated to one of the designated people within the charity, and safeguarding referrals made if the risk is deemed credible.
3 Reporting
Anyone can raise any concern at any time to any volunteer or member of staff using whichever method they deem the most appropriate bearing in mind the seriousness of the concern. Volunteers are to raise any concerns to a member of staff. All concerns must then be copied into the Safeguarding Lead within 8 hours of notification who will carry out an investigation.
4 Recruitment
When recruiting new volunteers, Beyond Reflections operates a three-part selection process. Initially, the prospective volunteer is required to fill in an application, including providing contact details for two referees.
Referees are then contacted and asked to fill in a reference, which includes specific questions around trustworthiness, ability to hold confidence, offer empathy and stay non-judgemental. If the application and references are adequate, the applicant is then interviewed, after which two members of staff discuss their suitability. People are interviewed against a set of criteria.
There may be more than one interview for a role. A staff member then contacts them to either offer a volunteer role, pending training, or to explain why they were not successful in their application at this time. All volunteers are expected to sign and adhere to the conditions contained in the Volunteer Handbook.
We accommodate people with particular needs and are happy to discuss how best to support anyone during the interview phase.
DBS checks are not required as we do not deal with vulnerable adults or people under the age of 18.
5 Training and support
Once through the application process, the new volunteer is sent the induction information and volunteer handbook and asked to confirm that they have read and agreed to these. This includes confidentiality and who to contact with concerns. If the role that the new volunteer will be carrying out includes offering direct support to members, they are required to shadow groups before starting.
Training includes Trans+ Awareness and a short test to fill in to ensure that people have understood the material, and if supporting directly they also attend Support Skills training and test. Counsellors can opt in or out of the Support Skills training. Beyond Reflections is currently developing the training offering and hope to soon include a short course on neurodiversity soon.
New volunteers are offered monthly supervisions to start with. Following this, volunteers offering direct support are required to have supervision at least once every six months, and are able to have extra supervision booked in between this any time that they request it. Counsellors have monthly supervision. New volunteers carrying out group support are paired with more experienced volunteers, and will take a supporting role initially.
Those who wish to become facilitators will be assessed before being signed off to take responsibility within their own group. If the volunteer is not yet ready, feedback will be provided and support offered if wanted. They can then request another assessment after three months. All staff and volunteers (including trustees) are expected to attend safeguarding training – we are utilising an online Learning Management system to facilitate the administration of this process. The only exceptions are those where external (to us) safeguarding courses are attended as part of duties in public sector organisations including, for example, the NHS, social services and the police service. Our internal safeguarding training is monitored by an external safeguarding expert.
6 Responsibilities
6.1 Initial responsibilities
Should a volunteer or member of staff suspect that a safeguarding response may be needed, their first responsibility is to decide whether or not it requires an immediate response. If in doubt, they must treat it as needing an immediate response. The person first discovering the risk is responsible at this stage, until such a time as they pass it to the staff or a designated person.
The risk must also be reported immediately. We also have volunteers who are external to the organisation, working in private practice as counsellors and other therapists. They are responsible for managing risk within their own practice, and making the Therapeutic Lead aware of any changes in risk or other concerns that they may have.
6.2 Immediate risk
In the case that a risk requires immediate response, volunteers or staff must follow the Crisis Management Plan (CMP). In initial training, all volunteers are made aware of the CMP, its location, contents, and use. Staff are then to follow up with any necessary actions. The CMP details how to listen, react and record allegations and concerns.
6.3 Longer term risk
If the risk is not immediate, volunteers must make staff aware of all information that they have, and it then becomes the staff’s responsibility to take any actions deemed necessary. Staff may allocate extra support, offer signposting to other groups or agencies, and may in some cases need to raise their concern with the safeguarding team local to the person at risk.
6.4 Designated persons.
The designated staff member is initially responsible for any information handed to the staff team that is deemed as needing further input. This individual may then hand this up to the designated safeguarding lead if further decisions or actions are required. At times, the designated staff member may take actions and notify the designated safeguarding lead of these actions as part of handing the case over. The CEO will be notified of all safeguarding matters and actions taken.
Designated staff member: Maximillian Mustafa-Holzapfel (Therapeutic Lead).
Maximillian is in charge of safeguarding and its reporting, and also runs the process for Hate Crime reporting.
Designated staff member: Gillian Russell (CEO)
Designated safeguarding lead (trustee): Scott Johnson
7 Reporting
All risks should be reported verbally to Maximillian and copied to Gillian in the first instance. The CMP outlines how and when to escalate to the emergency services if appropriate or any appropriate group leader or case worker. We take no risks in this area and immediate escalation is encouraged. Our internal processes outline how and when to contact family members and these processes should always be adhered to. Understanding and following the CMP and knowing the preferred contact details for staff and volunteers is an important adjunct to this policy.
Additional information
Beyond Reflections is a registered charity (1187351) providing safe, confidential spaces in England and Wales for trans+ people, their family, and friends to meet with peers; engage in counselling; participate in facilitated group work and to attend workshops.
We are a third-party hate crime reporting centre and provide training, networking, outreach, and consultancy services to the public and private sector.
Check out our website for more information and contact the office info@beyond-flections.org.uk or on 03448 468 545 to speak to one of the team.
2025